Given the incredibly high level of competition in the LCK, it seems that T1 might just not be able to qualify for MSI this year, with HLE, DK, and GEN seemingly dominating the region.
Following several weeks of matches in the Spring Regular Season, we have seen some incredible developments, and given the Fearless Draft changes that have further elevated the competitive experience for both players and fans, League of Legends Esports is looking to become quite the powerhouse.
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2025 LCK Rounds 1-2 Format
With Fearless Draft still in play, pro players will need to constantly adapt to an ever-shifting meta and draft their way to victory. Thankfully, there will be no best-of-one (Bo1) matches for this split so all of the teams will be able to give it their all.
Format
- 10 teams participate
- Double Round Robin
- All matches are best of three (Bo3)
- Top six teams qualify for Road to MSI
- Based on this rounds' results teams will be seeded into Rounds 3-5
- Top five teams will start in the Legend Group
- Bottom five teams will start in the Rise Group
HLE vs NS Game 1
HLE vs NS Bans
| HLE | NS |
Poppy  |
 Vi |
Xin Zhao  |
 Azir |
Yone  |
 Kalista |
Alistar  |
 Rakan |
Nautilus  |
 Braum |
HLE vs NS Picks
| HLE | NS |
Zeus  |
 Kingen |
Peanut  |
 GIDEON |
Zeka  |
 Calix |
Viper  |
 Jiwoo |
Delight  |
 Lehends |
Winner: HLE
Another dominant performance from HLE as Zeus retains his fame as the best top laner in the world, and although NS showed a lot of gusto, they fell short on some of their plays which allowed for the First Stand champions to grab a significant lead early on into the game. Another testament to how good the top teams in the LCK are, as despite NS being quite up the competitive ladder, HLE is miles ahead of the rest of the region, making it quite the fantastic display of League of Legends.
Finally, HLE was able to close out the game in a very convincing 1-0 start to the series.
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NS vs HLE Game 2
NS vs HLE Bans
| NS | HLE |
| Poppy |
Vi |
Naafiri  |
 Rumble |
| Kalista |
Azir |
Blitzcrank  |
 Jax |
| Braum |
 Kai'Sa |
NS vs HLE Picks
| NS | HLE |
Kingen  |
 Zeus |
| GIDEON |
 Peanut |
Calix  |
Zeka |
Jiwoo  |
 Viper |
| Lehends |
Delight |
Winner: HLE
A banger game as although HLE seemed on track to win the game with blind Nidalee top pick, Calix' Ahri coupled with Jiwoo's Zeri were phenomenal during the important team fights that propelled NS back into the series.
Despite NS finding miracle plays, HLE was able to decimate their ranks and finally end the series by going 2-0. NS should stand proud as they came so close to defeating one of the strongest teams in the LCK currently.
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