The second day of
LPL Split 3 Playoffs took place on Monday, September 8, with two more best-of-five series.
Weibo Gaming narrowly edged out
Anyone’s Legend after five long games, while
Top Esports dominated
Ninjas in Pyjamas, sending them to the lower bracket where they will face AL. TES, meanwhile, will meet Weibo in the upper bracket.
The first series actually started well for the Split 2 champions, as Anyone’s Legend were carried by Cui "
Shanks" Xiao-Jun’s Orianna. It was the shortest game of the series, and many thought AL had set the tone for the rest of the match, but things didn’t play out that way. In Game 2, the spicy picks were already on display with a jungle duel between Lee "
Tarzan" Seung-yong’s Zed and Gao "
Tian" Tian-Liang’s Qiyana.
Tian and Xiaohu on a good day
In the end, it was the Empress of the Elements who came out on top, as the 2019 World Champion delivered a flawless performance, finishing 10/0/10. Game 3 saw the Chinese jungler continue his momentum with an outstanding Naafiri showing, giving his team match point.
But AL weren’t done yet, equalizing thanks in large part to a standout Bard game from Kim "Kael" Jin-hong. To close out the series, Tian locked in Lee Sin — a champion he holds a Worlds skin for — and alongside Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao's Twisted Fate produced a strong performance that sent AL down to the lower bracket.
The second series was a bit more one-sided. Perhaps inspired by Tian, Seo "
Kanavi" Jin-hyeok locked in
Qiyana right away in Game 1 and completely stomped the match, finishing 10/4/12. The Korean jungler, who was named the best jungler of the LPL regular season, set the tone early.
NIP struck back to equalize with a strong showing from their mid-jungle duo, as Kim "
Doinb" Tae-sang’s Ryze and Yang "
naiyou" Zi-Jian’s Sylas carried the game. The third game was a bit closer, but Split MVP Yu "
JackeyLove" Wen-Bo stepped up on Jhin to give his team match point. TES then closed out the series with a controlled Game 4, sending NIP down to the lower bracket where they will face AL.
Header Photo Credit: LPL/Riot Games
