LCK Season Opening 2026: Faker and Team Mid Dominate the Rift Again
The LCK kicks off the year with the Season Opening. Since 2023, the Season Opening has become an exciting way for players and fans to start the year. The mini-game for this year, For Faelight, was there to determine the bracket for the tournament. Team Jungle won the mini game thanks to Oner and Gideon. Team Jungle picked Team Mid as their opponent in the first round.
LCK Season Opening Teams
The team captains picked their teams in a snake draft format. Team Top started the draft order. Team Support went second, followed by Team Jungle, Team Bot, and Team Mid. The captains must pick one player from each team before they can pick another player from that team. That does not include the captains.
Team Top
- Kingen – Top Lane
- DuDu – Jungle
- Doran – Mid Lane
- Kiin – Bot Lane
- Zeus – Support
Team Jungle
- GIDEON – Top Lane
- Cuzz – Jungle
- Willer – Mid Lane
- Oner – Bot Lane
- Kanavi – Support
Team Mid
- Faker – Top Lane
- Scout – Jungle
- Ucal – Mid Lane
- Chovy – Bot Lane
- ShowMaker – Support
Team Bot
- Peyz – Top Lane
- Smash – Jungle
- Teddy – Mid Lane
- Diable – Bot Lane
- Ruler – Support
Team Support
- Life – Top Lane
- Delight – Jungle
- Keria – Mid Lane
- Ghost – Bot Lane
- Kellin – Support
For Faelight Mini Game
The For Faelight mini-game rules were as follows: The team captains must try to get two wards into the Faelight locations. The red side had players from the teams that would try to block the captains from opposing teams. To secure the win, a team captain must have one ward in each Faelight at the same time. Team Jungle won the mini game. The other placements were Team Bot, Team Top, Team Support, and lastly Team Mid. The players picked the following champions:
- Team Captains
- Zeus – Nidalee
- Oner – Pyke
- Faker – Leblanc
- Ruler – Naafiri
- Keria – Lee Sin
- Team Trolls
- Kiin – Darius
- Gideon – Alistar
- Scout – Blitzcrank
- Smash – Trundle
- Kellin – Leblanc
LCK Season Opening Event Bracket
As the winner of the mini-game, Oner placed Team Jungle and Team Mid against each other in the first match of the tournament. The winner of that match faces Team Top in the Semi-Final. The opposite Semi-Final is Team Bot versus Team Support.
Team Jungle Versus Team Mid
Draft
Team Jungle
- K’Sante
- Jarvan IV
- Taliyah
- Sivir
- Nidalee
Team Mid
- Rumble
- Vi
- Yone
- Jhin
- Leblanc
Summary
Team Jungle made multiple unforced errors, leading to a significant disadvantage. The game went from bad to worse for Team Jungle. Even when they tried to make plays, the gold difference was evident. Oner might regret picking Team Mid as their first-round opponents. With their lead, Team Mid took Baron as soon as it spawned. They pushed with Baron buff to knock Team Jungle out of the competition.
Team Support Versus Team Bot
Draft
Team Support
- Sion
- Lee Sin
- Zoe
- Yunara
- Neeko
Team Bot
- Fiora
- Vi
- Syndra
- Lucian
- Nami
Summary
Team Support managed to get early kills, but the early farm advantage kept Team Bot in the game. Team Bot managed to skirmish better to garner leads. Ganks from Team Support kept the game from ballooning out of their reach. Keria’s Zoe managed to keep Team Support in the game despite Team Bot’s better map play. Peyz, on Fiora, was a menace throughout. Team Bot won after a failed minion flank from Kellin’s Neeko.
Team Top Versus Team Mid
Draft
Team Top
- Rumble
- Lee Sin
- Viktor
- Yunara
- Neeko
Team Mid
- Zaahen
- Pantheon
- Orianna
- Ezreal
- Karma
Summary
Kingen asserted dominance over Faker in the top lane, with trades and lane setups. Blows got traded throughout the map in the mid-game, meaning neither team could garner an advantage. Out of nowhere, Team Mid picked up consecutive kills, leading to a quick Baron Nashor take at twenty minutes. The lead stayed steady as a second Baron was enough for Team Mid to win.
Team Mid Versus Team Bot
Draft
Team Mid
- Sion
- Jayce
- Azir
- Kai’Sa
- Nautilus
Team Bot
- Yone
- Wukong
- Aurora
- Jhin
- Rell
Summary
Smash’s early impact earned early kills on Team Mid’s bot lane. The first skirmish from Team Mid built a lead. Team Bot responded by picking up kills throughout the map thanks to individual mechanics. The game remained stable until a couple of mistakes from Team Bot. Team Mid capitalized on picking up kills, towers, and Baron Nashor. Then it was Team Mid’s turn to throw away the lead. Both teams fought valiantly, but Chovy was clutch to carry Team Mid to victory in the LCK Season Opening.
