BNK FearX pull off the upset against T1 in the LCK Cup playoffs

Major upset rocks the LCK Cup on Sunday, February 15. Undefeated through groups, the three-time reigning world champions T1 fell 3-1 to BNK FearX in playoffs Round 2. BFX advance to face Gen.G in the upper final, just one win from First Stand, while T1 drop to the lower bracket, awaiting the winner between DN SOOPers, DRX, and Dplus KIA.

The LCK Cup weekend delivered non-stop thrills, with BFX heavily struggling before edging out DNS 3-2 en route to facing T1. DK similarly grinded through a five-game war against DRX before falling to Gen.G. Just one more week of LoL Park clashes stands between us and the Finals at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Arena.

On the LCK English broadcast, all 14 voters backed T1—even the rare few only gave FEARX one or two games. In-game, T1 rolled out a beefy front-to-back comp built around Ornn, Azir, and Jinx, but it got shredded by the Orianna-Pantheon combo, with devastating shockwaves from Lee "VicLa" Dae-kwang handing them the early lead.

T1 mounted a fierce comeback to level the score in Game 2, fueled by a monster Sylas performance from Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, but BFX turned it into a masterclass from there. In the decisive final game, Song "Clear" Hyeon-min's Gnar wreaked havoc to seal the win over T1, while jungler Jeon "Raptor" Eo-jin snatched BO MVP honors.

In post-match interviews, T1 coach Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun stated: "There was no intention to experiment in a playoff match. All of the picks were chosen because we wanted to win." For him, his team's loss boiled down to "the preparation process, I set the wrong direction strategically." After the series, many fans called out the coaching staff for middling draft quality and games that proved tough for T1 to control.

BNK FearX advance to the upper bracket final against Gen.G for a BO5 that sends its winner not just to the LCK Cup final but straight to First Stand, while T1 drops to the lower bracket. First, DN SOOPers face DRX, with that winner then taking on Dplus KIA. The ultimate victor from that bracket will challenge T1 next.

If T1 pulls through, they'll get a rematch shot against BFX, or who knows, even Gen.G if Nam "Diable" Dae-geun's firepower takes them down too. So far in Korea, just one team remains undefeated, and no surprise there: Gen.G, carrying forward the dominance they showed all last year.