The second split of the LCK kicks off on April 2nd at 10 AM CET with a rematch of the LCK Cup final,
where Hanwha Life Esports claimed victory. They will face
Gen.G in the opening match of the LCK Rounds 1-2, the first phase of the Korean league’s Spring Split. The world's strongest league returns this Wednesday after HLE convincingly
won the first stand final against Karmine Corp. Over the next two months, all ten teams will battle for a spot in the second stage of the split, known as the Road to MSI, where six teams will compete for two tickets to both the Mid-Season Invitational and the Esports World Cup. This split will also determine group placements for the third split of the season but will not crown an official LCK champion. Here is our Power Ranking for the LCK 2025 Round 1-2.
Sheep Esports 2025 LCK Round 1-2 Power Rankings. Credit: Sheep Esports
1. Hanwha Life Esports (1.40)
Undisputed favorites for the second LCK split, Hanwha Life Esports look poised to continue their dominant run. After their unexpected victory over Gen.G in Summer 2024, HLE went on to win the LCK Cup, once again defeating Jeong "
Chovy" Ji-hoon and his team in the final—further solidifying their status as the best team in the world. They confirmed that title at First Stand, the season’s first international event, which they won with ease.
The signing of Choi "
Zeus" Woo-je in the toplane has proven to be a game-changer. The two-time world champion has had a massive impact both domestically and internationally. Meanwhile, the mid-jungle duo of Han "
Peanut" Wang-ho and Kim "
Zeka" Geon-woo stands out as one of the strongest in Korea. In the botlane, Park "
Viper" Do-hyeon delivers the firepower, while Yoo "
Delight" Hwan-joong has displayed unmatched versatility throughout Riot Games’ first split of the season.
2. T1 (2.40)
T1 haven’t won an LCK split since Spring 2022, yet they consistently rank among the best teams. It’s hard to place them anywhere but second—recent years have proven that underestimating them is a mistake. Back-to-back Worlds finals have showcased their resilience, and with most of the roster playing together for nearly four years now, their synergy remains a key strength. The only change is in the toplane, where Choi "
Doran" Hyeon-joon has replaced Zeus. With Lee "
Gumayusi" Min-hyeong returning to the main roster, T1 should capitalize on their chemistry to push for the top.
DK and Gen.G will be fierce competition, but Gen.G’s botlane still needs time to develop, and DK's lack of experience in high-pressure playoff situations gives T1 a slight edge. Only HLE are unanimously seen as stronger right now, and for good reason—they are simply ahead of the competition. Their BO5 against T1 in the LCK Cup playoffs was the best series of the split, making it only natural to expect both teams at MSI.
3. Gen.G (3.00)
The Tigers will need to prove themselves a bit more this split. While they did make it to the finals of the LCK Cup at the start of the year, they suffered two decisive losses against a dominant HLE and also dropped two BO3 series to BRO and T1 in the group stage. Their dominance of the past few years seems to have come to an end, and it shows in their gameplay. The return of Park "
Ruler" Jae-hyuk and the promotion of Joo "
Duro" Min-kyu to the bot lane haven't been enough to restore the team to their 2024 level of dominance. Likewise, the Kim "
Canyon" Geon-bu and Chovy duo isn't the unstoppable force it once was.
That said, they remain one of the league's clear threats. Unlike last year, when the team gradually lost steam over the season, it’s possible they take the opposite trajectory this time, with Kim "
Kiin" Gi-in and his teammates scaling as the competition progresses. Their real test will come in direct matchups against the league’s top contenders—only then will we see if this new iteration of the team can shine as brightly as last year.
4. Dplus KIA (3.20)
There is a clear top four in the LCK this year, and it is clear the 2020 world champions have one goal in mind: rebuilding a dynasty. To achieve this, they are focusing on developing and promoting their own talent—just like they did with Choi "
Lucid" Yong-hyeok, who joined the main roster last year, and Jeon "
Siwoo" Si-woo, who was called up from the LCK CL at the start of this season. Add to that the return of Cho "
BeryL" Geon-hee to the bot lane—an iconic support who helped the organization win Worlds in 2020—reuniting with the face of the team, Heo "
ShowMaker" Su in the mid lane, and you have all the ingredients to rebuild an empire.
This mix of rising stars and seasoned veterans has already made a strong impression. Dplus KIA was the only team to go undefeated in the LCK Cup group stage before falling 2-3 to HLE and exiting with a disappointing 0-3 loss to Gen.G. However, they’ll be looking for revenge, and it’s reasonable to expect them to shake up the top of the standings—especially with Siwoo now having more space to shine in a meta without lane swaps.
5. Nongshim RedForce (5.20)
Nongshim Redforce was one of the surprises of the first split of the LCK season. After getting off to a rocky start at the start of the split, finishing bottom of the Elder group, the team bounced back to finish Top 4 in the LCK Split 1. An almost unhoped-for mercato enabled Nongshim to build a much more mouth-watering team than last year. The arrival of Hwang "
Kingen" Seong-hoon from Dplus KIA and above all Son "
Lehends" Si-woo from Gen.G has enabled the team to surround its promising young players Lee "
Fisher" Jeong-tae and Jung "
Jiwoo" Ji-woo in the best possible way. As for the jungle, Kim "
GIDEON" Min-seong has performed much better than during his last stint in the Korean elite. It was this roster that enabled Nongshim to equal its best-ever finish in the LCK.
