IG's Five Major Endings Spark Discussion! If They Can't Win the Title, They'll Face TES in a Rematch, Eliminated After Two Losses

Hello everyone, LPL viewers and League of Legends summoners, this is Game World.

In yesterday's BO5 playoff match for the top four, IG swept LGD 3-0 to advance to the top three, which means IG is guaranteed at least a spot in the Regional Qualifiers. Depending on subsequent developments, IG has five different possible outcomes.

IG's Five Major Endings Spark Discussion

After making history by defeating LGD, IG is guaranteed a spot in the winners' bracket of the Regional Qualifiers.

This means that despite having only one life in the playoffs, IG will get a "revival armor" in the qualifiers. If they have to play in the qualifiers, they will only be eliminated after losing two consecutive matches.

If they want to avoid the qualifiers altogether, IG must defeat AL and then BLG to win the championship, completing an incredible one-win streak through six opponents.

This one-win streak through six opponents is the outcome IG most hopes for. If successful, IG will become LPL's first seed and head to Worlds.

If IG beats AL but loses to BLG, they will still need to play in the qualifiers and will inevitably face TES in a rematch.

This leads to three possible outcomes: either IG beats TES to become the third seed, or IG loses to TES but defeats JDG or WE in the final round, or IG loses two consecutive matches and says goodbye to Worlds.

If IG loses to AL, the situation is the same as beating AL but losing to BLG: they will also face TES in the qualifiers.

Among the various outcomes, there is a "wasted effort" scenario, also called the "ticket-selling" scenario: first lose to AL, letting AL go to Worlds; then lose to TES; and finally lose in the last round, handing out three tickets. This would be the worst timeline.

Need to Strike While the Iron Is Hot and Qualify Quickly

Considering the different scenarios or timelines, the possibility of IG not making it to Worlds is already quite small.

However, IG clearly cannot let their guard down. After completing a four-game winning streak, their momentum is fierce. What they need to do is continue to give their all and strive to qualify quickly while the iron is hot.

Even if they can't win the championship, they should wrap up the qualifiers quickly from the winners' bracket.

If BLG, which is also on a strong momentum, suffers a devastating loss, it could cause IG's competitive form to drop significantly.

Other teams that have already locked in qualifier spots early will instead have an advantage—they can continuously study matches and make targeted tactical preparations. From this perspective, IG actually faces considerable risk.

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Under such circumstances, IG still needs to engage in high-intensity training to adapt to different match environments and be prepared for opponents not giving them their preferred compositions.

Can the Last Dark Horse Qualify?

The overall structure of LPL's playoffs this year has been disrupted by multiple dark horse teams, but now only IG remains as a dark horse. To some extent, IG carries the hopes of LGD and NIP as well.

Additionally, if IG can make it to Worlds, they will create new history—the first team to qualify for the World Championship from the Resurrection Group.

From the audience's perspective, the regrettable point is that dark horse teams accumulated too few points in the first two splits, causing them to lose the chance to compete for Worlds in the third split.

Teams like JDG and TES—people can't imagine them achieving good results at Worlds. This makes fans even more eager for a dark horse team to go to Worlds and give it a shot. Even if the results aren't great, as long as they are aggressive and fearless, there will be no regrets.

Another team is WE, which has an aggressive playstyle and many young players. They have also gained a lot of support from viewers. If they can attend Worlds once and gain valuable experience, their strength might improve further next year.

In short, the annual World Championship is not far away. No matter which four teams represent LPL, I hope they all perform well and strive to bring the Summoner's Cup home.