Hanwha Life Esports has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the LCK. And with its next match against KT Rolster, HLE is looking to hold a significant advantage over its opponent.
The ongoing LCK 2025 competition pits some of the best Korean League of Legends teams against each other. This year, sides like Gen.G have proven their skills, while others such as Freecs crumble against the opposition. There’s no doubt that Hanwha Life Esports is one of the strongest Korean teams, as HLE comfortably blew past every team in the recent First Stand tournament, and only lost to Gen.G at the start of the current LCK before going undefeated since.
On the other hand, KT Rolster’s recent performance has been shaky. While the team’s current standing of sixth place means it currently qualifies for Road to MSI playoff, multiple teams are gunning for that position and hoping to bump KT down to the bottom four.
After Hanwha Life Esports lost to Gen.G to kick off the current LCK with a final score of 0-2, the team returned stronger than ever, even taking down T1 with a decisive 2-0 sweep. The team’s biggest strength is that each member of the HLE roster is individually skilled, though Zeus, Zeka, and Viper are the stand-out players. All three have high carry potential, and any of them could tilt the odds in their team’s favor. Pair that with Delight’s excellent support play, and HLE may not have a tough time against KT.
KT Rolster also had a shaky start, but it took longer for this side to get its bearings relative to HLE. Dplus is the only team KT has beaten in the current LCK that isn’t in the bottom four. Teams like T1 and Gen.G have made quick work of KT, and while KT Rolster managed to win one game against Hanwha Life Esports, the series was never really in doubt as HLE went on to win.
The issue with KT Rolster extends beyond just communication issues, though those do also seem to be in play. The team’s members just don’t have the mechanical skills needed to compete with strongest teams. Deokdam doesn’t have the carry potential expected from a high-level ADC, and PerfecT is ultimately an unreliable top-laner the team can’t consistently depend on. When faced against a powerhouse top-laner like Zeus, there’s a high chance the stand-in for Casting may feed the former T1 star.
Below are the rosters for both teams:
Hanwha Life Esports:
KT Rolster:
Hanwha Life Esports may have a couple of reliable picks its members usually go for, but the team tends to experiment with off-meta picks against teams it’s confident against. While picks like Jayce, Xin Zhao, Sylas, and Renata Glasc are HLE’s bread and butter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other champions get a chance in the spotlight.
As for KT Rolster, the team has continued to switch its picks around, likely to see what sticks. The most common champions KT has recently used the most include Gwen, Xin Zhao, Taliyah, Yone, Jhin, Alistar, and Leona.
KT Rolster and Hanwha Life Esports have competed on the big stage 29 times, of which HLE has won only 10 times. While KT has the advantage at first glance, the two teams have faced off six times in the last year, and HLE has come out on top four times in those more recent meetings.
Considering Hanwha Life Esports’ recent international win and current winning streak, it’s no surprise that the team is the favorite to win against KT Rolster with a betting line of 1.12. KT Rolster may have more wins against HLE in its past, but it’s the underdog in this match with a line of 6.00.
KT may have won one game against HLE when the LCK started, but that was when Hanwha Life was in a slump. With the First Stand winner now on a roll, KT will likely struggle that much more to put HLE on the defensive. KT Rolster has seen impressive splits before, but in its current state, HLE is likely to come out on top.
The top lane may determine how quickly the two games end. PerfecT gave Dplus KIA’s top player a significant lead when the other player was playing Aatrox, which ultimately led to the team’s defeat. Something similar happened against Doran when KT faced off against T1, and considering Zeus is a much more aggressive laner than both, it wouldn’t be surprising if something similar happens here. After that, it’ll just be a case of Viper dealing high damage to win team fights and Zeka getting objectives to win HLE the match.
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