The 'LCK Legend Match' will take place on August 4 at LoL PARK in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is an event that brings the early days of the domestic League of Legends eSports scene—often called the era of romance—back to the stage. Riot Games has unveiled the ten participating players.

'Team Samsung Telecom' consists of 'Looper' Jang Hyeong-seok, 'Spirit' Lee Da-yoon, 'PawN' Heo Won-seok, 'Piglet' Chae Gwang-jin, and 'Heart' Lee Gwan-hyung. Facing them on 'Team This Is CJ Entus' are 'MakNooN' Yoon Ha-woon, 'inSec' Choi In-seok, 'Kuro' Lee Seo-haeng, 'Captain Jack' Kang Hyung-woo, and 'GorillA' Kang Beom-hyeon. Most of these players led the domestic league between 2012 and 2014 and are now retired, working as broadcasters, commentators, or coaches.

The match will be played in 'League of Legends Classic (LoL Classic),' which revives the Summoner's Rift of Season 3. Skills and items that existed back then but have since been modified or removed entirely will return. It is a version of the Rift where you had to buy wards with gold and carry them in your INVEN, featuring champions whose designs were, by modern standards, quite raw.

This mode was first unveiled at the 2026 MSI Finals held at the Daejeon Convention Center on the 12nd. Former pro gamers including 'Ambition' Kang Chan-yong, Heo Won-seok, and Kang Hyung-woo heated up the atmosphere with an exhibition match, and Riot Games announced plans for regional special matches after the game. The video released by the LCK captures the vision of summoning back the raw, instinct-driven gameplay of those days.

It is not just the Rift that is returning. The players who defined their era with a single champion or a single moment will stand on that Rift together. We take a look at the stories of the five players taking the stage.

The Jungler Who Missed the Standing Room: 'inSec' Choi In-seok's All-Star Game

On May 11, 2012, a player failed to arrive at the venue ahead of a tournament. It was a match between Bubble Gum and Team OP, with a seed for the LoL Champions Summer on the line. There were no train tickets from Daegu to Yongsan, Seoul, and even standing-room tickets were sold out. A taxi would have cost ₩200k. By the time he arrived by bus, the match had already been forfeited, and the team had lost the entire series. That is how 'inSec' Choi In-seok earned the nickname 'the boy who missed the standing room.'

Even after such a major mishap, he stood on the stage again because his talent was too great to waste. He gradually made his presence felt by showing brilliant individual plays even when his team was struggling. Fans, seeing his skill contrasted with a team that couldn't keep up, gave him many more amusing nicknames.

The All-Star Game held in Shanghai in May 2013 was a memorable match in 'inSec's' life. He was able to play alongside the best players of the time in each position, chosen by fan vote: 'Shy' Park Sang-myeon, 'Ambition' Kang Chan-yong, 'Pray' Kim Jong-in, and 'MadLife' Hong Min-gi. Playing with such outstanding teammates, Choi In-seok soared, and Korea dominated the tournament with overwhelming results.

In this tournament, he created a scene that would go down in LoL history. The so-called 'inSec Kick': while flying toward an enemy after hitting Sonic Wave (Q) and using Resonating Strike (Q), he places a ward on the ground behind the enemy AD carry, Varus. He then uses Safeguard (W) on that ward to dash behind Varus, and uses his ultimate skill, Dragon's Rage (R), to kick the opponent toward his team. The dealer, who should have been safely in the back, was delivered right into the middle of five allies. After the tournament, fans named the technique the 'inSec Kick.' Even 10 years later, it is said that many people may not know 'inSec' the player, but they know the 'inSec Kick.'

The Progenitor of 'Top-Lane Insanity': 'MakNooN' Yoon Ha-woon

A position where players would flash just to get minion EXP, saying, 'Flash may return, but CS does not.' A position where making sure your opponent doesn't grow is happier than growing yourself. A spot where you are satisfied if you win your lane, even if the game is lost. These are the images that come to mind when one thinks of a top laner. And the player who first proved the origin of this 'Top-Lane Insanity' in a tournament was 'MakNooN' Yoon Ha-woon.

With physical prowess that made winning the laning phase a constant, daring dives without hesitation when an opportunity arose, and even eccentricities like farming in front of the enemy inhibitor while the first-tier tower was still standing—'MakNooN' was a unique presence who left a particularly strong impression among top laners of his time. Add to this his swimming goggle ceremony and his bold interview skills that turned 'CloudTemplar' Lee Hyun-woo into a 'pooping elephant,' and he was truly one of a kind.

He reached the pinnacle of his career by lifting the trophy at the Olympus LoL Champions Winter 2012-2013, though unfortunately, he never won another title. His pro career wasn't very long, but the deep footprint he left in that short time was more profound than any other player. The lineage of top laners that began with the symbol of 'MakNooN' Yoon Ha-woon continues as a legacy of romance. That is why the fact that we can meet the original 'Top-Lane Insanity' again in this Legend Match is enough to make one's heart swell.

