On the 10th, at the LoL PARK in Jongno, Kwangdong Freecs (KDF) defeated Nongshim RedForce 2-0 in the first round of the 2026 LCK regular season, successfully maintaining their 'team matchup' dominance that began during the LCK Cup. They secured a thrilling comeback victory in Game 1, and in Game 2, a 'super play' by 'Rich' Lee Jae-won broke the deadlock to seal the win.

'Rich', who was named Player of the Match (POM), shared his thoughts on the victory: "We were worried about the second week because our atmosphere wasn't great during the first week. I'm very happy that we performed better than expected. Since we haven't lost to Nongshim RedForce this year, I went into the match thinking I should just play comfortably."

Regarding the comeback in Game 1, he said, "We showed a lot of good teamfighting during the LCK Cup, so we talked about setting up our positioning well to win teamfights. Perhaps because we've lost games where we were ahead, we seem to be good at winning games where we're behind. I think designing teamfights well is the most important thing."

'Rich', who picked Gnar in Game 2, created the most decisive moment of the match. During a standoff, he landed a Flash-Ultimate combo, which was followed up by his teammates' skills, leading to a massive victory. 'Rich' explained, "When I was in Mega Gnar form, I saw the enemy Ambessa in the mid lane and thought that if I just engaged, we would win. So, as soon as I saw her, I used Flash and my ultimate immediately."

When asked if he expected to receive the POM, 'Rich' replied, "Honestly, in Game 1, 'Ucal' Son Woo-hyeon and 'Willer' Kim Jeong-hyeon played so well. I thought 'Ucal' would get it, so I'm a bit dazed." He also expressed his gratitude to 'Ucal', adding, "Thanks for playing the laning phase well and coming to help with the top lane dive in Game 1. I hope you keep showing that kind of performance."

'Rich' also praised 'LazyFeel', the Vietnamese player who recently joined the main roster. He said, "I'm not trying to compare players, but 'LazyFeel' just has such great reaction speed. Even in Game 2 today, he dodged Annie's Flash-Ultimate from the fog of war. His reaction speed is truly impressive."

Finally, 'Rich' concluded the interview by stating his resolve: "Although our next opponent, BNK FEARX, hasn't been in great form lately, I still consider them a strong team. Plus, their bottom lane is very talented. We will prepare well and come back ready."