Hanwha Life Esports closed out the LCK 2026 regular season with a clean 2-0 victory over T1, locking in the second seed for the playoffs. The result sends HLE straight into Upper Bracket Round 2, while T1 will begin its playoff run in Round 1 as the third seed.
The series highlighted ongoing struggles for T1 in the second half of the year. Since MSI the team holds a 3-5 series record and has won just 42 percent of its games. Faker acknowledged the disappointment in the post-match press conference, saying the roster had been unable to show consistent improvement across the regular season. Hopefully they pull it together, or ready up for Worlds.
Game 1 Draft and Result
T1 (Blue):
- Doran – K’Sante
- Oner – Xin Zhao
- Faker – Orianna
- Peyz – Ezreal
- Keria – Karma
HLE (Red):
- Zeus – Jayce
- Kanavi – Lee Sin
- Zeka – Cassiopeia
- Gumayusi – Jhin
- Delight – Alistar
HLE took control early. Zeus opened with a solo kill on Doran, and although T1 answered with a top-lane trade, HLE converted multiple skirmishes into a decisive lead. Kanavi’s Lee Sin found key multi-kills around the 20-minute Baron, and HLE closed the game in the jungle at 28 minutes and 42 seconds.
Game 2 Draft and Result
HLE (Blue):
- Zeus – Kennen
- Kanavi – Pantheon
- Zeka – Syndra
- Gumayusi – Twitch
- Delight – Lulu
T1 (Red):
- Doran – Gwen
- Oner – Wukong
- Faker – Ryze
- Peyz – Lucian
- Keria – Milio
Game 2 turned heavily in HLE’s favor after an aggressive bottom-lane dive around the 11-minute mark. Zeus teleported in on Kennen and HLE walked away with a four-kill swing. From that point the gold lead grew steadily. HLE took Baron at 20 minutes, pushed the mid inhibitor, and ended the series with an Ace in front of T1’s base at 22 minutes and 52 seconds.
The sweep continues a difficult pattern for T1 against HLE this split. While T1 managed series wins over Gen.G, Dplus KIA, and KT Rolster, it dropped both of its series against Hanwha Life. HLE, for its part, lost both series to Gen.G and dropped one each to KT and DK, yet still finished above T1 on the final day.
Peyz and Keria remain clear bright spots for T1. The bottom lane has carried significant responsibility throughout the year, and any playoff run will likely depend on their ability to stabilize games while the rest of the map finds form. History suggests T1 often elevates its play once the regular season ends and the focus shifts to international competition, but the current roster will need to solve its top-side coordination issues quickly.
HLE enters the playoffs with momentum and a favorable bracket position. T1 will have to win its way through the lower half of the bracket if it wants to reclaim the LCK title or secure the strongest possible seeding for Worlds. The regular season is over. The real test for both teams begins now.