Gumayusi Shares Reasons Why Matches in LCK This Season End Early
There is a fact that most viewers who regularly follow the LCK have noticed in the new season, which is that just after the first three weeks of LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2, a total of 22 matches have ended with a score of 2-0, regardless of whether the matchups are balanced or overwhelmingly one-sided. Notable examples include the matches between T1 – KT, T1 – HLE, and HLE – GEN. Recently, in a co-stream, Gumayusi also shared his perspective as a player on the current state of these significant scorelines appearing particularly often this season.
Accordingly, Gumayusi believes the cause may stem from Riot changing the selection of Blue – Red teams along with the first pick rounds for the teams. The HLE AD Carry shared: “In the past, if you lost the first game, in the next game you would have the advantage of choosing sides along with a prior ban-pick (Blue team) or counter-pick (Red team). But with the new changes, along with the Fearless Draft, the losing team inadvertently finds themselves at a greater disadvantage when having to choose one of two, either choosing sides or banning first. Therefore, I think this is the main reason why teams find it difficult to equalize if they have already lost the first game.”
In the first three weeks of LCK 2025 Rounds 1-2, there were only 15 matches that ended with a score of 2-0 for one team. However, during the same period in the 2026 season, there were as many as 22 matches that ended with a score of 2-0. The first two weeks of LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 have already matched the number of matches with such significant scorelines compared to last year.
Future Matches in LCK May Continue in a Similar Trend
Given the current situation, it is likely that upcoming matches in the LCK will lean more towards significant score differences. Of course, this does not mean that the matches will be overly one-sided. For instance, in the recent matchup between KRX and T1, the “Blue Dragon” also posed considerable challenges for the reigning World Champions despite the skill disparity between the two teams. Thus, a significant scoreline is one thing; the match dynamics are what the audience will care about the most.