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In the second BO5 match of the LPL playoffs, the teams competing were IG and EDG. IG smoothly secured a 2-0 lead in the first two games. Entering the third game, EDG made a desperate push while IG seemed to loosen up.

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Yet in the mid to late stages, IG effortlessly controlled team fights and successfully moved on to the winners’ bracket.

WEI’s Lee Sin debuts, dominating the early jungle

During the third game’s draft phase, EDG on the blue side picked Ryze, pairing him with a Senna-Tahm Kench synergy to build a highly coordinated team. They chose Renekton top to strengthen early to mid-game fighting power, and surprisingly selected Sylas for jungle to steal enemy ultimates and increase their potential. Senna was reserved for the late game.

IG responded with a Twisted Fate composition, pairing assassin jungler Zed for strong burst damage. Their bot lane featured Xayah and Rakan, while Jayce was picked top to match up against Renekton. The core of this lineup’s tempo relied on Twisted Fate, who also needed to secure lane advantages.

At the start, EDG’s jungle invasion failed, and Sylas suffered heavy damage right from level one.

Following that, WEI aggressively invaded the jungle. Xiaohao attempted to coordinate with support for a kill, but WEI flashed to dodge Tahm Kench’s Q and used W to jump over the wall. Xiaohao tried to follow over the wall alone but was counter-killed by WEI.

With a significant jungle advantage, WEI kept invading and seized an opportunity to flash in and kill Sylas with a combo. However, EDG counterattacked with a 0-for-2 exchange. Zdz and The Shy, both low on health, faced off in the mid lane. IG arrived first to assist but failed to secure kills immediately, while EDG’s mid and support arrived later to successfully take down two opponents.

After recalling to heal, EDG targeted The Shy in the bot lane with a tower dive attempt. Meiko arrived to support and saved The Shy. Zdz tried a solo tower dive to kill The Shy but died himself, resulting in a 1-for-2 exchange in favor of IG.

Meiko’s Rakan dazzled with flawless plays, and GALA sealed the match

Shortly after Renekton respawned, IG caught and killed him. EDG quickly launched a counterattack mid lane; Renekton locked down Xayah, who dodged the hook and, with team support, secured a kill. IG’s offense became chaotic as jungle, support, and mid forced fights, but EDG’s reinforcements arrived to kill two players. The kill score was now tied 6-6.

Riding the momentum, EDG’s Zdz on Renekton flanked to catch GALA’s position. IG’s reinforcements countered, but Zed’s entry was a misstep, resulting in a death. Rookie’s Twisted Fate was also isolated and killed due to poor positioning.

At the 21-minute Elder Dragon contest, EDG initiated successfully against GALA, but Xiaohao’s mistake during the fight led to his death. IG then countered with a full team wipe.

Following that loss, EDG staged a comeback fight at the Dragon pit. Twisted Fate initiated well, and Tahm Kench repeatedly set up plays that led to a team fight victory. However, the momentum was short-lived as EDG’s bot lane siege was countered by IG’s double teleport, who immediately started Baron. EDG rushed in to contest, but GALA’s Xayah executed a spectacular R flash engage, unleashing devastating AoE damage that helped IG win the team fight once again.

A clean 3-0, IG advances to the winners’ bracket

After this fight, EDG fell into a complete disadvantage. IG used the Baron buff to push high ground, destroyed the mid lane inhibitor, and when EDG tried to initiate a fight, it only resulted in a disastrous loss for them. IG counterattacked, easily killing two players and then pushed to the Nexus to end the game.

In my opinion, this game was the most exciting match in this BO5 series. However, this was partly because IG played somewhat relaxed, allowing EDG to mount several mid-game counterattacks. Still, in late-game team fights, very few teams in the LPL can claim a guaranteed win over IG, let alone an EDG team from the lower bracket.

IG’s strength lies in their late-game team fight execution, combined with early jungle control, Meiko’s outstanding Rakan performance throughout, and GALA’s critical plays on Xayah in key fights. These factors were crucial to IG’s victory.

Of course, IG had some supporting roles too. Rookie’s Twisted Fate didn’t perform as well as expected, showing the team’s lack of familiarity with the card-based composition. Multiple early and mid-game fights lacked Twisted Fate’s presence, lowering Rookie’s impact. Fortunately, the teammates’ strong play compensated for this. IG is now preparing for their winners’ bracket match against BLG.