Hanwha Life Esports upset SK Telecom T1 in LCK Summer Split
Hanwha Life Esports pulled off a major upset versus SK Telecom T1.
SKT is thriving in the 2019 LCK Summer Split while Hanwha is fighting to stay out of the 2020 LCK Spring Promotion Tournament. That fact had Hanwha entering this match as the clear underdog but their desperation to avoid relegation served them well as they scored a shock victory.
Hanwha kept it simple in game one. The team created pressure in different areas of the map, which gave SKT jungler Kim “Clid” Tae-min more fires than he could hope to put out. Hanwha snowballed that advantage out of control and SKT couldn’t find a way to get back into the game.
SKT learned from their mistakes and played more proactive in game two. Clid looked for early ganks to create pressure of his own. Hanwha still managed to get picks and break even with SKT.
On Hanwha’s side, bot laner Gwon “Sangyoon” Sang-yun stood out. His presence on the map knocked SKT off balance, causing the enemies to jump into unfavorable fights. Top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha was the best and worst player for SKT, putting his teammates into unfavorable situations but also coming through in the clutch moments where they needed him. He closed out the game in style alongside bot laner Park “Teddy” Jin-seong, with the duo taking the final fight for SKT to even the series.
At match point, Hanwha returned to its original, aggressive strategy. The team played through the bottom lane, enabling Sangyoon. Hanwha capitalized on SKT’s repeated mistakes. SKT was out of position in every team fight, allowing Hanwha to take kills for free.
Hanwha turned those kills into objectives and gold. Powered up with the baron buff, Hanwha marched into the base and took the nexus to seal the series.
SKT fell from second to fourth with the loss while Hanwha moved up to eighth place, moving out of relegation territory for the moment. The standings are constantly changing and every game counts as the split nears completion.
Read Also
Esports Betting
League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know
Wasif Ahmed
Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...
League of Legends
Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...
Esports Betting
T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...
League of Legends
KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+
Hannan Mundia
The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...
Esports Betting
Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...
Esports Betting
T1 vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 will kick off with T1 facing off against Team Liquid, but will the match really be as one-sided as the betting odds make it out to be? While some didn’t think that the reigning world champions, T1 would make it to this year’s MSI, the team proved many wrong once again. It barely made it to the play-in stage, where Team Liquid ...
Esports Betting
Karmine Corp vs Deep Cross Gaming: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Karmine Corp goes up against Deep Cross Gaming on the first day of MSI 2026. Obviously, KC is the favorite by a long shot. Does DCG actually stand a chance, though? Can they repeat the achievements of CTBC Flying Oyster who took down KC at First Stand 2025? Tournament: Mid-Season Invitational 2026 Stage: Play-in Game: League of Legends Format: Best-of-five Betting tips: As the second seed from a lower region, ...
