KT on Fire, BFX Hangover, Anivia Priority… LCK 2026 Season Week 1 Highlights

After an LCK Cup dominated by followed by an unexpected disappointment at the First Stand, the LCK came back last Wednesday. After nine weeks of competition, the teams will be split into two groups that will face each other in the next stage of the season following the Mid-Season Invitational and the Esports World Cup. In June, the teams will battle to determine which two squads will qualify for MSI.

To look back at the first week of the LCK Cup—where all the league’s protagonists returned to the stage, Sheep Esports takes a closer look at five highlights that marked the start of the season.

were hardly given an easy introduction to their opening week of competition, as they were scheduled to face both and Gen.G Esports. The finalists of the most recent Worlds were not discouraged, however, rediscovering the form they had displayed toward the end of last year in order to overcome both opponents.

With the arrival of in the support position, promoted from the academy roster, the team appears to have found the right formula to perform. A strong showing from against T1, combined with maintaining the same level he demonstrated last year in the victory over Gen.G, allowed KT Rolster to begin the season in the most convincing fashion.

Following a rather disappointing run in the LCK Cup, ’s ambitious roster entered the second chapter of its season determined to deliver a far stronger showing. The team began the campaign well, securing two victories without conceding a single game against and .

The offseason recruits were finally able to demonstrate their capabilities, with delivering an impressive performance against DK and performing strongly across both matches, earning the MVP of the series against DNS.

One of the surprise teams of the LCK Cup, returned to Korea after their first international experience at the First Stand. The players, however, still appear to be struggling. The LCK Cup finalists suffered two defeats without claiming a single map.

BFX began with a loss against before falling to Gen.G at the close of the opening week. The team seems to be struggling to rediscover the strengths that had enabled them to perform so effectively during the early months of the year. They will need to recover quickly in the upcoming matches against HLE and DNS.

’ last competitive match dated back to February 1, concluding a highly disappointing first portion of the season given the caliber of players on the roster. Two months later, HLE made their return with a victory over BRO, displaying clear signs of improvement and a more convincing level than when they were last seen.

However, they were unable to confirm this progress a few days later, falling 2–0 to T1. This suggests that further improvement is still required from the squad, which will face two significant tests this week against DK and BFX.

The latest champion gaining traction in the LCK appears to be the Cryophoenix. Anivia appeared eight times across the ten matches played this week, including five times in the… support role. After first introduced the pick during First Stand, it was, as often, who debuted it in the LCK.

That particular attempt, however, proved unsuccessful against KT Rolster. The pick later enjoyed greater success, recording three victories as a support throughout the week. The champion has proven dominant due to its ability to exert pressure during the laning phase and create significant space during teamfights. It has found less success in the toplane, with an unsuccessful attempt by against T1 and similar failures from Martin “Wunder” Hansen in Europe.