The fight for second place in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) standings is heating up as Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and T1 prepare for a pivotal week in Round 5 of the 2025 season.

The LCK announced that Week 1 of Round 5 will run from Aug. 20–24 at LoL Park in Seoul, with both teams facing matchups that could flip the standings in real time. HLE currently holds second place in the Legend Group, but with T1 tied at 18–8, only ahead by game differential, the race is razor-thin.

If They Lose, They Drop to 3rd

Hanwha Life’s week begins with KT Rolster on Thursday before a critical clash with Gen.G on Saturday. A win in the “Saturday Showdown” would help solidify their hold on second, but HLE has yet to defeat Gen.G in the regular season. Their most recent meeting saw Gen.G take a 2–1 series win, extending HLE’s struggles against the league’s elite.

T1, meanwhile, enters with momentum after three straight victories, despite a setback against Gen.G in Round 4. They face Nongshim RedForce on Friday and KT Rolster in the Telecom Wars on Sunday. Given T1’s dominance over both opponents this year, the team is favored to put pressure on Hanwha Life.

Because both squads share identical records, game differential could prove decisive. As a result, clean 2–0 sweeps may be just as important as match wins.

T1’s Gumayusi Named Gold King

Adding to T1’s momentum, bottom laner Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong claimed his first Gold King title of 2025, leading all players with an average of 15,697.75 gold last week. The weekly award, sponsored by Woori Bank, puts Gumayusi in contention for the annual Gold King honor, a title decided at the LCK Awards.

Round 5 continues through Sept. 14, with matches streamed globally on YouTube, SOOP, and Naver. Tickets are available via the Woori Bank Won Banking app and Interpark.