The LCK Play-In phase concluded on Sunday, September 7, with a final best-of-five between Dplus KIA and Nongshim RedForce, which ended in a clean sweep for Heo "ShowMaker" Su and his team. The two teams advancing from the Play-In to the Playoffs are Dplus KIA and BNK FearX, who defeated Nongshim yesterday. The first round of the LCK Playoffs is now set, with T1 choosing to face DK, leaving KT Rolster to go up against FearX.

This clean sweep feels like revenge for DK. In Rounds 1-2, Nongshim finished fourth—a spot usually held by DK, who often challenge the LCK’s top teams. After losing a battle for fifth place to KT, DK was forced to spend the entire Summer Split in the Rise Group. Now, with their strong performance in the Play-In, two teams from that group have advanced to the Playoffs, underlining DK’s resilience and determination to reclaim their usual standing.

Three wins, three stomps

In Game 1, Syun "Calix" Hyun-bin scored a solo kill on ShowMaker with his Akali, though Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok narrowly recovered the kill. Nongshim tried to take control with a big midlane fight at 18 minutes, but it backfired as Jeon "Siwoo" Si-woo's Rumble flames decimated them. They continued to make plays on the side lanes, yet Siwoo survived, and DK even picked up additional kills. Some clutch catches on Lucid and ShowMaker gave Nongshim a brief glimmer of hope, but DK’s carries and toplaner simply outclassed their opponents, and a final Baron push secured Game 1 for DK.

In Game 2, Lucid picked Lee Sin and immediately made an impact with a clean inSec during a fight at the Grubs. He continued to harass the opponents, even invading Kim "GIDEON" Min-seong’s jungle. Apart from Rakan in support, DK had damage threats in every role with Aurora, Lee Sin, Ryze, and Zeri, which quickly showed on the map.

In the final game, Siwoo played Olaf but was solo-killed twice early by Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon’s K'sante. Nongshim tried to group with four melee champions, but Lucid’s Lilia proved perfect in countering them. The team defended well and managed to bring hope of taking a game in this series with a three-tank composition that wasn’t enough as they reached ennemies nexus turrets, but DK once again proved superior, closing out the match in 38 minutes.