Hanwha Life Esports continued its strong run with a third consecutive win, dismantling
T1 dominantly in the first series of the day. The reigning world champions looked shaky and now drop to a 2-2 record after four matchdays in the LCK. In the second series,
KT Rolster finally broke their losing streak with a hard-fought victory over
BNK FEARX, claiming their first win of the split and putting an end to FEARX’s momentum.
HLE in top form
It was a swift 2-0 from Hanwha Life Esports, who completely outclassed T1 in a one-sided series.
After falling to Gen.G earlier in the split, T1’s coaching staff had opted to bring in Sin "
Smash" Geum-jae for the match against KT Rolster—
a move that paid off at the time. However, against HLE, the story was very different. Game 1 was the closer of the two, with a fairly balanced early game, but things shifted around the 18-minute mark when Smash was caught out of position on the topside. Hanwha capitalized instantly, with Kim "
Zeka" Geon-woo leading the charge on Yone in a crucial teamfight. Park "
Viper" Do-hyeon also had a solid showing on Miss Fortune, but it was Choi "
Zeus" Woo-je who posted the highest damage of the game on his Jayce.
Game 2 was a pure stomp from Hanwha Life Esports, with a 1500 gold lead built in just 8 minutes. The Red Side composition completely overwhelmed T1, and Zeus on Jax dominated Choi "
Doran" Hyeon-joon in the toplane. Team fights were flawless from Yoo "
Delight" Hwan-joong, leaving no chance for T1 to recover. At one point, a well-timed Renata Glasc ultimate even saw Smash accidentally kill his own support. Zeka’s Sylas performance was top-tier as well, securing him the MVP of the series and leading his team to a dominant 3-1 record.
KT unlock their first win of the split
The numerous roster changes for KT Rolster are finally starting to come together, with Shin "
Casting" Min-je showing great potential and consistency compared to Lee "
PerfecT" Seung-min. His Game 1 performance on Jayce was impressive, dominating his matchup and controlling the pace of the game. Despite the loss, Nam "
Diable" Dae-geun performed solidly in Xayah. He may have lost Game 1, but he wasn’t about to let the series slip away. Alongside Kim "
Kellin" Hyeong-gyu, Diable completely dominated KT’s botlane. The 17-year-old AD Carry's Ezreal was unstoppable, excelling in lane and throughout the mid and late game, helping to equalize the series in favor of FEARX and setting up a decisive third game.
In the third game, Park "
Paduck" Seok-hyeon delivered a strong performance on Ashe, closing out the match in style. Gwak "
Bdd" Bo-seong then picked Ahri and reminded everyone why he’s considered one of the four great emperors of the LCK, finishing the game as top damage dealer with a 6/1/9 scoreline. He was well-supported by his jungler, Moon "
Cuzz" Woo-chan, with whom he shares years of synergy. With this victory, KT Rolster finally secures their first win of LCK Round 1-2 and now faces the challenge of climbing the standings to secure a playoff spot.
Tomorrow, the LCK day will start a bit earlier with
Dplus KIA facing
Gen.G at 8 AM CET to contest the top spot in the standings. Meanwhile, in the middle of the table,
DRX will look to bounce back to a 2-2 record by beating
Nongshim RedForce, who will be eager to catch up with Hanwha Life Esports.
Header photo credit: LCK/Riot Games
