The match between RAG and IKG was the final one of the regular season. With the first two games concluded, the playoff picture had become almost entirely clear.
TIN topped the standings with a flawless record. FFT followed closely in second. RAG and IKG had one less game played, which placed them temporarily in third and fourth. However, regardless of tonight's outcome, the winner would secure a top-two finish and push FFT down to third place.
The lower half of the standings would remain unaffected. WG took fifth place, followed by TUP in sixth, TG in seventh, and OT in eighth. All eight teams had officially clinched their playoff spots.
As for the rest of the league, their season had already come to an early end.
"Teacher, where’s SG on the leaderboard? Oh right, SG has to go play relegation."
"That's hilarious. They were top sixteen last year. Now they don’t even need to fight for it, because their core lineup already left to start a new team."
"This season's playoff race was brutal. I can’t believe WG only finished fifth."
"That’s because RAG pushed in and snatched one of the top seeds."
"Wait, OT is actually eighth? That means they edged out DT."
"Yeah, DT already posted their break announcement earlier today."
"Honestly, OT should be on their knees thanking Qi Yi. If he hadn’t carried them during the points stage and pushed them up to sixth, they’d be the ones packing now."
"OT's manager was acting like a burner account yesterday, flooding every comment section, desperate to let everyone know they qualified."
"You mean the guy who flamed TUP on an alt and then begged for Bai Yu?"
"That's the one."
"It doesn't matter. OT's going to get knocked out 0–3 in the first round anyway."
"That’s so disrespectful. I love it."
"Aren’t you guys nervous? I’m so tense. The team that wins tonight will skip an extra best-of-five in playoffs. This could absolutely affect who wins the championship."
"No point being nervous. One way or another, we still have to play."
"IKG’s been looking shaky this season, but I still think they’ll beat RAG."
"RAG just keeps recycling the same drafts with no meaningful growth. Everyone's figured them out. Just look at their game against TIN."
"I still believe Bai Yu has something new prepared."
"New strats? With only two days? What can he even come up with in that time?"
In the team lounge, Bai Yu was applying KT tape. It was rare to see him using it. Kinesiology tape is usually worn to relieve muscle tension and provide light support for wrist movement. Xu Bo used it often during training. For Bai Yu to use it now, it was almost certainly to manage pain.
Lu Sheng, still early in his career, had barely ever seen the stuff. He leaned over and asked, "Does that actually work?"
Bai Yu nodded, then smiled faintly. "You probably shouldn't be too curious. People usually only use this when retirement isn’t far off."
Lu Sheng immediately backed off, interest gone. Then he looked across the room and noticed Xu Bo wearing it too.
"Why is Xu Bo starting the first game? His wrists are already overloaded."
Bai Yu had only discussed the decision with Song Bo, never the rest of the team. But Lu Sheng had proven his composure and could handle the truth.
"The transfer window this season was brutal. Among all the top-tier teams, IKG is the only one that kept their full roster. Their cohesion and resilience are stronger than we anticipated. They’ll give everything they have tonight, just like we will. Neither of us wants to meet TIN in the semifinals, so both sides are going to pull out every trump card they have."
He paused, then continued with calm clarity.
"We're starting Xu Bo because he adapts faster. He plays aggressively and can pressure their comp into revealing its core. Qi Yi gets shaken too easily. It's better for him to sit and watch for now—he’ll get a clearer read on the enemy’s tempo. That will serve us better in the later games."
Lu Sheng nodded slowly. The logic held.
"Their mid laner, Ara, isn't a threat to me. The real danger is their top laner, Rote. His mechanics are insanely precise."
Bai Yu had already studied Rote’s playstyle closely, ever since the match where he defeated Jiang Yuan. He had even spent hours discussing the details with Chen Shi'an.
He had never shared the analysis with the rest of the team, but if it was Lu Sheng asking, he didn’t mind.
"I know. It's not just his mechanics. His control of terrain is unnatural. He can path with such precision that he lands skillshots at half a Teemo's width from optimal range. For someone his age to still have that kind of accuracy, I suspect he’s been grinding ridiculous hours to maintain his form."
This kind of high-intensity training came at a cost. It was one of the fastest ways to burn out and retire early. But Rote had never won a championship. He was probably gambling everything he had on this one split.
Lu Sheng was quietly impressed. Then something occurred to him.
"Half a Teemo? How could you even tell?"
Bai Yu’s gaze swept casually over to Xu Bo. His tone was relaxed.
"It wasn’t me who noticed. It was Xu Bo. His ability to track dynamic motion is three times that of an average person. No micro-movement escapes him. I remember when he first joined TG, he used to complain every day about frame drops. I thought he was just nitpicking, but it turned out our framerate really was too low."
That level of perception was terrifying. No wonder he had once charged forward fearlessly, surviving even the most chaotic teamfights.
Unconsciously, Lu Sheng felt a new sense of reverence for the old TG roster.
"So that’s the real reason you're starting Xu Bo, isn’t it?"
Bai Yu looked at him suddenly, examining him with a hint of curiosity.
"Turns out you’re not as slow as I thought. I only told you because I assumed you wouldn’t figure it out."
Lu Sheng fell silent.
Was that really how Bai Yu saw him? Like some kind of idiot?
_
Soon, the match began. The two teams were neck and neck in points. The winner would not only skip an extra best-of-five in the playoffs, but also avoid facing TIN, giving them a near-direct path to the finals. It was clear that both sides would reveal everything they had. Just imagining the game was enough to get the blood pumping.
The livestream viewership was through the roof. Even Dong-ge's channel, which was restreaming the match, was packed.
