On September 5, 2026, the first League of Legends Ranked Tournament kicked off in Qiantan, Shanghai, with the offline finals about to begin. After nearly two months of national qualifiers across five tracks—Public, University, Platform, Internet Cafe, and Partner—12 teams emerged from over a million participants to compete for the title of the first Ranked King and a total prize pool of 1.5 million yuan.
After a tough Swiss-stage competition, Team DYGL from the Public Qualifier successfully advanced to the top four. After the match, we joined other media outlets in interviewing them.
Here are the details of the interview:
Q: When you first registered, what was yourgoal? Did you ever imagine making it to the top four?
A: Before the tournament, I just wanted to give it my all and have no regrets. I didn't expect to make it to the top four. But now that we've actually reached the semifinals, I have to say I'm really happy.
Q: What motivated you to participate in the Ranked Tournament? How would you evaluate your performance today?
A: We're just a group of ordinary players who love Ranked games, so our initial goal was simply to see how far regular players could go in an official tournament. As for today's performance, I think everyone played brilliantly, and we felt we did exceptionally well.
Q: As you advanced to the top four, did any interesting moments happen among teammates that you'd like to share with us?
A: During the Swiss stage this morning, our opponent picked a Prismatic Hextech for Kassadin, which turned out to be "Back to Basics." We were sitting close to them, so when I saw him get that Hextech, I couldn't help but laugh. I found it really amusing.
Q: As players from the Public Qualifier track, how has your understanding of the Ranked mode evolved throughout the tournament?
A: This mode heavily depends on Hextech Augments. You need to choose augments that complement your composition, which directly determines what your team should focus on in the early game.
Q: As the last team to confirm their spot in the top four, how do you feel about today's overall performance?
A: Since we dropped into the losers' bracket at the start, we had to play all day to qualify, which was quite tiring. But we made it to the top four in the end, so I feel the day's matches weren't in vain. All our previous training paid off, and I'm very happy and satisfied.
Q: You've successfully secured the last spot in the top four. Is there anything you'd like to say to your teammates? Are you confident about winning tomorrow's match?
A: I want to tell my teammates to keep working hard together. Let's do our best tomorrow, and if we lose, we'll accept it.
Q: What's your prediction for tomorrow's match?
A: I believe we can win the championship tomorrow.
Q: Looking back on your journey so far, what do you think is the biggest difference between the tournament matches and your daily Ranked games?
A: The live matches feel more tense and passionate.
Q: In your opinion, which plays a bigger role in determining the outcome of a Ranked tournament: luck or strategy?
A: I think luck accounts for 70%, and strategy for 20%.
Q: After today's matches, what do you consider to be your team's strengths and weaknesses?
A: Our team's strength lies in team fighting; our teammates are quite skilled at mechanical execution in fights. Our weakness is communication issues, which often makes our gameplay look a bit chaotic.
Q: Was today's match more intense than previous ones? How would you evaluate your own performance today?
A: Today's matches were BO3, so the intensity was much higher than the previous BO1 games. As for my own performance, maybe because I'm getting older, I started playing poorly by evening. Fortunately, my teammates covered for me. I'm grateful for their constant encouragement.
Q: Now that you've secured the last spot in the top four, which do you think has a greater impact on the match outcome: champion pool depth or luck with Hextech Augments?
A: I think it's 50% about champion picks and 50% about Hextech Augment choices.