JunJia's Trundle Sets JD Gaming's Game 3 Escape

TL;DR: Facing elimination, JD Gaming found another gear in Game 3, defeating Invictus Gaming 26-16 in 34:18. JunJia’s Trundle anchored a chaotic skirmish game with a 22.00 KDA, while four dragons gave JD Gaming the control needed to force the series onward.

Key Takeaways

• JD Gaming won the kill race 26-16, converting their superior fight execution into a 68.7k to 65.4k gold advantage.
• JunJia made Trundle the game’s defining pick, posting an extraordinary 11/1/11 line and a 22.00 KDA in an elimination game.
• HongQ’s Viktor supplied 35.2% of JD Gaming’s damage, giving the team a reliable carry threat behind its 4-1 dragon edge.

Early Game

Invictus Gaming entered the LPL 2026 contest with a 2-0 series lead and the pre-series market’s 54% confidence, but JD Gaming arrived with no room left for caution. The draft prediction correctly identified Ryze and Naafiri as pivotal: Rookie’s Ryze delivered 6/3/8 and 33.5% damage, while Wei’s Naafiri contributed 4/4/9. Both performed, yet neither could turn early skirmishes into lasting map control.

Instead, JD Gaming repeatedly met aggression with numbers. GALA’s Jinx finished 6/3/9, patiently converting extended fights into resets, while the team accumulated dragons rather than chasing every risky play. That objective discipline mattered as the map grew increasingly volatile.

The Turning Point

The game broke open around JD Gaming’s jungle pressure. JunJia’s Trundle survived nearly every collapse, dying only once while creating 11 kills and 11 assists. His presence let JD Gaming fight through Invictus Gaming’s Baron power rather than surrendering the map after the 2 Baron pickups.

Vampire’s Thresh followed those openings with 0/4/19, turning picks into full engagements. Invictus Gaming still had damage through JiaQi’s Jhin, whose 4/5/8 score and 22.7% damage kept fights competitive, but JD Gaming’s front-to-back structure finally overwhelmed the scattered responses.

Closing Out

With four dragons secured to Invictus Gaming’s one, JD Gaming had the win condition that Baron alone could not provide. Xiaoxu’s Renekton absorbed pressure despite a 3/6/6 line, allowing the carries to strike safely. JD Gaming finished with 7 towers to 5, and their 68.7k to 65.4k gold lead reflected a team that consistently collected the map after every fight.

For Invictus Gaming, the defeat was not a failure of individual production: TheShy’s Jayce dealt 22.5% of team damage despite an 2/8/4 finish. It was a loss of control in the moments after contact, exactly where JD Gaming became most ruthless.

Polymarket Market

Polymarket read this game correctly at draft close, making JD Gaming the 60% favourite against Invictus Gaming’s 40%. That differed sharply from the series pre-match view, where Invictus Gaming held 54% to JD Gaming’s 46%, showing how the day’s first two games and the Game 3 draft changed expectations. The market anticipated JD Gaming’s win, but the execution was even more emphatic than a narrow favourite’s result: their 4-1 dragon lead and 26-16 kill score showed sustained control, while Trundle’s 22.00 KDA made every skirmish costly. This result closes the series 3-1, with the full series-market wrap-up belonging in the series recap.

FAQ

*Odds via Polymarket, 2026-09-19 14:32 UTC.*