Recent form had Anyone's Legend coming in as the favorites—especially since Bilibili Gaming had just signed a new jungler, Zhao "Shad0w" Zhi-Qiang, with plans for a six-man roster alongside Yang "Beichuan" Ling, who joined midway through LPL Split 2. But in the end, it was BLG and their new jungler who came out on top in this return to LPL action after MSI and the Esports World Cup, snapping AL’s streak of three consecutive best-of victories against them across the LPL playoffs and the MSI lower bracket semifinal.

Split 3 of the LPL had officially resumed on July 19—just one day before the end of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—but the return of the two Chinese representatives, AL and BLG, was scheduled for July 26, likely to give them some time to recover. By comparison, Gen.G had to return to action in the LCK Round 3-5 as early as July 23, just days after winning the EWC title. As in Spring, the LPL is divided into two groups, separating the stronger and weaker teams. The final standings within these groups will determine who qualifies for the playoffs.

A long best-of series

The first minute of the series kicked off with a catch in the toplane on Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin and four players burning their flash—a chaotic start true to the LPL’s aggressive identity. The action never really slowed down, and it was AL who struck first, taking Game 1 behind a massive performance from Li "Flandre" Xuanjun on Rumble, dishing out over 39,000 damage. Game 2 turned into the longest of the series, stretching to 39 minutes, and saw BLG equalize thanks to a promising showing from their new mid-jungle duo: Zhao "Shad0w" Zhi-Qiang and Zhuo "Knight" Ding, whose coordination already seems to be taking shape.

Game 3 also passed the 30-minute mark, with Shad0w shifting to a tankier, utility-focused role on Sejuani, and Bin holding the frontline on a nearly unkillable Renekton. BLG leaned into a classic teamfight composition and managed to close out the series, claiming their first best-of-three victory of LPL Split 3—against a strong opponent that had beaten them in their last three BO5 meetings. As a reminder, Top Esports currently sit at the top of the standings with three wins in as many matches, followed closely by Invictus Gaming and Weibo Gaming, both at 2-1.