On Thursday, Oksavingsbank BRION secured a statement win over Dplus KIA, with Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon delivering a strong performance against a DK squad far from their best form this split. On the other side, T1 hand BNK FEARX their fourth straight loss, as Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon claims MVP of the series thanks to a standout showing, particularly in Game 1 on Yorick.

The bottom of the standings is tighter than ever — BRION’s victory over DK moves them up to 7th place, now tied with FEARX, who dropped their match. Dplus KIA remain in 6th but see their lead narrowing fast, while T1 stay in 3rd and continue to close the gap with Hanwha Life Esports, who lost to Gen.G the day before.

The BRO surprise

Less than an hour of total game time was all it took for BRO to dispatch Dplus KIA, who simply didn’t show up this Thursday. A shadow of the dominant team we saw at the LCK Cup, DK struggled to find answers, and Clozer and his teammates made the most of it. The carries had a massive impact throughout the series—Game 1 saw Clozer’s Yone make great use of his synergy with Kim "Croco" Dong-beom’s Sejuani to secure an early lead. In Game 2, it was the returning Byeon "Hype" Jeong-hyeon on Ezreal who topped the damage charts by a mile, finishing 10/1/6—and when he wasn’t the one closing things out, the Gromp happily did the job for him.

MVP Doran

Often criticized by T1 and LCK fans, Doran once again silenced his doubters today. The toplaner completely dominated his lane and the rest of the map in Game 1 on Yorick, wreaking havoc across the Rift and dismantling FEARX. With over 30,000 damage dealt and by far the highest gold generated in that game. Although he continues to be in Choi "Zeus" Woo-je's shadow, Doran has consistently delivered solid performances since joining T1.

Game 2 featured a rather unorthodox draft from T1—Smolder for Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and a classic Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok botlane with the Senna-Nautilus combo. T1 came out on top against a FEARX side that had attempted a roster change for today, bringing in Lim "Soboro" Seong-min in place of Song "Clear" Hyeon-min. Despite Soboro’s strong showing on Olaf, it wasn’t enough to stop T1.

On Friday, Gen.G are set to face DRX to extend their unbeaten streak as they continue chasing the perfect split, now well within reach. Meanwhile, either KT Rolster or Nongshim RedForce will see their win streak come to an end, as the two face off in a crucial match with major playoff implications.