LCK Cup 2026 Playoffs Match Review: BFX Stuns World Champions T1

T1 is one of two teams that have not lost an LCK Cup series. The other team is Gen.G Esports. FearX had to ascend a mountain to pull off an upset victory. Not only did they win, but it was a dominant win. The second half of the series was heavily in BFX’s favor. BFX takes the series 3-1 and advances to face Gen.G in the LCK Cup Upper Bracket Final. Regardless of who wins that series, both Gen.G and BFX will be in Hong Kong.

LCK Cup 2026 Playoffs: T1 Versus FearX Match Review

Ryze from League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics played in the LCK — Image of Ryze, courtesy of Riot Games

Game One Draft

FearX – Blue Side

Rumble
Pantheon
Orianna
Aphelios
Lulu

T1 – First Pick

Ornn
Xin Zhao
Azir
Jinx
Thresh

Game One Summary

Oner ganks the bot lane after clearing three camps. He burns both of Diable’s Summoner Spells with the help of Keria and earns the First Blood kill. Despite an early kill on VicLa after the Drake fight, T1 loses two members. Raptor stays in the bot lane to kill Peyz two more times. T1 responds, giving two kills over to Faker. The mid-game is bloody as the teams continue to trade kills. BFX has a gold lead, but it is on a knife’s edge.

BFX catches Peyz in mid-lane and starts the Baron. They got the objective, but it was shaky. They increase some of their gold lead, but not significantly. After winning another fight, BFX gets their second Baron of the game. T1 tries to force onto Diable during the push, but they fail, and BFX ends the game.

Total Apex Ratings

Doran – 6
Oner – 6
Faker – 6
Peyz – 5
Keria – 6

BFX

Clear – 5
Raptor – 8
VicLa – 8
Diable – 7
Kellin – 8

Player of the game – Kellin

Game Two Draft

FearX – Blue Side

Renekton
Jarvan IV
Ahri
Sivir
Poppy

T1 – First Pick

Rek’Sai
Ambessa
Sylas
Varus
Alistar

Game Two Summary

The mid-lane sees significant action in the early game. First Blood goes to Raptor, but over two skirmishes, Faker earns two kills. Clear wins in isolation against Doran. He gets close to killing him three times. He finally gets the kill and Tower in 15 minutes. At the same time, T1 wins the second Drake fight. Raptor and VicLa die in T1’s jungle on the Baron spawn. T1 evens out the gold lead with the Baron push.

The two teams stare down at T1’s Cloud Soul. Eventually, T1 pulls the trigger on Clear. The Renekton lives, but he has to base and Teleport. T1 takes the man advantage fight and earns four kills. They get Cloud Soul and Baron. Diable steps too far on the Baron push, and T1 ends the game.

Total Apex Ratings

Doran – 4
Oner – 7
Faker – 8
Peyz – 8
Keria – 7

BFX

Clear – 8
Raptor – 6
VicLa – 6
Diable – 4
Kellin – 6

Player of the game – Faker

Game Three Draft

T1 – Blue Side

Kennen
Wukong
Anivia
Jhin
Rakan

FearX – First Pick

Ryze
Maokai
Yone
Ashe
Seraphine

Game Three Summary

After an extended fight between the junglers, Raptor earns the First Blood kill on Oner. VicLa solo kills Faker underneath his Tower, and every lane has a lead. BFX’s bot lane smashes with the help of Raptor. Diable is ahead 1.6k gold at 13 minutes. T1 commits everything to try kill Diable in the Drake fight, but they do not succeed. BFX kills four members, while losing none after Doran kills VicLa. T1 gets Baron with BFX out of position. They lose two members as the rest leave. The Baron powerplay sees T1 go down a further 5k gold. Keria and Oner die in mid-lane, allowing BFX to end the game.

Total Apex Ratings

Doran – 6
Oner – 3
Faker – 4
Peyz – 4
Keria – 3

FearX

Clear – 6
Raptor – 9
VicLa – 7
Diable – 8
Kellin – 9

Player of the game – Kellin

Game Four Draft

FearX – Blue Side

Gnar
Trundle
Twisted Fate
Lucian
Milio

T1 – Second Pick

Jax
Malphite
Aurora
Yunara
Nautilus

Game Four Summary

Despite having the barrier available, Peyz dies, giving over First Blood to Diable. The action is frenetic in the bot lane. Raptor and VicLa respond after an Oner gank. In the ensuing play, T1 cleans up two kills, but loses Faker in trade. BFX’s macro is incredible to play around Diable. They force Peyz off the Tower and then move Diable to the top lane. They dive Doran to further their gold lead.

The Ocean Soul point starts in T1’s favor. However, Clear finds the GNAR into the wall to give Diable space. Oner finds Diable, and he dies, but they commit everything. Peyz dies in trade, and T1 has no way to reach the Drake. BFX earns the Ocean Soul. BFX pulls T1 to Baron and almost kills Peyz. Oner sacrifices himself to keep his AD carry alive. FearX pushes down the mid-lane, wins the fight, and takes the end series.

Total Apex Ratings

Doran – 5
Oner – 5
Faker – 4
Peyz – 4
Keria – 4

FearX

Clear – 7
Raptor – 8
VicLa – 7
Diable – 8
Kellin – 8

Player of the game – Raptor

Series Summary

BFX beat T1 3-1 in the LCK Cup Playoffs — Image of BFX beating T1, courtesy of the LCK/Riot Games

FearX has done what no one expected them to do. They not only defeated T1 in a LCK Cup best-of-five series, but they stomped them. The first and second games were close, but BFX kicked it into a higher gear for the latter half. Their drafting, individual mechanics, and macro were superior to T1.

Diable and Kellin stepped up significantly to fight against Peyz and Keria. The BFX bot lane had the better of the matchup throughout the series. Some of that comes down to draft, but BFX executed flawlessly. There are worrying signs for T1 as they will need to go back to the drawing board on their drafting. T1 will wait for their opponent in the LCK Cup Lower Bracket.

Total Apex Series Ratings