On the 9th, Hanwha Life Esports and BLG faced off in the third round of the winner's bracket at the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) Bracket Stage, held at the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The matchup, highly anticipated as a clash between the No. 1 seeds of the LCK and LPL, saw BLG take the first victory. A snowball effect, triggered by an early-game incident, quickly grew into a massive lead, resulting in a 15k gold gap by the 25-minute mark.

An interesting draft emerged from the first game. BLG opted for Cassiopeia and Shen, while Hanwha Life Esports countered with Ziggs and Rell, setting up a non-ADC bot lane matchup. The first fight broke out in the top jungle. When Kanavi (Seo Jin-hyeok)'s Naafiri attempted a counter-jungle, a 4v4 skirmish involving both teams' supports resulted in BLG taking two kills without losing anyone. With the initiative, BLG invaded Hanwha Life's jungle, where 'On's' Shen landed a fantastic Flash-Taunt combo to secure consecutive kills.

BLG's momentum continued. Gumayusi's isolated Ziggs was dived, while Hanwha Life's own attempt at a top-lane dive resulted in a heavy loss. Knight's Akali rotated in perfectly to pick up a comfortable double kill. Naafiri, attempting to defend a respawning blue buff, racked up a third death by the 13-minute mark. Ultimately, in a 10-man team fight in the bot lane, BLG traded only their Akali to secure an Ace, effectively sealing the game.

The battlefield became entirely BLG's playground. 'Xun's' Jarvan IV and Shen roamed the map together, hunting down targets and converting them into kills, while the 6-kill Akali in the side lane dismantled 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo's Yone with ease. There was even a moment where Jarvan IV secured a solo kill against Naafiri. Continuing their winning streak and monopolizing major objectives, BLG closed out the first game in about 25 minutes with a 15k gold lead.