With the new year beginning, League of Legends wrapped up Season 15 and officially kicked off Season 16. The official leagues across regions have gradually announced the start times for the first stage. Following the conclusion of the LCK preseason draft, the CUP team selection was held without delay. Similar to last season, 10 teams were split into two groups, with the Season 15 champion and runner-up serving as captains for the Elder Dragon and Baron teams respectively.

As the champion, GEN, representing the Elder Dragon team, had the first pick. Coach Yuelun immediately chose T1 during the selection, stating: "I believe they are the best team." The Baron team, HLE, then selected DK. Following that, T1 picked NS, and DK chose KT. After the selections concluded, the groups for the first stage of the LCK were finalized: Elder Dragon group: GEN, T1, NS, DNS, BRO.

The Baron group consists of HLE, DK, KT, BFX, and DRX. On paper, the Elder Dragon group with GEN and T1 is definitely stronger. However, the LCK CUP’s first stage focuses on group results. Although NS has three international FMVP players, their overall strength seems weaker than DK. DNS and BRO are both considered weak links. BFX in the Baron group is a dark horse, while DRX’s strength is relatively low.

As with last year, the two groups compete against each other. The group with the most overall wins will have its top three teams advance directly to the playoffs. The group with the fewest wins will see its last-place team eliminated. The remaining teams enter the second stage play-in to fight for playoff spots. The teams that reach the finals will participate in the global VCT event. There have been slight changes to this year’s LCK CUP format, including coach voice communication being allowed three times per game, each lasting 45 seconds.

Additionally, during the third week of the group stage, teams with similar records and rankings from both groups will face off in a best-of-five series. The winning team will earn 2 match points (compared to 1 point for a best-of-three). Otherwise, the format remains the same: double-sided global bans, and playoffs starting from round two will use a double-elimination format with each team having one comeback opportunity. Also, weekend match times have been adjusted from 3 PM to 5 PM.

Regarding the schedule, the LCK officially announced that the K CUP will begin on January 14, with KT facing NDS in the opening match, followed immediately by DK versus BRO. The first two days promise high-stakes matches. The only exciting matchup is NS versus BFX, leaving fans wondering if last year’s dark horse can upset Scout and his team. The most anticipated event is T1’s debut on the 16th, where Old Lee will face off against HLE.

Little Lu Bu’s first match this season will be directly against his former team, and it’s uncertain whether he can lead his team to victory. Here is a brief summary of T1’s schedule: after playing HLE, T1 will face DRX on the 18th, then have a rematch against KT on the 23rd, followed by a game versus BFX on the 25th, and a match against DK on the 31st. The following period is the super week, when rankings will be crucial. The key match dates are also summarized: the 16th and 17th will feature battles between top teams.

On these dates, T1 will play HLE, GEN will face KT, followed by KT versus T1 and DK against GEN on the 23rd and 24th. Finally, on the 31st and February 1st, T1 will meet DK, and HLE will challenge GEN. These are the main high-profile matches. It’s worth noting that while the LPL takes a break for the Lunar New Year in February, the LCK will continue without pause. The super week during the holiday will feature best-of-five matches, guaranteeing at least three intense clashes between strong teams.

Conclusion:

The key to the group confrontations is how the weaker teams perform. DNS and BRO are not as strong as BFX and FRX. Both BRO and DRX are considered pure weak links, but BFX’s strength is slightly better than BRO’s. BRO pulled an upset against GEN last year, but that was just a one-time miracle. Compared to that, BFX is more consistently strong, so personally, I favor the Baron group.

So, what do you think? Can HLE beat T1?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!