Lessons learned from LCK Week 1

The League of Legends Champions Korea 2022 season is finally underway with lots of actions in the first week. While there were no major upsets throughout the week, most of the series featured high-level gameplay all around. After Week 1, Gen.G and T1 sit comfortably at the top of the LCK standings. Meanwhile, DRX and Kwangdong Freecs find themselves winless.

The LCK Week 1 left showed a glimpse of what to expect in the series to come but also left question marks on certain teams. With more games to come, here are major takeaways from the first week of the LCK.

Gen.G really won the LCK offseason

After a semifinal loss at the League of Legends World Championship, Gen.G decided to part ways with coaches and members of their roster except for Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk.  The return of Han “Peanut” Wang-ho and the signing of star mid laner, Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon turned heads and made fans excited for the new season. They also acquired Son “Lehends” Si-woo and top laner Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon.

Compared to the other LCK teams, many felt like Gen.G had won the offseason given the experience and potential of their new signings.  Moreover, LNG Esports,  Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang stated he heard that Gen.G were invincible in scrims. With their performance in the first week of LCK, Gen.G showed that they are the team to beat.

They also had an exciting win against DWG KIA with a surprise Singed support pick from Lehends. Even though Gen.G fell behind in the first game, they still came out on top in the end. Gen.G’s victory was also their first over the LCK champions since the 2021 spring split. With a strong team and a 2-0 start, it is safe to say that Gen. G won the offseason, not just on paper, but on the rift.

DWG KIA top lane is a problem

Compared to their previous splits, DK look weaker in the top lane. However, this comes as no shock as DK were forced to bid farewell to Kim “Khan” Dong-ha and recruit two new top laners. Former Fredit BRION player, Yoon “Hoya” Yong-ho and Gen.G’s Nog “Burdol” Tae-yoon were the two players acquired with the latter starting.

While DK’s mid-jungle duo continue to look incredible, things have not gone well in the top lane. In the win against KT Rolster, Hoya finished the series with eight deaths, the most for any player from both sides. He also struggled to make an impact in the game against Gen. G and was often punished for his positioning. However, it is important to note that there is no need for concerns yet as Hoya is still new to the team and needs time to settle in.

New bot lane upgrade, same old DRX

It’s 2022, DRX acquires both Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and Cho “BeryL” Gen-hee yet just like 2021, DRX still lose. After making it to Worlds 2020, the team has not managed to replicate the same success that got them there. They finished the 2021 summer split in last place with a 2-16 record.

DRX switched up things both in their player and coaching department for the new season. However, they still begin the season with the same problems. They had a strong start in the series against Liiv SANDBOX and were up 6,000 gold in 16 minutes in Game 1. However, after several overextensions in the river and a poor Baron fight, DRX lost control of the game and quickly fell apart. While it is only the first week, DRX will be wary of their previous split record and eager to avoid the same fate.

Fredit BRION can still slay top LCK teams

It’s a new LCK season but Fredit BRION remains the same team known for taking the fight to top sides in the league. Even though BRION never made playoffs throughout the 2021 season, they managed to take games off DK, T1 and Nongshim RedForce. The 2-0 wins which BRION had against some of these teams shocked many fans.

Although they failed to get the win against T1 in LCK Week 1, they pushed T1 to a third game. While T1 completely dominated the third game, it is a reminder to top teams never to underestimate BRION.

The LCK Week 2 begins at 3 a.m ET on Wednesday as Nongshim take on DWG KIA.