In the quarterfinals of the 2026 Demacia Cup Global Invitational (DCGI) held at the Beijing Smart Esports Center on October 13, Hanjin BRION defeated LGD Gaming 3-1. Although they dropped Game 1, Hanjin BRION took down LGD by showing an increasingly solid performance as the series progressed from Game 2 onward.
LGD took the opening win in Game 1. Playing Qiyana, 'Heng' widened the jungle gap against 'GIDEON' Kim Min-seong's Vi and dictated the pace of the game alongside 'Tangyuan''s Syndra by holding tight control over the mid-jungle priority. Playing Ornn, 'Burdol' also contributed to his team's victory with strong skill usage in every teamfight. Monopolizing towers and objectives, LGD wrapped up the game in just 28 minutes.
LGD's momentum carried over into the early stages of Game 2. After securing First Blood through a Level 3 top-lane roam from 'Tangyuan''s Ryze, LGD relentlessly targeted 'Casting' Shin Min-je's Varus. When Hanjin BRION showed their determination to fight back by scoring kills in the first dragon teamfight, LGD once again focused down Varus, handing him a total of 4 deaths.
However, Hanjin BRION kept fighting back in objective teamfights. Making a smart call to focus Ryze first as he tried to flank, they swept up kills, and a combo between 'GIDEON''s Lee Sin and 'Roamer' Jo Woo-jin's Orianna took down the enemy jungler to claim the third dragon. Ultimately, they achieved a major victory in the final chaotic clash over the Dragon Soul to take Game 2.
Game 3 was another comeback victory for Hanjin BRION. LGD Gaming started strong in the early-to-mid game. 'Heng''s Maokai pulled off effective early ganks in top and bottom lanes, which freed up 'Crisp''s Bard and gave LGD control of the match. Hanjin BRION was left reactively following LGD's map play.
However, the turning point came at LGD's third dragon timing. Despite being behind, Hanjin BRION turned the tables and wiped out LGD. Their decision to push out 'Xiaoye''s Caitlyn and Bard with force while collapsing on LGD's topside near dragon was spot-on. Securing another ace in the following dragon fight, Hanjin BRION pushed in with the Baron buff to destroy LGD's Nexus.
In Game 4, Hanjin BRION took control of the momentum by securing 3 kills in the first teamfight 12 minutes in. LGD attempted to siege behind the poke of 'Heng''s Jayce, but 'Namgung' Namgung Seong-hoon's Neeko picked off Jayce from an ambush, forcing LGD to yield the third dragon. 'Burdol''s Poppy managed to pick off 'Roamer''s Ahri to add a kill in response.
Driven into a corner, LGD made a somewhat risky move on Baron Nashor. However, the fight broke out as the respawned Ahri joined via Teleport. Superior in firepower, Hanjin BRION unilaterally pushed LGD back and stole the Baron. While applying pressure across all lanes after resetting, Ahri assassinated 'Xiaoye''s Jhin. Winning the final teamfight, Hanjin BRION closed out the series.
Meanwhile, in the earlier quarterfinal match between Team WE and FlyQuest, Team WE emerged victorious with a 3-2 score. While expectations were dominant that Team WE would win comfortably, both teams defied predictions by waging a hard-fought battle in every set, taking the series all the way to Game 5. In the final Game 5, 'Karis' Kim Hong-jo, who had struggled against 'Quad' Song Su-hyeong in previous games, delivered a stellar performance on LeBlanc to seal the ultimate victory for Team WE.
With this, all three LCK teams and one LPL team reached the semifinals. The first semifinal match features an all-LCK matchup between kt Rolster and BNK FearX at 6:00 PM on October 14. In the second semifinal match at the same time on October 15, Hanjin BRION will face Team WE.
