The LCK Cup is returning to fans. The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) will launch the new and exciting 2025 LCK Cup on the 15th of January at the Roll Park LCK Arena in Jongno-gu, Seoul. This tournament aims to bring refreshing elements to LoL esports fans.
This is the first cup event in LCK history, utilizing a unique champion ban-pick method called “Fearless Draft,” which hasn’t been seen in the LCK before. Team performance in the same group will impact direct playoff qualification, fostering unity as teams support and train with each other during the group stage competition phases.
The matchups for the tournament were based on last year’s summer performance. The top two teams, Hanwha Life Esports and Gen.G, each selected a team to join their Baron and Elder groups respectively, starting with T1 and Dplus KIA. They followed up with KT Rolster choosing BNK Fierce X, and so on, until the groups were fully formed.
Teams will engage in group-stage competitions for three weeks, competing in single round-robin matches against the opposite group. Group records will be combined, greatly affecting playoff and play-in progression. The top three teams from the winning group will proceed directly to the playoffs, while teams ranked 4th to 5th from the winning group will compete with the top four teams from the losing group in the play-ins.
The play-ins will feature a semi-double elimination format, with seeds determined by the teams’ individual wins, leading to three teams advancing to the playoffs. The playoffs, also set in semi-double elimination fashion, will start with the top two teams from the winner’s bracket proceeding directly to the second round. The third-place team in the winner’s bracket, along with three play-in qualifiers, will contend in the first round. The first-round losers will be eliminated, and from the second round, a double elimination format will decide the overall winner, who will represent LCK in the newly created international event, First Stand, from 2025.
The introduction of the “Fearless Draft” adds an intriguing dynamic. Preventing the use of champions from previous sets, the approach expands strategic diversity, favored by fans since its debut in the 2024 LCK Challengers.
The LCK Cup does not directly influence the rankings or statistics of the 2025 season. However, it highlights the return of players who previously played in other regions, with much attention directed at Park Jae-hyuk, who signed a three-year contract with Gen.G. Park, who previously achieved multiple championships in China’s LPL, including LPL Spring, Summer, and MSI, is aiming for success upon his return to Korea.
Also making returns are bot laner Kim Min-chul, joining DK Fricks from North America, and other players like Son Woo-hyun, Seo Dae-gil, and Lee Dae-kwang from foreign teams. Additionally, several promising players from the LCK Challengers circuit might be called up to LCK, drawing attention to the event.
The 2025 LCK Cup opens with a match between OK Savings Bank BRION and DRX on January 15th. The group stage runs until February 2, with play-ins from February 7 to 9. The playoffs start on February 12, culminating in the grand final on February 23.