To be honest, the format helped the RedForce achieve this result, as T1 and HLE met in the very first round of the play-offs, eliminating one of the favourites very early on in the tournament. It will therefore be more difficult for NS to achieve a similar result this Split. While the team doesn't seem to have what it takes to challenge the Top 4 teams, we don't see them struggling at the bottom of the standings either. That's why, in our opinion, Nongshim will have their say in the middle of the table, battling it out with the likes of KT and DRX and perhaps will rise to greatness to spring another surprise.
6. KT Rolster (6.00)
It has been many years since anyone expected them to be at the top of the standings, with the organization consistently stuck in the LCK’s mid-table. Though still backed by their loyal fans, they suffered a harsh 0-3 defeat against NS in the LCK Cup—a wake-up call that may have dampened their spirits. In response, they have promoted support player Jeong "
Peter" Yoon-su during the offseason, while sending Han "
Way" Gil back to their academy team in an effort to shake up the roster.
While the LCK Cup was a short tournament and not necessarily a definitive measure of their potential, making such a sudden roster change in the offseason raises questions about the team’s internal confidence. However, they can still rely on the consistency of Moon "
Cuzz" Woo-chan and Gwak "
Bdd" Bo-seong to lead the way. The real question is what kind of dynamic Peter will bring to the team and how he will mesh with Cuzz in their new synergy. We won’t have to wait long for answers, as their first two matchups will be against HLE and DK.
7. DRX (7.00)
The DRX roster in the LCK Cup had some promising moments, finishing 3-2 in the group stage before defeating DN Freecs 2-0 in the Play-In, only to fall against HLE and NS. Lee "
Rich" Jae-won returned from his break after his LCS stint with Dignitas to support Bae "
Sponge" Young-jun, a promising jungle prospect. Son "
Ucal" Woo-hyeon also came back to Korea after a long stint in China, while support Moon "
Andil" Gwan-bin joined forces with the iconic AD carry Park "
Teddy" Jin-seong. Notably, Teddy was briefly replaced in the LCK Cup by the first-ever non-Korean player to compete on the LoL Park stage, Vietnamese rookie Trần "
LazyFeel" Bảo Minh.
Although DRX finished 7th in the LCK Cup, the roster shows potential. While their Worlds 2022 triumph feels like a distant memory, they could still aim for a spot in the Road to MSI if they manage to refine their team synergy.
8. DN Freecs (8.40)
DN Freecs had a complicated first split in the LCK 2025. Yet the first match was encouraging, with a 2-1 win over NS Redforce and their recruit Kim "
Berserker" Min-cheol winning Player of the Game, we thought Freecs were on a roll. But all that soon came to a halt, with the team losing all their following games and finishing in the 8th-9th position in the LCK Cup. The team's off-season had intrigued many: Lee "
DuDu" Dong-ju and the promising Lee "
BuLLDoG" Tae-young stayed on. At the same time, worlds 2022 champion Hong "
Pyosik" Chang-hyeon joined the team alongside Berserker who made a comeback to Korea, Kim "
Life" Jeong-min joined as a support from the LPL.
Although Pyosik and Life have struggled in recent years, it was thought that their arrival at DN Freecs would have enabled the team to achieve better results than they did. So it's no surprise we've placed this team at the bottom of the table for this second LCK split. Still, we can imagine this team trying to fight against DRX and BRO without collapsing to 10th place.
9. OK BRION (8.60)
OKSavingsBank BRION is one of the few teams that made roster changes, bringing back Kim "
Croco" Dong-beom from the LPL after his year with Anyone's Legend. An aggressive jungler, Croco should provide what this team was lacking. The LCK Cup didn’t go well for BRION, with the roster’s inexperience being a key factor—especially young support Oh "
Pollu" Dong-gyu, who is still adjusting to the top level nearly a year after his promotion to the LCK. Similarly, Byeon "
Hype" Jeong-hyeon’s debut in the league hasn’t been as strong as expected, despite his standout performances with KT Rolster Challengers in Korea’s Tier 2 scene.
As expected, OKSavingsBank BRION is likely to remain in the lower half of the standings. However, the addition of a new jungler could bring fresh energy to the team, giving them a chance to defy expectations and fight for a playoff spot.
10. BNK FearX (9.80)
BNK FearX showed promise late last year, even qualifying for the Regional Finals, but the LCK Cup was much tougher for their revamped roster. The topside remained unchanged with Song "
Clear" Hyeon-min and Jeon "
Raptor" Eo-jin, but the rest of the lineup saw a complete overhaul. Lee "
VicLa" Dae-kwang replaced Lee "
Clozer" Ju-hyeon, who joined BRION, while Nam "
Diable" Dae-geun was promoted from LCK CL to fill the gap left by Park "
Hena" Jeung-hwan’s move to the LTA with LYON. Meanwhile, Kim "
Kellin" Hyeong-gyu arrived from DK to replace Duro, who took a step up by joining Gen.G.
This new roster struggled in the LCK Cup, failing to win a single BO3 and only securing a few games here and there. As of now, no roster changes are planned, and BNK FearX is widely expected to be one of the bottom teams in the LCK standings.
Header photo credit: LCK/Riot Games
