LYON topped 2026 LCS Lock-In champion

Mexican esports organisation LYON pulled off a powerful decrease bracket run to develop into the 2026 LCS Lock-In champions.

After ending solely fifth on the finish of the common season, LYON took down all the high groups, with jungler Kacper ‘Impressed‘ Słoma turning into the Finals MVP.

Consequently, it will likely be the LCS consultant for the primary international occasion of the 2026 season, First Stand, beginning on March 16 in São Paulo, Brazil.

After a sluggish begin to the season, which noticed LYON going through a last-minute roster change and visa points, the staff ramped up closely in Playoffs.

Within the last collection towards Cloud9 (C9), which had dominated your entire break up up till that time, LYON was thought-about the underdog. However regardless of shedding the primary recreation of the collection, it was clear that the staff had all the weather wanted to take up the problem.

The turning level got here within the second and third video games of the best-of-five collection, the place LYON’s jungle-mid duo of Impressed and Kang ‘Saint‘ Sung-in took the highlight. The Korean mid laner discovered key solo kills towards his lane opponent, Eain ‘APA‘ Stearns, snowballing his lead whereas Impressed began dominating the skirmishes on Aatrox and Trundle.

Whereas the jungle-mid duo was onerous carrying the early recreation, LYON regarded extra composed than C9 in teamfights, with ADC Kim ‘Berserker‘ Min-cheol discovering nice performs in Sport 3 and Sport 4. High laner Niship ‘Dhokla‘ Doshi withheld the strain in many of the video games, giving just a few alternatives for C9 to punish him.

For C9, this was one other disappointing finish to a event. The staff regarded in nice kind after a robust efficiency on the KeSPA Cup and a dominating common season, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to cease LYON’s momentum.

Consequently, the staff continues to overlook out on Riot-hosted international occasions, with the final look relationship again to Worlds 2023, though the staff did participate within the 2025 Esports World Cup relating to worldwide tournaments.

Nonetheless, C9 will now have an opportunity within the newly-announced Americas Cup, which places Riot-offered bootcamps on the road for the Mid-Season Invitational in South Korea. The staff will be a part of Sentinels, Purple Canids, and FURIA in Brazil, competing from March 4th to March eighth.

LYON, in the meantime, will wait till mid-March earlier than combating the highest groups from different areas at First Stand. Other than China’s LPL, which can decide its groups on March 8, the opposite areas have already confirmed their respective representatives: