On September 13, in Game 1 of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) Finals between Gen.G Esports and Hanwha Life Esports, held at the KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Hanwha Life Esports took the victory.
The first battleground of Game 1 was in front of the Dragon pit. While Hanwha Life Esports was securing vision, they picked off Joo "Duro" Min-kyu's Milio, but Gen.G—having sent down Kim "Kiin" Gi-in's Rumble first—responded by striking the Dragon instead. As Choi "Zeus" Woo-je's Galio joined late, a teamfight broke out, and Gen.G, having taken up positions first to set up a favorable setup, unilaterally took two kills.
In response, Hanwha Life Esports counterattacked with a mid-lane dive. They eliminated Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon's Ryze and cleanly picked off Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu's Vi, who arrived to defend. Afterwards, both teams continued trading kills in a tense back-and-forth, but Hanwha Life Esports, leveraging Galio's mobility to demonstrate fast-paced macro, quickly pushed down all outer Tier 1 towers to seize initiative.
Gen.G, who had been dragged around in macro play, attempted to strike back through teamfights. Opening a surprise fight in mid lane, they picked off Galio and forced out Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong's Flash on Caitlyn. That timing without Caitlyn's Flash was a crisis for Hanwha Life Esports, but thanks to a strong ultimate from Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo's Orianna, they managed to limit the outcome to a 3-for-3 trade.
Hanwha Life Esports maintained their lead by securing three Dragons and the Baron based on their initiative. While pressing the inhibitor turret, they faltered once against Gen.G's signature monstrous teamfighting power, but Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok's Naafiri dove in to prevent further damage. Ultimately, they scored a sweeping victory in the final teamfight in front of the Baron pit to close out Game 1.
