HLE Defeat NS RedForce 2–0 with an Incredible Comeback – LCK Round 3-5

The first match of the day featured two teams from the Legend Group — Hanwha Life Esports vs Nongshim RedForce. At the time of the match, HLE held 2nd place in the standings, while NS RedForce sat in 5th.

Game 1 Picks:

• Hanwha Life Esports: Rumble, Wukong, Oriana, Xayah, Rakan
• Nongshim RedForce: Gwen, Xin Zhao, Annie, Yunara, Lulu

Game 2 Picks:

• Hanwha Life Esports: K`Sante, Jarvan IV, Taliyah, Kai`Sa, Neeko
• Nongshim RedForce: Jayce, Nocturn, Ryze, Sivir, Shen

The first game saw Nongshim RedForce start off strong, putting heavy pressure on HLE with successful ganks and solid laning. However, after the 10-minute mark, Hanwha Life Esports began to turn things around — forcing fights and repeatedly diving Gwen under the top turret. The match remained close and tense until NS made a critical mistake: they went for Atahan thinking it was a safe objective. But in the resulting 5v5 fight, HLE came out on top with minimal losses and secured the Atahan themselves. After that, NS still tried to contest the next dragon, but once again lost a clean 5v5, which ultimately sealed the game.

In Game 2, Nongshim RedForce adapted their strategy based on the previous loss. Their teamfighting looked sharp, with great map control and target focus. They built up a solid lead that could have secured them the win. They even managed to break into HLE’s base, taking down inhibitor turrets near the Nexus. However, Neeko and Jarvan distracted them just long enough for the rest of HLE to respawn. NS made the mistake of not finishing the turret — had they done so, there would have been no backdoor protection for Noxus. Instead, they lost a few members and opted to recall. HLE then took Baron, while NS decided to go all-in for the Nexus, which proved fatal. HLE respawned in time, won the fight, and with NS still having Tier 1 turrets standing, Hanwha Life Esport s pushed straight down mid to end the game. Final score: 2–0 in favor of HLE.

HLE’s ADC, Viper, was named MVP of the match thanks to his stellar performance on both maps, posting a 5/2/13 score on Xayah and 5/2/12 on Kai’Sa.

This victory marked HLE’s 17th win with 6 losses, while for NS it was their 13th loss with 10 wins.

LCK Summer 2025 Round 3–5 will run from July 23 to August 31. This stage will determine which teams qualify directly for the LCK Playoffs and which ones will have to go through the Play-In phase. The tournament features a prize pool of ₩562,500,000 KRW (approximately $407,919 USD). But more importantly, the top three teams will earn spots at the biggest event of the year — the 2025 World Championship. The stakes are high, and every team is aiming for victory. Make sure to bookmark the LoL News page so you don’t miss any key updates from the world of League of Legends esports.