Dplus KIA defeated Hanwha Life Esports 2-1 in the Legend Group match of the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) regular season, held on the 30th at LoL PARK in Jongno. The matchup drew significant attention as a clash between the MSI champion and the EWC champion, with Dplus KIA—whose championship victory was more recent—ultimately tasting the joy of victory.

Hanwha Life Esports drew first blood in Game 1 with an aggressive four-man dive in the top lane to take down 'Siwoo' Jeon Si-woo's Olaf. Dplus KIA quickly leveled the score by catching 'Delight' Yoo Hwan-joong's Camille in a mid-lane skirmish. The teams remained locked in a tight battle, trading kills back and forth. During this exchange, 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo's Aurora secured three kills, while 'ShowMaker' Heo Su's Orianna focused on farming and pushed down the mid-lane tier-one turret.

Around the 20-minute mark, Hanwha Life Esports looked to take Baron after Dplus KIA committed multiple players to catch 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je's Ambessa in the side lane. However, Dplus KIA's main force arrived just in time to sweep up kills and finish off the low-health Baron. In an instant, Dplus KIA seized control of the game's momentum.

With the lead, Dplus KIA continued to widen the gap through repeated skirmishes. They picked off 'Kanavi' Seo Jin-hyeok's Vi and easily secured a second Baron. After resetting, Dplus KIA headed to the top lane, systematically taking down their opponents one by one, and destroyed the Nexus to end Game 1 in about 30 minutes.

In Game 2, Hanwha Life Esports began to snowball after a decisive teamfight at the second Dragon, where 'Zeka's' Annie and 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung's Jhin shone after Lee Sin was caught early. Jhin secured a solo kill against 'Smash' Shin Geum-jae's Viktor, and a liberated 'Kanavi' on Lee Sin and 'Delight' on Bard landed consecutive successful plays in the side lanes.

Hanwha Life Esports steadily increased their lead by winning every teamfight around the Dragon spawns. They secured the Hextech Soul at 22 minutes and, following a series of victories, marched into the enemy base with both Elder Dragon and Baron buffs. Dplus KIA held on as long as they could, but they suffered losses just before the Elder buff expired, allowing Hanwha Life Esports to push through and take Game 2.

In the final third game, 'Gumayusi' and 'Delight' on Lucian and Milio took complete control of the bottom lane, starting with a duo kill that led to a CS lead of over 30 for the AD carry. Although Dplus KIA won a fight for the Rift Herald thanks to 'ShowMaker's' Syndra, Hanwha Life Esports relied on individual skill to sweep up kills in a Dragon teamfight and secure the Baron.

The gold lead eventually stretched to over 7k. However, around the 32-minute mark, 'Smash's' four-item Smolder erupted, leading Dplus KIA to win the fight and safely secure the Baron. In a subsequent mid teamfight, Smolder spearheaded the charge, securing a triple kill and an Ace. With that, Dplus KIA completed a thrilling comeback victory.