In the first segment of the LCK play-ins, after two days of competition, two teams have already secured playoff spots. After DRX defeated DRO to advance to the second round, they faced the defending DK. During the offseason, DK’s top, mid, and jungle dominated the Korean server top three rankings. Xu’s confidence and form seem fully restored. In the matches against DRX, Xu carried both games, with his positioning and kiting in team fights reminiscent of his peak performance.

DK, exerting pressure on four fronts simultaneously, overwhelmed their opponents who were completely unable to respond, resulting in a clean sweep. Xu amassed an impressive combined score of 20-3-23 over two games and earned the match MVP over Ucal, leading his team into the playoffs. On the same day, another match featured NS versus DNS. In the first round, DNS shocked everyone by sweeping KT, leading many to believe KT was simply out of form. However, NS also unexpectedly lost this time.

After taking the first game, NS was caught off guard as DNS won two consecutive games to complete a 1-2 reverse sweep, claiming the fifth playoff spot. This BO3 series was quite extraordinary, with both teams displaying some incredible plays. Especially in the deciding game, Kingen first picked Sion, and Dudu countered with Gwen. Yet, just 1 minute and 30 seconds into the match, Gwen was solo killed by his lane opponent. The solo kill scenario repeated again at 4 and a half minutes.

At 8 minutes, facing a Lee Sin gank, Kingen managed a 1v2 solo kill against Lee Sin. Meanwhile, NS’s bottom lane, aided by their jungler, secured a kill. With such a fortunate start, NS seemed poised to win by steadily controlling the game. However, in subsequent team fights, NS suffered multiple defeats, allowing the game state to be evened up. In the late game, NS won several team fights again, and after back-and-forth exchanges, the match extended beyond 40 minutes.

In the final Baron team fight, Dudu on Gwen abandoned the frontline and split to take towers and threaten the base. Despite being five versus four, NS lost the team fight, allowing DNS to seize victory. The chaotic battle between these two star players was truly unpredictable. Who would have expected that a team ranked second to last in the group stage with a 1-4 record, dragging down their group’s Baron control, could rise as a dark horse in the play-ins, double-killing two strong teams on paper, and secure a playoff berth?

Looking at it this way, KT seems to have suffered the most. During the transfer period, they dropped their bot lane duo and brought in Aming. However, the duo they discarded ended up joining DNS, who not only swept their former team in the play-ins but also advanced to the playoffs. This roster cut really hit a vital artery. Although NS also lost, they at least had one chance to recover. KT, meanwhile, went straight to have dinner with HLE and prepare for the second segment.

Currently, five LCK teams have qualified for the playoffs. The final spot will be decided between NS and DRX, who will play a BO5 series. The winner advances to the playoffs, while the loser is eliminated and rests until April. Based on current form, DRX appears weaker than DNS, while NS should qualify if they perform normally. However, the team’s mid and bot lanes remain quite unstable right now.

Kingen has regained some form; although not as dominant as Xu, he at least isn’t a liability. On the other hand, Scout is inconsistent—sometimes brilliant, sometimes poor. His laning is decent, but his team fight decisions are puzzling. The bottom duo often dies frequently even when ahead, and Lotus’s performance fluctuates greatly. With a “super-heroic” level jungler, winning games is truly difficult. They might even lose against DRX.

Conclusion:

Despite being solo killed twice in lane, Dudu still earned the match MVP, showing how outstanding NS’s mid-game team fights were. Among HLE, KT, and NS, all three teams have paper-level strength that guarantees at least a playoff spot. Yet, two of them have been eliminated, and it’s still uncertain if the last team will make it. This year’s LCK is quite intriguing.

So, what do you think? Will Scout make it to the playoffs?

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