As every year, the
LCK season opened with an exhibition tournament in which players from the league faced each others in teams grouped by role. For the second consecutive year, the midlaners demonstrated to the rest of the
League of Legends scene that they are (almost) officially the strongest and most complete players in the game.
Team MID, which had the luxury of fielding Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Lee "Scout" Ye-chan, Son "ucal" Woo-hyeon, Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon, and Heo "ShowMaker" Su, completely dominated its three opponents on Friday and successfully defended the title it earned last year.
Entertaining games
Twenty-five LCK players gathered to compete in this opening event for the 2026 season. After a draft earlier in the week,
conducted under strict rules to ensure representation from every team, Friday’s tournament brought together the world’s best players in their respective positions, allowing them to cooperate and showcase the superiority of their role. For the second year in a row, the midlaners emerged victorious.
With an unconventional lineup featuring Chovy and ShowMaker in the botlane, Faker in the toplane, Scout in the jungle, and ucal remaining in his natural role, Team MID first delivered a masterclass against Team JGL. With a scoreline of 42 kills to 8 in 22 minutes, the midlaners left the junglers with no chance, highlighted by ShowMaker’s spectacular LeBlanc support.
The midlaners then advanced by eliminating Team TOP, notably thanks to Scout’s impressive Pantheon performance. In a tighter and more hard-fought final against Team ADC, the midlaners secured the decisive teamfight to overturn the game and claim the tournament, with Chovy’s Kai’Sa playing a crucial role.
With this appetizer now concluded, attention can turn to the real competition.
The LCK Cup officially starts on Wednesday with
KT Rolster facing
DN SOOPers, followed by
Dplus KIA against
HANJIN BRION.
