LCK Cup 2026 Play-In Reminds Us of HLE
On the afternoon of February 8th (Vietnam time), the final match of the LCK Cup 2026 Play-In took place with the participation of DRX and NS. A surprise occurred when the “Blue Dragon” – which was considered to be much weaker – defeated NS 3-0 and officially became the last team to make it to the LCK Cup 2026 Playoffs. Interestingly, two of the three teams that had to leave the tournament, NS and KT, somewhat “remind” us of HLE – the team that caused a shock by being eliminated early in this year’s LCK Cup.
Specifically, both NS and KT were the two teams that had the biggest impact on HLE’s elimination in the group stage, alongside the performance of the “Orange House”. First, NS was the team that had a surprising “stellar” performance in the match against HLE, winning the “Super Team” of Gumayusi with a score of 2-0.
Not allowing HLE to win a single game led to their performance being one win short of KT after the group stage ended. Moreover, HLE’s unexpected loss also meant Elder couldn’t rise after the first two weeks of the tournament.
Next, KT did not face HLE directly, but their loss to DNS marked the beginning of a three-match losing streak, turning Elder’s group into a final loss. However, while DK and HLE faced formidable opponents in T1 and Gen.G, KT’s opponent was only DNS – a team that had lost almost all representatives from Elder’s group, except for… KT.
But HLE Also Blames Themselves
Currently, the League of Legends community only mentions HLE as a detail somewhat related to the two eliminated names. However, HLE’s defeat in the LCK Cup 2026 is undeniable as their players performed poorly. HLE also needs to review and address their issues before the LCK Regular Season 2026 officially kicks off.