LCK Spring 2022 Week 1

League of Legends Champions Korea, or LCK, came out swinging on Week 1. A surprisingly action-packed week from the most “by the book” players in the world was delivered. Since the LCK had a relatively quiet offseason compared to the other regions, most teams were in great shape in LCK Spring 2022 Week 1. Still, the storylines of the games is what made them exciting. Former T1 members going against the current roster, fans looking at the level of performance 2020 World Champions DAMWON Gaming KIA would bring, and other things. Gen.G and T1 sit on top of the standings, surprising nobody. DRX and Kwangdong Freecs, however, are at the bottom of the standings. Fans are starting to get a little concerned as these teams both have great lineups, but can't seem to gel together.

For more in-game excitement, the LCK saw its first Singed pick in years, and the first Singed support in its history. On top of this, Singed won the game off of a singular Fling. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok almost got a pentakill, but his teammate accidentally took it. Try again next time, Faker.

Full VODs and schedules are available here. Check out this article for more information on the whole season.

LCK Spring 2022 Week 1 Game Results

Day 1

DRX vs SANDBOX Gaming – Game 1

  • Picks: [DRX] Graves, Viego, Ryze, Aphelios, Sona vs [LSB] Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Syndra, Jhin, Yuumi
  • Bans: [DRX] Diana, Caitlyn, Twisted Fate, LeBlanc, Viktor. [LSB] Renekton, Lee Sin, Leona, Jayce, Akali
  • Result: LSB win in 36:30 (Kills: DRX 5 – 14 LSB)
  • TL;DW: DRX accrue an early lead, and was ahead 7k gold at 20 minutes. LSB on the other hand, focus on stacking dragons. The LSB squad mount a comeback in the mid game with Tryndamere and Yuumi. After this, they snowball and take Baron a couple of times and securing Ocean Soul. Great tenacity from LSB for getting through an abysmal early game.

DRX vs SANDBOX Gaming – Game 2

  • Picks: [DRX] Graves, Jarvan IV, Ryze, Aphelios, Thresh vs [LSB] Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Akali, Ezreal, Leona
  • Bans: [DRX] Diana, Caitlyn, Yuumi, Samira, Syndra. [LSB] Renekton, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Viktor, LeBlanc
  • Result: LSB win in 34:25 (Kills: DRX 7 – 15 LSB)
  • TL;DW: The early game is a lot more bloodier than game 1. Tryndamere and Akali reign supreme compared to their counterparts in skirmishes. LSB secures three dragons in a row through great macro decisions. DRX attempt Baron but it gets stolen away by LSB's jungler. They then use this Baron buff to siege some towers and buy space to secure the Ocean Soul. DRX get Baron but lose the subsequent fight. Great mechanical performance from every player, but LSB claim the win in the end.

T1 vs Kwangdong Freecs – Game 1

  • Picks: [T1] Gragas, Jarvan IV, Zoe, Ezreal, Karma vs [KDF] Gwen, Xin Zhao, Syndra, Caitlyn, Lux
  • Bans: [T1] Lee Sin, Ryze, Viktor, LeBlanc, Graves. [KDF] Renekton, Twisted Fate, Vex, Jayce, (KDF missed one ban)
  • Result: T1 win in 37:10 (Kills: T1 11 – 7 KDF)
  • TL;DW: In the early game, the bot lane is packed with action as expected. T1's poke comp proved too effective against KDF, and KDF lacked the damage to deal with a tank Gragas. T1 quickly claim Ocean Soul and then Baron Nashor shortly afterwards. The Elder Drake is soon secured by T1 and they tear KDF apart. A true macro focused game from the T1 squad.

T1 vs Kwangdong Freecs – Game 2

  • Picks: [KDF] Graves, Lee Sin, Syndra, Jhin, Yuumi vs [T1] Jax, Nidalee, Viktor, Caitlyn, Karma
  • Bans: [KDF] Irelia, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Zoe, Akshan. [T1] Renekton, Ryze, Lux, LeBlanc, Jayce
  • Result: T1 win in 25:01 (Kills: KDF 4 – 18 T1)
  • TL;DW: A slower early game, but a gank from Nidalee kills both KDF bot laners putting T1's duo ahead. KDF's team composition is unable to close the distance, which results in lost fights. T1 ride the momentum and continually steamroll KDF's members. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok almost gets a pentakill but his jungler takes it away. An expected shellacking from T1.

