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The LCK Cup 2025 matches are heating up. Even though the tournament is still group play, every match is meaningful and important.
More hype comes with matches like KT Rolster vs Hanwha Life Esports. The title match will take place on the 19th of January at 07:00 NET.
We try to figure out which team will be stronger and earn important points in the fight for the LCK Cup 2025 play-offs spots.
Let's go.
Hanwha Life Esports uniforms
Let's open the HLE vs KT Rolster match with an analysis of HLE's form. In this match they are playing the first number one with odds to win at around 1.2.
HLE are consistently reaching the late stages of the regular split. It didn't start to work out until 2023. Before that, in the 2022 season, HLE were the worst team in the race, twice finishing in the top 10 in regular splits.
It was corrected by 2023, after the big Reshuffle. Two reigning world champions joined the HLE roster, which strengthened the club considerably.
- HLE roster: Zeus, Peanut, Zeka, Viper, Delight.
With the addition of Zeka and Kingen to the HLE lineup, it was clearly more vigorous. So much so that they made it to the top 4 of LCK Spring 2023. The latest addition to HLE is Grizzly, a jungler who got promoted from the academic roster.
It seems to be working out pretty well. HLE finished in the top 3 in the regular season, which with teams like Dplus, T1 and other top teams is pretty good.
In the first play-offs match HLE warmed up against DRX. Nominally reigning world champions couldn't do anything against their visions and HLE easily closed the match with the score 3-0.
Then the situation was not so rosy: HLE ran into Gen.G and fell 0-3. The favour went to the bottom set of play-offs, but it did not save them for long.
Hanwha Life Esports faced KT Rolster in the first match of the last chance grid. The pressure was too hard and HLE was washed away: 0-3 and a play-offs exit, and at the same time not a pass to Worlds 2023.
They tried to make it to the Worlds in the regional finals, but again failed. LCK finished the final tournament of the season in the top 3, having failed to use either of the two attempts to qualify for the Worlds: they lost first to KT Rolster with a 1-3 score and then to Ledge or DPlus KIA with the same score.
Hanwha Life Esports finished the LCK Spring 2024 season in the top 3. The team once again fell one series short of reaching the international LAN tournament.
HLE advanced to the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs from the second place of the regular season, finishing 14-4. Went directly to the second stage of the playoffs. They debuted at the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs with a match against T1, where they beat the reigning world champions 3-0. HLE then lost to Gen.G, beat T1 again on class and in the grand final got revenge on Gen.G and became LCK Summer 2024 champions.
Worlds 2024 HLE Long started with a solid win over PSG Talon. Next up was a win over G2 Esports. In the next match for the play-offs Worlds 2024 HLE were close to disaster against FlyQuest, but managed to turn the tide in the first map, which allowed them to close the series 2-1 in their favour. Worlds 2024 opened the playoffs with a match against BLG, where Ledge were 1-3.
Champions Hanwha Life Esports
HLE utilise a wide pool of characters for the top line. The most popular are Gnar (12 matches, 75% wins), KSante (5 matches, 40% wins), Ornn (4 matches, 75% wins), and Sion (4 matches, 50% wins).
Sejuani (9 matches, 11% wins), Vi (7 matches, 85% wins), Elise (4 games, 75% wins) appear most often in the forest.
Azir (9 games, 55% wins), Sylas (5 matches, 80% wins), Kassadin (5 matches, 80% wins), Akali (4 matches, 100% wins) appear on the centre line.
Shooters are chosen as standard: Zeri (11 matches, 63% wins), Varus (7 matches, 42% wins), Caitlyn (7 games, 57% wins), Lucian (5 matches, 80% wins).
From the supporting heroes choose Lulu (10 games, 70% wins), Heimerdinger (7 matches, 42% wins), Lux (6 matches, 66% wins), and also Nami (4 matches, 75% wins).
KT Rolster uniforms
We continue the analysis of the match KT Rolster - HLE with the analysis of KT Rolster's form. In this match they are playing as favourites with odds to win at around 4.
In 2022, KT Rolster finished top 7 at LCK Spring 2022 and top 5 at LCK Summer 2022. The main "achievement" was getting to the Top 4 Regional Finals, but it was useless: they still didn't make it to the Worlds 2022.
The new season was better. In the first LCK Spring 2023 KT Rolster climbed all the way to the top 3. They were only beaten by Gen.G, who knocked out Bdd and company with a score of 1-3.
- KT Rolster lineup: PerfecT, Cuzz, Bdd, deokdam, Way.
At LCK Summer 2023 KT Rolster clearly want to at least repeat the result of the spring. In the group stage, KT rolled over all of their opponents, closing it out with a score of 17-1.
In the first round of play-offs KT Rolster chose T1 as their opponent. Confident after a successful group stage, KT Rolster stumbled against T1 and lost the match with a score of 2-3.
In the first round of the lower grid KT Rolster met HLE, who fell there after an uninspiring loss to Gen.G. The match with KT ended with an identical scenario: 0-3 and here KT Rolster are.
Once in the bottom of the grid, Rolster first defeated Hanwha Life Esports (3-0) and then played T1 again. This time the win was even closer as KT Rolster led 2-0, but T1 was there to reverse sweep and turn the series 3-2 in their favour.
KT Rolster made it to the 2023 Worlds via the South Korean regional finals. KT Rolster played one series and that was against Hanwha Life Esports. Winning the match was no problem and Rolster joined T1 and Gen.G in the main event and home tournament of the year.
Rolster opened the World Championship itself with a match against BLG, who they lost to. Two wins followed, first defeating fellow regionals Dplus and then beating Weibo Gaming.
At 2-1, KT Rolster faced LNG Esports and lost 1-2. In the play-offs match, Rolster played their compatriots from DPlus and ran over them 2-0 without much trouble.
However, KT Rolster failed to advance beyond the first round of the play-offs. They ran into JD Gaming and lost 1-3, thus ending their Worlds appearances in the top 8.
KT Rolster finished the LCK Spring 2024 regular season in 4th place with a score of 11-7. In the play-offs, however, they reached the Top 5, Ledgeiv DPlus KIA in a match to advance to the Top 4.
In the play-offs LCK Summer 2024 KT Rolster came from 5th place, having played the regular season with 9-9. At the end of the play-offs they finished in the top 5 and that's kind of good, but far from good.
LCK Cup 2025 Long Sogpegged with a win over FearX.
KT Rolster's most popular champions
Fiora (5 games, 60% wins) was the most often sent to the top line. There was also Jax (3 matches, 100% wins), Camile (2 matches, 100% wins), Irelia (2 matches, 100% wins).
In the forest Maokai (7 matches, 85% wins), Sejuani (4 games, 75% wins), Viego (2 matches, 100% wins).
The centre line was occupied by Azir (5 matches, 80% wins), Sylas (3 games, 66% wins), Kassadin (2 matches, 100% wins), Ryze (2 games, 50% wins).
Shooters set is standard: Varus (4 games, 50% wins), Lucian (4 games, 100% wins).
Sapports are diverse: Nami (3 games, 100% wins), Ashe (3 games, 0 wins), Varus (2 games, 100% wins), Miss Fortune (2 games, 100% wins).
History of head-to-head meetings KT Rolster - Hanwha Life Esports
The teams have played each other 5 times in the 2024 season, where HLE won three times.
Predicted result of the match Hanwha Life Esports - KT Rolster at LCK Cup 2025
In this match, my bet is on HLE. However, from the experience of LCK Cup 2025 debut matches, you never know what will happen.
Bottom line: HLE wins.
