Karmine Corp won Game 3 to keep their comeback hopes alive. Solid macro play and sharp, decisive judgment fitting of a top team carried them to victory.
Game 3 unfolded much more quietly than the previous sets. With both teams focusing on objectives and wave management, kills were hard to come by. After a tense stalemate, First Blood finally occurred past the 19-minute mark. Karmine Corp targeted 'Doran' Choi Hyeon-joon's Jayce for the opening kill, but T1's main squad immediately responded by taking down 'Canna' Kim Chang-dong's K'Sante to restore balance.
Around the 22-minute mark, the two teams made divergent choices. Karmine Corp naturally secured their third Dragon, while T1 traded it away by summoning the Rift Herald and pushing Mid down to the inner tower. Shortly after, the Ocean Soul—poised to be the turning point of the match—spawned for Karmine Corp. When T1, needing to prevent it, set up around the Dragon pit first, Karmine Corp immediately pivoted to Baron, successfully bursting it down at the cost of K'Sante.
Refusing to let them leave unchecked, T1 initiated a chase, but Jayce dove into the middle of the enemy squad and fell rather tamely. Having suffered losses, T1 attempted to salvage the situation by taking the Dragon, but even that was stolen by 'Yike's Xin Zhao. T1 found a brief reprieve when they turned the tables to slay K'Sante just as 'Peyz' Kim Su-hwan's Zeri was on the verge of dying, and they weathered another crisis by trading back after 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok's Taliyah was picked off.
Still holding the initiative, Karmine Corp quickly secured the second Baron. Shortly after, in front of the Elder Dragon, 'Caliste' hit Taliyah with Ashe's ultimate, forcing a recall even though she managed to survive. Leveraging their numerical advantage, Karmine Corp began striking the Elder Dragon. T1's desperate defense predictably ended in elimination, allowing Karmine Corp to march straight into the enemy base and close out the game.
