Gone are the traditional Spring and Summer Splits, as the League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK) goes through a full revamp in 2025. Following the larger changes in the League esports ecosystem, new formats and rules are implemented in the LCK, and we’ll explain them here. Let’s look at the format, draft rules, groups, and more for LCK 2025.

LCK Cup 2025

The LCK Cup marks the first official tournament of the new era in preparation for the new split structure of LoL esports. It launched on January 15, 2025, and is now on its second week, featuring all 10 LCK franchised teams in the Group Stage. This pre-season competition will run until February 2025, aiming to:

  • Determine the LCK’s representative for the First Stand 2025 tournament
  • Provide teams a critical training opportunity
  • Showcase new team rosters

For the Group Stage, LCK teams were divided into two groups: Group Baron and Group Elder. All teams of one group will play best-of-three matches against all teams of the other group. Then, their standing within their respective groups will be based on their match records.

This Group Stage will determine which teams will advance to the Playoffs or compete in the Play-Ins for another chance. If a group reaches 13 points first, they will be considered the Winner Group.

The Top 3 teams from the Winner Group will directly qualify for the Playoffs. Meanwhile, the Bottom 2 from the Winner Group and the Top 4 from the Loser Group will be in the Play-Ins. The remaining team in the Loser Group will be eliminated.

In the end, only the champion of the LCK Cup Playoffs will be able to represent the league in the First Stand at Seoul. After this major international tournament, the LCK 2025 regular season will begin.

Fearless Draft Mechanics

The Fearless Draft rule introduced by Riot Games for the First Stand will also be in LCK Cup matches. This rule means that all champions played from the first game up until the last one in a series will stay banned. Thus, for example, at the end of a Bo5, a total of 50 champions will have been banned (40 champions played + 10 champions banned).

These new mechanics mean more competition and more variation in drafting strategies, surely giving fans an enjoyable time, too. We can expect LCK 2025 to be full of exciting twists and turns as players and teams adapt to the changes and showcase their skills in the new era.

LCK 2025 Teams

After various roster shuffles, all 10 teams competing in the LCK this year now have formed their complete lineups. Let’s take a look at the members for each team:

  • Gen.G (GEN): Kiin, Canyon, Chovy, Ruler Duro
  • Hanwha Life Esports (HLE): Zeus, Peanut, Zeka, Viper, Delight
  • Dplus KIA (DK): Siwoo, Lucid, ShowMaker, Aiming, BeryL
  • T1: Doran, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, Keria
  • KT Rolster (KT): PerfecT, Cuzz, Bdd, Deoldam, Way
  • DRX: Rich, Juhan, ucal, Teddy, Andil
  • BRION (BRO): Morgan, HamBak, Clozer, Hype, Pollu
  • Nongshim RedForce (NS): Kingen, Sylvie, Fisher, Jiwoo, Lehends
  • BNK FearX (BFX): Clear, Raptor, VicLa, Diable, Kellin
  • DN Freecs (DNF): DuDu, Pyosik, BuLLDoG, Berserker, Life

LCK 2025 Regular Season

The regular season will be divided into two stages, separated by the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). The first stage will have two rounds in a double round robins format, similar to the one in the previous Spring and Summer Splits. Then, six teams will qualify for the MSI Qualifier in which two will represent the LCK.

The second stage will continue the first stage for a regular season with only one winner instead of two separate ones. This, with three rounds, features a Group Stage with a modified round robin format. The teams will again be grouped into five and sorted into either Legend Group or Rise Group based on their standings in the first stage.

Unlike the LCK Cup, teams will play round robin matches within their own group and not against the other. At the end, the Top 4 in the Legend Group will qualify for playoffs. The 5th placer from the Legend Group and the Top 3 from the Rise Group will enter the Play-Ins. Meanwhile, the two remaining groups will face elimination.

The LCK Playoffs will determine the qualified teams and their seeding for the LoL World Championship.

Conclusion

The LCK 2025 format represents a bold reimagining of competitive League of Legends in Korea. By introducing the LCK Cup, Fearless Draft, and a restructured regular season, Riot Games is pushing the boundaries of esports competition.

Fans and players alike should prepare for an unprecedented season of strategic innovation and high-stakes battles!