Gen.G Esports, T1, and Hanwha Life Esports attended the Finals Media Day for '2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK)' held at Jonggak Chzzk LoL Park on the 8th. While affirming their determination to defeat each other and take the championship, the three teams engaged in a tense mental battle, acknowledging one another as tough opponents.
The media day was attended by each team's head coach and two representative players, uniquely with all three teams including their bot laner. Gen.G's 'Ruler' Park Jae-hyeok, Hanwha Life Esports' 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyeong, and T1's 'Peyz' Kim Su-hwan were asked for their evaluations of the other two players and what they considered their own strengths.
From the perspective of 'Ruler' and 'Gumayusi', 'Peyz' was a player whose strength lies in mechanics. They praised him for his ability to make plays based on his strong mechanics, as well as his focus in teamfights. Conversely, 'Peyz' stated that both 'Ruler' and 'Gumayusi' possess vast experience and data, noting that he senses incredible veteran poise whenever playing against them.
'Ruler' described 'Gumayusi' as a player who is strong in laning and produces many smart, intuitive plays. 'Gumayusi' shared that when watching 'Ruler', his unique positioning for damage, game sense, and refined play stand out. Furthermore, both players answered that their own personal strength is playing smart.
Also in attendance, 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok, 'Kanavi' Seo Jin-hyeok, and 'Kiin' Kim Gi-in received similar questions. 'Kiin' said, "'Kanavi' shows bold aggressiveness at unexpected timings, making him genuinely difficult to deal with. 'Keria' commands caution because his hit rate on in-game movements and teamfight playmaking is extremely high."
Explaining why the other two players are challenging opponents, 'Kanavi' noted, "When 'Keria' picks champions like Renata, he creates even more variables than expected. As for 'Kiin', whom I am facing for the first time since coming to the LCK, he excels in every role, whether playing carry champions or tanks."
'Keria' likewise spoke of 'Kanavi's' unpredictability and 'Kiin's' versatility. He remarked, "'Kanavi's' decisive play at unpredictable timings flusters his opponents greatly, and his success rate with it is very high. 'Kiin' is tricky due to his versatility, being able to handle diverse matchups and fulfill whatever the team requires, whether it's a carry pick or a holding pick."
The head coaches of each team were asked about the most challenging aspects of facing one another and which players they were keeping the closest eye on. First, Gen.G head coach Ryu Sang-wook stated, "T1 is difficult because of their extremely high playmaking capability, while Hanwha Life Esports is challenging due to their aggressive play, such as bold attempts and tower dives." As for players to watch out for, he picked 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je for Hanwha Life Esports and the bot duo for T1.
Hanwha Life Esports head coach Yoon Sung-young answered that the bot laners were particularly tough to handle. He added, "Gen.G is solid and excels at turning disadvantageous situations around, so we must respond well to them. T1 is tricky because they have recently shown a lot of aggressive moves around the topside."
T1 interim head coach Im Jae-hyeon stated, "We are wary of Hanwha Life Esports' ability to snowball well once they secure early initiative on the topside. For Gen.G, we are watching out for how all of their players organically display seasoned macromanagement." He continued, "For Hanwha Life Esports, we are keeping an eye on 'Zeus' and 'Gumayusi' due to their wide champion pools. For Gen.G, their mid-jungle duo is tough to deal with."
