Team Liquid recovered after blowing a commanding lead to pick up a 3-2 victory over Golden Guardians on Sunday in the lower-bracket semifinal of the League Championship Series playoffs.
After Team Liquid opened the match with a pair of wins on red — in 30 minutes and 24 minutes — Golden Guardians kept their playoff run alive with a 32-minute triumph on blue before leveling things with a 38-minute victory on red. But Liquid avoided elimination, winning on red on the decisive fifth map to advance to lower-bracket final, where it will face NRG.
After the regular season, the first- and second-place teams in the top North American League of Leagues circuit headed to the upper-bracket semifinals of the double-elimination playoffs. The third- through sixth-place teams opened the playoffs in the upper-bracket quarterfinals. The seventh- and eighth-place teams entered the postseason in the lower bracket, while the ninth- and 10th-place teams were eliminated.
The top three teams in the playoffs will secure berths in the League of Legends World Championship, scheduled for Oct. 10-Nov. 19 in South Korea. The fourth-place team will head to the World Championship’s Wildcard Qualifier.
The playoffs resume Saturday with one match:
–NRG vs. Team Liquid (lower-bracket final)
League Championship Series Summer Split prize pool:
1. $100,000, berth in League of Legends World Championship
2. $50,000, berth in League of Legends World Championship
3. $30,000, berth in League of Legends World Championship
4. $20,000, berth in League of Legends World Championship’s Wildcard Qualifier — Golden Guardians
5-6. No prize money — Evil Geniuses, Dignitas
7-8. No prize money — TSM, 100 Thieves
9. No prize money — FlyQuest
10. No prize money — Immortals
–Field Level Media