LCK's second stage regular season has passed the halfway point of its first week. In the last match day, both Pioneer stage teams were showcased. BFX faced a shocking 2:0 loss to BRO. Following the Pioneer stage, BFX's coaching staff appeared to have strategic problems. In the first stage, BFX's approach was always to make Diable the focal point, picking a core ADC for him in every game, with the rest of the team supporting the bot lane.

However, in this BO3 against BRO, the coach suddenly changed tactics, focusing entirely on the top and mid lanes, while the bot lane was assigned utility/support picks. Diable played Ashe and Jhin, unable to carry in the mid-to-late game. The top and mid players, due to insufficient individual skill, couldn't execute the strategy effectively. After this match, the coach should realize that Diable is BFX's core; not playing around him halves the team's combat power.

Another match was GEN versus KT. In their debut, KT had already shut out T1 2:0, with the top-mid-jungle trio showing form reminiscent of last year's Worlds. In this game against GEN, BDD once again proved the value of "the contender leaves a name." In the first game, Canyon's (三叔) rhythm was completely outplayed by his counterpart. Cuzz pressured both top and mid lanes, securing a significant early lead.

But GEN showed strong resilience, catching up economically in the mid-game and even having a chance to turn the game. However, in the crucial Baron fight, BDD stepped up, landing a super-long-range Q to steal the Baron, leading his team in pursuit and ending the game. Without this Baron steal, KT likely would have been reversed. In the second game, KT had major issues with early tower dives; a bot lane 3v1 failed, resulting in two deaths for GEN.

GEN, with a full-line advantage, crushed in team fights and tied the score. In the decisive game, it was again BDD's showtime. Early to mid-game, both teams traded blows. At 24 minutes, KT had a 5-kill lead, but GEN was only 200 gold behind. In subsequent fights, BDD consistently coordinated with Cuzz to precisely eliminate Ruler (尺帝). GEN, lacking core output when starting fights, began to collapse.

However, in the final decisive fight, BDD had a slight flaw: he entered but didn't kill Ruler. Yet all his teammates stepped up. If such scenes had occurred last year, perhaps BDD would have won the championship. Even though he didn't eliminate Ruler, he drew fire and weakened Ruler's condition, so the flaw doesn't overshadow his excellence. Without him holding the line, GEN likely would have taken the first two games.

First defeating T1, then crushing GEN, KT leads the standings with two consecutive wins. No one expected KT to have such strength now. Honestly, the bot lane duo isn't as strong as last year; Aming's ability to hold the line is somewhat inferior to deokdam. But since they won, there's little to criticize. Everyone contributed to successively overturning T1 and GEN. If they continue this momentum, KT might become the dominant force.

The next match is another highlight: HLE versus T1. This matchup is truly intriguing. If HLE wins, Peyz will be heavily criticized; T1 fans and viewers will blame management for releasing "Big Egg" (大鸡蛋) during the transfer period. If T1 wins,舆论 will say removing "Egg" was correct. Regardless of the outcome, post-match discussions will be interesting.

Conclusion:

Based on the opening match performances, personally, I feel T1 cannot beat HLE because T1's top and bot lane combat power is lower than HLE's. Even if "Big O" (大O) and "Old Lee" (老李) don't underperform, it's hard to lead the team to victory. However, HLE's chances are only slightly higher than T1's, because if Kanavi goes berserk, the result becomes unpredictable.

So, who do you think will win between HLE and T1?

Feel free to leave your comments for discussion!