It’s the last week of the LCK 2025 Cup group stage: will T1 take down Gen.G to lock in the first place of Group Baron? Let’s find out in our weekly match preview.
T1 vs Gen.G – LCK Cup 2025 Preview
The LCK Cup 2025 saw Group Elder becoming the Winners Group following a quite dominant performance from several teams within the group. Aside from DK and Gen.G, DRX has also emerged with a 3-1 score and might potentially dethrone Gen.G if they were to win against HLE in their next matchup (and if T1 defeats Gen.G).
On the other hand, T1 has already locked its place in the play-in stage so the focus is to get a higher seeding in the next phase.
Last week, the team made headlines when it swapped out ADC Gumayusi with the academy bot laner Smash for the entirety of week 2. Head coach Kk0ma stated they are testing out things and looking to “gain data as much as possible”, but some fans were not happy about the sudden change and lack of transparency in the roster decision.
This is not the first time T1 has made such changes. Back in the first dominant era of T1 (previously SKT T1), Faker was benched in favor of Easyhoon, who was notoriously good on Azir, one of the power picks back in the day.
With the upcoming matchup against Gen.G and Ruler, it’s unclear whether Gumayusi will be making his return to the starting roster. Smash showed up with a great performance but you have to wonder how he will fare against one of, if not, the best ADC in the LCK.
Series Breakdown
Speaking of Ruler, the guy has been almost impeccable in the first weeks. But Gen.G’s loss to BRO was quite surprising, as HamBak and Morgan’s outstanding gameplay neutralized the enemy top-side trio.
Going into the series against T1, I think the focus will likely fall onto the jungle and how each team is able to play around them. Both Canyon and Oner are known for their playmaking and proactivity so enabling them will be key. Regardless of the result, it will be a good last series to end off the group stage and it will likely prepare both for the upcoming matches.
Based on what we have seen so far, however, I’m slightly favoring Gen.G based on the current form. I think that we should see a 3-game series and the draft will be a major determining factor. Despite the loss against BRO, Gen.G has been clean overall and I think the role change will affect T1’s peak potential in the short-run.