LCK 2025 Summer Split: Shocking Upsets Rock Week 3—Updated Standings, Schedule & Where to Watch Live

The 2025 LCK season is entering a pivotal stretch as teams prepare for Rounds 3-5 of the newly overhauled league format, and the race for this year’s coveted LCK Cup is already reshaping the League of Legends landscape in Korea. A revamped format raises the stakes For the first time, the LCK has scrapped the traditional Spring and Summer splits in favor of a single, five-round season that funnels directly into an expanded playoff bracket. The shift compresses the calendar, intensifies every best-of-three, and amplifies the importance of early-season momentum—an approach Riot Games hopes will keep fans engaged year-round and deliver more high-pressure series. Key dates on the horizon • Rounds 1-2: April 2 – June 1 (completed) • Mid-season break: June 2 – July 22 • Rounds 3-5: July 23 – August 31 • Playoffs & LCK Cup: September 7 – October 5 The extended break gives organizations time to refine drafts and, if needed, make roster swaps before the home stretch begins. Table-toppers and surprise storylines Gen.G closed Round 2 atop the standings behind mid-laner Chovy’s blistering 7.8 KDA, while Hanwha Life Esports stunned the region by eliminating perennial powerhouse T1—and superstar Faker—in a dramatic 3-2 playoff qualifier that shook Korean social media. The upset leaves T1 outside the top-four cutoff, forcing the organization into must-win territory when play resumes. Roster updates to watch • T1’s coaching staff hinted at promoting academy jungler UmTi to spark faster early-game tempo. • Dplus KIA secured veteran support BeryL on a short-term deal, reuniting him with Deft for the first time since their 2022 World Championship run. • KT Rolster has reportedly tested a double-AD-carry strategy in scrims, leveraging Peyz’s flexibility in bot or mid. Meta trends shaping the split Patch 15.12 has pushed enchanter supports back into priority, bringing champions like Milio and Janna to the fore, while the mid-lane pool is dominated by Azir and Taliyah. Jungle remains a farm-heavy battleground, with Kindred and Viego seeing consistent bans. Analysts expect a fresh shake-up on Patch 15.13 just before Rounds 3-5, which could favor proactive skirmish comps that Gen.G and DRX already excel at running. What’s at stake With only three rounds left, every map win counts toward playoff seeding. The top two teams at the end of Round 5 advance directly to the semifinal stage of the LCK Cup, while the 3rd- to 6th-place squads battle through a single-elimination gauntlet. Championship points will determine Korea’s #1 and #2 seeds for the 2025 World Championship, adding global implications to each series. How to watch Matches return on July 23 at 17:00 KST and stream live on lolesports.com, Twitch, and YouTube with English, Korean, and Mandarin broadcasts. Viewers can earn in-game drops such as exclusive emotes, chromas, and mythic essence by linking a Riot account. Bottom line The reinvented LCK season has already produced shock upsets, a tightened standings table, and new meta wrinkles. Whether Gen.G can maintain its dominance, T1 can mount a comeback, or Hanwha Life’s miracle run continues will define not only the domestic title chase but also Korea’s international prospects later this year. Fans won’t have to wait long—when the LCK retakes the stage in Seoul, every clash could be the one that decides the 2025 Korean crown.