Hanwha Life Esports Defeat MKOI to Become First Team from Groups to Reach Playoffs

The Upper Bracket Final match between Hanwha Life Esports and MKOI has concluded. HLE came in as clear favorites, but the Bo1 format always gives any team a chance to win.

Hanwha Life Esports drafts:

• Zeus — Rumble
• Peanut — Pantheon
• Zeka — Orianna
• Viper — Varus
• Delight — Rell

MKOI drafts:

• Myrwn — Gwen
• Elyoya — Xin Zhao
• Jojopyun — Ryze
• Supa — Ezreal
• Alvaro — Rakan

The game started evenly, with both teams trading kills and staying close in score. But looking at the bigger picture, it became clear that HLE ’s macro play was better with each minute. Their rotations, target selection, and tower control all improved as the match went on. As a result, MKOI found their movements increasingly restricted, while HLE built up a gold lead that forced MKOI into making risky plays — which consistently turned out in HLE’s favor. In the end, the match concluded with a confident victory for the Korean side, Hanwha Life Esports.

With this win, HLE become the first team from the group stage to qualify for the playoffs. MKOI drop to the Lower Bracket, where they will await the winner of CTBC Flying Oysters vs GAM Esports. That match will be the last chance for either team to make it to the playoffs.

League of Legends EWC 2025 takes place from July 16 to July 20, featuring 12 of the world’s top teams battling for the championship and a $2,000,000 USD prize pool. There will be numerous matches daily, so stay tuned for all the key esports news.