LCK Playoffs: KT Rolster shock Dplus KIA, Gen.G pick their revenge — the sprint to the KSPO Dome is on

The opening week of the LCK postseason is in the books. KT Rolster and BNK FEARX survived the Play-In, then T1 and KT Rolster claimed the two Round 1 series to join the top four in the winners' bracket. Gen.G, holding the choice as first seed, picked KT Rolster for Round 2 — and from September 1, six days of elimination League of Legends will decide which three teams get to play for the title at the KSPO Dome on September 12 and 13.

Play-In: Jiwoo and Taeyoon steal the show

KT Rolster opened the Play-In with a full five-game thriller against Hanjin BRION. Jeong "Jiwoo" Ji-woo set the tone with a Miss Fortune pentakill in game one and, after Hanjin BRION had fought back to 2-1, calmly carried the last two games to send his team through.

BNK FearX first dispatched Nongshim RedForce 3-1, then met Hanjin BRION again in the Play-In decider — and needed another comeback. Trailing 2-1, Kim "Taeyoon" Tae-yoon flipped the series with a Yunara pentakill in game four, before Jeon "Raptor" Eo-jin's Nidalee delivered a 6/0/7 masterclass in the fifth to grab the last playoffs ticket.

Round 1: T1 get their revenge, KT Rolster pull off the shock

T1 entered their series with BNK FearX carrying a grudge: earlier this year, a 1-3 loss to the same team in the LCK Cup had cost them the trip to Hong Kong. The revenge took five games. Lee "VicLa" Dae-kwang ran the mid lane in games two and three to put BNK FearX ahead, but Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok's Anivia dragged T1 level, and Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan finished the job in game five with a Varus pentakill.

The real earthquake came a day later. None of the 14 experts polled before the match gave KT Rolster a chance against Dplus KIA, and the community vote was just as lopsided. KT Rolster swept them 3-0. They answered Dplus KIA's prized Olaf pick with Trundle in game one, overturned a deficit of 10,000 gold and more than ten kills behind Jiwoo's Kalista in a dramatic game two, and let Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong's Ryze close the show in game three — a game in which the midlaner became only the second player in history to reach 3,000 LCK kills.

Gen.G choose KT Rolster

Gen.G's decision blends pragmatism with a score to settle. KT Rolster knocked them out in last year's Worlds semifinal, so the motive is there — and so are the numbers, with Gen.G winning all three of the regular season meetings this year plus a 3-0 in the MSI qualifier.

That decision sends T1 to face Hanwha Life Esports, and the recent history favors the MSI champions. After losing to T1 in the LCK Cup and in round one, Hanwha Life Esports have beaten them in every meeting since — including a clean 2-0 in round four to close the regular season.

Six days to settle everything

The schedule at the LCK Arena is relentless: Gen.G versus KT Rolster on September 1, Hanwha Life Esports versus T1 on September 2, then the losers' bracket opener between Dplus KIA and BNK FearX on September 3. Lower Round 2 follows on September 4, the winners' final — with a direct Grand Final berth on the line — on September 5, and Lower Round 3 on September 6.

Three teams will emerge with a trip to the KSPO Dome in Seoul's Olympic Park: one straight into the September 13 Grand Final, the other two into the final qualifier the day before. With the LCK sending four teams to Worlds this year — Hanwha Life Esports already own the MSI champion seed — the finish line is double: a domestic crown, and the seeding that comes with it.