ยฉRiot Games
In the lower bracket match of the Play – In Stage 2 round of the 2026 League of Legends Mid – Season Invitational (MSI) held at the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC) on the 29th, Team Liquid Honda defeated Deep Cross Gaming 3:0 to advance to the final match, where Karmine Corp. awaits. Deep Cross Gaming became the first team to be eliminated from MSI this year.
Team Liquid started well, winning the first game. Although they were at a disadvantage early on due to DCG’s aggressive play, they turned the tide during the Rift Herald team fight by using Ornn “Morgan” Pak Ru-han as a frontline anchor to push the enemy back. Im Hyun Seung’s “Quid” Akali also made a significant impact, securing several kills in subsequent skirmishes and widening the gold gap. Team Liquid ended up finishing the first game with a lead of over 10k gold.
Confident in their superior mechanical skills, Team Liquid developed a lineup for the second game that included champions with global top skills such as Twisted Fate, Pantheon, Ryze, and Ziggs, looking to overwhelm their opponents with map control. Despite a strong start in the laning stage, minor mistakes in skirmishes prevented them from snowballing in the early stages. However, they gained momentum after a team fight from Dragon in the 24th minute. With the help of Baron Buff, Team Liquid increased their lead to over 6k gold and broke through DCG’s stubborn defense to win the second game.
In the final game, Team Liquid secured consistent successful plays in the bot lane with support from Josedeodo’s Shivana. In the top lane, Renekton “Morgana” dominated the match, providing a significant CS advantage and even securing a solo kill. In desperation, Deep Cross Gaming forced unfavorable team fights, but suffered further losses. Having fully regained their form, Team Liquid continued their winning streak, ending the series in the 25th minute with a lead of 10 thousand gold.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by NC AI. It was then edited by an English-speaking editor. All translations using artificial intelligence are checked and clarified by our editorial team. (Read original)