BLG finished as runners-up at the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) after a 2-3 loss to Hanwha Life Esports in the finals, held at the Daejeon Convention Center's Exhibition Hall 2 in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the 12nd. Despite neutralizing Hanwha Life's top side to reach match point first, they were unable to stop Hanwha Life, who shifted the momentum starting with their Game 4 victory.

In the post-match press conference, Head Coach Daeny praised Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je, who was named Finals MVP. He expressed surprise at Zeus' "gutsy bet" to pick Dr. Mundo in the final fifth game, noting that he learned a lot from the series. "I don't know the Dr. Mundo versus Aatrox matchup perfectly," Daeny began. "But from a general perspective, Dr. Mundo is a pick that looks to survive the laning phase and reach level 16."

He continued, "That's where we started to feel rushed. We should have secured the dragons without interruption, but we failed to do so, made mistakes in lane swaps, and lost early-game priority. In a high-pressure situation, Zeus made a bold bet. It was essentially him saying, 'I'll scale slowly, so you guys be the ones to panic.' I think he played it very well," he said, acknowledging the defeat while offering high praise for his opponent.

Daeny also identified Game 4 as the most decisive moment in the series loss. "Kindred was well-fed early on, and we were in a position to keep up. However, listening to the voice comms, the team became very rushed after losing a teamfight. I learned a lot from that aspect as well," he said.

Zeus' Swain and Dr. Mundo in Games 4 and 5 were the same picks that secured a win against Lion the previous day. When asked why they didn't ban them, Daeny replied, "I don't think top Swain was the only issue. Hanwha Life is an aggressive team, and we fought them head-on. I got that feeling after Game 1 and wanted to match the tempo through pick-ban, but we ended up in an unconventional situation. It's rare for someone to pick Dr. Mundo in that spot. It was a gutsy choice," he added, praising Zeus once more.

In the previous winner's bracket round 3, they found great success with Park 'Viper' Do-hyeon's surprise non-ADC champion, but this time, they only utilized Smolder once. Daeny spoke candidly about the pick-ban structure that prevented them from using more non-ADC picks.

"Non-ADC picks should be used to counter the opponent's composition," Daeny explained. "Also, the pick-ban dynamic today felt like both teams were constantly checking Gnar and Jayce. A good top laner is needed for non-ADC picks to shine, and the pick-ban phase encompasses all those factors. In Smolder's case, we picked him because the opponent chose Seraphine, and it was clear they would pick Ashe."

Daeny did not forget to offer advice to his players. "BLG used to be a team that would unconditionally force skirmishes, but now we are trying to create positions and fight more strategically. However, when the pressure rises, old habits sometimes resurface. I should have reined them in more through pick-ban and feedback. But I was also exhausted from the last two matches and wasn't in the best condition, so I couldn't push them as hard as I should have," he said, expressing regret over his own performance.

He added, "Today's loss has made me reflect on myself. I want to tell the players, 'This is absolutely not just your fault. I was shaken because I couldn't manage my own condition, and I didn't keep as tight a grip on things as I usually do.' The internal damage from today will be deep. We might be shaken for a while, but I will work with the players to overcome this and show a better performance in the remaining tournaments," he vowed.

Park 'Viper' Do-hyeon, who joined the conference, encouraged his teammates: "Although we lost today, I want to tell everyone they worked hard because we truly did our best on the journey to the MSI finals. I think we gained a lot. They say the moment right before achieving something is the easiest time to fail. But this isn't the end, so if we use this defeat as a stepping stone to grow, we can do even better in the upcoming tournaments."