LGD Fans Furious: Yuma and KJ Face Calls for a 322 Investigation

PilotBaker

LGD Gaming suffered one of its most painful defeats in recent months during the third round of the The International 2026 Dota 2 group stage.

The loss came on the second map against Nigma Galaxy — and that is precisely what made it so frustrating. LGD appeared to have the game completely under control, only to throw away an enormous advantage and eventually lose the map and the series.

The result triggered a wave of outrage across the South American Dota 2 community. Social media surrounding the team has since been flooded with angry posts, with many fans calling for certain players to be investigated for possible match-fixing.

So, what actually happened?

What Went Wrong for LGD?

LGD had just one series scheduled for the second day of TI: a clash with Nigma Galaxy.

The first map was largely a case of Nigma simply outplaying their opponents. Lorenof had an outstanding performance on Nature’s Prophet, while GH turned Dazzle into a one-man rescue squad. Lorenof finished the game with a remarkable 16/1/9 KDA, while GH repeatedly saved his teammates at exactly the right moment.

Topson, meanwhile, was almost completely absent from the game. He was given Viper but never really managed to find his place on the map.

The second game looked completely different.

LGD found themselves in total control early on, largely thanks to Topson’s unconventional pub-style mid Riki.

Riki finished 14/2/8, yet was still the lowest-value core on LGD by overall net worth.
Source: dota2ti_ru YouTube channel

The numbers told the story:

• 20 minutes: LGD were ahead by roughly 13,000 gold.

• 24 minutes: The commentators were already discussing the possibility of an imminent “GG.”

• 38 minutes: LGD had destroyed two lanes of barracks and built a massive 27,000-gold lead.

At that point, Dota Plus gave Nigma just a 10% chance of making a comeback.

Those 10% were enough.

The Comeback That Nobody Expected

At the 43-minute mark, Nigma caught and killed three LGD players just before Roshan. The team immediately secured the Aegis, and from there the game began to spiral out of LGD’s control.

Every subsequent fight seemed to go worse than the previous one.

Nigma had spent almost half an hour playing with two exposed barracks, yet somehow managed to turn the entire game around. Eventually, the team completed one of the most spectacular comebacks of the series — taking the map and, with it, the entire match.

Final Game Statistics

LGD Gaming 0–1 Nigma Galaxy
Game time: 44:42

LGD Gaming

Nigma Galaxy

Source: match statistics / dota2ti_ru broadcast data.

And just like that, LGD found themselves at 1–2.

It was certainly an uncomfortable position, but nowhere near disastrous. The team still had room for another mistake.

The Community Erupts

A disappointing loss at The International will naturally generate criticism. But the reaction to LGD’s collapse went far beyond ordinary post-match frustration.

South American fans unleashed an enormous wave of anger and suspicion, with many viewers openly questioning whether some of the players’ decisions were legitimate.

One likely reason for the particularly aggressive reaction is the recent TaiLung controversy, after the player was banned for 322.

Since then, LGD’s games have been scrutinized much more closely, with fans searching for any signs of suspicious behavior.

After the second map against Nigma, the main targets became Yuma and KJ.

“Yuma’s game should be investigated too. There were way too many questionable moments.”

Source: @yang10412476

Another viewer focused on one particularly strange Yuma play:

“What was that move from Yuma in the middle? Teleporting under the T2 tower just to get killed by Puck? Is he giving Puck free kills?”

Source: @Weaveru0

The T2 Tower Incident

The situation was already under control when Yuma decided to chase the remaining Nigma players, who had retreated underneath their Tier 3 tower.

After taking a couple of hits from the tower, LGD’s carry abandoned the chase and began channeling a teleport.

There was one obvious problem: none of his teammates were anywhere nearby. They were on the opposite side of the T2 tower and were not in position to provide any control or backup.

Nigma initially seemed surprised by the audacity of the play. Then the players quickly realized what was happening and eliminated the richest hero on the map.

“We are pushing their high ground. Why the hell is Yuma not with the team? The game was completely free thanks to Topson’s early dominance, but you [expletive] just let them split-push for 30 minutes.”

Source: @Chomppusss

“Please investigate Yuma. I’m begging you. There’s no way this guy actually plays like this.”

Source: @DK_versee

“Please investigate Yuma for 322.”

Source: @bylecowpisze

KJ Comes Under Fire Too

Yuma was not the only LGD player attracting criticism.

