LoL - LCK: KT Rolster stun T1 to secure playoff spot

The fifth week of the LCK Rounds 3-5 concluded this Sunday, August 24, with a major victory for KT Rolster in the Telecom War against T1 — their first in over a year after losing the last nine encounters. With this win, Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong and his team secure fourth place in the Legend group, guaranteeing a playoff spot. The only question that remains is who will claim second and third between Hanwha Life Esports and T1.

The first series of the day saw Dplus KIA sweep BNK FearX 2-0, with Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok earning MVP honors after a dominant Xin Zhao performance that dealt over 47k damage. This loss for FearX keeps OKSavingsBank BRION’s hopes alive for the second spot in the Rise group. DK and BFX are already secured for the Play-In, while the battle for third place will come down to DRX and BRO.

KT’s victory over T1 today was anything but lucky. Throughout the Summer, KT have been playing at a high level, especially their midlaner Bdd, but aside from two narrow wins against Nongshim RedForce, they had yet to truly break through against T1. In Game 1, Bdd delivered a stellar performance on Taliyah, while the KT botlane executed a clean level 2 transition that forced Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong to recall. On his return, they patiently waited for him in the brush between T1’s first and second turret, denying him crucial resources and setting him behind. Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil later shredded T1 with his Corki.

Game 2 lasted only 27 minutes and was a complete stomp from KT, finishing 28 kills to three. Lee "PerfecT" Seung-min had a flawless game, Jeong "Peter" Yoon-su’s Nautilus hooks consistently landed, and T1 looked off their game. Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun struggled throughout the series, while only Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon showed a somewhat decent performance—but it wasn’t nearly enough. T1 fall short and remain in third place, failing to capitalize on the opportunity to move up to second after Gen.G’s win over HLE yesterday had opened the door for them.

Only one week remains in the LCK regular season, opening with a crucial clash between T1 and HLE. However, even if T1 win, they still face a tough series against Gen.G on Saturday, August 30, while HLE’s only remaining matchup will be against Nongshim the day before. In the playoffs, the top two teams from the Legend group advance directly to Round 2, while the third and fourth seeds will wait in Round 1 for the two teams that survive the Play-In, which currently includes Nongshim, DK, and FearX, with the last spot still being contested between BRO and DRX.