LCK 2026 Playoffs Hanwha Life Esports Versus T1 Review: A Shaky HLE Bounces Back to Reverse Sweep A Distraught T1
Gen.G Esports’ victory yesterday dropped the stakes between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports. T1 is at least the fourth seed for the LCK at the World Championship. T1 looked strong to kick off the series, moving swiftly to match point. HLE bounced back with three confident game wins in a row. HLE will face Gen.G in the LCK Upper Bracket Final, while T1 drops to the LCK Lower Bracket Semi-Final.
An Even Battle Explodes
Oner looks for an early gank on HLE’s bot lane, but the plan fails. Kanavi uses the time to kill Faker, but dies to Oner. He remains ahead thanks to the extra farm time. The early and mid-game becomes a battle across the map. Whenever one team makes a play, the other responds on the other side of the map. Kanavi helps Zeus put Doran behind, while Oner dives HLE’s bot lane and gives Peyz an advantage.
T1 struggles with objective control. They earn the Rift Herald, but have to give up the Infernal Soul point. It gets worse for T1 as they lose the Infernal Soul fight. HLE is finally in the driver’s seat.
HLE gets surprised by a T1 engage by the Baron pit. Peyz secures two more kills, and T1 wins the fight. Delight prevents T1 from taking the Baron. A minute before the Elder Drake, T1 pulls the trigger again on mid wave. Gumayusi and Delight die. More importantly, Gumayusi used both Summoner Spells.
HLE tried to kill Oner before the Elder Drake fight. They burnt his Guardian Angel, and Kanavi kicked Faker into his team. Peyz and Keria flashed forward onto HLE’s backline and exploded them. T1 earned a clean ace and ended the game.
Keria’s Blitzcrank Steals the Show
T1 drafted an unorthodox composition that needed to snowball in the mid-game. The snowball started rolling thanks to Keria’s Blitzcrank. He helped Faker get the first blood kill on Zeka. Keria became a looming threat for everyone on HLE except Zeus. A hook lands and someone dies. Keria kept finding the hooks. HLE fought back with a couple of kills for Gumayusi to keep him even with Peyz.
T1 grew to 7k gold, but they were not in the clear. One errant teamfight and that lead could evaporate. Keria stepped up once again to catch Delight and kick off the fight. T1 killed four and earned the Baron. HLE could not hold T1’s siege. Even Zeus was turned into paper.
Perfect Execution From Zeka
Zeka solo killed Faker as he hit level six before the T1 mid laner. HLE got some pace in the series as they won the early plays. T1’s only route back into the game was through five-player plays. They overloaded lanes and the decisions paid off. They clawed back the gold. Only Zeka had a significant lead over his lane opponent for HLE.
The defining teamfight would be for HLE’s Cloud Soul. T1 had positional advantage, and Gumayusi walked into Doran’s Kennen. Kanavi stole the Drake while T1 dived towards Gumayusi. He died, but HLE collapsed. Zeka tore through T1, giving HLE ascendancy again. They took Baron and pushed into T1’s Jungle. HLE crushed the fight, which put themselves on the board.
HLE Has Woken Up
The early game sees little action. Eventually, HLE picked up the first blood kill on Faker. Kanavi dies while trying to take the Grubs, and the game is even. The game turns in HLE’s favor on the second Drake. HLE wins the fight and takes the objective.
T1 fails a top dive, and the snowball continues rolling. Even with perfect angles, T1 struggles in fights. They lack the damage to get through HLE’s frontline. Delight and Zeus target Peyz to lock him down in fights. HLE slowly inches advantages until one fight ends the LCK game.
Early Game Buys HLE a Lead
Kanavi’s early invade puts Oner behind and pressures T1’s bot lane. Doran dies solo to Zeus. T1 also misses a kill on Zeka. Oner tries to claw back his lead, but HLE is always there to shut him down.
The teams trade fights as it becomes a story of can Peyz get a reset in fights. If he gets a reset, T1 is on top. If not, T1 lacks the damage. HLE overextends once in T1’s jungle, and the game hangs in the balance.
T1 look to contest the Ocean Soul, but they miss their first engage. On the second attempt, Faker dies, leaving the rest of T1 vulnerable. HLE pick up the Ocean Soul and Baron. T1 tries to fight back, but Peyz dies. HLE push forward and end the LCK series.
Champions Played
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – Olaf, K’Sante, Camille, Gragas, Ambessa
- Kanavi – Lee Sin, Jarvan IV, Sejuani, Xin Zhao, Cho’Gath
- Zeka – Annie, Ahri, Akali, Cassiopeia, Taliyah
- Gumayusi – Ashe, Yunara, Miss Fortune, Varus, Caitlyn
- Delight – Seraphine, Lulu, Shen, Nautilus, Karma
T1
- Doran – Jayce, Gwen, Kennen, Aatrox, Gnar
- Oner – Pantheon, Qiyana, Maokai, Skarner, Naafiri
- Faker – Ryze, Anivia, Yone, Orianna, Lissandra
- Peyz – Kalista, Jhin, Kai’Sa, Lucian, Jinx
- Keria – Renata Glasc, Blitzcrank, Alistar, Milio, Bard
More LCK Content
More LCK content is coming on Total Apex Media. Below is more LoL Esports Coverage.
