2025 LCK Cup Playoffs Round One

S. Samek

The LCK is also providing us with some playoff matchups this week. The 2025 LCK Cup has reached the first round of the playoff stage.

Six teams are currently left in the playoff stage, after 10 teams began the tournament. Four teams will face off in the first round, while the other two teams received byes to the second round.

Gen.G and Dplus Kia are the two teams to earn byes to the second round. Dplus KIA had the best group stage performance going 5-0 in matches with a 10-4 game record. Gen.G finished second in their group at 3-2 with a 7-4 game record. They will select their second-round opponent from the winners of the first round playoff games.

The first matchup is T1 against Hanwha Life Esports. T1 topped their group, while Hanwha Life was second in the same group. However, as their group earned lower points both teams had to enter the play-in bracket.

T1 played in a qualification match against Nongshim Redforce and with a 2-0 sweep earned a spot in the playoffs.

Hanwha Life Esports played DRX in a qualification match. They also earned a 2-0 sweep to advance to the playoffs.

KT Rolster will face Nongshim Redforce in the second playoff series of round one. KT Rolster finished in third place in the same group with Gen.G and Dplus KIA and earned an automatic spot in the playoffs.

Nongshim Redforce finished fifth in the same group and went to the play-in bracket. They defeated OkSavingsBank Brion in their first match, before falling to T1 in a qualification match. They did get another qualification match against DRX, which they won 3-1 to take the final playoff spot.

My picks for the round one winners are: T1 over Hanwha Life and KT Rolster over Nongshim Redforce.

The first round takes place on February 12th-13th 2025.