LoL: HLE dominates the Freecs, while DK delivers a confident win over BRION

Week 2 of the LCK Round 1-2 kicked off with a tense best-of-three between Hanwha Life Esports and DN Freecs. Despite some shaky moments, HLE managed to come out on top with a 2-1 win, securing their second victory of the split. Later in the day, Dplus KIA took care of business against OKSavingsBank BRION with a confident performance, extending their undefeated streak to 3-0 and claiming sole possession of first place in the standings. Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo was named MVP of the first series, while Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee earned the honors in the second.

HLE’s start to the split hasn’t quite lived up to the dominance they showed at the end of the LCK Cup and the First Stand. After a rough loss to Gen.G and a narrow win over KT Rolster last week, they were once again pushed to the limit today by DN Freecs. Game 1 was a slow burner with little action—Zeka topped the damage charts with over 31,000 on Azir, and it wasn’t until around the 20-minute mark that the game finally tilted in HLE’s favor.

Game 2 was far more explosive. Despite HLE holding a slight early lead, a perfectly executed fight at the Atakan around 21 minutes gave Freecs the momentum swing they needed. Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju shined on Ambessa, delivering a solid performance that helped his team tie the series. But when Zeka decided it was time to close, the game was over. On his iconic Akali, the World Champion midlaner completely dominated—finishing 15/0/4 with 79% kill participation. Unplayable on the champion, he carried HLE across the finish line and locked in their second win of the split.

Early splits always seem to suit Dplus KIA, and this one is no exception. After a flawless group stage run in the LCK Cup, they’ve carried that momentum straight into the regular season. Three matches in, three wins on the board—business as usual for a team that thrives in the opening stages.

Today, it was OKSavingsBank BRION who had to face the wrath of Heo "ShowMaker" Su and his squad. The game unfolded at a relatively slow pace, with Lucid piloting Naafiri and matching his midlaner’s impact—both were involved in 9 of the team’s 11 kills. Despite a decent showing from Park "Morgan" Ru-han in the toplane, BRION eventually crumbled under Dplus’s growing lead.

The second game was much closer, with BRION showing some real moments of strength. They even managed to secure the Atakan, but the teamfight that followed went heavily in favor of Dplus KIA. Kim "Aiming" Ha-ram delivered a flawless performance on Miss Fortune, finishing 8/0/10 with a remarkable 100% kill participation—unstoppable from start to finish.

A decisive fight around Nashor — and more broadly, BeryL’s immaculate objective setups throughout the series — sealed the deal for Dplus, shutting down any hope of a comeback for BRION. With this loss, BRO drop to 0-3 in the LCK Round 1-2, while Dplus KIA continue to look sharp and remain undefeated.

Tomorrow, BNK FearX will look to keep their momentum going as they face off against DRX, while KT Rolster will be aiming for their first win of the split in the always-anticipated Telecom War against T1 — a team eager to bounce back after their recent loss to Gen.G. The best-of-threes kick off at 10 AM CET.