HLE secured their first victory at the LCK Cup 2026, but it was quite disappointing
Facing an opponent even weaker than NS in the previous match, HLE was under pressure to win while on the brink. Moreover, with Gen.G and T1 remaining undefeated and HLE’s unexpected slip last week, if the “Orange House” continues to lose, this team and the entire Elder standings would almost certainly be doomed after the group stage concludes. And in terms of results, HLE met the requirement. However, their gameplay continues to leave fans unsatisfied.
In reality, the match where HLE played as the community expected was probably only in game 3. In the first winning game, HLE still relied too much on individual performances. HLE did not play like a team, and this issue continues to recur. Delight and Kanavi still just wanted to charge in, while BRO utilized a combo focused solely on Gumayusi, leaving this Marksman uncovered, even when the former T1 star was positioned far back.
Gumayusi himself had a day of performance that was not exactly stellar. Especially in game 2, a critical error made by Gumayusi officially caused HLE’s game to collapse. Luckily for the “Orange House”, in game 3 they “remembered” they were championship contenders. Otherwise, it could have been a third consecutive loss, dragging HLE down into the “abyss”.
– There are too many issues, in this match only Zeka was the standout
– I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Zeka saved the entire match for HLE
– The jungle is still too aggressive, top lane often struggles to keep pace with the game, ADC makes mistakes, and the support still hasn’t covered for the ADC as usual, only the mid lane was stable
Victory only temporarily saves HLE
HLE’s problems were not only revealed in this match, but perhaps this is the first time HLE fans have truly “hit rock bottom” of disappointment. It was a victory, but not convincing and lacking the aura of a “super team”.
Of course, in terms of results, HLE can be temporarily satisfied. However, in the next match, they will face a team also on the brink, and the final match will be against Gen.G – the reigning LCK champions. These will be extremely tough challenges, as HLE is currently very unstable.