Advertise on podcast: The Dive | Driven by Kia - A League of Legends Esports Podcast

Dearly beloved Divers, Azael, Kobe, and Meteos invite us here today with heavy hearts to mourn Cloud9 Kia exiting the race to Worlds. Our hosts hold a post mortem for Worlds Play-Ins and discuss C9’s tragic loss, the issues that may have caused this fate, and the disappointment of losing in your own region. All are welcome to join us - although we did forget snacks, sorry. HOWEVER! Fear not, there is still hope for NA in the Swiss Stage! The draw show happened, matches have been scheduled, and now the stakes have been set. Azael explains the 2026 Worlds format, Meteos talks about how the meta may be more helpful to some teams over others, and Kobe wants to know which team has the most aura. Are the odds in favor of NA? Who DOES have the most aura from HLE? Did winning Play-Ins give KC a leg up? Do you miss Jojopyun in NA as much as we do? Don’t miss the action in Allen, Texas where the Swiss Stage begins on Friday, October 23rd! Tickets to see the matches in-person are available here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1906735 Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro and Cloud9 Kia Breakdown 28:20 - Swiss Stage Draw 38:42 - GEN.G vs IG 47:42 - HLE vs TES 56:32 - BLG vs MKOI 1:05:06 - AL vs KC 1:12:03 - G2 vs DK 1:18:37 - TLAW vs CFO 1:24:25 - LOS vs T1 1:29:00 - LYON vs TSW

Hey, Divers! This is an extra-stacked episode, so grab a blanket, drink some water, and feed your poros. Time to lock in, twin!We’re back from Georgia! Azael, Kobe and Meteos update us on all the action from the LCS Championship, where TLAW dominated while LYON and C9 struggled. The trio also discuss what it means to be perceived as the league’s villain while chatting about the Inspired vs Doublelift debate. Is it all worth it for a title? Let’s hear what our hosts have to say.We made it to the Seventh Diveys award show! For our final gilded episode, the guys honor the winners of coveted categories such as Biggest Dog, Community MVP, and Biggest Yapper. We finally are going to settle the greatest debate of LCS history: who officially had the best handshake of the year?And finally: Worlds Play-ins are just around the corner! Our hosts preview the teams and cast their predictions on who they think will be able to hold their own. Tune in next Thursday at 11AM PDT to see if they were right!  Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:09 - Sunday: TLAW vs LYON Recap 00:37:20 - Inspired vs Doublelift 00:45:10 - Saturday: C9 vs LYON Recap 00:58:45 - Back from break. Divey Awards! 00:59:04 - Biggest Dog Award 01:00:19 - Tilt-proof Award 01:01:02 - Play of the Year Award 01:03:41 - Player Most Deserving of an Award, Award 01:06:11 - Celebration of the Year Award 01:08:01 - Community MVP Award 01:09:07 - Content Piece of the Year Award 01:12:38 - Most Memorable Moment Award 01:13:53 - Tried So Hard, But In The End It Didn't Even Matter Award 01:16:54 - Champion of the Year Award 01:19:03 - Biggest Fumble Award 01:19:54 - Strongest Laner Award 01:22:31 - Biggest Glow Up Award 01:23:14 - Biggest Yapper Award 01:24:12 - Biggest Heartbreak Award 01:25:21 - Game of the Year Award 01:26:13 - Favorite Series Award 01:27:15 - Best Handshake Award 01:28:52 - Worlds Play-Ins Preview 01:48:20 - Outro

It’s finally here… are YOU ready to meet your Summer Kia MVP? Azael, Kobe and Meteos reveal our winner, the runner-ups, and chat about what it means to be the MVP and a well-rounded player. Did your summer Kia MVP take the crown? Let’s find out!Our hosts move on to discuss how some of our LCS players have motivated conversations within the community. The moment between LYON’s Saint and Inspired leads the hosts to ask: what is healthy communication in pro-matches and how far are we willing to be tilted in order to stay in the Worlds run?And FINAL-ly (get it?) the Championship is just days away! The guys recap last week’s emotional playoffs with SR and FLY’s elimination, how some of the OG LCS magic is back, and how the battle is truly on for these final matches this weekend. Are you ready to witness the C9 vs LYON rematch? Who’s going to survive against TLAW? And who is going to bring NA to Worlds???It’s all going down LIVE this weekend at the Gas South Arena in Georgia! Get your tickets for Saturday and Sunday before it's too late! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & Kia MVP Revealed! 8:50 - Inspired and Saint Argument 28:18 - Caedrel "Will the West Win" Podcast Shoutout 35:25 - Playoffs Week 3 Recap 1:02:00- Championship Look Ahead 1:14:48- Championship Predictions for Lyon, C9 and TLAW

