The third week of the LCK Round 3-5 came to a close this Sunday, marked by two major events in the race toward the playoffs and Play-Ins. In the first series of the day, Gen.G delivered a commanding 2-0 victory over KT Rolster. Already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs before today’s match, this win secures them direct qualification to Round 2 of the LCK playoffs. This advantage is far from negligible, as it spares them an entire best-of-five series and puts them only two BO5 victories away from reaching the grand finals of the 2025 LCK season, further solidifying their position as title contenders.

The day’s second series saw Dplus KIA sweep DN Freecs 2-0 in a clean and decisive performance. For the Freecs, the loss is crushing—not only do they fail to gain ground in the standings, but they are now mathematically eliminated from Play-In contention. Regardless of their results in the six remaining best-of-three matches, they will no longer be able to reach the Play-In stage. This result confirms that their season will end with the regular split, while Dplus KIA strengthen their own campaign with a victory.

First MVP of the Summer for Ruler

Gen.G put on a show in this best-of series. Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon’s performance on Taliyah in Game 1 was impressive, and KT struggled to make an impact despite bringing in Han "Way" Gil to support. The second game was a masterclass from Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk on Ezreal, finishing 11/0/1 with over 38,000 damage dealt. The 2017 world champion secured his team’s direct qualification to Round 2 of the playoffs. On the KT side, things remain tough as the team suffers their fifth consecutive loss and can’t find their footing.

The Freecs are officially out of the LCK Play-In stage. To recap, the top four teams from the Legend group advance directly to the playoffs, while the last-place Legend team and the top three from the Rise group move on to the Play-In. The bottom two teams from the Rise group are eliminated and won’t compete again until January 2026. This outcome was widely expected — in 24 best-of-threes this year, the Freecs have lost 22 times, managing only two wins: one in Rounds 1-2 against Nongshim RedForce, and another in the Rounds 3-5 against DRX. Meanwhile, DK improve to 14-10 and lead their group.