In Reality, HLE is the Team with the Least Worries in the Decisive Week of LCK Cup 2026
Thus, after 2 weeks of the LCK Cup 2026 group stage ending, the scoreboards of the Baron and Elder groups, exceeding the expectations of the LMHT community, are currently tied, and the reason comes from 2 factors: Gen.G and T1 are too strong while HLE suffered a damaging loss to NS. However, things will change in the final week, also known as “Super Week,” where each victory will be worth 2 points. Yet, many HLE fans are worried for their team as they will face Gen.G, a team that has yet to lose any matches.
However, in reality, the door for HLE to be eliminated is extremely narrow. As mentioned during a stream, commentator Hoàng Luân listed 3 factors that could lead to HLE’s elimination: the Elder group loses 3 out of 5 matches in Super Week, HLE loses 0-3 to Gen.G, and DRX must beat BRO. These conditions contradict each other, ensuring safety for HLE.
Accordingly, when DRX beats BRO, the Elder group will gain points compared to Baron, thus becoming the winning group. Next, DRX not only has to win but also must win by a margin of 2 games or more (3-0, 3-1) for their score to surpass HLE. Any other result will not help DRX surpass the “Orange House” on the leaderboard.
Next, against opponents like DNS or NS, the likelihood of FOX and KT stumbling in their BO5 matches is very low. And in the case that DRX wins and these 2 teams also win, the Elder group will be the winning group overall, regardless of the results of the T1 – DK and Gen.G – HLE matches.
In the event that DRX loses and HLE manages to secure just 1 game win against Gen.G, they will still rank higher than DRX regardless of the final outcome of that match. Thus, HLE will still advance even if the Elder group is the losing group overall.
Therefore, the chances of HLE being eliminated are indeed very low, even if they have to face a “big bad wolf” like Gen.G at the moment. In fact, they only need to win just 1 game to meet the requirement and will definitely advance after the LCK Cup 2026 group stage.
But HLE Cannot Be Complacent
The current issue is how HLE will perform against the reigning MSI champion. For HLE and their fans, not only the result matters but also the performance, the cohesion among the players is even more important and is the biggest weakness of the “Orange House” at this year’s LCK Cup.