HEAR YE HEAR YE! It is our great honor to present your official Kia Rookie of the Year! Kobe, Azael, and Meteos are so stoked to sit down live with our winner and talk appreciations for the distinction and predictions for this week of Playoffs. Join us in giving a huge congrats to our Kia Rookie of the Year! After the festivities, our hosts dive deep into last week's matches and start placing their predictions for Week 3's super week (dun dun dun!!!). Will Blaber continue to be fed? Will FlyQuest get their edge?  Will Lyon book their ticket to Georgia? Who is going to win the race for the 3rd spot at Worlds? Tune in to find out! There’s only 1 more weekend before LCS hits the road to Georgia! Grab your Finals single-day and two-day passes to enjoy the games live: https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 LCS is also back at the Riot Games Arena with one last super week! Show your team spirit this week: anyone who wears a team jersey or uploads their photo for broadcast will receive a skin code. Cheer your team on live at the Riot Games Arena this weekend, get your tickets for the Friday-Sunday here: https://www.tixr.com/groups/lcs/ Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro + Kia ROTY 14:01 - Playoff Predictions w/ the Kia ROTY 19:38 - Week 2 Recap: SEN vs SR Deep Dive 36:34 - C9 vs LYON Deep Dive 59:31 - TLAW vs FLY Deep Dive 1:08:36 - Week 3 Predictions: SR vs FLY  1:15:46- LYON Predictions 1:18:17 -  C9 vs TLAW

BREAKING NEWS: It’s time to reveal our Kia All-Pro Teams! Azael, Kobe, and Meteos are psyched to announce the winners live on this episode of The Dive Driven by Kia! Our hosts also take a closer look at each role and break down the voting results. Who made it onto the Kia All-Pro teams? Did any of your faves get snubbed? Let’s find out! Other major news: there are only 2 more weekends before LCS hits the road to Georgia for Finals! Don’t forget to get your tickets: Single-day and two-day passes are still available, so don’t miss your chance to see the action https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6. LCS is also back at the Riot Games arena with an action-packed super week! Time to embrace your spooky side: it’s a Halloween themed super week. Here’s what you and your coven need to know- anyone who comes in cosplay/Halloween costumes or uploads their photo for broadcast will receive a Coven Syndra skin code.  Come see the magic of the matches in-person at the Riot Games Arena, get your tickets for Friday 18th-Sunday 20th here: https://www.tixr.com/groups/lcs/ Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:05 - Kia-All Pro Team 3 Reveal 3:16 - Kia All-Pro Team 2 Reveal 13:38 - Kia All-Pro Team 1 Reveal 29:33 - Week 2 Recap 30:15 - SR vs C9 Deep Dive 57:30 - FLY vs SEN Deep Dive 1:19:36 - Superweek Lookahead 1:20:36 - Friday SR vs SEN Predictions 1:29:17- Saturday LYON vs C9 Predictions 1:34:12 -  Sunday TLAW vs FLY Predictions

Welcome back to The Dive Driven by Kia! This week, we’re shaking up the format with Jatt the Mountie co-hosting with Kobe the Baseball Player. Our hosts contemplate Tatu's suspension and altercations in esports, LCK’s salary cap, Patch 26.18 and its impact on solo queue. On the bright side, playoffs are finally here! Thanatos’ crazy gameplay, FlyQuest as the scariest team in LCS, LYON funmaxxing their matches, what could be next for us as the first week of playoffs kicks off? If you want to see this week’s matches in person, you can get your tickets here: https://www.tixr.com/groups/lcs/. The theme for this weekend is Cafe Cuties, and the TEA is: come dressed in your favorite cosplay outfits and upload your photos to our tagboard to win a free skin code! If you still haven’t gotten your tickets for the LCS Championship Finals in Georgia, single day and two day tickets are still available here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 Timestamps:Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro, Team USA vs Team Korea4:44 - Tatu's suspension13:59 - LCK Salary Rules Update24:47 - Patch 26.1837:02 - This or That?!44:49 - SEN vs C9 Recap57:22 - DIG vs TL and DSG vs LYON Recap1:04:42 - FLY vs SR Recap1:10:29 - Playoffs Week 1 Lookahead

