Gen.G Esports secured a 2-0 victory over Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) in the first round of the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) regular season, held at LoL PARK in Jongno on the 16th. 'Chovy' Jung Ji-hun led a comeback win in Game 1 with his Azir, relentlessly pressuring HLE, and built an impenetrable wall against the opponent with Anivia in Game 2.

Gen.G Esports pulled off a thrilling comeback in Game 1. Hanwha Life Esports clearly held the advantage through the mid-game. They started strong by securing two unanswered kills in an early scuttle crab skirmish and even managed to damage 'Chovy' Jung Ji-hun's Azir. They quickly took down the bottom tier-1 tower and claimed the mid tier-1 tower as a reward for winning the Rift Herald fight. By the time HLE was poised to take their third dragon, the gold lead had widened to nearly 4,000.

However, Gen.G Esports showed their true strength during that third dragon teamfight. Gen.G, who had grouped up to take the dragon, wiped out three members of the rushing HanJin Brion without losing a single player. Having seized the momentum, Gen.G began to accumulate advantages through proactive plays. 'Kingen' Kim Gwi-in's Sion was as immovable as a mountain, and the damage from Azir was devastating. With that, Gen.G successfully turned the tide to win Game 1.

Gen.G Esports drew first blood in Game 2. 'Canyon' Kim Geon-bu's Nocturne ganked the bottom lane to take down 'Teddy' Park Jin-sung's Xayah. HanJin Brion committed multiple players to target 'Kingen' Kim Gwi-in's Gnar, but Gnar evaded them with ease, resulting in a wasted turn for HanJin Brion. From there, Gen.G's snowball rolled slowly but steadily. Gnar being caught twice had no impact on the overall game. Instead, it was the pick-off on 'Loki's' Ryze that proved fatal.

The walls from Chovy's Anivia repeatedly trapped HanJin Brion's champions, leading to kills. 'Ruler' Park Jae-hyuk's Jhin quickly grew to a 4/0/1 scoreline, and the gold lead ballooned to over 7,000. Around the 22-minute mark, HanJin Brion attempted to force a teamfight using the ultimates of Ryze and 'Gideon' Kim Min-sung's Pantheon, but they could not overcome the difference in firepower. Gen.G Esports widened the gap to over 10,000 gold and secured the victory in Game 2.