The first split playoffs of the LCK region have reached the second round. Previously, both BFX and DK played full five-game series to advance to the top six in the playoffs. As the regular season leader, GEN had the privilege to choose their opponent. After discussions between the coaching staff and players, they picked the team they felt was easier to handle, DK. Therefore, in the second round, the upper bracket features DK vs. GEN, while T1 and BFX are automatically matched in the lower bracket.

The match between DK and GEN has concluded, marking Xu’s 21st failed attempt to overcome Chovy (previously DK lost 20 consecutive times to GEN). In this BO5, Xu was outclassed in mid lane by a huge margin. While Chovy led four rookies, Xu seemed like a veteran dragging down four newcomers. Let’s briefly review this BO5 and see just how badly Xu was dominated by Chovy in lane.

In the first game, the top and mid lanes actually performed well — Siwoo’s Ornn solo killed Kiin’s Rumble, and Xu wasn’t behind in lane. However, issues arose in the bot lane and jungle: Smash was caught early, ineffective mid-game, and the jungler kept dying. The top and jungle hadn’t reached their peak yet, but the bot lane already lost the game. In the second game, the bot lane stepped up, but the mid and top lanes made errors. Xu ended with 0-2-0 at 35 minutes, while the team had 12 kills and he had no participation.

Siwoo’s team had a seemingly easy game but threw several team fights. Luckily, GEN’s composition wasn’t strong enough to capitalize, or they might have been reversed. In the third game, Xu picked Kha’Zix to cause chaos but was heavily targeted by Chovy’s team, dying repeatedly early. The top lane was also broken down, caught 0-3 by 14 minutes. Before the bot lane could even come online, the game ended. In the deciding match, the mid lane gap was the largest; Xu was completely dominated by Chovy and relegated to the sidelines.

DK’s bot lane started strong with a lane kill, followed by “good news” from mid lane where Xu was solo killed by Chovy. Just after returning to lane, Xu was caught again by Chovy. At 6 minutes, Xu was 0-2 with a 1.3K gold deficit. Although DK had advantages in top and bot lanes and led in kills, Chovy’s Riven was too fed, delivering outstanding performances in team fights. DK was pushed back continuously and ultimately lost the mid lane by 7.2K gold, losing the match.

35 minutes with no kills or assists and over 7K gold behind in a single game — Xu was thoroughly outperformed by Chovy in this BO5. In games where DK had the advantage, the mid lane invisibly gave away momentum; in disadvantageous games, mid lane was the first to be broken. Had Xu played even slightly better, DK would have had a chance. Watching this full BO5 against GEN shows just how terrifying the league’s top tier is. Of course, Xu’s poor performance was also very apparent.

After defeating DK, GEN advanced to the winners’ bracket final, likely facing T1 next. Although BFX is the league’s dark horse, winning a BO5 against Chovy is very difficult. The winners’ final should be GEN vs. T1. As for DK, they dropped to the losers’ bracket second round, where they will face the winner between DNS and DRX. For Xu to reach the finals, he must win three consecutive BO5 matches.

Perhaps the preseason buff has ended, as Xu’s form in the last two BO5s has been very inconsistent. Against NDS, his overall performance was decent, but versus GEN, he became a weak point, repeatedly caught out while invisible. With this loss, DK has extended their losing streak against GEN to 21 games. Xu has now officially earned the nickname “Three-Star Meng Huo,” and it’s uncertain if GEN will have another chance next split to catch him, or if Xu will fade into obscurity again.

Conclusion:

GEN’s performance in this match was already quite poor, giving many opportunities in top and bot lanes. Chovy alone was able to turn disadvantages around in team fights. Xu was abstractly inconsistent, repeatedly outperformed by his lane MVP counterpart. If he had made fewer mistakes, DK would have had a chance to take the series or at least push it to five games against GEN.

So, what do you think about the strength of the league’s top tier?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!