Welcome back to The Dive Driven by Kia! This week, the hosts look back at an eventful Week 6 that took place in Mexico City, and make their predictions for which LCS teams will advance to Worlds. Azael, Kobe, and Meteos discuss how much LYON dominated during Homegrounds, the death of C9’s 7-man roster, and if FlyQuest’s teamwork will continue to hold them back. This weekend is the last week of the regular LCS season before the next big event: Playoffs! The LCS will be back in the Riot Games Arena, so don't miss out on catching the action live. This week is Pool Party-themed, so grab your scuttle crabs and Poro beach balls! Everyone who dresses in pool party attire will win a free skin code. Get your tickets here: https://www.tixr.com/groups/lcs/ As the Championship approaches, both single day and two day tickets are now available for the LCS Championship Finals in Georgia! Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 Timestamps:0:00 - Intro & Worlds Qualifying Teams4:02 - LCS Homegrounds in Mexico7:12 - TLAW vs SR Recap19:41 - LYON vs C9 Recap33:05 - C9 Week 6 Deep Dive43:29 - LYON vs TLAW Recap1:00:25 - Week 7 Lookahead

Welcome back to The Dive driven by Kia! This week, we do a deep dive into patch 26.17 (and all the Vayne nerfs that come with it!). Then, Azael, Kobe and Meteos look back at the Week 5 LCS matches. Sentinels are chilling, but pressure is up for FlyQuest, while Dignitas and Disguised have been eliminated from playoffs. What is coming up for the teams that are left, and do any of them have the right “vibes” to take themselves to the top? Our hosts move on to look ahead at the weekend, when the LCS goes to Mexico! We take a look at some of the most anticipated games of the weekend, put in our bets for the winners, and try to answer the question: does the fate of Shopify Rebellion depend on how greasy their jungler is? The LCS Summer Split continues this Saturday, and tickets are still available for the Finals in Georgia Gas South Arena! Grab your tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 And always remember, when you’re on Summoner’s Rift, play to your strengths, even if they’re not that strong. We’ll see you next week!Timestamps:0:00 - Intro & the LCS is going to Mexico!2:13 - Patch 26.1726:54 - Pros on the Analyst Desk in Week 535:30 - SEN Week 5 Recap36:46 - FLY Week 5 Recap45:56 - DIG Week 5 Recap53:14 - DSG Week 5 Recap59:10 - Week 6 Lookahead59:37 - SR vs TLAW1:05:30 - C9 vs LYON1:11:32 - LYON vs TLAW1:17:30  - C9 vs SR

On this week’s episode of The Dive Driven by Kia, we welcome Caps as the newest inductee in the Hall of Legends and chat about the historical LoL stars he’s joining! Emily sits in this week as she and Azael shared some of their own ideas and hopes for the future of HoL, and celebrate Caps. Get well soon, Kobe! (P.S. Leave a comment if you want Emily to release “Emily Rand’s Definitive History of League of Legends”!) Before shifting into the LCS Week 5 recap, we take a look at the upset between SEN and LYON, which led to an honest interview from Isles (via LCSProfiles) questioning their teamwork. This left our hosts wondering, what will happen when King Inspired returns? The LCS Summer Split continues this Saturday, and make sure to tune in Sunday as Zven, Dhokla, Inspired, Zeyzal, and Blaber take over the broadcast! Finally, a new wave of tickets to see the Summer Championship in person in at the Gas South Arena in Georgia has also dropped! Grab your tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 LCSProfiles’ interview with Isles: https://lcsprofiles.com/interview/lyon-isles-todays-games-reflected-i-guess-the-poor-personality-traits-of-our-team-in-some-ways/ Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & Hi Emily! 1:26 - Hall of Legends: Caps 17:03 - Isles Interview with LCSProfiles 26:02 - Vulcan’s Unfortunate Kill 37:04 - Pros Take Over the Broadcast This Sunday! 39:06 - TLAW vs DSG Recap 46:49 - DIG vs SR Recap 55:50 - C9 vs FLY Recap 1:08:47 - LYON vs SEN Recap 1:17:30 - Week 5 Lookahead

