In the LCK Kespa Cup, there are just two BO5 series left before the event wraps up. On the last match day, the winners' bracket final took place between HLE and DK. The teams fought fiercely over five games, with HLE edging out DK to secure a spot in the finals. This BO5 was very exciting; HLE gained match point early, DK then rallied with two wins, but in the final game, despite early exchanges, DK’s sloppy team fighting caused them to lose.

A brief recap: The first game was a domination by HLE, who gained a 4K gold lead just from laning and small skirmishes. DK had a classic scenario of leading in kills but trailing in economy. In the late game, the large gold deficit caused DK to lose multiple fights, and HLE took the first point. In game two, both sides played cautiously until an 8-minute Baneling fight broke out resulting in the first blood. HLE held a slight mid-game advantage, with the crucial dragon fight giving them an opportunity thanks to Xu’s play.

The dragon was about to spawn when Xu got caught. With HLE holding the dragon buff, they followed up with a flawless 4-for-0 team fight, instantly expanding their gold lead to 10K, effectively deciding the match. In game three, HLE seemed poised to win, leading by 5.5K gold at 20 minutes, but Little Lü Bu’s split pushing gave DK a chance. DK executed a 5-man collapse on 3 players, killing HLE’s duo and jungler. Mid lane TP plays went poorly for HLE, resulting in another 4-for-0 swing. DK stabilized and gradually caught up and overtook the gold lead.

In the late game, DK completed a 1-for-5 team fight turnaround to secure the comeback. In game four, Kanavi’s jungle was invaded early; Lucid’s early solo kill disrupted the rhythm. Kanavi got tilted, dying repeatedly, and by 17 minutes was 1-3. DK, ahead in all lanes, won team fights consistently. At 23 minutes, Smash delivered a pentakill, ending the match. In the final deciding game, both teams adopted split-pushing lineups.

In game five, the top lane gap was huge. Siwoo’s Fiora was heavily suppressed by Zeus, nearly getting solo killed with just 11 HP left. DK lost several small skirmishes early, and by 16 minutes HLE led by 4K gold. After gaining this advantage, HLE didn’t give DK any openings like in game three. They played steadily, pushing towers and controlling resources. With the gold gap widening, DK’s team fights collapsed quickly, losing the match.

Although Xu failed to make moves, DK’s new roster is definitely stronger compared to earlier this year. With more practice and synergy, they should be able to challenge T1. The next match is the losers’ bracket final between DK and T1, which is highly anticipated since both teams are close in form and strength. DK might have a chance to upset T1, and even Little Lü Bu favors DK to win the decider.

After the match, Auntie was invited to predict the next opponent. He said: “I think DK might advance because they have been training a lot. Teams that play more solo queue tend to have an advantage. As far as I know, T1’s schedule is too packed, so their practice time is limited. DK has the edge in this regard. DK also understands the new patch better than T1. Recently, T1 has been busy with business activities, so their training time is quite short.”

After HLE’s victory, a video of Kanavi chatting with coach Hongmi sparked controversy. Hongmi joked during the review: “Didn't you say if I had teammates like Zeus and Delight, I could also beat T1?” These remarks exposed Kanavi’s private thoughts, revealing his apparent disdain for 369 and Hang. However, Kanavi himself wasn’t clean during the World Championship either.

Conclusion:

Compared to Zeus, Old9 is definitely weaker, and Hang is even worse. Aside from Kanavi, Hang was the second culprit who cost the team the World Championship. But for a jungler who threw the game to go back and blame teammates is quite absurd. If he hadn’t thrown, his criticism would be understandable, but he himself made many mistakes.

So, what do you think? Can the current HLE beat T1 in a BO5?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!