Cloud9 enter the playoffs with momentum after cinching the No. 1 seed while Dignitas and Shopify Rebellion are out altogether after they were eliminated Sunday at the League Championship Series 2026 Lock-In in Los Angeles.
In the Round 3 high match, pitting the remaining unbeaten teams in the Swiss stage against one another, Cloud9 downed FlyQuest 2-1 in a back-and-forth match. On the other side of things, Dignitas swept Shopify Rebellion 2-0 in the Round 3 low match but fell 1-0 to Team Liquid in the last chance tiebreaker later in the day.
Using a Swiss style format with three rounds, the matches were best-of-three, except the last-chance tiebreaker as a best-of-one. After the three rounds, the 3-0 team chose its opponent from among the three 2-1 teams for the upper-bracket playoffs. The 0-3 team, Shopify Rebellion, was eliminated.
Among the trio of 1-2 teams, the one with the best game record, LYON, advanced as the fifth seed in the lower bracket. The remaining two teams, Team Liquid and Dignitas, competed in the last-chance tiebreaker to claim the sixth and final seed in the playoffs.
The playoffs will be double-elimination, with all matches best-of-five. The overall winner qualifies for the 2026 First Stand Tournament.
In the Round 3 high match, Cloud9 downed FlyQuest in 29 minutes on red before FlyQuest drew even in 39 minutes on red. Cloud9 took the last map in 25 minutes on blue.
Eain “APA” Stearns paced Cloud9 with a 15/5/16 kill-death-assist ratio, and fellow American teammate Robert “Blaber” Huang posted a 12/3/23 ratio. Johnson “Gryffinn” Le, an American/Vietnamese player, led FlyQuest with an 8/10/11 K-D-A ratio.
In the Round 3 low match, Dignitas swept Shopify Rebellion, winning in 41 minutes on red and 25 minutes on blue.
Victor “FBI” Huang and Cristian “Palafox” Palafox were selected MVPs for Dignitas. FBI, an Australian/Vietnamese player, had an 18/4/24 K-D-A, and Palafox, an American, had a 14/6/15 ratio.
In the last-chance tiebreaker, Team Liquid topped Dignitas in 47 minutes on blue. Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung of South Korea led Team Liquid with a 9/4/11 K-D-A.
The playoffs start Feb. 14 with the upper-bracket semifinals, as Sentinels face Disguised, and Cloud9 battle FlyQuest.
Team Liquid and LYON are awaiting opponents to be determined in the lower-bracket quarterfinals.
The upper-bracket final is Feb. 22, the lower-bracket semifinal is Feb. 27, the lower-bracket final is Feb. 28 and the grand final is March 1.
2026 Lock-In at Los Angeles Swiss stage standings
Place, Team, Matches (Maps)
1. Cloud9, 3-0 (6-1)
2. FlyQuest, 2-1 (5-3)
3. Sentinels, 2-1 (5-3)
4. Disguised, 2-1 (5-4)
5. LYON, 1-2 (3-4)
6. Team Liquid, 1-2 (3-4)
7. Dignitas, 1-2 (2-4)
8. Shopify Rebellion, 0-3 (0-6)
2026 Lock-In at Los Angeles prize pool
1. TBD, qualifies for First Stand Tournament
2. TBD, qualifies for America’s Cup
3. TBD, qualifies for America’s Cup
4. TBD
5. TBD
6. TBD
7. Dignitas
8. Shopify Rebellion
–Field Level Media