A new patch just dropped, another week of Summer Split is in the books, and our hosts have plenty of opinions to share on this week’s episode of The Dive Driven by Kia! Meteos and Kobe bond over their shared frustration with Graves, while Azael delivers his hottest take yet: “Corki is the most boring champion”. Do you agree or disagree? Tell us your own hottest champion take or share your favorite pro Corki play in the comments below! After blowing off some steam, our hosts dove into the recap for this past week’s matches. Kobe dissected a surprising top-lane play where TLAW Morgan turned the tables on FLY Gryffinn. Up next for FlyQuest is facing Cloud9 Kia, where they’ll be tested against Loki and Tactical— a matchup that C9 hasn’t lost yet this year. With the change to DIG’s roster, Meteos believes that clear direction and confidence are the keys to their improvement and ability to show the stronger side of the team- whether or not that will save them in time for Playoffs is yet to be seen. Tune in this Saturday to see what happens next— we’ll see you in chat! And a reminder to all LCS enjoyers: October is coming up quickly, so don’t forget to get your tickets for Summer Finals in Georgia! Click the link below to secure your spot. https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & Championship Tickets! 1:10 - Patch 26.16 33:20 - Azael’s Corki Opinion 43:02 - DSG vs C9 Recap 1:00:47 - TLAW vs FLY Recap 1:19:25 - SR vs SEN Recap 1:26:09 - DIG vs LYON Recap 1:36:17  - Week 4 Predictions

On this episode of The Dive Driven by Kia, our hosts welcome Dardoch back to the LCS. With his history on a… not insignificant number of teams, the question remains: has he truly changed? Tune in to Dignitas' match on Sunday to find out! Another blast from the past just warped in: Triumphant Ryze! Riot has updated its LoL Esports Community Guidelines, making it easier than ever to organize grassroots tournaments. Along with those changes, the exclusive champion skin has returned as a reward— your very own in-game trophy. Meteos also shared some of his own experiences competing in community events and even pitched the idea of an ARAM Mayhem tournament… so who’s going to make it happen?! Interested in running your own tournament? Click the link below to learn more: https://lolesports.com/en-US/news/lol-esports-community-competition-guidelines Last but never least, Azael, Kobe, and Meteos recapped last week’s matches, broke down two standout plays, and shared their own analysis of the pros’ decision making. Looking ahead, they made their predictions for this week’s games as teams continue their push toward Finals in Georgia— and ultimately, a spot at Worlds. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you in chat! Timestamps: 0:00 - “Hello Dardoch, Goodbye Exyu” 12:37 - LoL Esports Community Guidelines Update 22:17 - DIG vs C9 Recap 32:51 - DSG vs FLY Recap 45:19 - SR vs LYON Recap 1:03:46 - TLAW vs SEN Recap 1:17:38 - Summer Week 3 Lookahead

Welcome back to The Dive Driven by Kia! This week, Azael, Kobe and Meteos give their thoughts on League Classic, Patch 26.15 and Summer Week 1 Matches. This episode kicked off with a discussion on the most recent patch. While there was an entire dissertation of adjustments, we can thank RiotPhroxzon for his thorough summary (https://x.com/RiotPhroxzon/status/2082516264170447262). A key point: Locke, our newest champion, has had some changes (ahem, nerfs.) After, our hosts recapped the LCS matches from this past week. The FLY vs LYON series was an absolute bloodbath (despite Armao subbing in for Inspired), while DIG was able to take a game off of Sentinels and avoid a clean sweep. TL’s Quid showed us just why Locke needed those nerfs, and our hosts remain confused about Cloud9 Kia’s 7-man roster. Azael, Kobe, and Meteos leave us with one final question to ponder ahead of this week’s matches: what does “underdog” even mean?? Leave your best guesses in the comments below! Tickets to the Summer Finals in Georgia are going quickly, don’t miss your chance to the Championship LIVE! https://www.ticketmaster.com/lcs-summer-finals-twoday-bundle-duluth-georgia-10-03-2026/event/0E0064F0E6BF3CB6 Timestamps: 0:00 - League Classic 10:27 - RiotPhroxzon’s Patch Breakdown 26:10 - Patch 26.15 40:43 - Summer Finals Tickets are on sale now! 41:45 - FLY vs LYON Recap 54:38 - DIG vs SEN Recap 1:07:05 - TLAW vs C9 Recap 1:25:29 - SR vs DSG Recap 1:33:34 - Week 2 Predictions

