After a tense first series, Dplus KIA and HANJIN BRION took to the stage in the LCK Cup. The four youngsters and ShowMaker took the fight to the newly formed BRO roster. While DK had some happy accidents during the series, they were always on top. ShowMaker’s Leblanc welcomed Roamer to the LCK as he solo killed him multiple times throughout game two.
LCK Cup 2026: Dplus KIA Versus HANJIN BRION Review
Game One Draft
Dplus KIA – Blue Side
- Ambessa
- Jarvan IV
- Ryze
- Ezreal
- Karma
HANJIN BRION – First Pick
- Rek’Sai
- Xin Zhao
- Taliyah
- Yunara
- Neeko
Game One Summary
Roamer starts the series for BRO. Two kills and lane dominance gave DK a 3k gold lead at 12 minutes. It just got worse and worse for BRO as they died everywhere. Siwoo’s Ambessa survived a dive and secured two kills before he died after Career arrived to help. Despite a couple of happy moments, DK maintained the lead until they got Baron and won the game.
Total Apex Ratings
Dplus KIA
- Siwoo – 8
- Lucid – 6
- ShowMaker – 7
- Smash – 7
- Career – 4
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 4
- GIDEON – 3
- Roamer – 5
- Teddy – 4
- Namgung – 3
Player of the game – Siwoo
Game Two Draft
Dplus KIA – Blue Side
- Rumble
- Pantheon
- Leblanc
- Sivir
- Bard
HANJIN BRION – First Pick
- K’Sante
- Nocturne
- Orianna
- Jhin
- Elise
Game Two Summary
Teddy and Namgung went for an early kill, but failed on the attempt. That led to Teddy’s death. GIDEON and Namgung thought they caught Lucid, but they gave up a significant lead. Roamer had a horrible early and mid-game. He died multiple times on Orianna. There was little he could do against a fed ShowMaker Leblanc and Pantheon follow-up. He did not have a chance to walk up to the waves without losing his health. Showmaker’s Leblanc was a treat to watch in this game.
BRO managed to outnumber DK in multiple plays, but it did not make a dent in the gold lead. GIDEON found a kill on Smash in the first fight, but that was the only kill BRO got. DK cleaned up the fight, took the Baron, and proceeded to end the game.
Total Apex Ratings
Dplus KIA
- Siwoo – 6
- Lucid – 7
- ShowMaker – 9
- Smash – 6
- Career – 4
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 4
- GIDEON – 5
- Roamer – 3
- Teddy – 4
- Namgung – 3
Player of the game – Showmaker
Series Summary
DK and BRO had multiple close series towards the end of 2025. However, the start of 2026 has gone firmly in favor of DK. They dominated throughout the series, barely giving BRO a chance. The DK roster still has its concerns. Despite having leads in both games, they made multiple mistakes that delayed the end. Against better teams and with a lower gold lead, they would have ended up on the losing side. These are mistakes that we saw throughout the middle and late parts of 2025.
Despite DK’s dominance, Career had a shaky debut on the LCK stage. He is a rookie, so he will inevitably improve in future matches. As for BRION, they will have a mountain to climb this year. The roster shakeup will take time to integrate the players. However, they were against one of the best teams in the LCK, meaning we can not read too much into the loss yet.
Total Apex Series Ratings
Dplus KIA
- Siwoo – 7
- Lucid – 6.5
- ShowMaker – 8.0
- Smash – 6.5
- Career 4.0
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 4.0
- Gideon – 4.0
- Roamer – 4.0
- Teddy – 4.0
- Namgun – 3.0
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