These teams are locked into the 2022 LCK Spring playoffs

William Davis Published 13/03/2022

The end of the 2022 LCK Spring Split is getting close as the 10 South Korean teams only have one week of games remaining before the playoffs.

Moving into the ninth and final week, four teams have already secured a spot in the playoffs while the two last spots are still up for grabs. These last spots are chased by three teams who can still make it in, and the race between them will be extremely close. At the bottom of the standings there are three teams are already out of contention and won’t be able to compete for the trophy.

The six teams that ended up making it into the playoffs will all be fighting for the first LCK trophy of the year and a spot to represent the region at the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational. The playoff bracket will begin on March 23, meaning that teams will have to reach their best shape in the upcoming days.

T1 dominance in 2022 LCK Spring Split continues

Looking at the 2022 LCK Spring Split so far, it’s no surprise that T1 locked in a playoff spot as the first team and also secured the first seed. With a flawless 16-0 record, no one has been able to stop T1. With just two games left, it’s looking like T1 will move through the regular season undefeated and potentially play out a flawless split.

T1 will be starting its playoff run from the semifinals. The same goes for Gen.G, who has already locked in the second seed and can look ahead toward the best-of-five playoff stage.

A few games behind are DRX and DWG KIA, who both managed to lock in a playoff spot after many solid matches played. These teams have not been able to compete with the likes of T1 and Gen.G, but are able to perform at a high level.

Fight between three dark horses to lock in LCK playoffs

Another step below in the standings are the three teams that are currently fighting for the last two playoff spots. All three teams have had a solid split so far but also struggled to play up to par with the best.

This leaves the likes of Fredit BRION, KT Rolster, and Kwangdong Freecs in a close battle for the remaining spots. The team with an advantage is Fredit BRION, currently with one more win than the other two sides.

All three teams have two best-of-three matches remaining in the upcoming week and there’s no doubt that Fredit BRION has the toughest schedule. This just makes the race even closer, as Fredit BRION will have to defend its edge when going up against both Gen.G and DWG KIA in the upcoming week.

Who will come out on top is currently difficult to predict, but one thing is certain: only two teams can make it through while the last team will fall just at the finish line.

NS RedForce, Liiv SANDBOX, and Hanwha Life out of contention

At the bottom of the standings, it’s Hanwha Life Esports, Liiv SANDBOX, and Nongshim RedForce who won’t be able to compete for the playoffs. All three teams will enter the last week with only four wins or fewer, meaning that even a flawless week wouldn’t be enough for them to make the cut.

This leaves the teams without a real role to play during the last week, except for the fact that they could play spoiler to other squads. All three teams will be facing one of the three teams that are chasing playoffs and could end up spoiling some dreams.

It will obviously be hard to do so because none of these teams have delivered this season, but anything can happen when a squad is no longer facing any pressure.

The last week of the LCK regular split will kick off on Wednesday, March 16.

William Davis

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