The
LCK Cup Play-In stage concludes with
Nongshim RedForce (NS), T1, and Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) securing playoff spots, while
DRX, DN Freecs, and OKSavingsBank BRION are eliminated.
NS knocked out DRX in a decisive Bo5 during the Play-In Finals and will now face KT Rolster in the Playoffs.
During game one, DRX repeatedly run into
Son "Lehends" Si-woo's Nautilus, allowing Nongshim’s carries to dish out damage freely and secure the first win of the Bo5.
Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon and
Kim "Gideon" Min-seong finished the game without a single death, leaving DRX no chance to mount a comeback.
The second game was clearly in Nongshim’s favor. At 25 minutes, with 3K gold deficit,
Moon "Andil" Gwan-bin pulled off a Flash + Solar Flare on his Leona, securing a crucial fight and the drake for DRX. A few minutes later, on his Kai'sa,
Park "Teddy" Jin-Seong executed a brilliant assassination on
Jung "Jiwoo" Ji-woo under DRX's midlane turret, allowing his team to push forward, extend their gold lead, and tie the series.
Game three was also quite balanced between the two teams, with DRX even slightly ahead at the start of the mid-game, thanks in part to a play by
Son "Ucal" Woo-hyeon. In a 1v3, he outplayed Nongshim, forcing two flashes and securing a kill on
Lee "Fisher" Jeong-tae. The turning point of the game came when Nongshim sneaked the Atakhan, allowing them to close out the game quickly in just under 26 minutes.
The last game was a great performance from Gideon, who found an early catch on
Bae "Sponge" Young-jun and handed the kill over to Fisher. Nongshim continued to snowball the game, and after securing a well-executed Baron Nashor, Lehends and his teammates demolished DRX in the final teamfight, securing the Bo5 and the playoff spot in their favor. Nongshim’s jungler was named MVP of the Bo5 for his outstanding performance.
The playoffs will begin on February 12 at 9 AM CET, with KT facing Nongshim, followed by T1 vs HLE the next day at the same time. All games will be played in a Bo5 format.
