Vortex Gaming

Data provided by - LCK

With the playoff bracket finalized, the 'Big Match' between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports, who joined forces in the Baron Group, has been set.

The League of Legends Champions Korea (hereinafter 'LCK'), which hosts the Korean professional league for 'League of Legends (LoL)' esports, announced that the first week of the 2025 LCK Cup playoffs will continue from Wednesday the 12th to Sunday the 16th at the LCK Arena located in LoL Park, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The second match of the LCK Cup Playoff Round 1, which will be held on the 13th (Thursday), is a match between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports, who were in the same Baron Group in the last group competition. As the losing team is eliminated in Playoff Round 1, attention is expected to focus on the two teams' 'Big Match'.

Hanwha Life Esports has the upper hand in recent head-to-head records. Based on the 2024 LCK Summer, Hanwha Life Esports competed against T1 in 12 sets and won 10 sets. They recorded 4 wins and 1 loss in two regular season matches, and also met twice in the post-season, leading significantly with 6 wins and 1 loss (both records are set-based).

From Hanwha Life Esports' perspective, it is necessary to continue their advantage over T1. In particular, mid laner 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo and AD carry 'Viper' Park Do-hyeon, who have recently been selected for POM twice each, are said to be at their peak. After winning the last match against DRX, 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo said, "T1 is a team that is good at skirmishes," and expressed his intention to continue the winning momentum while keeping that in mind.

T1, who will face them, is expected to prepare for this match with AD carry 'Smash' Shin Geum-jae at the center. 'Smash' Shin Geum-jae is closely following 'Viper' Park Do-hyeon with an average of 6.25 kill points per game in the LCK Cup, ranking second, and is showing remarkable performance in various indicators. Mid laner 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok predicted a close battle with 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo by holding the center of the team with various champions such as Viktor and Galio, as well as Aurora and Yone, in addition to Viktor and Galio, who boasted excellent win rates.

In addition, the top laners of both teams are playing in the game after switching their affiliated teams after the last Stove League. 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je, who transferred to Hanwha Life Esports, and 'Doran' Choi Hyun-joon, who joined T1, are both said to have adapted well to their new teams, so expectations are high on what they will show in this match.

All LCK Cup playoff matches will continue in a best-of-five series. As Fearless Draft is still valid, the coaching staff's battle of wits and the players' champion pool are expected to be more important than ever.

The last play-in match between Nongshim RedForce and DRX, which was held on the 10th (Sunday), was the first best-of-five Fearless Draft in LCK history. If it went to the 5th set, a total of 50 champions would be banned, so fans' attention was focused. The match ended with Nongshim RedForce winning in the 4th set, but Aphelios and Senna appeared for the first time in the LCK Cup, and champions that were not often selected, such as Orianna, Taliyah, and Ornn, also appeared.

After winning the game, Nongshim RedForce coach Park Seung-jin said in an interview, "(From the 4th set) I felt that good champions were gradually disappearing except for the fixed ban cards. From then on, I focused on building a good combination rather than champion tiers." This means that in a best-of-five match with Fearless Draft, ban-pick strategies must be devised while additionally considering various factors.

It is known that the ban-pick strategies of the teams participating in the game shine when the two abilities of the coaching staff's brain fight and the players' champion pool are well combined. As such, attention is expected to focus on not only the players' play but also the ban-pick battle between the two teams in the playoffs.

The 2025 LCK Cup playoffs will be broadcast live on online platforms such as SOOP, Naver Esports & Game, and the YouTube LCK channel. The games start at 5 PM on weekdays and 3 PM on weekends, and on-site viewing tickets can be reserved through Interpark 48 hours before the game starts.

Webzine InvenReporter Kang Seung-jin
2025-02-11