Welcome back to the Dive Driven by Kia! In this episode, we talk League Classic, the upcoming TSM vs CLG Showmatch, and Summer Split Power Rankings with special guest Emily Rand!  Kobe, Meteos and Emily kicked off with some nostalgia as they give their thoughts on League Classic and who they’re excited to see in the upcoming showmatch. Tickets for that are sold out already, but will be streamed right here on the LCS Youtube and Twitch channels. Next, we jumped into the Summer Split Power Rankings and did a  deep dive into each team’s status going into the split. With LYON’s Inspired taking a break, will this upcoming match give FlyQuest the chance to make a move against them? Can Shopify Rebellion finally create a team of NA superstars? And who will make it to Worlds? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts and who you think will take the first victory of the split! Opening week tickets are still available for this Sunday, 07/26! Click the link below to claim your spot and we will see you there! http://lcs.tixr.com Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & Welcome to Emily! 2:48 - NA Classic Showmatch 6:32 - Summer Split Power Rankings 9:06 - LYON & Inspired’s Break 16:50 - Team Liquid Alienware Deep Dive 28:56 - Cloud9 Kia Deep Dive 38:25 - FlyQuest Deep Dive 45:24 - LCS tickets for Sunday are still available! http://lcs.tixr.com 45:47 - Sentinels Deep Dive 54:54 - Shopify Rebellion Deep Dive 1:07:32 - Disguised Deep Dive 1:12:21 - Dignitas Deep Dive  1:16:40 - Opening Week Predictions!

The Dive Driven by Kia comes to you straight from Korea as Azael and Kobe break down the MSI Finals! The gaps between regions continue to shrink, with international series becoming more competitive, longer, and filled with players who can go toe-to-toe in lane. The Finals delivered a thrilling back-and-forth battle, and the hosts were still buzzing from the action. With an unexpected ending, this series quickly earned a spot among Azael’s all-time favorites. Turning the spotlight to LYON, the team has shown exceptional growth over the past few months. While they didn’t get the opportunity to go up against TOP Esports or T1 at MSI, that chance could come sooner rather than later. The Dive hosts are looking forward to watching LYON’s continued development as they fight to qualify for Worlds.  The past few days have been an emotional, adrenaline-filled ride, and The Dive will return ahead of the LCS Summer Split! In the meantime, leave a comment below with predictions or questions for Azael, Kobe, and Meteos to discuss on the next episode! We can’t wait to be back home with our LCS teams. See you there! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro, MSI Finals: BLG vs HLE 7:06 - Drafting at MSI 10:45 - Road to Worlds 20:13 - LYON’s Growth 27:22 - LYON vs HLE 36:47 - LCS is so back! 40:06 - LYON vs G2

*Bracket Stage continues July 8th at 8PM PT with LYON vs TSW, followed by G2 vs T1. Reporting live from Korea! On this episode of The Dive Driven by Kia, Azael and Kobe break down everything happening at MSI and look ahead to the rest of the tournament. Our hosts note that, while Pyke may not be a frequent page in LYON’s playbook this split, each game in LYON’s series against BLG remained competitive. When matches come down to clutch moments, they make for some of the most exciting series to spectate. TLAW unfortunately bowed out of MSI, and while T1 definitely taught them some tough lessons, they were still able to put together a dominant series against KC. From there, our hosts shifted their focus to the performances of the other regions, with a particular attention given to Europe. International experience itself seems to be playing a major role this year, impacting teams from every region. Do those long, rigorous hours competing in front of global audiences against the world’s best truly prepare players for high-pressure moments like these? And can untested rookies make up for that lack of experience and still find success on the international stage? Looking ahead, only three matches have been decided thus far. First up is TSW vs. LYON, a matchup that could play into LYON’s preferred style (though Pun is looking especially dangerous in the top lane). Next comes G2 vs. T1, where the biggest questions are: Who will rise to the occasion? Which team will adapt its strategies to exploit the other’s weaknesses… if any can be found. Finally, HLE vs. BLG promises to be a fast-paced showdown unlike any other. According to Azael and Kobe, the deciding factor is simple: which talented roster performs better on the day. To wrap up this episode, our hosts revealed their ideal MSI matchup but tell us in the comments below: what matchup would you like to see before the tournament comes to a close? Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - LYON at MSI (so far) 8:40 - Pressure at The Top 15:02 - Play-In Recap (TLAW) 18:24 - Circling Back to LYON 21:59 - TOP Esports 26:29 - Europe’s MSI Showing 31:59 - TSW vs LYON Lookahead 40:32 - G2 vs T1 Lookahead 51:41 - HLE vs BLG Lookahead