Gen.G Star Acknowledges Major Flaw in LCK Format
In 2025, the LCK tournament underwent significant changes in its format, receiving mixed reactions from the community and forcing teams to strategize more to ensure the best possible results. The new format brings more “classics” as matchups like Gen.G – T1 or HLE – T1 occur up to three times. However, not all players support this format, such as Duro from Gen.G.
In a recent statement, Duro admitted: “The current format does serve the audience. But for instance, previously, weaker teams could learn a lot from stronger teams through matches, whereas now, the group stage has stripped away these opportunities. Weaker teams will only be able to compete against each other, and this does not help these players in terms of professional skills at all.”
For those who may not know, Duro is a former member of BNK FearX – a team currently in the mid-table of the Rise league, with a 50-50 chance of making the playoffs. The question about the format arose when Duro was asked to imagine if he were still competing with FOX rather than soaring high with Gen.G as he is now.
The Current LCK Format Only Benefits Audiences and Strong Teams
In reality, with the new format, teams that are already performing well will find it easier to improve their rankings or have opportunities to experiment with strategies against direct competitors in the playoffs, such as in the case of Gen.G or T1. However, teams that are not performing well or are struggling psychologically can easily fall into a “domino effect”. For instance, since returning to Rounds 3-5, KT and NS, which had relatively stable results at the beginning of the season, have faced continuous losing streaks.
Perhaps after this season, the LCK will reassess to maximize the effectiveness of the new format while ensuring the interests of both teams and audiences.