T1 have struck a decisive blow in the race for the LCK's top two seeds, sweeping KT Rolster 2-0 on Thursday to reach 13-4 and a +18 game differential. The result knocks KT out of contention and lifts T1 above Gen.G, who slipped to +17 after dropping a game to Hanwha Life Esports midweek.

The stakes are steep. Only the top two regular season seeds enter the 2026 LCK Road to MSI directly at Round 3 in Wonju, a match that doubles as a first-seed decider. The winner takes the LCK's number one seed and a direct route to the MSI main stage in Daejeon, skipping the Play-In stage. The loser drops to Round 5 and must win there just to claim the second MSI berth — and even then only as the seed forced through the Play-Ins.

HLE lead at 14-3 and are all but guaranteed a Wonju spot, leaving T1 and Gen.G to fight for the other Round 3 berth across their final games: Gen.G face Hanjin BRO on May 29, T1 meet BNK FearX on May 30, and HLE close out on May 31 against BRO as well.

HLE
Photo Credit: LCK

T1 hold a one-game cushion on differential, but there is a catch. The LCK breaks ties on match wins, then game differential, then head-to-head — and Gen.G own the season series, having edged it 3-2 on games. So if the two finish level, Gen.G take the higher seed without a tiebreaker. T1's cleanest path is simply to keep winning.

One twist looms underneath. If both T1 and Gen.G win while HLE lose, the league leaders actually fall to third on differential and into a Round 4 start — a stunning drop for the team that topped the table all season. In that branch, the one result that lifts T1 to 14 wins could still hand Gen.G the number one seed on head-to-head.

For now, none of that is T1's concern. Beat BNK FearX 2-0, and the first-seed showdown — most likely against HLE — is theirs to chase.