Gen.G Secure Their 25th Win at LCK 2025 with Victory Over HLE

The first match of the day featured a clash between the top two teams in the Legend Group — Gen.G vs Hanwha Life Esports. Let’s take a closer look at how the action unfolded.

Game 1 Picks:

• Hanwha Life Esports: Rumble, Poppy, Ahri, Yunara, Alistar
• Gen.G: Gwen, Wukong, Azir, Corki, Rakan

Game 2 Picks:

• Hanwha Life Esports: Ambessa, Vi, Aurora, Xayah, Leona
• Gen.G: Yorik, Xin Zhao, Ryze, Ezreal, Rell

Game 3 Picks:

• Hanwha Life Esports: Aatrox, Jarvan IV, Galio, Sivir, Karma
• Gen.G: Sion, Pantheon, Annie, Ziggs, Lucian, Braum

The first game — and the series as a whole — was quite engaging. It began on even footing, with both teams trading kills and objectives, and the lead swinging back and forth. Early on, it seemed like HLE were making better use of their draft, at least up until the mid game. But once Gen.G grouped up and started forcing teamfights, HLE struggled to keep up. One major issue was Corki’s gold and item lead over Yunara — HLE’s ADC simply couldn’t dish out enough damage. Gen.G steadily built up their advantage, took down towers, and set up around Baron, knowing HLE had no chance to contest it. With Baron buff secured, Gen.G marched down the lane for a final push, closed out another clean teamfight, and claimed the win.

The second game started with Gen.G taking the early lead. They played aggressively — ganking lanes and securing objectives. But their dominance came to an end at the 14-minute mark. Up to that point, HLE had been avoiding fights and farming for key items. At 14 minutes, they won their first teamfight — a turning point. From there, Hanwha Life Esports took over with smart rotations and excellent map control. Every kill led to a tower or an objective, and despite their advantage, HLE played patiently, fully aware of Gen.G’s comeback potential. That calculated approach paid off, as they slowly but surely closed out the game with a confident win at the 30-minute mark.

Game 3, however, was far less competitive. Gen.G maintained full control from start to finish. They opened slowly, focusing on farming, objectives, and vision control without rushing plays. Then, at around 13 minutes, the pressure began — even a single kill gave them room to push towers across all lanes, as HLE couldn’t afford to take fights while outnumbered. The snowball continued until the 28-minute mark, where Gen.G secured the final fight and ended the game 15–4, sealing the series 2–1.

Gen.G’s ADC Ruler was named MVP of the series for his standout performances, posting a 7/1/5 on Corki, 1/4/4 on Ezreal, and 5/1/5 on Lucian across the three games.

This victory brings Gen.G’s record to 25–1. As for Hanwha Life Esports, they now sit at 18–8 — just one win ahead of T1, putting their more favorable playoff position at serious risk.

LCK Summer 2025 Round 3–5 is scheduled from July 23 to August 31. This stage will determine which teams advance directly to the LCK Playoffs and which will have to battle through the Play-In. With a prize pool of ₩562,500,000 KRW (around $407,919 USD), the competition is fierce — but more importantly, the top three teams will qualify for the 2025 World Championship. With so much on the line, every team is pushing for glory. Be sure to follow the LoL News page for all the latest updates from the League of Legends esports scene.