Invictus Gaming roars at Rift Rivals with wins over SKT, Flash Wolves
Invictus Gaming looks to be in top form for Rift Rivals 2019.
The defending world champions made their debut on day two of Rift Rivals 2019. There, the squad closed the group stage with two decisive victories.
IG’s day started with a match against Flash Wolves from the LMS. The LPL representatives struggled early but made a strong comeback in the mid game by punishing Flash Wolves’ reckless aggression.
From there they headed into a tantalizing match with SK Telecom T1, who were tasked with defending the LCK’s perfect record to that point.
For the first time in the season, IG started their MSI roster. Song “Rookie” Eui-jin returned to action after a momentary absence due to family issues, Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok has been sharing the starting role with Lee “Duke” Ho-seong, and Wang “Baolan” Liu-Yi has been benched in the LPL.
TheShy made his presence known in the top lane early. Laning against Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, he kept the pressure high and necessitated constant visits from jungler Kim “Clid” Tae-min. The duo secured first blood but couldn’t achieve much more during the laning phase.
Rookie and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok went head to head in the early stages of the game. Though the matchup was competitive, losing the side lanes put extra pressure on the SKT star and forced him to give up his lane to help his teammates.
After taking over the lanes, IG began to invade SKT’s jungle and found a key pickoff on Clid. That trend continued for the rest of the game and left SKT with little space to work with
Powered up with the baron, IG pushed for two inhibitors but Khan stifled their momentum by taking out IG’s top lane inhibitor turret. Khan returned to his base and became the focus of IG’s aggression but Faker made a deep flank TP that yielded a triple kill and the elder dragon.
IG responded with a baron which put both teams in a do-or-die position. The game would come down to a final play around the second elder dragon. IG took the objective confidently and SKT decided to fight. Because IG had the advantage in positioning, Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo’s Kai’Sa destroyed the SKT lines to secure an ace and the win.
Though it was a strong showing from IG, the LPL finished the group stage with a 5-3 record. This puts IG and their fellow Chinese organizations into a semifinals matchup with the teams representing the LMS and VMS. The LCK seeded directly to the finals.
Read Also
League of Legends
LoL Worlds 2026 returns to the USA: Locations, venues, dates and slots revealed
Owen Harsono
Riot Games have revealed important details for the highly anticipated worlds 2026 tournament, including locations, dates, and some great news for South American fans. Here’s everything we know about LoL Worlds 2026 so far. On March 22, First Stand grand finals day held in São Paulo, Riot Games confirmed the tournament will be hosted in the United States. This will be the fifth time in history that Worlds has been ...
League of Legends
How to watch League of Legends 2026 First Stand
Hannan Mundia
2026 First Stand is shaping up to be the most intriguing League of Legends tournament of this year, prompting the question of how fans can watch it. Riot Games is usually fairly lax about streaming its events, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can stream them live. With this year’s First Stand being the first opportunity fans have to watch how their favorite teams stack up on the big stage, ...
League of Legends
List of qualified teams at First Stand 2026: Who are the favorites?
Hannan Mundia
With the first split of every competitive League of Legends region concluded, the list of qualified teams for the 2026 First Stand tournament is set. Last year's First Stand saw just five teams compete. The stakes are upped this year, with eight First Stand teams coming together for a chance to win the first international event of the year. Here are the teams that made it and who the outright ...
League of Legends
League of Legends 2026 First Stand preview
Hannan Mundia
First Stand will be the first competitive League of Legends international event of 2026. This preview goes through all of the necessary details, including First Stand's location, prize pool, and schedule, ensuring fans can tune in live to support their favorite teams and players. The 2026 First Stand is the newest of the three international competitions in the circuit. Launched in 2025, this year’s tournament is slated to start on ...
Esports Betting
FEARX vs Dplus 2026 LCK Cup playoffs: Preview, betting tips & predictions
Hannan Mundia
FEARX and Dplus KIA will compete in the 2026 LCK Cup lower bracket final to determine which team will face Gen.G in the grand final, and this betting preview highlights all of the important details about this upcoming match. While FEARX and Dplus KIA both went into this split as the underdogs, the two teams have surprised many with their performances since. Reaching the top three in a competitive region ...
Esports Betting
LYON vs Team Liquid 2026 LCS Lock-In predictions, key stats, odds & more
Hannan Mundia
LYON and Team Liquid are slated to face off in the 2026 LCS Lock-In playoffs, and this betting preview highlights the stats and form behind both teams to help you make more accurate predictions and picks. Despite the subpar performance of both teams in the Swiss stage, Team Liquid and LYON have seemingly bounced back in the playoffs. Both teams comfortably won their lower bracket quarterfinals matches without giving a ...
Esports Betting
GIANTX vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Versus: Preview, predictions
Hannan Mundia
GIANTX may have lost against Karmine Corp once already in the 2026 LEC Versus playoffs, but the team has another shot now at victory in the lower bracket semifinals, and this betting preview aims to help you predict exactly how things will go. After Karmine Corp comfortably beat GX in the upper bracket quarterfinals, both teams will meet on the big stage one more time. With a spot in the ...
