The LPL wins Rift Rivals for second year in a row

The Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL) emerged victorious in a hard-fought five-game series against Korea’s LCK. This marks the second consecutive year that LPL teams have outperformed their Korean rivals at the Rift Rivals international tournament.

KT Rolster faced Invictus Gaming in the tournament’s opening match, setting the stage for regional supremacy. Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu delivered an unexpected champion selection by choosing Vel’Koz for the bottom lane, while Go “Score” Dong-bin secured first blood against his Chinese opponents during the initial game phase.

Both teams concentrated their early game efforts on the top lane, with KT Rolster gaining strategic advantages. The Korean squad captured the first turret at the 12-minute mark, creating map pressure that enabled Score to extend his influence across multiple lanes.

Song “Rookie” Eui-jin nearly turned the game around for Invictus Gaming with a crucial team fight ace at 28 minutes. However, KT Rolster recovered momentum by securing Baron Nashor, utilizing the powerful buff to push through defenses and claim victory for the LCK region.

The second match featured legendary organizations Royal Never Give Up and SK Telecom T1, two of the most celebrated teams in competitive League of Legends history. SKT implemented an unconventional funnel composition strategy, resulting in the highly anticipated bottom lane confrontation between Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.

Despite the marquee bottom lane matchup between Uzi and Faker, jungle control ultimately determined the game’s outcome. Liu “Mlxg” Shi-Yu demonstrated superior aggression and map presence, with his relentless pressure contributing significantly to RNG’s decisive 22-minute victory.

Afreeca Freecs and Edward Gaming entered the fray with the series evenly balanced at 1-1. Afreeca demonstrated superior objective control, systematically eliminating all of Edward Gaming’s outer turrets by the 20-minute mark while preventing the Chinese team from securing any turret advantages.

Hu “iBoy” Xian-Zhao nearly carried Edward Gaming to victory with an exceptional Kai’Sa performance. However, Afreeca secured Baron Nashor and capitalized on the ensuing team fight chaos to claim the match victory.

King-Zone DragonX attempted to secure the series victory for LCK against underdog team Rogue Warriors. The Chinese squad opted for a composition emphasizing strong lane pushing capabilities, gaining strategic advantages despite King-Zone’s early game control.

Mid-laner Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang emerged as the game’s standout performer with his surprising Kled selection in the mid lane. Despite losing his first turret early, Doinb efficiently farmed to outmaneuver King-Zone opponents, finishing with four kills and five assists for an impressive 87% kill participation rate. Rogue Warriors’ unexpected victory kept LPL’s championship hopes alive.

The entire tournament culminated in a decisive final match between Afreeca Freecs and RNG, with both regions’ elite competitors giving their absolute best for regional pride.

Both teams deployed standard compositions, but the strategic surprise came from RNG’s lane assignment adjustments between Liu “Zz1tai” Zhi-Hao and Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao. Zz1tai transitioned back to mid lane while Xiaohu assumed top lane responsibilities. This positional rotation appeared to disrupt Afreeca’s game plan, combined with Mlxg’s dominant jungle performance that enabled RNG to maximize early game advantages.

A critical positioning error by Park “TusiN” Jong-ik proved devastating for Afreeca Freecs. The support initiated an engagement from an unfavorable location, resulting in his elimination alongside AD Carry Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram. RNG capitalized on this opportunity to destroy the enemy nexus, securing the LPL’s second Rift Rivals championship in tournament history.

For years, competitive statistics have favored Korean teams with five World Championship titles and two Mid-Season Invitational victories. However, Rift Rivals tells a different narrative of regional supremacy. These elite organizations will likely meet again at the upcoming World Championship hosted in South Korea. Should RNG maintain their current winning trajectory, we might witness the inaugural Chinese League of Legends World Champion in competitive history.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » The LPL wins Rift Rivals for second year in a row LPL secures back-to-back Rift Rivals victories against LCK in thrilling five-game finals