The LPL third split playoffs are down to the last two BO5 series to determine the champion. IG, who have high hopes from the audience, swept LGD 3:0 in the last match and advanced to the loser's bracket finals. While securing a top-three finish, IG also claimed the final LPL Regional Qualifier spot. Since the establishment of the Rebirth Group, IG is the first team to fight their way from the Rebirth Group into the Regional Qualifiers. The value of this 1-4 run is undeniably significant.

In this BO5, LGD was completely dominated. The "young master" showed the audience what "fundamentally weak" means through three games. In comparison, Jiaqi looked like a warrior. If it weren't for the AD's poor performance, LGD would have at least had a chance to win one or two small rounds. The little foreigner, Tangyuan, and Liu Shao all had some decent moments across the three games, but the jungler and ADC were consistently outclassed in their matchups.

Finishing fourth after starting from sixth in the Summit Group, LGD's result is already respectable. But unfortunately, they ran into a red-hot IG. Although they missed out on Worlds, being able to play in the Demacia Cup and compete against mid-tier teams from other regions is still a decent achievement. IG's performance this split has been truly surprising. Before the third split started, if someone had said that IG could fight their way out of the Rebirth Group and secure a Regional Qualifier spot, everyone would have thought that person was definitely trolling, because even IG fans wouldn't have dared to imagine that at the time.

But IG actually made it happen, and they still have a chance to push further into the finals and challenge BLG. In the next match against AL, honestly, IG has a good chance of winning. When AL played BLG, Hope's performance was not much different from the "young master," and Breathe in the top lane was completely outplayed by Bin. If AL's top and bottom lanes continue to perform like this in the next game, IG is definitely capable of winning.

After BLG defeated AL, Knight already expressed confidence in IG. He stated in an interview: "IG is very strong right now, and I want to face them in the finals." Knight's judgment is spot-on; IG has indeed been playing better and better in recent matches. As long as they maintain this form, they can compete against any LPL team.

Meiko also responded to Knight in an interview: "Then see you in the finals." Well, now there are only three teams left. Both IG and BLG seem to be ignoring AL. Could it be that on the 12th, AL suddenly steps up and pulls off a big surprise? With four days to adjust their form and study their opponents, AL really might stop IG at the top three. Tarzan and Kael, this jungle-support duo, are truly strong individually. If they perform well, AL's strength is nothing to scoff at.

But regardless of whether they can make it to the finals, IG at least has a guaranteed spot in the Regional Qualifiers. Since IG started from the winner's bracket, they have two BO5 chances. If they do go to the Regional Qualifiers, the first match would be against their former opponent TES, and the second match against the winner of WE vs JDG. Losing two BO5s in a row would be quite difficult. However, the best-case scenario would be to win the championship directly, but beating BLG seems somewhat unrealistic.

IG's points from the first two splits are too low. Even if they finish as runners-up, their total points would only be 120, still 10 points behind AL. The only way to qualify directly is to defeat BLG and win the championship. Initially, everyone said that just making it to the playoffs would be a success for IG. But now that they are already in the top three, hoping for the championship doesn't seem too unreasonable. Although the possibility is low, it is still exciting to see if IG can continue to create miracles.

Conclusion:

The overall strength of the LPL region has indeed declined significantly this year. Apart from BLG, the remaining teams in the Summit Group are not exceptionally strong. IG has already broken through, and there is a good chance they can push further. AL has been a bit sluggish recently. Personally, I feel that if these two teams face off, IG has at least a 60% chance of winning.

So, do you think IG can beat AL?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!