LCK Cup 2026 Match Review: HLE Finally Secures A Victory
Hanhwa Life Esports had a disappointing first week of the LCK Cup. Two losses put them in a precarious position. Heading into the series with HANJIN BRION, they should return to form. However, we did not get to see that today. HLE may have won the series, but the coordination and teamplay are looking shaky. HLE needs to make more improvements in the LCK Cup if they want to reach the Final Stand in Brazil.
LCK Cup: HANJIN BRION Versus Hanwha Life Esports Match Review
Game One Draft
Hanwha Life Esports – Blue Side
- Gnar
- Jarvan IV
- Azir
- Varus
- Rakan
HANJIN BRION – First Pick
- Renekton
- Nocturne
- Orianna
- Jhin
- Pantheon
Game One Summary
The early game was slow. Eventually, HLE burnt Roamer’s flash and later killed him twice, once for First Blood. BRO responded to the First Blood with a kill on Zeka. Kanavi managed to steal the Rift Herald. However, in the ensuing play, four HLE members fell. Gumayusi died twice in the space of 40 seconds. HLE managed to rebuild their lead by targeting the lack of flashes on all BRO members. GIDEON steals Baron to prevent HLE from breaking open the game.
HLE continues to make mistakes that BRO punishes to reduce the gold lead. Gumayusi dies again to the Nocturne and Orianna combo, leading to BRO moving to deny the Cloud Soul. HLE draws them to the Baron. The teams trade kills, but HLE secures the objective. On the Cloud Soul fight, BRO missed their Nocturne and Orianna Combo. Zeus found a clean GNAR into the wall, which led to HLE winning the game. They ended a four game LCK Cup losing streak.
Total Apex Ratings
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 6
- GIDEON – 7
- Roamer – 5
- Teddy – 6
- Namgung – 4
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – 6
- Kanavi – 6
- Zeka – 6
- Gumayusi – 5
- Delight – 7
Player of the game – Delight
Game Two Draft
Hanwha Life Esports – Blue Side
- Zaahen
- Aatrox
- Aurora
- Yunara
- Poppy
HANJIN BRION – First Pick
- Ambessa
- Xin Zhao
- Taliyah
- Corki
- Elise
Game Two Summary
Namgung used both of his summoner’s level 1 to pressure Gumayusi and get lane push. Zeka solo killed Roamer after a mysterious flash from the BRO mid-laner. BRO makes multiple plays on the side lanes to get Teddy and Casting ahead. Gumayusi is not in the game with four deaths in under 14 minutes. It is Zeka versus BRO in the mid-game.
With the lead for BRO climbing, they push for mid-tier two Tower with Rift Herald. HLE punishes the mistake, with Zeus’ Zaahen finding the ideal angle. In the blink of an eye, the gold lead for BRO disappears. GIDEON wins the smite battle to secure the Ocean Soul. BRO catches the HLE bot lane to get the Baron and end the game with the push.
Game Two Ratings
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 7
- GIDEON – 8
- Roamer – 5
- Teddy – 7
- Namgung – 7
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – 6
- Kanavi – 3
- Zeka – 8
- Gumayusi – 3
- Delight – 3
Player of the game – GIDEON
Game Three Draft
HANJIN BRION – Blue Side
- K’Sante
- Wukong
- Ryze
- Lucian
- Braum
Hanwha Life Esports – First Pick
- Gwen
- Vi
- Akali
- Sivir
- Alistar
Game Three Summary
Ten minutes into the game, all the lanes are ahead or even for HLE. The lane with a significant lead was Zeus’. Delight and Kanavi went to their top lane to dive Casting and increasing Zeus’ lead. On the Chemtech Soul fight, Delight flashes in to knock up three members, followed by Kanavi driving in the Rift Herald. HLE ace BRO and should move on to win their first series of the year. BRO gets a kill on Kanavi, but Zeus arrives. He shreds through BRO, even killing Roamer to ensure they get the Chemtech Soul. HLE takes the Baron and pushes down the top lane to end the LCK Cup series.
Total Apex Ratings
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 4
- GIDEON – 5
- Roamer – 4
- Teddy – 4
- Namgung
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – 7
- Kanavi – 7
- Zeka – 6
- Gumayusi – 6
- Delight – 7
Player of the game – Delight
Series Summary
HLE secured their first series victory of the 2026 LCK Cup. However, it was not a clean win as many expected. In game one, HLE made numerous mistakes and mispositions that allowed BRO a chance to stabilize. They ended up winning. Game two was a horror show for HLE. The botlane fell significantly behind and was playing catch-up. Zeka kept them in the game until BRO overextended on the mid lane. BRO managed to regain their composure and closed out the game. The final game was not close. The combination of a lack of proactivity from BRO and improvement from HLE gave Group Elder’s leaders their first series win.
Total Apex Series Ratings
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – 5.7
- GIDEON – 6.7
- Roamer – 4.7
- Teddy – 5.7
- Namgung – 5.0
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – 6.3
- Kanavi – 5.3
- Zeka – 6.7
- Gumayusi – 4.7
- Delight – 5.7
Player of the series – Zeka
Other LCK Articles
- LCK Cup Schedule
- LCK Cup Week 1 Recap
- LCK Cup Week 2 Predictions
