Gen.G already has their ticket punched as defending champions. The question now is who joins them in Riyadh — and honestly, it’s not a hard one to answer.
The Pick: T1 and Hanwha Life Esports
These are the two best teams in the LCK right now, and it’s not particularly close. HLE finished the regular season at 11-1 with a 92% win rate — the most dominant run in the entire league. T1 sits at 8-4 and has looked sharper with every passing week. Everyone else is competing for a distant third.
Why not anyone else?
Gen.G being absent actually changes the dynamic here. In a normal LCK playoff you’d expect Gen.G to block one of these teams. Without them in the bracket, there’s no realistic obstacle for HLE or T1 to reach the qualification matches. kt Rolster is solid at 9-3 but hasn’t shown the consistency to beat either of these two in a BO5 when it matters.
The only real question
Who finishes first and who has to go through the lower bracket. HLE has been so dominant that they’re the clear favorite to take the upper bracket directly. T1 is good enough to qualify either way.
The bottom line
Gen.G is already in. T1 and HLE are joining them. Mark it down.
