LoL - LTA: FlyQuest clean sweep Team Liquid, Shopify Rebellion edge out Cloud9 in a five-game series

The LTA North Split 3 elimination phase kicked off on Saturday 16, with a five-game thriller between Shopify Rebellion and Cloud9, where SR once again pulled off an upset. The second series saw FlyQuest dominate with a clean sweep over Team Liquid. The two winners will clash on August 31 for a spot in the grand final, with the victor securing a ticket to Worlds 2025 in China.

After a very difficult Positioning Phase in Split 2, SR delivered a surprising playoff run, with a clean sweep over 100 Thieves, followed by a 3-1 victory against Team Liquid that allowed them to dream, before being clean-swept by Cloud9. They are back with a vengeance in Split 3, winning all three of their regular season matches, gradually establishing themselves as a major force in LTA North.

The first game was dominated by Cloud9, with a Varus effectively countering Ju "Bvoy" Yeong-hoon’s Yunara, while Lee "Loki" Sang-min shone on Azir to open the score. In Game 2, it was Bvoy’s turn to take control on Lucian, and Juan "Contractz" Garcia pulled an early Lee Sin in the series. Although C9 largely controlled the game, a decisive Baron Nashor fight swung in SR’s favor, allowing them to equalize.

SR then secured their first match point in a game they nearly dropped, as champion pools began to narrow due to the fearless draft, bringing LeBlanc and Akali into the midlane. In the final game, Robert "Blaber" Huang played Rek’Sai, a champion recently buffed in the latest patch, but it wasn’t enough. Ibrahim "Fudge" Allami solo killed his lane opponent, and Bvoy, this time on Jinx, completely shut down C9. The upset was complete, with SR taking revenge for Split 2 by sending Cloud9 to the Lower Bracket.

FlyQuest are probably the best team in the West and have been for some time now. They started the series strong with a convincing win in Game 1. In the second game, Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau picked Singed—only the second time this champion has appeared in a major league this year, the first being by Deng "shanji" Zi-Jian in the LPL. According to gol.gg, the last toplaner to win with Singed in a major league was Bwipo himself back in 2020 at Worlds while playing for Fnatic against Top Esports.

Alan "Busio" Cwalina and Fahad "Massu" Abdulmalek ran the Jhin-Bard combo, and although Team Liquid held over 7k gold lead at 37 minutes, FlyQuest found a way to climb back and secure the win after 41 minutes, despite an incredible performance from Eain "APA" Stearns on his signature Ziggs. The final game was much calmer and controlled, with a more traditional draft and another strong showing from the botlane, sending FlyQuest to the Upper Bracket Final.

For the losers, TL and C9, they will move down to the Lower Bracket Final. Cloud9 are set to face the winner between Disguised and Dignitas, while Team Liquid will meet the winner of the clash between LYON and 100 Thieves. It is worth noting that the top three teams from LTA North will qualify for the Regional Championship, where they will face the three best teams from LTA South. However, the North American league will only be able to send a maximum of two teams to Worlds.