Day 2

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Nongshim REDFORCE – Game 1

  • Picks: [NS] Graves, Lee Sin, Azir, Jinx, Nautilus vs [HLE] Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Syndra, Jhin, Rakan
  • Bans: [NS] Yuumi, Karma, Caitlyn, LeBlanc, Leona. [HLE] Twisted Fate, Renekton, Aphelios, Lulu, Akali
  • Result: NS win in 35:48 (Kills: NS 19 – 7 HLE)
  • TL;DW: The NS squad steamrolled HLE in team fights. Great attempts were made by HLE but were ultimately unable to outmaneuver the enemy team. Empowered by the Ocean Soul, NS pushed for the win and even got some cheeky fountain kills.

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Nongshim REDFORCE – Game 2

  • Picks: [HLE] Gragas, Xin Zhao, Viktor, Ezreal, Karma vs [NS] Jayce, Lee Sin, Corki, Aphelios, Nautilus
  • Bans: [HLE] Diana, Jarvan IV, Irellia, Tryndamere, Akshan. [NS] Renekton, Yuumi, Twisted Fate, LeBlanc, Graves
  • Result: HLE win in 32:32 (Kills: HLE 15 – 3 NS)
  • TL;DW: A great performance from HLE showed they were not yet down for the count. They claim victory after getting the Baron buff. A very slow game, overall a calculated beating by HLE.

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Nongshim REDFORCE – Game 3

  • Picks: [NS] Graves, Lee Sin, Syndra, Jinx, Nautilys vs [HLE] Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Viktor, Jhin, Sett
  • Bans: [NS] Yuumi, Caitlyn, Karma, Leona, LeBlanc. [HLE] Twisted Fate, Renekton, Aphelios, Thresh, Azir
  • Result: HLE win in 36:01 (Kills: NS 9 – 24 HLE)
  • TL;DW: The game was relatively even until an ace out of nowhere by HLE. They snowball the lead they gained into a Baron and crack open the NS base. Several won fights later, HLE take the game.

KT Rolster vs DAMWON Gaming KIA – Game 1

  • Picks: [KT] Akali, Lee Sin, Zoe, Jhin, Karma vs [DK] Gwen, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Caitlyn, Lux
  • Bans: [KT] LeBlanc, yuumi, Diana, Corki, Gragas. [DK] Renekton, Twisted Fate, Vex, Ryze, Graves
  • Result: DK win in 42:42 (Kills: KT 6 – 10 DK)
  • TL;DW: ShowMaker impresses with his immaculate CS, gaining 260 in 21 minutes. DK prioritized objectives, but get the Baron stolen away by KT's top laner. Despite this, they try again and claim it the second time around. Finally buffed by the Baron, DK went for the victory push and succeeded after acing KT.

KT Rolster vs DAMWON Gaming KIA – Game 2

  • Picks: [KT] Camille, Lee Sin, Vex, Jhin, Rakan vs [DK] Graves, Jarvan IV, Viktor, Aphelios, Karma
  • Bans: [KT] Yuumi, Caitlyn, LeBlanc, Syndra, Corki. [DK] Renekton, Twisted Fate, Xin Zhao, Kennen, Diana
  • Result: DK win in 24:06 (Kills: KT 11 – 17 DK)
  • TL;DW: Another slow game. DK managed to slay Baron as soon as it spawned, and swiftly ended the game with the buff.

Day 3

Gen.G Esports vs DRX – Game 1

  • Picks: [DRX] Gragas, Xin Zhao, Viktor, Caitlyn, Lux vs [GEN] Tryndamere, Viego, Corki, Varus, Thresh
  • Bans: [DRX] Karma, Graves, Twisted Fate, Jarvan IV, Kennen vs [GEN] Yuumi, Renekton, Lee Sin, Akshan, Akali
  • Result: GEN win in 29:32 (Kills: DRX 2 – 17 GEN)
  • TL;DW: GEN's composition simply ran over DRX in this stomp of a game. DRX was never given any leeway to play the game, and the game was quickly decided.

Gen.G Esports vs DRX – Game 2

  • Picks: [GEN] Graves, Lee Sin, Corki, Ziggs, Leona vs [DRX] Gwen, Xin Zhao, LeBlanc, Aphelios, Nautilus
  • Bans: [GEN] Caitlyn, Twisted Fate, Karma, Akshan, Rakan. [DRX] Tryndamere, Renekton, yuumi, Jayce, Lissandra
  • Result: GEN win in 25:51 (Kills: GEN 22 – 8 DRX)
  • TL;DW: GEN took last game's momentum and kicked their aggression up a notch. They earned themselves a significant lead early on and, not unlike the last game, stomp DRX once more. DRX, unfortunately, was unable to pick up a win in Week 1 of LCK Spring 2022.

