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We continue to follow the events of the LCK 2025 Season – Rounds 1-2. The final week of confrontations is taking place on our screens, which will determine not only potential participants of the Mid-Season Invitational 2025, but also the Esports World Cup 2025.
The final week of LCK 2025 Season – Rounds 1-2 will feature a duel between DPlus KIA and Nongshim RedForce. And this match is of great importance for DPlus KIA, who are fighting to get into the “upper” group of Rounds 3-4.
We will figure out whether DPlus has a chance to show a top game and improve their position before the start of the new round of LCK 2025.
Let's go.
Dplus form
We open the analysis of the match DPlus - Nongshim RedForce with an analysis of the game form of DPlus KIA. In this match they play as favorites with a coefficient of victory in the region of 1.7.
After the rebranding, Dplus assembled a new roster. There was an attempt to create something like a “super” team, but in the LCK, such a story does not work very well.
- Dplus lineup: Siwoo, Lucid, ShowMaker, Aiming, BeryL.
The current world champion Deft didn't help Dplus much in the first tournament after the rebranding. At LCK Spring 2023, Dplus finished in the top 5, which is not good.
At LCK Summer 2023, Dplus qualified for the playoffs in 4th place with a score of 11-7, which is better than T1.
However, Dplus KIA did not stay in the LCK Summer 2023 Playoffs for long. In the very first round of the LCK Summer 2023 Playoffs, Dplus lost to T1 with a score of 1-3, leaving the main stage of the prestigious championship early.
The team got to Worlds 2023 thanks to the second place in the South Korean regional finals. To do this, they first beat DRX (3-0), and then HLE (3-1).
Dplus opened Worlds 2023 with a match against G2 Esports. The title-winning Koreans were weaker than the best team in Europe and went to the bracket 0-1.
There Dplus played with their fellow countrymen from KT Rolster. And again the Worlds 2022 champion Deft and their famous colleagues lost: now Dplus is 0-2.
After being relegated, Dplus finally pulled themselves together and showed their game. They knocked BDS out of the tournament and are now continuing their difficult march to the playoffs. They later beat GAM Esports to reach a 2-2 score, but lost to KT Rolster in the final match, thus losing their chance to the playoffs.
After a slightly disappointing Worlds 2024, DPlus KIA took the top 5, closing the LCK Spring 2024 regular season with a 9-9 record.
In the first playoff match, DPlus made a mini-sensation. They won against a more titled opponent, KT Rolster, in a very difficult bo5. Then there was a match against Gen.G, which Dplus almost won, but still did not hold out on the fifth map and, as a result, lost with a score of 2-3. As a result, Dplus KIA entered the TOP-4, which is quite good.
In the LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs, DPlus KIA went through the main season with confidence, having played the main season with a score of 13-5. In the debut match of the LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs, they beat FearX with a score of 3-1. However, coping with Gen.G in the next match was a task with an asterisk and it turned out to be beyond DPlus KIA's capabilities. Then there was a loss to T1 and the final TOP-4.
After a less than successful LCK Summer 2024, DPlus KIA played at the LCK Regional Finals 2024, where they advanced to Worlds 2024 on their first try, beating T1.
They started Worlds 2024 with a confident victory over Fnatic. Then, an equally confident win against FlyQuest and a 2-0 basket. For the championship playoffs, the team played against LNG Esports, where they lost with a score of 0-2 without much of a chance. And then, the most interesting and offensive for DPlus KIA - matches against TES and Weibo, where DPlus lost and the final TOP-11 at Worlds 2024.
In the 2025 season, the team started with the LCK Cup 2025, in the so-called Elder Group, where Dplus confidently defeated all opponents, getting a score of 5-0 and going straight to the semi-finals of the LCK Cup 2025. In the semi-finals, they easily beat NS RedForce with a score of 3-1. Then they played 2-3 against Gen.G, fell to the lower bracket, where they played against Gen.G again and lost again, but this time with a score of 0-3.
In 8 weeks of LCK 2025 Season – Rounds 1-2, DPlus has a score of 9-8 and 5th place in the group.
