Latest news with #HanwhaLifeEsports
Saudi Gazette
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Hanwha Life Esports enters LCK 2025 as clear favorite after Media Day buzz
The ES TIMES — The 2025 LCK Regular Season Opening Media Day was held at the LCK Arena in Seoul, uniting coaches and star players from all ten competing teams for a preview of what promises to be a transformative season. The new format extends the season from March through September, moving toward a single, expanded campaign — a shift that demands deeper rosters and sustained performance. Spotlight on format changes and Fearless Draft This year's key rule changes include: The full implementation of the Fearless Draft system A ban on lane swaps Both updates are expected to drastically impact strategic decisions, particularly in jungle pathing and bottom lane execution. All eyes on Hanwha Life Esports The clear storyline from Media Day? Hanwha Life Esports is the team to beat. Eight out of ten participating teams pointed to Hanwha Life as the tournament favorite, thanks to its two major title wins in early 2025 and a reputation for tactical precision and consistency. While rival teams expressed optimism about their upgraded rosters, most acknowledged the sheer dominance of Hanwha Life heading into the season. Participating teams The event included representatives from: Gen.G T1 DRX DN FREAKS kt Rolster Nongshim RedForce BNK Esports OK Savings Bank Brion Dplus KIA Hanwha Life Esports Conversations focused on the need for adaptability, roster depth, and strategic stamina throughout the expanded season. A new structure for a new era The 2025 LCK season begins with a double round-robin format, followed by a triple round-robin stage after the Mid-Season Invitational. Organizers emphasized that this shift aims to increase competitive fairness while enhancing fan engagement. Beyond gameplay, this season is also seen as a turning point for the league's structure and financial model, as the LCK continues to evolve as a global esports powerhouse.
Saudi Gazette
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup
After a turbulent start to the year, T1 has officially announced the return of Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong to the starting lineup as AD carry for the 2025 LCK Spring Split. The decision follows a disappointing performance in the LCK Cup, where the reigning world champions finished in sixth place — far below expectations after securing back-to-back Worlds titles. The team's abrupt roster changes and lack of communication sparked criticism from fans and cast uncertainty over T1's direction heading into the new season. In a post on X, T1 CEO Joe Marsh clarified the situation, stating that the choice to bench Gumayusi in favor of rookie Sin "Smash" Geum-jae was made by the coaching staff, who wanted to evaluate the rookie in a competitive setting. Smash's strong showing during the tournament earned him the starting position throughout the LCK Cup, where he played 15 matches, including the elimination loss to Hanwha Life Esports. In contrast, Gumayusi featured in just five matches. Hanwha Life Esports went on to dominate the tournament, winning both the LCK Cup and First Stand 2025 without losing a single series. According to data from Oracle's Elixir, Smash posted a KDA of 7.5—the second-highest among all ADCs in the tournament, behind only Kim 'Aiming' Ha-ram. Despite Smash's impressive stats, Marsh confirmed that Gumayusi will reclaim the starting role for the upcoming Spring Split, though both players will continue to compete for the spot in practice. The final call will rest with the coaching staff and be based on ongoing performance. Marsh also revealed that he personally asked the coaching staff to give Gumayusi a chance to prove himself again, expressing full confidence in his ability to reclaim his reputation as the best bot laner in the world. Initially, T1 had aimed to retain its full Worlds-winning roster for 2025. However, the departure of top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je to Hanwha Life forced the organization to sign Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon as a replacement. Gumayusi's temporary removal from the lineup only deepened fan concerns, particularly over the decision to field a rookie in such a high-pressure role.
Korea Herald
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
2025 LCK league games to feature major changes
One of most premier leagues in League of Legends landscape to kick off next week The 2025 League of Legends Champions Korea league games begin next week, with significant changes aimed at making the tournament more exciting for esports fans. LCK, South Korea's professional LoL esports league, is one of the five major regional leagues in the LoL scene, alongside China's LPL and North America's LCS. The league is widely regarded as one of the premier leagues in the LoL ecosystem, holding the record for winning nine out of the 14 LoL World Championship titles. This year, the LCK will undergo a major format change. Instead of the traditional spring and summer splits, the league will be held as a continuous six-month season. Ten teams, including LoL powerhouses such as Hanwha Life Esports and T1, will participate. From April 2 to June 1, rounds 1 and 2 will take place. Rounds 3 to 5, including the playoffs, will be held from July 23 to Sept. 28. Another change to the league game system includes the LCK Road to MSI tournaments, where the top six teams from rounds 1 and 2 will earn a spot. The LCK Road to MSI will determine the two teams advancing to the Mid-Season Invitational in June. MSI is one of three major international LoL tournaments hosted by Riot Games. The 2025 LCK will also feature the Fearless Draft system, which prohibits players from using the same champion twice in a match. The prize money for the final winning team has been bumped up to 300 million won ($204,627) from last year's 200 million won. At a media event in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Wednesday, Hanwha Life Esports, winners of the LCK Cup and First Stand Tournament, was selected by players on site as the strongest championship contenders. T1 was also mentioned as a potential title contender, with the Fearless Draft system seen as one of their strengths. Hanwha Life's head coach Choi In-gyu commented that he considered the LCK Cup and First Stand tournaments as 'test stages' and believed the team had not yet shown its best performance. He expressed his commitment to developing more diverse champion picks and creating new strategies for success. Han 'Peanut' Wang-ho, the team's star jungler, added, "Since the (LCK) season is long, I think we need to be ready for the long run. All I can think about is wanting to compete at MSI."
