StarScreen's Ambessa Breaks Arctic Pandas in Game 3

TL;DR: With the EM 2026 series on the line, Pyramid IV Esports defied a 30% market chance to beat Arctic Pandas in 38:50. StarScreen created the decisive top-lane advantage on Ambessa, while Jalleba's reliable Tristana finish turned a tight kill count into the series-closing result.

Key Takeaways

• StarScreen built a remarkable +1229 GoldDiff@15 on Ambessa, giving Pyramid IV Esports the side-lane power that Arctic Pandas could not contain.
• Jalleba posted a pristine 7.00 KDA with 7/2/7 on Tristana, providing the stable damage and survival needed to finish late fights.
• Pyramid IV Esports won despite a 21-24 kill deficit, converting 10 towers and 82.7k gold into a more meaningful map advantage.

Early Game

Arctic Pandas entered the decider with a composition built to force objective fights through Skarner and Leona, and their early lanes initially supplied reasons for confidence. Simpli's Azir held a huge +1114 GoldDiff@15, while the mid laner’s 8/3/12 line showed how often Arctic Pandas found productive engagements.

But the game’s most important early number stood in top lane. StarScreen's Ambessa answered with +1229 GoldDiff@15 and an 8/4/7 score, creating a threat that demanded attention whenever the map opened. That pressure made Arctic Pandas’ preferred engage structure less clean, even as they accumulated kills.

The Turning Point

The live draft model gave Pyramid IV Esports 51%, and that narrow edge materialized not through a flawless opening but through superior conversion around contested space. Arctic Pandas had the 24-21 kill lead, yet their advantages did not become control of the entire map.

DIBU contributed 5/6/12 on Skarner, but Pyramid IV Esports repeatedly found ways to play around the jungle engage. Mahonix's Braum added 1/6/15, absorbing pressure and helping the underdogs preserve their carries through the moments that could have swung toward Arctic Pandas.

Closing Out

At 38:50, the objective ledger explained why the apparent kill advantage was not enough. Pyramid IV Esports claimed 10 towers to 9, matched 3 dragons, and turned their map control into 82.7k gold to 77.6k despite losing the Baron count 1 to 2.

Jalleba's Tristana was the anchor in those final sequences, ending 7/2/7 as the team avoided the one mistake Arctic Pandas needed. The bot laner’s safety allowed the stronger top-side pressure to matter, and Pyramid IV Esports closed the game with the discipline expected of a team refusing the market’s verdict.

Polymarket Market

Polymarket priced Pyramid IV Esports at only 30% at draft close, leaving Arctic Pandas as the 70% favorite. The market correctly identified Arctic Pandas’ dependable engage tools and their capacity to collect kills, but it underestimated how decisively Pyramid IV Esports could turn lane pressure into map ownership. The live draft model’s 51% lean toward Pyramid IV Esports proved more accurate: Ambessa won the top-side economy, while Tristana delivered the late-game consistency needed to survive Arctic Pandas’ engage. This result closes the series 1-2, with the full series-market wrap-up belonging in the series recap.

FAQ

*Odds via Polymarket, 2026-09-22 21:29 UTC.*