Fredit BRION vs T1 – Game 1

  • Picks: [BRO] Camille, Xin Zhao, Galio, Varus, Leona vs [T1] Jayce, Nidalee, Ryze, Jhin, Rakan
  • Bans: [BRO] Yuumi, Caitlyn, Twisted Fate, Viego, Jarvan. [T1] Renekton, Lee Sin, KLarma, Gragas, LeBlanc
  • Result: BRO win in 42:43 (Kills: BRO 17 – 11 T1)
  • TL;DW: The early game went heavily in T1's favor after a bot dive gone wrong by BRO. But, this ended up mattering very little as there was no counterplay to the Camille-Galio combo. It was effective in catching out members of T1 and earned BRO the Hextech Soul and soon the victory.

Fredit BRION vs T1 – Game 2

  • Picks: [T1] Gnar, Xin Zhao, Viktor, Aphelios, Nautilus vs [BRO] Gragas, Viego, Ryze, Jhin, Sett
  • Bans: [T1] Lee Sin, LeBlanc, Twisted Fate, Leona, Yuumi. [BRO] Karma, Caitlyn, Renekton, Graves, Lulu
  • Result: T1 win in 45:51 (Kills: T1 21 – 13 BRO)
  • TL;DW: A relatively equal game. BRO successfully shut down T1's carries, and stole the Baron away twice from T1. T1, on the other hand, turn the game around after claiming the Elder Dragon and the Baron buff for themselves.

Fredit BRION vs T1 – Game 3

  • Picks: [BRO] Gragas, Xin Zhao, Corki, Varus, Karma vs [T1] Gwen, Jarvan IV, Vex, Aphelios, Lulu
  • Bans: [BRO] Yuumi, Caitlyn, Twisted Fate, Viktor, Ryze. [T1] Lee Sin, Renekton, (Missed Ban), Camille, LeBlanc
  • Result: T1 win in 41:22 (Kills: BRO 4 – 18 T1)
  • TL;DW: All early game action occurred on the bottom side of the map. These plays went in the favor of T1. They slowly but surely snowballed this lead into an Ocean Soul, an Elder Dragon, and a Baron to close out the series. Due to this victory, T1 sits at the top in Week 1 of LCK Spring 2022.

Day 4

Nongshim REDFORCE vs SANDBOX Gaming – Game 1

  • Picks: [NS] Graves, Talon, Viktor, Jhin, Yuumi vs [LSB] Ryze, Xin Zhao, Zoe, Ezreal, Karma
  • Bans: [NS] Caitlyn, Tryndamere, Aphelios, LeBlanc, Akali. [LSB] Renekton, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Diana, Viego
  • Result: NS win in 30:34 (Kills: NS 13 – 6 LSB)
  • TL;DW: NS attempt to punish the Ryze top, but fail numerous times. However, they turn it around by killing off stragglers in the LSB squad, and run away with game 1.

Nongshim REDFORCE vs SANDBOX Gaming – Game 2

  • Picks: [NS] Graves, Diana, Orianna, Aphelios, Braum vs [LSB] Camille, Viego, Akali, Ezreal, Leona
  • Bans: [NS] Caitlyn, Tryndamere, Karma, Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao. [LSB] Renekton, Lee Sin, Yuumi, Twisted Fate, LeBlanc
  • Result: NS win in 26:03 (Kills: NS 13 – 5 LSB)
  • TL;DW: Early kills go the way of NS and gain them a significant lead. This game was basically over in 12 minutes and NS just had to go through the formality of destroying the Nexus.

Kwangdong Freecs vs KT Rolster – Game 1

  • Picks: [KDF] Graves, Lee Sin, Lissandra, Varus, Thresh vs [KT] Tryndamere, Jarvan IV, LeBlanc, Aphelios, Sett
  • Bans: [KDF] Yuumi, Nautilus, Twisted Fate, Vex, Ryze. [KT] Caitlyn, Karma, Renekton, Syndra, Viktor
  • Result: KT win in 35:31 (Kills: KDF 7 – 20 KT)
  • TL;DW: KT earn a lead in the lane phase which gave them space to threaten objectives. Slowly, KT built up enough damage and made it impossible for KDF to win a fight and they claim game 1.

Kwangdong Freecs vs KT Rolster – Game 2

  • Picks: [KDF] Gnar, Lee Sin, Viktor, Varus, Thresh vs [KT] Graves,  Jarvan IV, Sylas, Aphelios, Sett
  • Bans: [KDF] Yuumi, Nautilus, Twisted Fate, Lee Sin, Malphite. [KT] Caitlyn, Karma, Renekton, Syndra, Graves
  • Result: KT win in 32:11 (Kills: KDF 4 – 13 KT)
  • TL;DW: This game went exactly the same way as the first game. The fight execution and map play from KT Rolster was identical due to the similarities in the draft.