Most Popular DPlus Champions
For the top lane, the team chooses KSante (4 matches, 50% wins), Renekton (3 games, 33% wins), Gnar (3 matches, 66% wins).
In the forest, everything is also more or less standard: VI (7 games, 57% wins), Maokai (3 games, 66% wins), Poppy and Sejuani 2 matches each and 0 wins.
On the mid lane, no deviations. Here Azir (4 matches, 50% wins), Ryze (4 games, 50% wins), Syndra (2 games, 50% wins), Cassiopeia (2 matches, 50% wins).
Lucian is the shooter champion. The champion has appeared 5 times, but has won only 2 matches. They tried in Zeri, but it didn't work out: 0-3 in three appearances.
Among the support champions, Nami enjoyed success. She was picked 5 times, and her win rate was 40%. Yummi (3 games, 0% win rate) and Ashe (3 games, 66% win rate) were also picked.
Nongshim RedForce Form
We continue the analysis of the match Nongshim RedForce - DPlus with an analysis of the game form of Nongshim RedForce. In this match they play as underdogs with a win coefficient of around 2.6.
Nongshim Red Force is not a team that grabs the stars from the sky. It is a solid “average” team in Korea, or rather one of the worst teams in the best region.
Nongshim RedForce have been in the LCK arena since 2021. They also became the best in the so far short history of this particular tag: then Nongshim RedForce managed to take TOP-6 at LCK Spring 2021 and TOP-4 at LCK Summer 2021, and were also TOP-3 at Regional Finals, but this was not enough to advance to Worlds.
Things started to get worse in 2022. Nongshim RedForce finished in the top 8 of both LCK Spring 2022 and LCK Summer 2022.
In the 13th competitive season, Nongshim RedForce can be called the worst team in the region. At LCK Spring 2023, the team took the last, 10th place, and at LCK Summer 2023 they did not go far - TOP-9.
- Nongshim RedForce lineup: Kingen, Sylvie, Fisher, Jiwoo, Lehends.
The only member of Nongshim RedForce from last season is Jiwoo. The remaining 4 players are new to the team.
Nongshim RedForce will play against DRX in the first match. I expect Nongshim RedForce to win in that match. Next will be a game against Gen.G, where RedForce has no chance to win, let alone take a map.
At LCK Spring 2024, Nongshim RedForce took the TOP-8. The LCK 2024 Summer Split was no better than the spring draw: the final TOP-8 and a roster change in the offseason.
The 2025 season, like most of the region's title teams, began with a performance at the LCK Cup 2025. They played in the Elder Group, where they took the last place, but got into the Play-In. They started the Play-In with a victory over BRION, lost to T1 in the next round, but won against DRX in the lower bracket match with a score of 3-1. As a result, they lost in the next round, but gave a serious fight to Gen.G, losing to the top team in the world with a score of 2-3, thereby taking the TOP-4 at the LCK Cup 2025.
As of Week 8 of LCK 2025 Season – Rounds 1-2, Nongshim RedForce are in 4th place with a score of 9-5.
Most Popular Nongshim RedForce Champions
The most popular champion in the top lane is Gnar (10 games, 90% win rate). Jayce appeared 8 times, and the win rate was 87%. Kenen was played 4 times and won all matches, KSante 4 times and 3 wins, Renekton 4 times and 2 wins.
In the jungle, Vi (11 matches, 72% wins), Sejuani (10 games, 80% wins), Wukong (7 matches, 85% wins), Le Sin (6 games, 83% wins) were picked.
The mid lane was Azir (13 games, 69% wins), Gragas (6 games, 100% wins), Kassadin (5 games, 100% wins), Viktor (4 games, 75% wins).
The most popular marksman is Lucian (12 matches, 83% win rate), followed by Varus (8 games, 87% win rate), Caitlyn (5 games, 100% win rate), Zeri (4 matches, 75% win rate).
Supported Nami (13 matches, 84% win rate). Ashe and Lux have 4 games and 4 wins each.
DPlus KIA vs Nongshim RedForce Head-to-Head History at LCK 2025 Season – Rounds 1-2
I expect an equal game in this match. In my opinion, both teams show almost identically low level of play, and considering the importance of this match, they will play for all they are worth.
Result: total +2.5.