For the first time in an official competition,
ERL teams have defeated
LEC teams and done so in convincing fashion. During the third day of the
EWC EMEA Qualifier this Thursday,
and
both secured lower-bracket victories against
and
, respectively.
These two results reinforce what many fans had already suspected: the gap in level between lower-tier LEC teams and the strongest ERL rosters is not as wide as it might appear. With four LEC teams already eliminated from the competition, Solary and Galions remain alive in the lower bracket.
After being outclassed by
on Tuesday, Galions responded emphatically with a 2–0 victory over SK Gaming. The
LFL and
EMEA Masters finalists did not concede a single kill in the first map. The second game proved more competitive, but Galions ultimately prevailed, notably thanks to an outstanding performance from their AD Carry,
, who finished the game with a remarkable 10,000 gold lead over his direct counterpart.
Solary have so far upheld their status in this qualifier. The French side had already put up a closely contested series against
on Tuesday, eventually falling 2–1. This time, however, the most dominant ERL team since the start of the season was rewarded for its efforts, securing a victory over Fnatic. Once again, the team could rely on its jungler,
, who continues to deliver standout performances this season.
In the next round, Solary will face
, who defeated
after initially falling to NAVI on Wednesday. Zicssi will reunite with his former midlaner
, with whom he previously played at
Entropiq in 2023. Meanwhile, Galions will take on
, the surprise victors over Team Vitality. The latter, who had not won a single best-of-three series in the LEC this year, claimed their first series victory this Thursday following the return of
to the lineup.
