Underdogs kt Rolster and Hanwha Life Esports pulled off two of the biggest surprises of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) season, advancing to the upper bracket finals of the 2025 playoffs and securing early berths at the World Championship.

Both teams, written off by many analysts heading into the postseason, defied expectations. kt Rolster stunned regular-season leader Gen.G in a tense five-game series, while Hanwha Life Esports broke a four-match losing streak against T1 with a commanding sweep.

2025 LCK Playoffs Round 1 & 2 Results

kt Rolster, who finished the regular season in fourth place, entered the playoffs with modest expectations. After dispatching BNK FEARX in Round 1, the team was selected by Gen.G, who had dominated the regular season with a 29-1 record and five straight wins over kt. Instead of folding, kt Rolster struck back.

Game 1 saw kt overwhelm Gen.G with a decisive 18-3 kill score, though Gen.G recovered to take Game 2. The series seesawed as Gen.G pushed kt to the brink in Game 3, before veteran mid laner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong’s standout Zoe performance and Seo “Deft” Dae-gil’s firepower carried Game 4. In the deciding game, Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan’s Wukong and Bdd’s Lissandra combined to secure victory in a late Elder Dragon fight, sealing the 3-2 upset.

Hanwha Life Esports delivered an equally shocking result the following day. Facing T1, a team they had not beaten in four consecutive meetings, Hanwha dominated in a 3-0 sweep. Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo’s Orianna and Park “Viper” Do-hyeon’s Lucian set the tone in Game 1 with explosive damage output. Despite T1’s attempts to claw back momentum in Games 2 and 3, Hanwha’s team coordination and late-game composure held strong. A decisive river fight in Game 3 capped off the sweep and sent Hanwha directly to the finals.