LCK Season 2026 Power Rankings

On April 1st, 2026, the LCK officially returns with two BO3 series: Hanwha Life Esports vs HANJIN BRION, and T1 vs KT Rolster. The stakes are just as high as last year, with once again only a single LCK champion to be crowned, following a regular season running from April through the end of the Summer Split.

Sheep Esports presents its LCK Power Ranking for the upcoming season, based on votes from the editorial team, along with detailed explanations behind each choice and insights into the team rosters.

enter as the reigning 2025 champions and also claimed the LCK Cup earlier this year. Their 0-3 loss to G2 Esports in the First Stand semifinals is unlikely to impact their overall season. The Tigers remain the favorites, as they have been in nearly every competition over the past few years. The roster remains strong and well-suited for long-term competition. Kim “” Gi-in is still one of the best in the world in his role, while Kim “” Geon-bu clearly fell short internationally but should be back in form on home soil. The same goes for Jeong “” Ji-hoon and the botlane, who, in our view, are expected to return to their usual level, especially in a competition where endurance over time is key.

If there’s ever been a year for to break the LCK curse, it’s this one. For three consecutive years, the six-time world champions have fallen short domestically, often in the finals, sometimes much earlier. This year, with Gen.G looking slightly “weaker” than usual, considering their First Stand performance, a real window has opened for T1. With Kim “” Su-hwan in the AD Carry role, a player already used to lifting LCK trophies, they could very well secure Lee “” Sang-hyeok’s eleventh LCK title.

The 2026 version of looks more efficient and cohesive than last year’s roster. Finishing third at the LCK Cup, they showed promising signs. Built around the legend Heo “” Su, both Choi “” Yong-hyeok and Jeon “” Si-woo have gained experience and maturity. The arrival of two rookie botlaners, Shin “” Geum-jae and Oh “” Hyeong-seok, has brought much-needed freshness. It will be difficult for them to surpass powerhouses like T1 and Gen.G, but a third-place finish is well within reach.

In our power rankings, and DK are tied — largely influenced by Hanwha’s rather underwhelming performance at the LCK Cup. This roster is stacked with big names: Choi “” Woo-je has the potential to become (again) the best player in the world, Seo “” Jin-hyeok will continue adapting to an LCK he had never played in before, and Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong is well known for peaking as the season progresses.

Fresh off the first international competition of the season, will aim to maintain the level of form they displayed during the LCK Cup. Driven largely by the performances of their botlane, composed of and , BFX nonetheless revealed certain weaknesses at the First Stand—particularly in the solo lanes, which struggled to keep pace with some of the world’s top players in their respective roles. As other teams continue to gain momentum, BNK FEARX will need to demonstrate greater stability and prove that they can sustain this level of performance over the course of the season.

would likely have hoped for a stronger start to their season. The players recruited during the offseason have not yet produced the expected results, as illustrated by the difficulties encountered by and during the LCK Cup. Given the level of individual talent present on the roster, however, it remains difficult to imagine the team remaining near the bottom of the standings throughout the year rather than competing for a place in the Legend Group.

The finalists of the most recent Worlds did not begin the year in the most convincing fashion. However, it would be premature to write off after only a handful of matches. Still led by , the team retains the capacity to deliver strong performances. With T1 and Gen.G awaiting them as their first opponents this week, the schedule is hardly favorable, but they will have further opportunities afterward to demonstrate their potential and justify the third-place finish they achieved last year.

With more convincing performances and a top 5 finish during the LCK Cup, appear to have put the disappointments of last season behind them. Equipped with strong individual talent and capable of producing occasional upsets, most notably when they eliminated KT Rolster and defeated Nongshim RedForce, DNS demonstrated that they should not be underestimated within the league. The team may still lack consistency and has yet to fully unlock its collective ceiling, but the current trajectory suggests a project moving in the right direction.

The 2022 world champions, now competing under the name , managed to produce a surprise during the LCK Cup by reaching the playoffs at the expense of Nongshim RedForce. Although the subsequent rounds ultimately proved a step too far, the team nonetheless displayed several encouraging elements, particularly through the jungle–support duo of and . The rest of the roster showed moments of solidity, but individually remained a tier below many of their opponents. DRX could still pose problems for certain teams and may emerge as one of the competition’s potential surprise packages this season.

Unsurprisingly, occupy the final position in our ranking. The perennial bottom-table side in Korea failed to secure a single best-of-three victory during the LCK Cup and will enter the new season with largely the same roster. Midlaner has joined the team as reinforcement, although it remains unclear whether he will replace in the active lineup. Both the younger players and the more experienced members of the squad will need to significantly raise their level if they hope to remain competitive within the league.

You can find the detailed breakdown of the votes at this link.