LCK 2025 Spherical 5 Preview: T1 and Hanwha Life Esports Battle for 2nd Place
The struggle for second place within the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) standings is heating up as Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and T1 put together for a pivotal week in Spherical 5 of the 2025 season.
The LCK introduced that Week 1 of Spherical 5 will run from Aug. 20–24 at LoL Park in Seoul, with each groups dealing with matchups that would flip the standings in actual time. HLE at the moment holds second place within the Legend Group, however with T1 tied at 18–8, solely forward by sport differential, the race is razor-thin.
If They Lose, They Drop to third
Hanwha Life’s week begins with KT Rolster on Thursday earlier than a important conflict with Gen.G on Saturday. A win within the “Saturday Showdown” would assist solidify their maintain on second, however HLE has but to defeat Gen.G within the common season. Their most up-to-date assembly noticed Gen.G take a 2–1 sequence win, extending HLE’s struggles towards the league’s elite.
T1, in the meantime, enters with momentum after three straight victories, regardless of a setback towards Gen.G in Spherical 4. They face Nongshim RedForce on Friday and KT Rolster within the Telecom Wars on Sunday. Given T1’s dominance over each opponents this yr, the group is favored to place strain on Hanwha Life.
As a result of each squads share equivalent information, sport differential might show decisive. Because of this, clear 2–0 sweeps could also be simply as essential as match wins.
T1’s Gumayusi Named Gold King
Including to T1’s momentum, backside laner Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong claimed his first Gold King title of 2025, main all gamers with a mean of 15,697.75 gold final week. The weekly award, sponsored by Woori Financial institution, places Gumayusi in competition for the annual Gold King honor, a title determined on the LCK Awards.
Spherical 5 continues via Sept. 14, with matches streamed globally on YouTube, SOOP, and Naver. Tickets can be found by way of the Woori Financial institution Received Banking app and Interpark.
