T1 and Faker now in control of their LCK fate

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 27/08/2025

T1 and Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok are now in control of whether they will finish 2nd in the LCK Legends group. They do so after defeating HLE in three games as the LCK kicks off its final week of action.

Second in the LCK would give T1 a berth into Playoffs Round 2, and would mean they are guaranteed to avoid Gen.G in Round 2, who have largely dominated the LCK in 2025, dropping only a single series, making them favourites for the LCK title with esports betting sites.

Yet it is Gen.G they will have to play in order to guarantee that spot, as HLE only have to play Nongshim RedForce, who are effectively playing for nothing, being guaranteed a trip to the Play-in tournament.

T1 finally surpass HLE

T1 have trailed Hanwha Life Esports for the majority of the year, with HLE finishing Rounds 1-2 as second in the standings with a 14-4 record, and T1 ending with an uncharacteristic 11-7 record to sit in third.

The July-August split has seen T1 catching up to HLE week by week, with T1 displaying incredible form, which saw T1 end Gen.G’s 19-0 win streak in the LCK, and 27-0 win streak overall.

T1 finally caught HLE’s win total with a victory over Nongshim RedForce last week, and surpassing HLE seemed inevitable, but T1’s unexpected loss to KT Rolster, which saw KT break their nine-game losing streak to Faker and co., swung the pendulum in HLE’s favour.

Today’s victory once again shifts the balance in T1’s favour, but they will have to deliver against Gen.G as they currently sit second in the LCK only on head-to-head record, with their series records and points being identical.

How did T1 vs HLE play out?

T1 made a dominant start to the series with Mun ‘Oner’ Hyeon-jun delivering huge impact on the server while playing Wukong, as T1 crushed HLE with a 27-5 K/D and Ryu ‘Keria’ Min-seok and Faker both banking 20 assists.

Game 2 was truly bizarre, with HLE closing out the 47-minute war with both teams tied at a 20-20 K/D. T1 seemed completely in control in the mid-game with an 8.3k gold lead at a time, but a Hail Mary Baron play gave HLE momentum, which then quickly swung the game.

Faker’s over-eager defence opened up T1’s base as HLE won the final fight and claimed the Nexus.

Game 3 was a relative return to normality, with T1 winning at precisely the same minute as they won Game 1. Keria’s bard proved decisive in the contest, as the support put on a masterclass as T1 closed the contest 2-1.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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