The '2026 Demacia Cup Global Invitational (DCGI)' kicked off on October 3. All three LCK teams—KT Rolster, BNK FearX, and HANJIN BRION—secured victories in Round 1 to advance to the Round 2 Winners' Bracket.
KT Rolster, considered one of the tournament favorites, faced Shopify Rebellion in Round 1. The game progressed relatively quietly in the early-to-mid game, but snowballed rapidly following a solo kill by Lee "PerfecT" Seung-min. PerfecT's K'Sante turned the tide of a mid-lane skirmish that was on the verge of defeat, unilaterally picking up two kills, and later demonstrated overwhelming presence by taking on three enemies single-handedly during a Rift Herald teamfight.
KT Rolster applied pressure on Shopify Rebellion while deploying K'Sante and Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong's Ryze to the side lanes. They secured a surprise Baron, while K'Sante in the bottom lane smoothly escaped the opponent's collapse. Having firmly seized control, KT Rolster utilized their firepower advantage to comfortably secure their first victory.
BNK FearX faced Team Vitality. True to draft matchup advantages, BNK FearX got off to a smooth start by taking priority across all lanes. Solo/duo kills were secured in mid and bot, building a gold lead. Team Vitality fought back through skirmishes, scoring points in fast-rotation plays and objective teamfights to push BNK FearX back.
However, BNK FearX maintained control and protected their lead by executing consecutive effective plays on the side lanes. A desperate Team Vitality immediately started Baron after picking off Kim "Kellin" Hyeong-gyu's Bard, but they were wiped out by the counterattack from BNK FearX's main force. Empowered by the Baron buff, BNK FearX closed out the game.
HANJIN BRION faced JD Gaming and pulled off a comeback victory. JD Gaming consistently scored objectives and kills by cleverly utilizing global ultimate abilities on Pantheon and Twisted Fate alongside Yorick's Teleport. However, HANJIN BRION bought crucial time thanks to stacking two early Dragons, eventually turning the tide at the fifth Dragon teamfight to complete the comeback.
With this, all three LCK teams advanced to the Round 2 Winners' Bracket. Following the Round 2 draw, KT Rolster will face RED Canids Kalunga, HANJIN BRION will meet Team WE, and BNK FearX will clash with LGD Gaming. In the Losers' Bracket, Natus Vincere will face FlyQuest, GAM Esports will play Team Vitality, and Shopify Rebellion will take on JD Gaming.
The Round 2 Winners' Bracket will begin at 4:00 PM KST on October 4. The three teams that reach two wins by winning these matches will advance to the Knockout Stage, while the defeated teams will head to Round 3. The Round 2 Losers' Bracket will take place starting at 4:00 PM KST on October 5.
