Hanwha Life Esports secured their fifth consecutive win on the 22nd by defeating Nongshim RedForce 2-1 in the first round of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) regular season, held at LoL PARK in Jongno. It was a challenging match, as Nongshim also entered with momentum from a two-game winning streak.

Hanwha Life drew first blood when Kanavi’s Jarvan ganked the bottom lane to take down Taeyoon’s Caitlyn. Nongshim responded by diving the top lane to catch Zeus’ Jayce. Shortly after, however, Hanwha Life scored a major victory in the bottom lane, picking up three kills. Both teams continued to trade kills through subsequent top and bottom lane dives.

Hanwha Life later gained an advantage by cleanly countering a top lane dive from Nongshim and effectively utilizing the Rift Herald. Once in the lead, Hanwha Life tightened their pressure. They executed perfect objective control, securing both the Dragon and Baron with ease. A decisive teamfight victory, highlighted by a well-placed ultimate from Gumayusi’s Miss Fortune, allowed them to take the first set comfortably.

In the second set, Hanwha Life countered Azir with a mid-lane Ziggs. Zeus’ Anivia managed to trade kills with Gnar despite a gank from the opposing Poppy, while in the bottom lane, Kanavi’s Xin Zhao and Delight’s Bard took down Lehends’ Nami.

Nongshim's Poppy targeted the mid lane to catch Zeka's Ziggs. The fed Poppy continued to pressure the map, picking up a kill on Sivir in the bottom lane to reach four kills by the 11-minute mark. The game remained tense as both teams traded blows into the mid-game. Hanwha Life eventually caught out a slightly overextended Nongshim near the mid-lane tier-two tower. However, Nongshim quickly retaliated by taking down Xin Zhao near the Dragon pit to secure their third Dragon stack.

Hanwha Life caught Poppy in the jungle behind the Baron pit and moved to take the objective. Although Nongshim conceded the Baron, they won the ensuing fight, taking down four members of Hanwha Life, excluding Ziggs. This led directly into the next Dragon spawn, where Nongshim established superior positioning to secure the Dragon Soul.

Nongshim picked off Sivir and Ziggs in the mid lane, destroying the tier-one tower at 28 minutes. They then won a crucial teamfight in the mid lane to secure the Baron. Despite Nongshim's attempt to close out the game after winning a fight at the Elder Dragon, Hanwha Life’s wave management kept them in the game. While Hanwha Life put up a strong defense with the high-clear potential of Sivir, Anivia, and Ziggs, Nongshim remained composed and pushed through to tie the series 1-1.

In the final third set, Hanwha Life started strong by catching Taeyoon’s Yunara in the bottom lane. When Nongshim’s Kanavi used Nocturne’s ultimate on the mid lane at level 6, Lehends’ Neeko rotated quickly to help secure a kill on Nocturne. Hanwha Life continued to find advantages in the bottom lane and even picked up a kill in the top lane.

Nongshim did not go down without a fight, recovering some of their losses by securing several kills in bottom and top lane skirmishes. By the 16-minute mark, the gold difference was neck-and-neck; Nongshim had taken the Rift Herald, while Hanwha Life had stacked two Dragons, making the next Dragon teamfight critical. Hanwha Life gained an edge in a mid-lane teamfight after Zeus’ Rek'Sai successfully targeted Yunara, but Kingen’s Ambessa risked everything to dive in and steal the Dragon, earning Nongshim their first stack.

Hanwha Life responded impressively, quickly taking the Baron during their window of opportunity. They leveraged the Baron buff to gain a massive lead, first breaking through the top lane to destroy an inhibitor, then pushing into the mid lane. Nongshim found an opening when a teamfight broke out in the top lane; they quickly eliminated the Hanwha Life bottom duo, won the fight, and secured the Baron for themselves.

Ultimately, Hanwha Life emerged victorious. In a final teamfight near the Dragon pit, Hanwha Life wiped the opposing team, marched straight to the Nexus to destroy it, and secured a 2-1 series win to extend their winning streak to five.