By viewer request, he started giving live analysis.
"Honestly, I’m leaning toward IKG. Their synergy this year is miles better than before. They’re the only top-tier team that kept their full roster. That kind of coordination easily outclasses RAG. Plus, they’ve been in great form. Meanwhile, RAG’s earlier matches exposed a lot of issues. Their top lane can’t carry. Mid and jungle have synergy, but even at their best, they’re just decent. They’re better off with solo plays. Their jungler hasn’t shown anything standout either. If IKG studied RAG’s game against TIN, there’s almost nothing RAG can use to turn the game. Qi Yi can play well all he wants, but if the overall state of the game is doomed, it won’t matter."
"See? Even Dong-ge says so."
"If IKG doesn’t throw, RAG can’t win."
"I argued with RAG fans for hours yesterday. Said the exact same thing. They kept insisting RAG could pop off. I mean, if IKG doesn’t make mistakes, how are you going to win?"
"Understandable. RAG fans are mostly from the academy circuit. Of course they’re gonna trash LPL teams and side with RAG."
"Now this is objective analysis. Just like Dong-ge’s."
"I’m still cautious. Feels like Bai Yu might be hiding something."
"That’s what I thought when they played TIN. I was convinced they had some cards left to play. They lost game one and I still believed they’d come back. But they just collapsed."
"The match is starting. Let’s watch first."
To everyone’s surprise, Bai Yu started Xu Bo for game one.
Frankly, most people didn’t get it.
Xu Bo was the oldest player on the team and had made the most mistakes this season. Bai Yu could still cover for him against weaker teams, but in a high-stakes match like this, there would be no room to babysit him.
"Why not start Qi Yi? He’s way more stable. Better chance of scaling into late game."
"Is RAG trying to win through early pressure?"
"How? Their jungler isn’t as aggressive as Fang Zhixu. Mid is hard-countered by Ara. And their top lane has been on fire all season."
"Let’s just see how it plays out. I’m getting anxious already."
The draft phase began. On the other side, IKG’s mid laner, Ara, was well known for his utility picks. Smart, calculated, and near impossible to kill, he was widely regarded as the hardest mid laner to shut down.
Lu Sheng, on the other hand, was a pure lane-dominant player. He relied on snowballing lane and then spreading that pressure across the map. Ara’s style completely countered him.
In other words, Lu Sheng wasn’t going to get to play his game.
Bai Yu knew this. He drafted a utility mid laner for him instead, clearly aiming to match the opponent’s roam tempo.
The pick immediately sparked criticism in chat.
People felt it didn’t suit Lu Sheng’s style. The composition looked forced. But once the game began, expectations were turned upside down.
Over the past few days, Bai Yu had been pushing Lu Sheng to improve his utility play. He had shown him countless pro games and VODs. Lu Sheng’s learning curve was steep. He absorbed the concepts quickly, then adapted them to create his own interpretation of the role.
This was the first time the enemy saw him play like this, and it caught them completely off guard. He managed to gain an early lead.
In the top lane, Chen Shi'an played a more reserved style. He excelled at stabilizing the lane and converting small advantages into map control. Bai Yu didn’t force a change to his approach, instead reinforcing his ability to both hold lane and contribute meaningful damage.
It worked. Fang Zhixu and Lu Sheng roamed top multiple times. With Chen Shi'an’s well-timed damage, they were able to secure clean kills.
By mid-game, RAG had taken full control. Their new mid-jungle-top synergy stunned viewers.
"What is going on?"
"Did they swap out their roster or something?"
"This is so refreshing. I thought Bai Yu lost his mind in draft. Turns out he was ten steps ahead."
"I told you Bai Yu was cooking something."
"IKG looks totally confused. And I’m watching from third-person and still can’t predict what they’ll do next."
"Who expected Lu Sheng to go full utility mid?"
"Even Xu Bo in bot lane is looking more stable than expected."
RAG maintained the lead. Though IKG kept trying to claw back, RAG held firm. The gold gap narrowed, but never disappeared.
Bai Yu sensed trouble and called the shot.
"Fang Zhixu, find an opening and engage."
Fang Zhixu’s engages were nearly uncounterable. He capitalized on the slightest positioning mistake and initiated a flawless teamfight.
Lu Sheng was already prepared. He played it slow, kiting while dealing consistent poke. Even on a utility mid, he found the hidden strength of sustained damage output.
The enemy team’s health bars dropped fast.
Xu Bo also found a perfect flank and immediately burst down two opponents. Everyone thought the game was over. Even Bai Yu believed they had secured the win.
Then, out of nowhere, a shadow dropped into the fight.
The enemy Gnar had found his Mega form. He jumped into the backline and slammed his ultimate.
Bai Yu’s eyes locked onto the angle. He was sure the distance wasn’t enough. He chose not to react.
But in the next instant, Xu Bo was stunned against the wall and instantly killed.
The spot he got caught in should have been impossible.
Bai Yu froze, unable to process what had just happened. Before he could recover, the game slipped out of his hands.
RAG collapsed.
Lu Sheng lacked the burst to finish anyone off. Fang Zhixu had no follow-up. One by one, the team fell.
IKG aced them.
With three players left alive, they charged straight down mid, destroyed the Nexus turret, and ended the game.
The arena was full of shock. No one had seen it clearly. Even the casters were yelling.
"The fight just turned out of nowhere. That Gnar ultimate was devastating."
Bai Yu sat pale-faced, silent and confused for a long time.
Finally, he turned to Xu Bo and asked, "You didn’t see his animation coming?"
Xu Bo stammered, "I saw it. I did. But I couldn’t react in time. His combo was just too fast."