On the 15th, the 2025 LCK Cup will kick off, featuring the coaches and representative players from 10 teams who expressed their anticipation for the new season and the newly introduced format. The tournament will be held in a peerless draft format, and there are projections among players and coaches that T1 and Gen.G will claim top positions.
The LCK Cup is the first cup tournament in LCK history. It will be divided into Baron Group and Elder Group, competing in group matches over the course of three weeks. The performance in the group stage will affect the rankings for the play-in and playoffs, with the final champion representing LCK in the upcoming international tournament 'First Stand' in March.
On the 8th, a media day was held at the LCK Arena in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the coaches and representatives from the 10 teams attended to share their goals, strategies, and determination for the tournament.
In the Baron Group are ▲Hanwha Life Esports coach Choi In-kyu and 'Peanut' Han Wang-ho ▲T1 coach Kim Jeong-kyun and 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyeong ▲BNK PierX coach Yoo Sang-wook and 'Clear' Song Hyun-min ▲DN Freaks coach Jeong Min-seong and 'Dudu' Lee Dong-joo ▲OK Savings Bank Brion coach Choi Woo-beom and 'Morgan' Park Ru-han. In the Elder Group are ▲Gen.G coach Kim Jeong-soo and 'Canyon' Kim Gun-bu ▲Dplus Kia coach Bae Seong-woong and 'BeryL' Jo Geon-hee ▲KT Rolster coach Go Dong-bin and 'Bdd' Kwak Bo-seong ▲Nongshim RedForce coach Park Seung-jin and 'Lehenz' Son Si-woo ▲DRX coach Kim Sang-soo and 'Yukal' Son Woo-hyeon.
The peerless draft format is characterized by the fact that champions used in one set cannot be used again in the next set. Regarding this, Hanwha Life Esports 'Peanut' Han Wang-ho noted, "It will be advantageous for players who have a wide range of champions available," adding, "I expect it to provide a different kind of fun for fans." T1 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyeong stated, "The champions available for use as ranged dealers are limited, but we are preparing to use various champions through practice."
Additionally, Hanwha Life Esports coach Choi In-kyu said, "As the match progresses in a best-of-five series, the number of available champions will decrease, so strategic considerations will be necessary," and added, "There may be matches where players showcase their signature champions."
At the media day, 6 out of 10 players chose T1 as the championship candidate, while 4 selected Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports. Among the coaches, 5 named Gen.G as the title contender, which was the highest, followed by T1 and Hanwha Life Esports. Players cited T1's strengths as "the remarkable adaptability shown at the World Championship and the wide champion pool of 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok," while coaches mentioned Gen.G's strengths as "the high skill levels and versatility of its members."
The LCK Cup this time will feature a Noxus theme, with various new elements added including ▲new epic monster Atakan ▲strengthening of boot item effects through military actions ▲team experience gain from blood-red roses ▲Nexus turret regeneration. Among players, particularly, Atakan has been evaluated as a key element that will influence the flow of the game after 20 minutes. DRX 'Yukal' Son Woo-hyeon remarked, "The effect of Atakan will provoke fights from the early game," adding, "It will provide dynamic matches for fans."
The 2025 LCK Cup will begin on the 15th at 5 p.m. with a match between OK Savings Bank Brion and DRX. The group that secures the highest victories from the Baron Group and Elder Group will be given favorable rankings in the playoffs and play-in.