Dplus KIA failed to hold onto their lead. On the 6th, Dplus KIA fell 1-3 to T1 in Round 3 of the Lower Bracket at the 2026 LCK Playoffs, held at Chzzk LoL Park. Head Coach Kim Dae-ho and Heo "ShowMaker" Su attended the post-match press conference.
Coach Kim offered his summary, saying, "It's very disappointing because there were sets we were more than capable of winning, but lost." He meant that throughout the series, the team repeatedly built favorable situations but failed to close out the games.
During the preparation phase, Dplus KIA focused most heavily on T1's bottom lane. Coach Kim stated, "T1 is strong across the board, but we thought their bot lane was in particularly great form, so we viewed the bot lane as crucial," adding, "Still, it was pleasing to see the potential and strength of Dplus KIA's bot lane." However, he added that because the end result was a defeat, improvements are still necessary.
"ShowMaker" explained that they spent their preparation time analyzing the opponent's tendencies. He elaborated, "We analyzed T1's preferred draft style and prepared for the match while working through the pick-and-ban phase together."
Coach Kim also explained the reasoning behind leaving Cassiopeia unbanned in Game 1, a champion that had been a permaban. He said, "I definitely thought Game 1 was a disadvantageous draft for us," but added, "Our players are so skilled that, looking at the series as a whole, I believed we could win Game 1 if played well." In other words, they were willing to take a hit in Game 1 to secure a draft advantage in the remaining sets. However, the execution fell short. Coach Kim reflected that if they had properly set up around the Rift Herald timing, they could have secured the Herald and turned it into a winning game.
When asked about the reason for the defeat, Coach Kim first brought up their mindset when leading. "Lately, as we've been trying to execute attacks well, I think we weren't cold-headed enough," he replied. He explained that once they built a certain advantage, simply tracking the opponent's positioning and pacing their turns would gradually force a disadvantageous situation onto the enemy, but they failed to manage that control. He added, "Since we've also won many games by playing passionately, managing that balance wasn't easy."
"ShowMaker" pointed out the same issue. "Our decision-making in critical moments was disappointing," he said. "We held advantages in both Game 1 and Game 3, but in the process of being turned around, our individual decision-making fell short compared to T1."
Looking ahead to the World Championship, Coach Kim cited managing performance consistency as the key area for improvement. While acknowledging that any team or player can have an off day, he emphasized that a team's floor must be maintained at a minimum standard so that when another player steps up, they can ride that momentum to victory. Coach Kim assessed that if they find ways to prevent struggling players from dropping too low, the team can be fully competitive. He evaluated the squad saying, "They are players with extremely high potential."
"ShowMaker" reflected positively on the season as a whole. Regarding their EWC title, he said, "It was our first international trophy in a long time, so I was really happy," and added that despite today's loss, he felt good about having qualified for Worlds. He expressed a strong determination for the Swiss Stage: "Since the format changed, we haven't passed it even once. This time, I want to prepare with even greater desperation and deliver a great performance."
He also expressed anticipation for the tournament being hosted in North America. "Four years ago at 2022 Worlds, the local fans cheered so passionately that it remains a really great memory," "ShowMaker" said, adding that he considers it an honor to compete in a tournament held in the United States again. Regarding skipping the Play-Ins as the fourth seed, he viewed it positively, stating, "Playing in the Play-Ins places a burden on us both physically and in terms of revealing our strategies, and there's always a risk of getting eliminated."
When asked which LPL team he would like to face, he replied that he hadn't given it much thought yet since the qualified teams were not yet confirmed.
With this defeat, Dplus KIA locked in a 4th-place finish in the LCK and secured the 4th seed for the 2026 World Championship.
