Kha Y Tran On January 31, 2026, in the Super Week group stage of the LCK Cup 2026, T1 faced off against Dplus KIA (DK) in a crucial Best-of-5 series. This match was pivotal in determining both teams’ positions in the race for the Playoffs and had a direct impact on the Group Baron vs Group Elder standings.
Follow the results of other matches on Tenkly: https://tenkly.com/
Overall Assessment of the Match
T1 chose a teamfight-focused draft with strong tempo control. Their core was simple. The mid and ADC dealt steady late-game damage. The jungler started fights. The top laner provided engage and lockdown. T1 wanted to take over from the mid game. They forced 5v5 fights around Dragon and Baron. DK had to play at T1’s pace. The draft was easy to execute. It had clear combos and did not rely on early snowballing.
DK, in contrast, picked poke and pick-off styles. They aimed to win lanes and skirmish early. Their goal was to snowball the mid game. But when that failed, problems appeared. DK lacked reliable engage. They also became hesitant against T1’s strong teamfight setup.
Detailed Match Breakdown
Game 1 – T1 Controls the Map and Snowballs Early
The opening game started with a fairly even laning phase. However, T1 quickly took control thanks to superior macro play and smart rotations. Faker’s Azir in mid lane was the key pillar for split pressure and vision control. T1 capitalized on small objective fights around Dragons and the Rift Herald to gradually build a gold lead.
In the mid game, T1 found a pivotal fight near Baron, where they cleaned up DK with strong teamfight coordination and secured the Baron buff. DK tried to fight back but couldn’t contest the major objectives. T1 then suffocated the map and closed out the game after around 33 minutes with a textbook snowball.
Game 2 – Oner and the Bottom Lane Lead the Charge
T1 once again showed clear intent to control the tempo from the very start. Jungler Oner on Vi applied constant pressure across the map, especially by controlling key jungle areas and shutting down talents like ShowMaker on DK’s side. Meanwhile, in the bottom lane, Peyz on Kai’Sa repeatedly cleaned up fights, creating enormous pressure and turning bot lane into T1’s main win condition.
A major teamfight around the Dragon pit became the turning point: Oner engaged perfectly, T1 won the fight decisively, and secured a huge advantage. After taking Baron, T1 extended the gold lead to over 10,000 and quickly finished the game with overwhelming teamfight power.
Game 3 – DK Pushes Back Early but Can’t Turn It Around
DK started Game 3 with a more proactive strategy, aiming to secure early kills and small objectives to create an upset. They coordinated well in the early phase, took a slight lead, and put T1 under pressure.
However, T1’s composition — with Peyz on Varus — once again showed stability and strong carry potential once items came online. Even though DK secured some Dragons and even took Baron at around 35 minutes, T1 denied them any safe space on the map. A decisive fight broke out near Baron when DK tried to force an engage — Doran’s Kennen found a perfect flank and ultimate, pinning DK in place and winning the fight for T1. T1 immediately regained full map control, used both the Dragon Soul and Baron buff to force fights and push down structures, and ended the match with a powerful final push into DK’s base.
Key Highlights
- Peyz (T1 ADC) was one of the brightest stars of the series, maintaining high CS and contributing heavily to kills across all three games.
- Doran and Faker also made crucial plays in decisive teamfights to secure advantages for T1.
- DK fought hard, but they couldn’t break through T1’s defensive setup or match their teamfight coordination.
Conclusion
The 3–0 victory not only allowed T1 to maintain their undefeated record, but also reaffirmed them as one of the top contenders for the LCK Cup 2026 title. This win officially secured T1 a spot in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, Dplus KIA will need to adjust their playstyle quickly if they want a chance to advance to the next stage.
Follow LCK matches at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajvT8Ikblj0
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Quynh Bui 
