The first team to advance to the knockout stage of the annual finals is neither AG nor Wolf Team, increasing the suspense for the championship.

It must be said that LGD's performance in this year's finals has been quite surprising. Although they were among the top six teams in the summer season, few expected them to do well in the finals. However, who would have thought that LGD would be the very first team to qualify for the knockout stage!

In yesterday's match, LGD defeated Tongxiang Qingjiu 3-0, while TTG, who had the same points as LGD, failed to beat RW侠 3-0, creating a gap in the standings. If LGD can secure another 3-0 win today, they will firmly surpass TTG and Beijing WB, directly locking in their spot in the knockout stage.

In the first game, at 4 minutes 10 seconds, LGD focused fire to kill Su Lie, with Nuwa securing the first blood, followed by LGD taking the first small tyrant. At 5 minutes 40 seconds, EDG executed a triple gank, with Cang killing the enemy mid and top consecutively. Before 10 minutes, Nakoruru instantly killed Nuwa, but then Xiahou Dun teamed with Gongsun Li to take down Cang. Xiahou Dun continued dealing damage to secure a triple kill, LGD exchanged two for four and took the shadow tyrant, then pushed the mid lane first tower. At 13 minutes, EDG ambushed in the brush to kill Gongsun Li, but Cao Cao flashed in to clean up, resulting in a three-for-three exchange. At 15 minutes 30 seconds, LGD used their numerical advantage to destroy the crystal and take the first game.

In the second game, at 4 minutes 20 seconds, LGD secured the first small tyrant. At 6 minutes, EDG executed a triple gank on top, with Juyoujing killing Kuangtie for first blood. At 6 minutes 40 seconds, EDG destroyed the mid lane first tower. At 7 minutes 30 seconds, Shen Mengxi flashed to chase and kill Juyoujing, LGD exchanged zero for two. At 11 minutes, Dunshan flashed to initiate and instantly killed Juyoujing, allowing LGD to destroy the top lane high ground. At 13 minutes, LGD destroyed the bottom lane high ground and then the crystal, reaching match point first.

In the third game, at 2 minutes 30 seconds, Kai supported bottom lane to kill the marksman and support. At 4 minutes, EDG secured the first small tyrant, but Kai stole the red buff in return, and then LGD counter-ganked to take down Xiahou Dun. At 6 minutes 20 seconds, Xiahou Dun used his ultimate to lock down and cooperate with teammates to kill Goya, then EDG destroyed the mid lane first tower. At 10 minutes 40 seconds, LGD focused fire to kill Xiahou Dun, then chased the momentum to kill the enemy mid and marksman in a one-for-three exchange, followed by taking the shadow tyrant and pushing the mid lane first tower.

At 14 minutes 40 seconds, Zhenhuo Wu flashed in to eliminate Chisha, and LGD secured the shadow tyrant in a one-for-three exchange. At 16 minutes 10 seconds, LGD focused fire to kill Xiahou Dun, then swept the enemy team in a team fight, destroyed the crystal, and claimed victory.

After winning these matches 3-0, LGD's overall record in the arena stage is 5 wins and 1 loss, with a net score of 10 points and 5 total points. With the same points, LGD has already surpassed the theoretical highest net score of TTG and WB. Therefore, LGD has secured a top-four spot in the Masters group and confirmed their advancement to the 2025 KPL Annual Finals knockout stage!

When facing an opponent who picks Lanling King, there is no need to fear. Lanling King can use his invisibility early on to threaten the enemy backline. Since early game marksmen need to farm minions to gain gold and equipment, if they fail to clear minions and farm, Lanling King can sneak up and ambush them. When the marksman comes to the farming lane, use the mark to stun them, then follow up with the ultimate to quickly eliminate the marksman.

However, in the late game, Lanling King's effectiveness decreases. At this stage, team fights happen frequently, and marksmen usually stand with their teammates. This leaves Lanling King with no opportunity to catch the marksman alone. So, once the late game arrives, Lanling King becomes less useful. In team fights, showing up often means death. To counter Lanling King effectively, you must drag the game into the late phase, where Lanling King is automatically half useless.