As time passed, the meta of the Rift changed countless times, and now, meticulous calculation and operation that allow for zero error dominate the era. However, there is one reason fans still miss those days from 13 years ago: they miss the raw, unfiltered play of Yoon Ha-woon, who commanded the Rift with nothing but 'romance,' regardless of the outcome. Though he is now at an age where seasoned composure is expected, we hope he returns to the stage as the spirited 'MakNooN' of the past, who wore swimming goggles and charged toward the inhibitor. It is time for the screams of 'Top-Lane Insanity' to echo through the Rift once more.

'Captain Jack' Kang Hyung-woo Never Falls

Over a decade ago, in a match between Azubu Blaze and Xenics Storm, Xenics Storm was at a disadvantage due to shorter range, but they had a definitive weapon: a composition specialized for forced initiation. Armed with all sorts of CC, including Malphite, Leona, Skarner, and Urgot, they focused their efforts on the opposing bottom laner, 'Captain Jack' Kang Hyung-woo.

Starting with Malphite's Flash-ultimate, terrifying CC was poured toward Sivir. However, Sivir utilized Cleanse, Flash, and her spell shield brilliantly to dodge every attempt, leading her team to victory in the teamfight. She countered Malphite's ultimate with her spell shield, Morgana's ultimate with Flash, Urgot's ultimate with Quicksilver Sash, and Leona with Cleanse. For Xenics Storm, who had poured out all their skills only to fail to catch 'Captain Jack,' nothing remained but defeat.

Following this match, fans created a legendary highlight reel titled 'Captain Jack Never Falls' as a tribute to him, and the phrase soon became his permanent moniker. While he faced ups and downs during his long career where he couldn't quite recapture his former dominance, 'Captain Jack' in his prime was an untouchable, top-tier bottom laner in the league.

His play, which neutralized all enemy offensives with precise reaction speed, was the very textbook for AD carries of his time. Though it has been a long time since he stepped down from the stage, the name 'Captain Jack' remains an icon that stirs the hearts of old fans. We look forward to seeing him dodge the enemy's fierce initiation with dazzling reaction speed once again in this Legend Match, making fans' hearts race.

'PawN' Heo Won-seok, Who Solo-Killed Faker Four Times

'Faker' is still a great player today, but when he first debuted, he showed an truly untouchable presence. He was a player who showed impressive solo kills in every tournament and won the 2013 LoL Worlds in top form. 'Faker' went through a fairly deep slump in 2014, and one of the most shocking moments recorded during that time was when he gave up four solo kills in a single tournament. The one who caused that was Samsung Galaxy White's mid laner, 'PawN' Heo Won-seok.

The card Heo Won-seok held was Talon. Talon's early Cutthroat (E) had a silence effect. The moment he dove behind an opponent, they couldn't use Flash or their ultimate. Once caught in mid-lane, there was no way to respond. In the 2014 Worlds Korea Regional Qualifiers, Heo Won-seok caught Lee Sang-hyeok four times with this champion. This was during the series where Samsung Galaxy White beat SK Telecom T1 K 3-0. In Game 1, Heo Won-seok, playing Jayce, caught Lee Sang-hyeok's Talon twice. In Game 2, he took Talon himself and cut down Kassadin at level 6. In Game 3, he took down Zilean with Yasuo. Because of this defeat, the previous year's world champion could not step onto the Worlds stage.

After that, whenever the casters introduced him, they called him 'the man who solo-killed Faker' for a long time. Samsung Galaxy White went on to win that year's Worlds, and the championship skin Heo Won-seok chose was Talon. In this event, the protagonist of the 'Talon' skin will appear after a long time. It will be exciting to see if he can show the same prowess as before.

The 'LCK Legend Match' will be held on August 4 at LoL PARK in Jongno-gu, Seoul, featuring a showdown between 'Team Samsung Telecom' and 'Team This Is CJ Entus.' The match will be played in 'League of Legends Classic (LoL Classic).' Riot Games held an exhibition match in this mode at the 2026 MSI Finals held at the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the 12nd, and this event is planned as an extension of that. The broadcast will feature caster Jeon Yong-jun, commentator 'CloudTemplar' Lee Hyun-woo, and former commentator Kang Min. The English broadcast will be handled by Brandon 'Valdes' Valdes and Nick 'LS' De Cesare, who cast together in 2017.

Fans who wish to watch in person can apply through the official LCK or League of Legends Instagram accounts. The application is complete once you follow the official LCK Instagram account, 'like' the post, leave a comment confirming your participation, and fill out and submit the in-person attendance application form via the link in the profile.