In the past, the LCK was considered a model for all other major and minor regions around the world to learn from. LCK teams played with extremely high discipline, employing a rich and diverse strategy. The individual skills of the players here are also among the best. Therefore, even players from rival regions like LPL flocked to the Korean server to play ranked matches. It was only recently that Riot imposed a ban on foreign players accessing the Korean ranked servers.
The fact is: the LCK region, both in the past and present, remains one of the two regions with a top-tier League of Legends scene, but since Spring 2023, they seem to be falling behind LPL. A notable example is the recent MSI 2023. Both LCK representatives made it directly to the Group Stage, yet both (Gen.G and T1) were defeated by Bilibili Gaming (BLG). What’s noteworthy is that BLG was merely the runner-up of LPL and had to play from the Play-In stage.
The fact that T1 and Gen.G (with Dplus KIA also mentioned) alternating in dominating the LCK – a factor that used to be considered very appealing – now seems to be becoming a “poisonous pill” for this region. Throughout many seasons, their playstyle has hardly progressed and no longer surprises the audience. For instance, in the recent Spring 2023, when Keria introduced the Support ADC playstyle, he only managed to surprise in the early stages. From the latter half of the Group Stage to the playoffs, Keria reverted to familiar Support champions.
The fact that only T1 and Gen.G alternate in dominating also makes their opponents from other regions easier to study. Teams like BLG or JD Gaming (JDG) simply practice what they have mastered theoretically when facing Gen.G or T1: locking down the key players of both teams (Chovy, Peanut, Peyz, Gumayusi, Zeus, Keria, Faker), playing disciplined, forcing the opponents into mistakes, and fully capitalizing on advantages.
Looking at LPL, the fact that teams compete almost on equal footing might seem problematic, but in reality, it helps the entire LPL to rise. The playstyle of one team is learned and countered or enhanced by another. Meanwhile, in the LCK, T1 and Gen.G have no “mirror” to learn from since all the other teams are weaker than them.
Weaknesses that were not apparent when T1 and Gen.G played in LCK have fully manifested when they stepped onto the international stage. This is a disadvantage for LCK compared to LPL and may further hinder this region’s performance in future tournaments.