Introduction: The S16 season is underway, and it’s clear that most players have been paying attention to the recent confrontations. The LCK region’s competition is fierce, and its first stage format has been quite different from other regions in recent years. Additionally, this season includes a super week of matchups. According to various rule interpretations, this year’s LCK group stage is particularly interesting—especially for strong teams. Even if T1 achieves a flawless 5-0 record in the group stage, they might still have to start from the play-in round. This rule has sparked much dissatisfaction among fans, who feel it might be an intentional move by the organizers to boost excitement.

T1 must enter the play-ins despite a perfect record.

Most players are quite familiar with the LCK region, widely regarded as the world’s top league. Over recent years, their overall development has been rapid, achieving outstanding results and winning the World Championship multiple years in a row. However, the esports industry has entered a downturn recently, with both LPL and LCK experiencing significant drops in popularity. To maximize viewer engagement, organizers have made many adjustments. One notable change in LCK’s first stage is the introduction of a super week with group face-offs, where not only the top teams’ strength matters but also the performance of weaker teams plays a crucial role.

Let’s look at the current team standings: only two teams remain undefeated—Gen and T1. In the same group, NS, DNS, and BRO have mediocre results; NS and DNS have each won one match, while BRO is still winless. Conversely, the other group shows more balanced results: DK leads with a 3-1 record, followed by BFX, HLE, and KT all at 2-2, and DRX at 1-3. After the super week concludes, the two groups will merge for the play-in and knockout stages.

Regarding the rules: the group with the higher points becomes the winners’ bracket, and the other is the losers’ bracket. The top two teams from the winners’ bracket and the first-place team from the losers’ bracket advance directly to the knockout stage. Teams ranked third to fifth in the winners’ bracket and second to fourth in the losers’ bracket move to the play-ins. The last team in the losers’ bracket is eliminated. The super week matchups are set: BRO vs. DFX, DNS vs. BFX, NS vs. KT, T1 vs. DK, GEN vs. HLE. Points are only based on wins and losses between teams. Even if T1 and Gen win their matches, the results of the other six teams will still be decisive. From the group face-offs alone, the second group seems more favorable, with DRX, BFX, and KT having strong chances of winning.

This means that even if T1 achieves a 5-0 group stage record, they still must enter the play-ins. Indeed, the LCK seems to be orchestrating drama; they have T1 under their control. Logically, NS should have chosen to face BFX, which aligns better with team strengths. Instead, they chose DNS, whose chances of winning are slim. The likely outcome is T1 starting from the play-ins. This move could very well be officially sanctioned, as the first stage seems designed more for entertainment.

Farewell thoughts.

Who would have expected the LCK rules to be so peculiar? Previously, there was little attention paid to the super week matchups, but now everything is clear. Faker must be thrilled—being a top professional player, he truly enjoys winning on stage. Entering the play-ins means facing generally weaker opponents, giving him a chance to showcase his skills with Yone once again.

What do all of you viewers think about this situation?