LCK Cup 2026 Match Review: KT Rolster Recovers from Despair to Dominate DN SOOPers
KT Rolster and DN SOOPers kicked off the LCK Cup season for 2026. DNS started the series with a victory. They showed that they do not want to have similar results to last year. KT responded in game two with a dominant win and scraped through in game three. KT Rolster won the series 2-1. KT’s victory gives Group Elder the first point of the LCK Cup. It is back to the drawing board for DNS.
LCK Cup 2026: KT Rolster Versus DN SOOPers Match Review
Game One Draft
DN SOOPers – Blue Side
- Rumble
- Wukong
- Ahri
- Corki
- Pantheon
KT Rolster – First Pick
- K’Sante
- Malphite
- Taliyah
- Yunara
- Alistar
Game One Summary
Life and Pollu start as Supports for their teams. The early game was relatively quiet, with a couple of dives on the bot lanes. The first skirmish went in favor of DNS as Pyosik dodged Cuzz’s Malphite ultimate. KT managed to pull a couple of kills back, but after a failed mid dive, they forked over first tower to DNS. KT could not find angles on fights or catch plays. With Infernal Soul and Baron at their backs, DNS won the Elder fight to win the first game of the LCK Cup.
Total Apex Raings
KT Rolster
- PerfecT – 4
- Cuzz – 3
- Bdd – 5
- Aiming – 4
- Pollu – 3
DN SOOPers
- DuDu – 6
- Pyosik – 9
- Clozer – 7
- deokdam – 5
- Life – 3
Player of the game – Pyosik
Game Two Draft
DN Soopers – Blue Side
- Sion
- Dr. Mundo
- Viktor
- Ashe
- Soraka
KT Rolster – First Pick
- Renekton
- Sylas
- Ryze
- Lucian
- Braum
Game Two Summary
Ghost subs in for game two, after Pollu struggled. The early side lanes initially favored DNS, but a mid gank allowed KT Rolster to break open the game. deokdam’s awkward pathing led to two of his deaths, which brought Aiming into the game. It went from bad to worse as DNS bled out. The Hextech Soul fight went comfortably in KT’s favor, leading to their first victory of the year. DNS did not get a kill throughout game two.
Total Apex Ratings
KT Rolster
- PerfecT – 6
- Cuzz – 8
- Bdd – 7
- Aiming – 6
- Ghost – 6
DN SOOPers
- DuDu – 5
- Pyosik – 3
- Clozer – 5
- deokdam – 3
- Life – 4
Player of the game – Cuzz
Game Three Draft
KT Rolster – Blue Side
- Rek’Sai
- Jarvan IV
- Zoe
- Aphelios
- Thresh
DN SOOPers – First Pick
- Ambessa
- Nocturne
- Aurora
- Ziggs
- Rell
Game Three Summary
DNS decided to fight for crab early and gave over two kills. A couple of key plays, thanks to Pyosik, restored parity in the game. With KT Rolster on Hextech Soul, most of DNS’s ultimates missed. It was DuDu who connected his ultimate on Aiming to win the fight and delay Hextech Soul. Despite DNS finding a pick on Aiming, Bdd, Cuzz, and PerfecT played perfectly to earn the Hextech Soul. The final dive from DNS failed as Aiming lived, and KT closed out the series 2-1.
Total Apex Ratings
KT Rolster
- PerfecT – 7
- Cuzz – 7
- Bdd – 8
- Aiming – 4
- Ghost – 4
DN SOOPers
- DuDu – 7
- Pyosik – 5
- Clozer – 5
- deokdam – 5
- Life – 5
Player of the game – Bdd
Series Summary
Pyosik showed why he is a World Champion in game one of the series. He dodged multiple Malphite ultimates and always found the ideal engagement angles. Unfortunately, his performance dropped off in the rest of the series. KT Rolster woke up in game two. Off the back of Bdd and Cuzz won two games in a row to win the series. DuDu was a standout performer for DNS throughout the series.
Total Apex Series Ratings
KT Rolster
- PerfecT – 5.7
- Cuzz – 6.0
- Bdd – 6.7
- Aiming – 4.7
- Ghost – 5.0
- Pollu – 3.0
DN Soopers
- DuDu – 6.0
- Pyosik – 5.7
- Clozer – 5.7
- deokdam – 4.3
- Life – 4.0
Player of the series: Bdd
