The first week of the first split in the LCK has concluded. On the last matchday, T1 defeated DRX to secure their second consecutive win. Although they won, T1’s form was quite poor. Peyz failed to perform well in three straight games, nearly becoming the scapegoat, and Keria’s laning was sloppy with many missed skill shots. Fortunately, in the final game, Doran’s Gwen held strong; otherwise, T1 might have unexpectedly lost to DRX.

Usually optimistic, Big O didn’t even smile after the match, showing how tough this BO3 was. Compared to the GEN period, Peyz seems to have declined significantly, lacking standout plays and often giving opponents chances. If T1 relies on Doran to carry every game, it feels risky. Although the result was good, T1 really needs to review the games carefully and identify their issues.

Another match on the same day featured HLE versus NS, a thrilling showdown between top mid and top laners. Before the match, many thought NS couldn’t beat HLE, but Scout carried two games straight, completely shutting down the Galaxy Battleship. Let’s briefly review how HLE lost: in the first game, HLE had a strong early lead, with Kanavi securing two mid ganks and kills, leaving Scout’s Orianna at 0-2.

By 12 minutes, HLE was ahead by 2K gold, and Kanavi’s Aatrox was 3-0. With normal play, HLE shouldn’t lose. But watching the later team fights, craziness ensued. At 13 minutes, a fight broke out in the bot river; Kanavi’s ultimate took down three enemies but gave Scout a major kill. Later, during the Rift Herald fight, Kanavi went wild again, charging in 1v3 but dying, and NS secured the Herald.

Despite giving away kills twice, HLE still held the gold lead. Possibly after being scolded by teammates, Kanavi calmed down, and HLE’s team fights were mostly successful. However, at 22 minutes, Kanavi got overconfident again, diving under high ground turret to kill enemies before NS’s second tower fell. This play was less impactful than previous ones. In the final decisive fight, HLE found an opening, killing NS’s support and forcing a 5v4 Baron fight, but they ended up losing it.

With one player down, NS’s Scout on Orianna landed a perfect ultimate, instantly wiping out the bot lane duo. NS won the team fight 4v5 without any deaths and pushed straight to destroy HLE’s base. If Kanavi hadn’t gifted Scout that big kill early at 3-0, Orianna’s damage wouldn’t have been so overwhelming. It’s clear HLE’s early game momentum depended on Kanavi, and the loss also traces back to his mistakes.

In the second game, HLE again had early advantages, but NS’s top and jungle stepped up. At 19 minutes, despite Kingen dying as AD carry, he led a 4v5 team wipe against HLE. Scout, carrying kills, had strong items, and NS dominated team fights like slicing through butter. By 30 minutes, NS led by 10K gold with all three carries well farmed. HLE couldn’t contest team fights and NS won the series 2-0.

After the match, NS posted in their fan group: “There’s really no need to brag online. For example, NS beat HLE 2-0 today, but there’s no need to keep mentioning it daily.” NS repeatedly emphasized the 2-0 score, saying it four times in under 100 words, as if worried no one knew. Interestingly, NS’s current head coach Dandy played for HLE last year. Leading this underdog victory, they have something to boast about for a while.

Conclusion:

When Peanut was still on the team, HLE played with good discipline and structure. But after Kanavi joined, he often gets reckless, throwing away games even with big leads. It seems this Galaxy team might collapse before they even get started. With the duo of Redmi and PXB analyzing replays, it looks quite difficult for HLE to achieve good results this year.

So, what do you think about HLE’s performance?

Feel free to leave your comments and join the discussion!