In Match 1 of the 2026 Demacia Cup Global Invitational quarterfinals on October 12, kt Rolster successfully advanced to the semifinals. After dropping Games 1 and 2 to Europe's Team Vitality, kt Rolster went on a three-game winning streak from Game 3 onward to claim a 3-2 victory.
Vitality got off to a good start as their mid-jungle duo landed early blows against Bdd and Cuzz, allowing FIESTA's Orianna to pick up two kills. While kt Rolster responded with Cuzz ganking top to take down Rumble, Vitality executed a clean dive in the top lane after a lane swap, this time securing a double kill for Carzzy's Xayah.
Having built an early advantage, Vitality took control of the game by winning a major teamfight in the mid lane and securing Baron. With the Baron buff, they began dismantling towers to widen the gold lead even further, closing out Game 1 in Vitality's favor.
Game 2 saw kt Rolster suffer a massive comeback defeat. First Blood went to Vitality as FIESTA's Syndra, with assistance from Alistar, took down Effort's Seraphine. However, kt Rolster answered by catching Alistar during Voidgrub skirmishes. After stacking two dragons, kt Rolster committed heavy numbers to top, winning a fight big, picking off Lee Sin, and securing their third dragon to build strong momentum.
The gold lead stretched to 6,000 gold by the 19-minute mark. After comfortably slaying Baron, kt Rolster expanded their lead to 9,000 gold, but disaster struck. In the fight ahead of the next dragon, Vitality scored a decisive victory, drastically narrowing the gap. Vitality then won consecutive teamfights, secured Baron, and completed a gold comeback. Pushed to the brink, kt Rolster ultimately surrendered a game they had heavily dominated, falling behind 0-2 and facing elimination.
Facing elimination in Game 3, kt Rolster got off to a smooth start as Bdd's Taliyah picked up two early kills. Game 3 swung even more heavily in kt Rolster's favor than Game 2 had, as they controlled dragons and built a gold lead exceeding 10,000 gold by 22 minutes. Refusing to repeat their Game 2 mistakes, kt Rolster closed out Game 3 in just 23 minutes, laying the groundwork for a comeback.
In Game 4, kt Rolster shut down the opposing top-laner's Cho'Gath early by killing him twice. Vitality also executed their game plan well, including a bot gank to take down Jiwoo's Yunara. Amid a hard-fought contest, Bdd's Locke secured three kills to give kt Rolster the upper hand. Powered by Locke's overwhelming firepower, kt Rolster snowballed their lead effectively to defeat Vitality, bringing the series to a 2-2 tie after two straight losses and two straight wins.
The deciding Game 5 turned into an intense slugfest right from the start. In the top lane, kt Rolster starved out the opposing Varus to build a massive lead, but Vitality found more impactful blows in bot and mid skirmishes to hold a slight gold advantage. Having stacked two dragons, Vitality aimed for the next dragon as well. While kt Rolster won the fight around the dragon, Vitality managed to secure the objective, reaching three dragon stacks.
After a brief lull, both teams reassembled around dragon for another teamfight, where this time Vitality scored an Ace and claimed the Dragon Soul. Facing a dire crisis after also conceding Baron to Vitality, kt Rolster fought back, winning the subsequent teamfight to flip the gold lead and regain control. The stage was now set for Elder Dragon. Overpowering Vitality in the final showdown, kt Rolster capped off a thrilling reverse sweep to secure their spot in the semifinals.