KJ, who played Clockwerk, received plenty of backlash as well — and this time the focus was primarily on his item build.

His first major item was Octarine Core.

Fans were particularly puzzled by the decision to skip Lotus Orb and Force Staff. Force Staff eventually appeared in his inventory, but only around the 50-minute mark, when LGD were already struggling badly.

The reasoning behind an early Octarine Core remained unclear.

“So... I’m supposed to believe that the suspicious solo deaths from KJ and Yuma are normal?”

Source: @cubas_franz

Another post was far more aggressive:

“Octarine Core first on Clockwerk... KJ is the real griefer. The young [presumably referring to Tailung — editor’s note] was getting in the way of his plans, carrying this garbage team, so KJ did everything he could to get rid of him before TI. They can’t even win with Topson. Take his phone and take him to the police, or do you only investigate suspicions involving minors?”

Source: @Noir_skz

There were dozens of similar comments directed at both players.

So, if Yuma and KJ happen to check social media before the next match, they probably will not be heading into tomorrow’s game in the best possible mood.

Was There Actually a 322?

This is where things need to be separated from the memes and emotional reactions.

There is no reasonable basis for claiming that a match was fixed simply because a player made several questionable decisions.

A 322 accusation is serious and should require actual evidence — not a compilation of bad plays, questionable positioning and strange item choices.

Moreover, LGD are far from the only South American team capable of throwing away enormous advantages and making inexplicable mistakes during the late stages of a match.

This has become something of a recurring pattern for teams from the region. Their macro play is simply much weaker than that of many of the teams competing at this event.

There is no need to invent malicious motives or imagine some elaborate scheme behind every mistake.

Sometimes, a team just plays badly.

That said, there is nothing wrong with having a little fun with the mistakes of a team that genuinely managed to throw away a game that looked almost impossible to lose.

Yuma's Most Questionable Moments

We have already mentioned the death underneath the T2 tower, but it is worth revisiting.

Yuma charged underneath the tower with remarkable confidence despite having no teammates nearby who could provide reliable control or save him.

His confidence became even more impressive when he immediately followed it up with a teleport from the same position.

The T2 tower death and subsequent teleport can be seen in the match footage.

Source: dota2ti_ru YouTube channel

But overconfidence was arguably Yuma’s biggest problem throughout the game.

Consider another example.

LGD had a 20,000-gold advantage and was in position to finish off the final barracks. Instead of staying with his teammates, Yuma decided to move alone toward another lane.

There was no enemy hero visible on the map.

That was because Nigma were already moving through the map under Smoke of Deceit, cutting him off.

The result was another unnecessary death — and another step away from what should have been an easy LGD victory.

Source: dota2ti_ru YouTube channel

The Roshan Fight That Changed Everything

Then came one of the most important fights of the entire game.

LGD began taking the third Roshan, but suddenly stopped attacking it and decided to engage Nigma instead. The opponents were already moving toward the Roshan pit, so the idea itself was not necessarily bad.

The execution, however, was disastrous.

LGD failed to keep the enemy Clinkz under control long enough. The hero managed to activate Black King Bar, making him immune to the control effects LGD needed to bring him down.

And this was not exactly a subtle BKB activation. It was obvious enough to spot from miles away.

Yet Yuma’s Necrophos still used his ultimate on a full-health Clinkz while BKB was active.

Perhaps the blood had simply gone to his eyes at that point.

Source: dota2ti_ru YouTube channel

And Then There Was KJ’s Build...

Finally, we have to return to the Clockwerk build.

Source: Dotabuff

Clockwerk had already appeared 11 times at The International 2026.

Can you guess how many of those Clockwerk players bought Octarine Core, even if it was not their first major item?

That’s right: zero.

The other Clockwerk players generally preferred more conventional support options such as:

• Force Staff

• Glimmer Cape

• Vladmir’s Offering

• Lotus Orb

• Aghanim’s Scepter

Basically, almost anything other than Octarine Core.

Maybe Topson’s experimental aura rubbed off on KJ, and LGD’s support decided to become an innovator too.

Unfortunately, this particular experiment did not exactly produce the desired result.

Can LGD Bounce Back?

Now LGD have to put the controversy behind them and focus on their next match against Xtreme.

Ame and his teammates are not exactly in peak form themselves, which means LGD will have a real opportunity to recover.

The team still has everything it needs to turn the situation around.

But after throwing away a game like this, one thing is certain: LGD cannot afford another collapse of this magnitude.