On September 5, Gen.G defeated Hanwha Life Esports 3-1 in Upper Bracket Round 3 of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) Playoffs at Chzzk LoL Park in Jonggak, advancing to the 2026 LCK Grand Finals.
After the match, Gen.G 'Ruler' Park Jae-hyuk expressed his satisfaction, saying, "I feel good because our setups and teamfights went in the direction we wanted. Communication between players was also very smooth during macro execution."
He also shared his thoughts reflecting on this year's journey. When asked if this was the toughest season in recent years, he recalled, "It's true that the process itself was extremely rough. However, enduring those difficult times together allowed the team to become firmer and unite as one. It was hard, but in the end, it remained a good memory."
He picked the LCK Roadshow "House of Gen.G" match and the loss to DK at the EWC as the most nerve-wracking moments of the season. 'Ruler' said, "The LCK Roadshow match was truly terrible and dizzying. The snowball started from EWC. After losing to DK, we held feedback sessions, but even after returning to Korea, it wasn't easily fixed in our LCK matches, and the aftereffects carried over to the LCK Roadshow, causing us to struggle."
However, having overcome those trials, Gen.G reclaimed their signature powerful skirmishing ability in the match against Hanwha Life Esports with a direct spot in the finals on the line. 'Ruler' analyzed, "Playing today's match, I felt that we were handling the laning phase better than our opponents," adding, "Thanks to that, we could focus much more easily in teamfight setups."
Regarding the bottom duo's synergy, which had been pointed out as a weakness during the season, he explained, "Our form is steadily improving. Although there were times when our synergy wasn't aligned—where we weren't looking at the same target simultaneously—our synergy is currently in a very good state."
Among T1, Dplus KIA, and Hanwha Life Esports—the potential opponents they could meet in the finals—he mentioned T1 or DK as his expected opponents. He predicted, "I don't have a particularly preferred opponent, but I expect T1 or DK to advance." He added, "Dplus KIA feels like they have grown even stronger by overcoming a major crisis recently, and since we lost to them many times this year, I really want to get revenge. T1 will also gain a lot from their loss against Hanwha Life Esports, make improvements, and advance."
Finally, he concluded the interview with a firm commitment: "Now only the finals remain. In the past, there were several instances where teams that went directly to the finals ended up not winning the championship. We will prepare thoroughly so we don't follow that precedent and make sure to lift the trophy."
