ⓒRiot Games
Riot Games announced that it held the 2026 Woori Bank LCK Finals Media Day on September 8 at Chzzk LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The event was attended by Gen.G head coach Ryu Sang-wook, ‘Kiin’ Kim Gi-in, and ‘Ruler’ Park Jae-hyuk, who directly advanced to the finals, along with Hanwha Life Esports head coach Yoon Sung-young, ‘Kanavi’ Seo Jin-hyeok, and ‘Gumayusi’ Lee Min-hyeong, as well as T1 head coach Im Jae-hyeon, ‘Peyz’ Kim Su-hwan, and ‘Keria’ Ryu Min-seok.
When asked about the outcome of the Lower Bracket Final, Gen.G head coach Ryu Sang-wook answered, “I think condition on that day will be key,” adding, “If T1 successfully executes aggressive play centered around their bottom duo, I believe T1 has a high probability of advancing.” As the trickiest traits of both teams, he cited T1’s ability to create variables and Hanwha Life Esports’ bold, aggressive gameplay, respectively. He also named both teams’ bottom duos as the players who would pose difficulties for draft strategies in a best-of series played under Fearless Draft.
Both Hanwha Life Esports and T1, who face each other in the Lower Bracket Final, predicted a 3-1 victory. Coach Yoon Sung-young cited HLE’s strengthened laning phase following the addition of new members as their main strength, while Coach Im Jae-hyeon emphasized the performance of T1’s bottom duo and their recently improved top-side play. As elements to watch out for from their opponent, Coach Yoon mentioned T1’s aggressive play, while Coach Im highlighted Hanwha Life Esports’ early-game initiative on the top side.
In their Round 2 playoff matchup, Hanwha Life Esports secured a 3-2 reverse sweep victory. Reflecting on that match, ‘Kanavi’ Seo Jin-hyeok said, “In Game 1, we had the lead but allowed a comeback, and in Game 2, we stumbled badly right from the start,” adding, “I think we need to practice consolidating our lead once we get ahead.”
T1 head coach Im Jae-hyeon stated, “I think our preparation for our compositions from Game 3 to Game 5 was lacking,” adding, “If we address those areas, we can win the Lower Bracket Final.”
The Lower Bracket Final between Hanwha Life Esports and T1 will take place on September 12 at the KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. The winning team will face Gen.G at the same venue on September 13 for the 2026 LCK trophy.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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