The loser's bracket final of the LPL Third Split playoffs is over. When IG faced AL, the series went to five games, and in the end, AL came out on top to reach the finals. Although AL winning was anticipated, the dramatic fluctuations in IG's performance were unexpected. In the bottom lane, Jiaqi couldn't replicate his earlier form and was dominated by Hope. Similarly, in the top lane, TheShy lost to Breath.

Before the match, viewers believed IG could win mainly because after watching AL play BLG, they mistakenly thought IG's top and bottom lanes were as strong as BLG's. However, Breath and Hope held their ground. As a result, even in the two games IG won, they struggled. While the side lanes couldn't gain an advantage, mid laner Rookie's performance dropped significantly due to breaking his pre-game form. Combined with the coach's various lineup experiments, the match became completely one-sided.

IG's player condition and draft picks in this BO5 had significant issues. Throughout the series, it felt like they were experimenting with lineups. During their previous four-game winning streak, the coach only gave the top laner a ranged champion once, back when they were on the "Knights' Road". After facing teams in the Summit Group, TheShy played either fighters or tanks. But in this match, the coach seemed obsessed, picking Varus and Jayce consecutively, which ended up being detrimental to the entire team.

The champion Jayce has one of the lowest win rates across all regions globally, with only Zeus winning a game or two with it. IG suddenly picked it in the semifinals, leaving people puzzled about their intentions. The mid lane picks were similar. During their winning streak, the coach had Rookie play traditional mages like Orianna, Syndra, and Viktor. But against AL, they suddenly switched to LeBlanc, Lucian, and Sylas. These three champions, Rookie had not played even once in the playoffs.

Already in poor form, they insisted on picking mechanically intensive champions. Rookie's proficiency on Lucian was very low, and Sylas and LeBlanc are off-meta picks. The funniest part was that in the decisive game, IG chose to first-phase pick LeBlanc. No one knows the point of doing that, as the opponent would never have banned it anyway. Considering the mid and top lane picks overall, there is a strong element of lineup experimentation in this BO5; otherwise, the draft choices are completely inexplicable.

The only two games they won, the top lane played Ornn and Gwen, mid lane played Annie and Neeko—all lineups IG was previously comfortable with. Of course, if players were in good form, experimenting could still lead to wins, but the "Rookie and TheShy from 2018" duo were in terrible shape this BO5. Rookie's Sylas in the second game was astonishingly bad. In a 31-minute game, he dealt the second lowest damage on the team, with 7.5k damage, only slightly higher than the enemy support Lulu.

However, the outcome of this match is actually not that important. It's unrealistic to expect IG to beat BLG and secure the first seed. It's more sensible to experiment with lineups, save some strategies, and carefully review and study TES. Securing a World Championship seed is the top priority now. After AL advanced to the finals, they also seized the second World Championship spot for the LPL region. Regardless of the final result, AL is guaranteed at least the second seed.

If AL wins, BLG becomes the second seed; if AL loses, they themselves are the second seed. Both teams have now qualified for Worlds. I hope this BO5 can be played with full force and be exciting. Otherwise, if AL is dominated like in the winners' bracket final, being timid throughout, then the final won't be interesting. However, this final probably won't have much suspense. Even if AL gives their all, they might not be able to force a full five games.

Conclusion:

IG's regional qualifier (Gauntlet) starts from the winner's bracket, same as TES. Winning either of two BO5s will secure their spot at Worlds. Honestly, the difficulty is not that high, but the risk of giving away the ticket also exists. There are four days left until their rematch against TES. IG must use this time to review and prepare diligently, aiming to win one match and directly qualify for Worlds.

So, do you think IG was indeed experimenting with their lineup?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!