Hanwha Life Esports defeated BNK FEARX 2-1 in their 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) regular season Round 1 match held at LoL PARK in Jongno on the 10th. Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je contributed to the victory with standout performances in both side lanes and teamfights, playing Jayce in the first set and Gnar in the third.

After the match, INVEN sat down with 'Zeus' to briefly review the day's play. Reflecting on the win, 'Zeus' said, "I wanted a clean 2-0 victory, but there were quite a few tense moments, so I'm just relieved we won. I do feel a bit of lingering regret, though."

Although they gave up early kills in Game 1, the momentum shifted toward Hanwha Life Esports after 'Delight' Yoo Hwan-joong's roaming helped 'Zeus' secure a kill on Jayce. 'Zeus' explained, "The game plan for Game 1 was that if a top-side champion like Jayce got ahead, we would win. So, even if we fell behind early, I knew we'd be fine as long as the top side grew well. 'Delight' read that situation perfectly and created a great opening."

In contrast, Game 2 saw BNK FEARX repeatedly counterattack while Hanwha Life Esports was trying to maintain their lead, ultimately leading to a loss. We asked what the team's win condition was with their composition of Kennen, Ambessa, Annie, Jhin, and Bard, and where he felt that plan went wrong.

"Since the opponent picked Maokai, they opted for a composition that prioritized long range over playing defensively. Conversely, our composition—with champions like Annie and Ambessa—required us to snowball early. However, we couldn't gain much of an advantage in the early game, and because the opponent secured many of the dragons, we were forced to keep fighting without any time to operate on the side lanes. That made the game difficult."

In the very early stages of Game 3, there was a moment where he attempted a solo kill on Song 'Clear' Hyeon-min but ended up giving away a kill instead. When asked about this, he let out a laugh and said, "When I landed my ultimate as Mega Gnar, I was certain I had him, so I used my full combo. But it was embarrassing when he didn't die."

He added, "If I had just backed off cleanly, it wouldn't have been a big deal. I played aggressively because I was confident I could win, but it didn't work out. I regret that, but I wasn't too worried because I was confident we could maintain control later on. It was just unfortunate that a skirmish was happening in the bot lane at the same time, and things seemed to be going poorly there."

He also shared detailed thoughts on the subsequent situation. 'Zeus' explained, "These days, a common strategy is to dive the top lane when the opponent is gathered bot for the second dragon. Even though Gnar died once there, our bot lane was able to farm up and we stacked dragons, which actually increased our win rate. My death didn't significantly hinder the game."

This season, the new patch has increased the impact of laning, making pick-ban phases even more critical. 'Zeus' expressed his confidence, saying, "It is true that the meta forces more focus on laning. There is definitely pressure to perform well, but I feel good about my personal form and confidence. I'm enjoying it."

When asked how the team prepares for pick-ban and tier lists, he replied, "We have our own tier list, and we adjust it as we go through the tournament. To be honest, there are still some ambiguous parts, but I believe we are a team with the ability to adapt flexibly."

Finally, 'Zeus' shared his resolve: "I really want to beat teams like T1 and Gen.G, who are considered the strongest. We already lost to T1, but we still have a strong team like KT left to face. I'd love to win every remaining match, but I especially want to beat Gen.G and KT. Today's win gave us our first winning streak, and I'll make sure to keep this momentum going."