As September arrives, LOL playoffs have kicked off in various major regions to compete for Worlds slots. The LCP region is the quickest, now in the second round of playoffs. The next two BO3 matches will determine two Worlds teams: CFO vs. TSW and PSG vs. GAM. The victors of these series will move on to the winners' final, ensuring a top-three finish and locking in their spot at Worlds.

After Mapel returned to PSG, his partnership with Karsa has been effective. If they perform well against GAM, they should be able to win. This year’s Worlds looks promising for them. Seeing Karsa back is encouraging. CFO vs. TSW is a clear win for CFO with no doubt. So, the LCP teams likely to make Worlds this year are CFO, PSG, and GAM—all familiar faces.

Imp’s prediction for IG’s Worlds performance

The LPL playoffs will officially start in one day. The teams likely to qualify for Worlds are probably the top four in the upper bracket, as they have a clear skill advantage. Everyone’s most anticipated team is the full-strength IG. Whether they can achieve a good result at Worlds is the question. Former world champion Imp recently gave his prediction for IG’s Worlds performance during a livestream.

Imp believes: IG making the semifinals is not difficult. As long as the final isn’t against GEN, they have a chance to win the championship, because GEN is currently in excellent form and stands out in both LPL and LCK. Saying IG will at least make the semifinals is something even IG fans hesitate to say, since IG is a team with a very high ceiling but also a low floor. When in form, they can beat anyone; when off, they can’t even defeat FPX. It’s hard to predict.

Shanji responds to the weak flash incident

LPL free agent top laner Shanji has been frequently visiting Huang’s livestream recently, sharing stories from his pro career. In a recent stream, he addressed the “weak flash incident.” Fans probably remember this: during the third game of OMG vs. WBG in the S13 summer split, Shanji’s Quasanti solo killed TheShy’s Sion and immediately flashed a “weak” emote. Because of this expression, Shanji was heavily criticized by extreme fans for over two years.

When talking about it again, Shanji admitted: I was wrong to flash the weak emote, and I accept being criticized. But at that time, the enemy team kept flashing emotes to annoy me, so I responded with that expression. The person he referred to is probably Liu Qingsong, who was known for frequently flashing emotes during matches before. Shanji was just starting out then and acted impulsively, which is understandable.

Official release of historical 3C appearance numbers

Recently, the LPL officially shared an interesting historical statistic titled "3C lineup appearances" Top 5. EDG’s championship trio—Scout, Meiko, and Viper—played together 191 times with a 66% win rate, ranking fourth. Fourth place is BLG’s 3C: Bin, LeftHand, and King, with 213 appearances and a high 71% win rate. Following them is Top Esports’ 3C: Knight, Crisp, and JackeyLove, with 221 appearances.

Top Esports’ trio also boasts a 70% win rate. The first and second places bring back memories: JD Gaming’s trio—Zoom, Kyo, and Lonken—played together 232 times with a 64% win rate. Leading the list is the second-generation WE lineup—Langx, Xiye, and Missing—who appeared together 291 times. Although their win rate was only 57%, that era of WE, quietly preparing for their crowning moment, is truly nostalgic.

Conclusion:

Unconsciously, Crisp and JackeyLove have been playing together for over two years—it really feels like time flies. Among the top six players in 3C appearances, most have retired now. Occasionally, we still see Zoom coaching top lane for Top Esports, official caster 957, but Kyo, Lonken, and Missing have mostly faded out of the esports scene.

So, what do you think? Can IG reach the semifinals at Worlds?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!