With just four days left in the LCK Stage 3 group matches and eight BO3s remaining, T1 faced HLE again on the previous matchday. The two teams battled through three games, with T1 ultimately winning 2-1 to secure their 20th victory. This win put T1 one match ahead of HLE in game score, temporarily placing them second on the standings. Both teams have one match left, and the outcome of their final games will decide who claims second place.

T1’s last match is against GEN, and honestly, the pressure is significant. If they lose, second place will most likely go to HLE, since HLE’s final opponent is NS, a team they are very unlikely to lose to. If T1 loses to GEN, their game score will drop to at least 19 points (if it’s 2-1), while no matter the score, HLE will reach 20+ points by beating NS. For T1 to secure second place, either HLE must lose or T1 must defeat GEN.

BLG was openly humiliated by Keria

T1’s championship skins from last year finally arrived on the test server after several months of delay. The skin line maintains its signature red and black color scheme. Honestly, the quality feels average; even with special effects, it still gives off a texture-skin vibe. The only standout feature is the facial model of Yone, which closely resembles the real player Faker. This skin set includes many small Easter eggs in its taunts and recall animations.

The most interesting Easter egg is Keria’s Pyke. When pressing Ctrl + 2 to taunt, Pyke pulls out a bounty poster featuring the portraits of the five champions BLG picked in the final game of last year’s championship. This move by Keria feels like a public humiliation. In League of Legends history, there seems to be no precedent for incorporating opponents into a skin like this. It seems coach Poppy had great foresight—BLG truly is the "Champion of the Page."

Shanks has zero MVPs in Stage 3

After WE swept AL, the group stage schedule for these two teams is complete. Although this match had little impact on rankings, AL’s loss was quite embarrassing. Shanks was utterly dominated by Karis in both games, playing Annie and Taliyah, which had negative effects and provided no benefit to his team. Before the match, Shanks said in an interview that his personal goal was to earn at least one MVP in this game.

After the match, there was indeed an MVP for the mid lane, but it went to Karis on the opposing team. This player, nicknamed the "Top Mid Laner in the Country" during Stage 2, has been in very poor form in Stage 3. After 14 games, Shanks has yet to earn a single MVP. Among mid laners, only TT and UP share this unfortunate statistic. Meanwhile, Scout has secured 7 MVPs this stage, highlighting just how much Shanks’ performance has declined.

SadBean boldly declares: I will prove the doubters wrong

The LPL Stage 3 finale features a high-profile match between IG and BLG. The stakes are clear: whoever loses will face heavy criticism. Before the match, BLG’s jungler SadBean gave a media interview, summarizing the stage by saying: BLG’s form has been inconsistent; when playing well, they fear no one, but their discipline and mid-to-late game decision-making need improvement. Their results have been just barely acceptable, although they had hoped for a perfect record.

Regarding the team’s public perception, Shadow confidently stated: As long as I perform well, I will prove the critics wrong. Despite BLG facing backlash due to the Jester incident, SadBean’s mindset seems positive and lighthearted, even joking during the interview. However, there’s no time to celebrate yet—if they lose to IG again, Bin will surely give the jungler a sharp look after the match.

Conclusion:

In an entire stage of 14 games, Shanks has not earned a single MVP, which is really hard to accept. Among the peak group, he is the only mid laner without an MVP. He should focus less on debates and more on his gameplay; otherwise, the reputation he has worked so hard to build this year will quickly fade away.

So, what do you think? Can BLG beat IG?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!