BNK FEARX sent to the Demacia Cup Global Invitational after getting reverse swept by Dplus KIA

The Worlds dream comes to an end for BNK FEARX this Thursday following a back-and-forth best-of-five against Dplus KIA, in which they were ultimately reverse-swept. They are instead sent to the Demacia Cup Global Invitational, Riot Games’ new international event featuring mid-table teams from the six major regions.

As for FEARX, they will have to settle for the consolation prize: a spot in the Demacia Cup, where LCK will send its 5th, 6th, and 7th seeds to face LPL’s same seeds, LEC and LCS’ 4th and 5th seeds and LCP and CBLOL’s 4th seeds. Among the teams already qualified, their fellow Koreans from HANJIN BRION and GAM Esports from the Pacific.

Heo “ShowMaker” Su and his teammates will therefore continue their run through the Lower Bracket, where they will face KT Rolster this Friday for a spot at Worlds, the loser will join BFX in the Demacia Cup. The other three qualified teams are already known, with Hanwha Life Esports, Gen.G, and T1 having secured their places.

This result marks the second reverse sweep of the LCK Playoffs, with T1 also holding a 2-0 lead over HLE Wednesday before being reverse-swept. Next matches will see Gen.G taking on HLE on Saturday for a spot in the grand final. On Sunday, T1 will face the winner of KT vs. DK. The Lower Bracket Final and grand final will then take place on September 12 and 13 at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

This may not be the end of the year for BFX just yet, but it is still possible to take stock of their season given the highs and lows they have experienced. What is certain, however, is that the team has established itself this year as a side capable of challenging the traditional top five, a role that has been occupied by Nongshim RedForce in recent years.

At the start of the year, the Foxes were simply the second-best team in the LCK behind Gen.G, largely thanks to the outstanding performances of their young AD carry star Nam “” Dae-geun, earning the team their first-ever international appearance at the First Stand. However, things went south in the Spring Split, with the organization eventually trading the player to NS in exchange for Kim “Taeyoon” Tae-yoon.

The Spring Split did not go particularly well, with a 6-12 regular-season record sending them into the Rise Group for the Summer Split, where they put together a respectable 50% win rate. In the Play-In, they took down NS and then BRO, building up some interesting momentum that carried into a strong performance against T1. They even had two match points against them, but ultimately fell short.

For , these playoffs are not going quite as planned. Crowned Esports World Cup champions in Paris a few months ago, they were the best team in the LCK during the Summer Split, posting a 75% win rate in the Legend Group. However, their playoff run has been far more complicated so far.

Considered clear favorites against (25% win rate in the Legend Group) in Round 1 of the playoffs, DK completely collapsed in a series that ended in a clean sweep, sending them down to the lower bracket against FEARX. They then faced a very difficult series, only managing to secure their spot in the next round by the narrowest of margins.

Tomorrow against KT, DK will have to prove their last result against Gwak "" Bo-seong's team was nothing more than a fluke. It will be one of the most important series of the year in Korea, as DK look to make it to Worlds this year after missing out last year, marking the first time in the organization's history that they failed to qualify for the tournament.