Korea Herald
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Hanwha Life Esports crowned 2025 First Stand Tournament champion
Relatively new comer to LoL continues its winning streak since becoming the 2025 LCK Cup champion Hanwha Life Esports rose as the victor of the inaugural First Stand Tournament held in Seoul, continuing its winning streak since becoming the 2025 champion of the League of Legends Champions Korea in February. The 2025 FST, which kicked off March 10 at LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is the newest addition to Riot Games' professional LoL esports global events, alongside the World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational. The tournament invited five teams from around the world, each representing a major league. Hanwha Life Esports represented the LCK, while Team Liquid championed for the League of Legends Championship of the Americas. For the LoL Championship Pacific, Team CTBC Flying Oyster led the charge, while Karmine Corp represented leagues from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Top Esports represented China. Hanwha Life Esports became the champion of the 2025 FST after beating Karmine Corp 3 to 1 on Sunday afternoon. The finals MVP in the championship match went to mid-laner Kim "Zeka" Gun-woo. The championship came with a cash prize of $300,000 as well as a spot in the 2025 MSI playoffs. The team will now be able to bypass the preliminary rounds in the 2025 MSI. Hanwha Life Esports asserted their dominance from the very start of the tournament. In the opening match March 10, the team beat Top Esports from China — an LoL powerhouse — with a 2-0 victory, advancing through the group stage with a 4-0 record and becoming the first team to secure a spot in the semifinals. During the semifinals, Hanwha Life Esports beat Top Esports 3 to 0 and, in the finals, the team defeated Karmine Corp 3-1 without conceding a single match point. This marks Hanwha Life Esports' first international championship victory since its official launch in 2018. The next international tournament, MSI 2025, where the top two teams from the mid-season standings of the world's five major leagues will compete, is set to kick off in Vancouver, Canada, June 27.
Korea Herald
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Seoul to host first-ever First Stand Tournament this month
First Stand Tournament newly joins Riot Games' lineup of global League of Legends competitions Seoul is set to host First Stand Tournament 2025, a newly lauching international League of Legends esports competition organized by Riot Games, this month. The tournament kicks off March 10 at LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and runs for six days. First Stand Tournament will join the World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational as one of the professional LoL esports' global events. Five teams representing various regions will participate in the tournament. Hanwha Life Esports, the 2025 LCK Cup champion, will represent South Korea, while Team Liquid will take the banner for League of Legends Championship of The Americas. For LoL Championship Pacific, team CTBC Flying Oyster will take the stage, while Karmine Corp and Top Esports will represent Europe and China, respectively. The tournament will kick off with the round-robin stage, March 10-14, in which each team will face every other team once. The four top-performing squads from the group stage will advance to the knockout stage -- a best-of-five, single-elimination bracket -- slated to take place March 15-16. The finals, held at LoL Park's LCK Arena on March 16, will determine the first-ever First Stand Tournament champion. The champion of First Stand Tournament will earn a direct spot in the 2025 MSI playoffs, bypassing the preliminary rounds. The 2025 MSI will be held in Canada in July. A key feature of First Stand 2025 is the Fearless Draft system, which prevents teams from selecting champions used in previous games. If a best-of-five series reaches its final round, a total of 50 champions will become unavailable, demanding a broad mastery of the game's diverse roster for players and ensuring dynamic matchups for LoL fans. Riot Games said it will be introducing a revamped heads-up display at the First Stand Tournament. This new interface, designed to deliver live updates on active buff trackers, champion information and other match statistics on-screen without obstructing essential gameplay visuals, aims to modernize and deepen audience immersion, according to Riot Games. First Stand 2025 will be streamed live on Soop, Naver Esports & Games, and the YouTube LCK channel. Matches will begin at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends. Tickets to watch the games offline can be purchased via Interpark starting 48 hours before each match.
