A second major upset hit the LCK Cup. After
Hanwha Life Esports’ elimination in the group stage, it's now the turn of the 2025 Worlds finalists,
KT Rolster, who were knocked out in the first round of the Play-Ins. Adding insult to injury, they were eliminated by their former botlane, Jeong “
Peter” Yoon-su and Seo “
deokdam” Dae-gil, who joined
DN SOOPers after Worlds.
It is therefore the third Korean team to be eliminated, as
HANJIN BRION were also knocked out after a 2-1 loss to
DRX, finishing their Winter split with zero wins. The 2022 World Champions will face
Dplus KIA in the next round, while DN SOOPers will go up against Nongshim RedForce.
Two Major Teams Already Out
DNS have only managed to secure their second series win of the year, but it’s enough to keep them alive in the LCK Cup. In the first phase, Group Baron dominated the standings, largely thanks to T1 and Gen.G, who won all five of their series. That worked in DNS’s favor, as they only managed to take a win off DRX, dropping their other four matches.
The transition into DNS wasn’t exactly smooth for the botlane, particularly for Peter, who had to share playtime with the team’s other support, Kim "
Life" Jeong-min. Meanwhile, KT recalled Kim "
Aiming" Ha-ram, alongside former world champion ADC Jang "
Ghost" Yong-jun, who played eleven of the 17 games, with the remaining six going to the young Oh "
Pollu" Dong-gyu.
From Worlds finalists to 8th–9th in the LCK Cup in just a few months, KT will need to step up their game during the regular season, which resumes in April. It’s worth noting that the team has retained its topside, but Lee "PerfecT" Seung-min, Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan, and Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong haven’t been able to replicate their Summer split success.
