Dplus KIA Swept in 97 Minutes (3-0) at Worlds 2026: Why BLG Knight Is Calling for a T1 Rematch Against GOAT Faker
It took just 97 minutes of combined game time for Bilibili Gaming (BLG) to silence the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen and send Dplus KIA (DK) packing from the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. Despite advancing through the Swiss Stage with a flawless 3-0 record, Heo "ShowMaker" Su and the South Korean contenders were dismantled 3-0 on Thursday night in the third quarterfinal clash. Speaking immediately after the series, Chinese mid laner Zhuo "Knight" Ding made his priorities crystal clear: riding his roster's sudden surge in form, he is openly calling for a best-of-five semifinal rematch against T1 and legendary captain Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
97 Minutes, 11 Dragons for Xun, and a Fearless Draft Masterclass Against ShowMaker
On paper, a knockout clash between the LPL champions and a Dplus KIA squad that had defeated them 2-1 during July's Esports World Cup promised a tight marathon. On Summoner's Rift, it turned into a one-sided demolition. Having fixed the communication breakdowns that nearly derailed their campaign during the opening week of Swiss play, BLG dictated a suffocating pace behind jungler Peng "Xun" Li-Xun, who earned Player of the Series honors after controlling 11 of the dragons spawned across the three games.
Right from Game 1, the Chinese coaching staff outmaneuvered DK in draft by flexing Cassiopeia to the bot lane for Park "Viper" Do-hyeon and locking in Galio for Knight, while Xun put on a clinic on Naafiri (finishing with a 20.0 KDA) following a decisive Rift Herald fight. After a second game where Dplus KIA again threw away an early gold lead around the 16-minute mark through ragged teamfight execution, Game 3 spiraled out of control before minions even met: caught in a level-one ambush at the 0:00 mark, ShowMaker's Viktor handed over first blood, and a botched two-man top lane dive at two minutes gifted Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin's Jax a double kill followed by back-to-back solo kills. Despite desperate late-game damage from rookie marksman Smash on Aphelios alongside Career, Knight's Ahri and Xun's Trundle claimed Mountain Soul and caught ShowMaker out at the 23-minute mark to take Baron Nashor and close out the 3-0 sweep, leaving DK head coach Kim "cvMax" Dae-ho to admit afterward that his players had slipped into an underdog mentality after dropping the first two maps.
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"He's Just the GOAT": Knight Calls Out T1 and Faker Ahead of Semifinals
Having reached the club's third Worlds semifinal appearance after eliminating the reigning MSI champions in the final round of Swiss play, a result that sent shockwaves through Korea as Zeus rejected his initial contract extension offer from Hanwha Life Esports, Bilibili Gaming now awaits its Sunday opponent. That semifinal rival will be decided on Friday night when T1 faces Karmine Corp in the final Worlds 2026 quarterfinal.
Asked in his post-match interview which team he wants to face in the top four, Zhuo "Knight" Ding did not hold back. Still haunted by the 2024 Worlds Grand Final in London, where BLG held a 2-1 lead before falling 3-2 to T1, the Chinese star made his goal unmistakable:
"Whatever happens on the other side of the bracket, I personally definitely want to play T1. My goal is simple: I want to win a best-of-five against them at Worlds."
When pressed on matching up once again against Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, who continues to hunt a seventh Summoner's Cup more than thirteen years into his pro career, Knight offered pure respect for his longtime rival: "There isn't much else you can say about Faker. He's just the GOAT." With Invictus Gaming taking on Gen.G in Saturday's first semifinal and BLG waiting on Sunday, the LPL is now just two series victories away from an all-Chinese title decider.
My Take
This series is the exact reason nobody wanted to draw Bilibili Gaming out of the 3-2 pool, even with the reward of an undefeated Swiss Stage run. Through the first week of the tournament, BLG looked disjointed and hesitant on the map; the moment elimination matches arrived, the giant woke up. Dismantling Dplus KIA in 97 minutes while Xun takes eleven dragons and ShowMaker gets picked off before minions even spawn in Game 3 sends a chilling warning to every team left in Texas.
Knight's comments on T1 and Faker capture the entire emotional weight of this bracket. For BLG's mid laner, lifting a Worlds trophy will never feel complete unless he settles the score from that five-game London final loss in 2024 against the greatest player in history. Still, there is one major hurdle Knight should not overlook: before T1 can book a Sunday date with BLG, Faker and company first have to survive a fearless Karmine Corp squad on Friday night with nothing to lose.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
