LoL - LCK: T1 overpower Hanwha Life Esports to claim second place in the Legend Group

The final week of a lengthy LCK regular season split running from early April to late August, kicked off on Wednesday, Aug 27, with a high-stakes clash between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports — the only contenders for second place in the Legend group. T1 ultimately came out on top and claimed second place in the standings. That prize, however, may not last long.

Both teams still have one match to play: HLE is expected to have an easier outing against Nongshim RedForce on Friday, August 29, while T1 faces a far tougher challenge against Gen.G the next day. Ryu "Keria" Min-seok earned MVP honors for this series, celebrating his 5,500th assist in the LCK. At just 22, he becomes the fourth player to reach this milestone, behind legendary names: Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, Son "Lehends" Si-woo, and — unanimously the greatest on every list — Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.

The first game was a complete stomp by T1, with HLE barely able to make an impact in any phase of the match. Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon roasted his enemies alive on Rumble, marking his 600th LCK game — the second toplaner ever to reach this milestone after Kim "Kiin" Gi-in. Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun on Wukong was absolutely dominant, controlling the game's tempo and engaging flawless. Keria’s Poppy, one of his signature picks, was once again uniquely impactful; the player continues to set himself apart from almost every other Poppy player in the world. T1’s coordination and execution left HLE with almost no room to respond.

Game 2 started similarly, with T1 dealing heavy damage across the map — Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong recorded nearly 60,000 damage on his own. Yet HLE miraculously turned the tide, with Park "Viper" Do-hyeon on Ezreal carrying the team to equalize the series in this crucial series for seeding. The final 27-minute game saw Oner on Nocturne, Keria on Bard, and the GOAT on executing with near-perfect coordination on Orianna in nearly every play. HLE struggled to contest effectively, only managing a few isolated, infrequent kills; T1 maintained control, closed out the series, and secured second place.

Finishing first and second in the Legend Group provides a clear advantage, allowing teams to skip Round 1 of the playoffs. The issue, however, lies in who these teams will face. The second-place team — either T1 or HLE — will face the winner between KT Rolster and one of the two Play-In teams, a relatively manageable path for a team of their caliber.

Meanwhile, the first-place team, Gen.G, will have to take on the winner of a BO between the third-place team — either T1 or HLE — and the other Play-In team. This setup feels somewhat unbalanced: despite ending the split clearly in first, Gen.G faces a much tougher opponent for their playoffs debut, while the second-place team gets an easier path. Both BO5 series will directly qualify the winners for Worlds 2025, set to be held in China from Oct 14 to Nov 9.