Day 5

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Fredit BRION – Game 1

  • Picks: [BRO] Gragas, Xin Zhao, Corki, Jhin, Rakan vs. [HLE] Gnar, Lee Sin, Sylas, Aphelios, Lulu
  • Bans: [BRO] Caitlyn, Karma, Tryndamere, Graves, Sett. [HLE] Renekton, Twisted Fate, Varus, Yuumi, Leona
  • Result: BRO win in 33:42 (Kills: BRO 6 – 3 HLE)
  • TL;DW: Overall a very slow and careful game from both teams. That aside, Corki's Rocket Barrage terrorized the HLE squad. This, augmented by the Chemtech Soul won BRO team fights and eventually the game.

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Fredit BRION – Game 2

  • Picks: [HLE] Jayce, Viego, Jayce, Aphelios, Karma vs [BRO] Gragas, Lee Sin, Viktor, Varus, Leona
  • Bans: [HLE] Corki, Jarvan IV, Twisetd Fate, LeBlanc, Irelia. [BRO] Renekton, Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Graves, Sett
  • Result: HLE win in 30:30 (Kills:  HLE 13 – 6 BRO)
  • TL;DW: Early game was a one-sided domination from HLE. Despite this, BRO found several opportunities to turn the game around. However, on BRO's second Baron push, HLE repel them and go full force in ending the game.

Hanhwa Life Esports vs Fredit BRION – Game 3

  • Picks: [BRO] Gragas, Xin Zhao, LeBlanc, Jhin, Rakan vs [HLE] Gnar, Viego, Vex, Caitlyn, Nautilus
  • Bans: [BRO] Aphelios, Tryndamere, Karma, Lux, Graves. [HLE] renekton, Corki, Twisted Fate, Yuumi, Leona
  • Result: BRO win in 35:08 (Kills: BRO 15 – 2 HLE)
  • TL;DW: This game had a relatively slow early game, but the midgame was a bloodbath. Numerous team fights happened and BRO came out on top almost every time. HLE was unable to stymie their bleeding and BRO take their Nexus and the match.

DAMWON Gaming KIA vs Gen.G Gaming – Game 1

  • Picks: [DK] Camille, Diana, Twisted Fate, Samira, Nautilus vs [GEN] Gwen, Lee Sin, LeBlanc, Ezreal, Yuumi
  • Bans: [DK] Tryndamere, Jarvan IV, Aphelios, Gravas, Jax. [GEN] Renekton, Caitlyn, Talon, Poppy, Xin Zhao
  • Result: DK win in 36:00 (DK 15 – 17 GEN)
  • TL;DW: GEN built themselves up a lead, but DK swiftly took the Hextech Soul. This was not enough, since GEN was able to take the Elder Soul in exchange for the Baron. Samira almost gets a pentakill, but the Elder buff made sure she did not. DK's composition team fights better and they expressed this by winning against GEN in a fight for the Elder Dragon.

DAMWON Gaming KIA vs Gen.G Gaming – Game 2

  • Picks: [GEN] Gragas, Poppy, Corki, Aphelios, Leona vs [DK] Akali, Jarvan IV, Kassadin, Jinx, Thresh
  • Bans: [GEN] Samira, Karma, Caitlyn, Syndra, Vex. [DK] Yuumi, Twisted Fate, Renekton, Viego, Graves
  • Result: GEN win in 48:02 (Kills: GEN 18 – 23 DK)
  • TL;DW: GEN did a great job of shutting down Kassadin in teamfights. Despite having the Cloud Soul, DK was unable to win fights against the poke of the Corki. DK saw a glimmer of hope when they repel GEN's victory push and claim the Elder buff, but even that was not enough. Soon, the second Elder Dragon was claimed by GEN, and they push 5-man strong to end the game.

DAMWON Gaming KIA vs Gen.G Gaming – Game 3

  • Picks: [DK] Gragas, Viego, Viktor, Ezreal, Yuumi vs [GEN] Ornn, Poppy, Corki, Samira, Singed
  • Bans: [DLeBlanc, Aphelios, Jarvan IV, Nautilus, Graves. [GEN] Renekton, Twisted Fate, Talon, Syndra, Vex
  • Result: GEN win in 35:08 (Kills: DK 17 – 15 GEN)
  • TL;DW: This is the first time Singed support got picked in the history of LCK. At first, it seemed quite ineffective, even to the point of dying four times without any impact. However, a successful Fling onto Viktor tips the scales onto GEN's favor. After a won fight, GEN march onto DK's base to snatch the series away. Gen.G end LCK Spring 2022 Week 1 at the top of the standings.