Rookie's biggest rival eliminated! LPL kicks off the ultimate showdown, with IG favored to face Faker in the final battle

Greetings to all LPL viewers and League of Legends summoners, welcome to Tianxia Game Hub.

Yesterday's LPL qualifiers featured the losers' bracket clash, with JDG triumphing over WBG 3-1 to earn the final ticket to the next round.

Judging by the matches yesterday, many fans were quick to say that IG’s opportunity has arrived.

Rookie’s biggest adversary eliminated, LPL’s final showdown begins

The JDG vs. WBG series was criticized by viewers for its low quality; aside from JDG’s easy win in the first game, the following three games became increasingly chaotic with constant swings. Tiger’s disappointing performance was the most surprising aspect.

Tiger, known as the "King of the Play-In Stage," has a history of multiple successful qualifications, and WBG also had the formidable top laner Breath, yet with two buffs in hand, WBG still lost.

Tiger failed to perform at his best, making critical mistakes in two key games that led to losses. In the fourth game, despite WBG having a kill lead, Xun seized the chance to kill Tiger, helping JDG regain control and secure the victory.

In contrast, Scout, who has been underperforming most of the year, played quite well in this BO5 series.

After this round, Rookie’s biggest rival Tiger was eliminated, which is good news for IG. Many say that although IG is weak, they can still beat these two teams. Today will see the LPL’s final showdown to determine the last spot for Worlds, which will lead to a face-off against T1.

IG is favored to face Faker in the final battle

Many viewers don’t understand why Tiger is Rookie’s biggest rival. The reason is simple: during Rookie’s time at NIP, he was decisively defeated by Tiger, leading fans to call out a mid-lane skill gap. Moreover, their play-in stage records are opposite: Rookie won only 1 out of 7 play-in series, while Tiger always qualified for Worlds.

Today’s matchup is quite interesting and can be called the final clash between champion mid laners. Doinb was eliminated early, leaving only two LPL mid laners with Worlds titles, but only one can advance—and that player may become part of the Worlds top 17 to face the formidable T1.

Based purely on recent form and performance, IG is more favored to face Faker. Fans noticed that after losing the winners' bracket in the play-in, Rookie intensified his training, practicing until 4 or 5 AM today, showing his dissatisfaction with his previous performance.

This last match is crucial for IG’s survival and also for the future of Rookie’s career. No matter what, Rookie must give his all.

LPL’s 4th, 5th, and 6th place teams may face disbandment

In my opinion, the overall LPL landscape this year shows the top three teams as quite competitive. Even if their Worlds results aren’t outstanding, it’s unlikely these teams will disband or reorganize; at most, they might replace a player to strengthen the roster.

However, the teams ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth are very likely to undergo disbandment, restructuring, or even have players retire.

A key point is whether IG or JDG can eliminate T1 and reach the round of 16. Although difficult, it’s not impossible, and if they advance, they will become LPL heroes with a huge confidence boost, making disbandment unlikely by year-end.

But if they lose to T1, IG, JDG, and WBG all face a high chance of disbanding. Especially WBG, already eliminated, with Light hinting at retirement plans. Players like Tiger, Breath, and Crisp also risk retiring; even if they don’t, major roster changes or team transfers are expected next year.