The second week of the 2025 Woori Bank LCK Playoffs kicks off this Wednesday the 17th, Thursday the 18th, Saturday the 20th, and Sunday the 21st at the LCK Arena, located in LoL Park, Jongno-gu, Seoul. After the first week saw KT Rolster toppling Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports outmaneuvering T1, the air is thick with anticipation—will this streak of upsets continue into the second week?

There are three burning questions as we head into the second week. Can Hanwha Life Esports or KT Rolster secure an express ticket to the finals? Who will claw their way out of the burgeoning losers' bracket? And perhaps most tellingly, can Gen.G shake off their recent defeat and find their rhythm in the third round of the losers' bracket?

Hanwha Life Esports arrives as the defending champions. Having bested Gen.G at the Summer Finals in Gyeongju last year, Hanwha Life Esports still holds the title, despite the shift to the LCK's new single-season system. While technically outside the regular season, the team also holds the distinction of being the inaugural winners of both the LCK Cup and the First Stand international tournament.

Since its inception under the current ownership in 2018, Hanwha Life Esports has never tasted a direct route to the finals. Now, having dispatched a titan like T1, Hanwha Life Esports has a golden opportunity to cement its status as champion by waiting in the finals for a challenger.

For KT Rolster, the finals are a long-awaited destination. The team has not graced the big stage since 2018. Should KT Rolster overcome Hanwha Life Esports in the winners' bracket final, it would mark a triumphant return to the grand stage for Director Go Dong-bin after seven years.

Looking at the 2025 head-to-head records, Hanwha Life Esports leads with 5 wins and 1 loss, with KT Rolster’s only victory coming during the second round of the regular season. Interestingly, when these two have met in best-of-five series, KT Rolster holds a clean sweep of 3 wins. While the season statistics suggest a disparity, the second round of the playoffs reminded everyone that historical data often means very little in a high-stakes short series.

The 2025 LCK Playoffs are operating under a double-elimination format, offering a lifeline to those who stumble. Dplus KIA and BNK FearX, who faltered in the first round, along with T1, who recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Hanwha Life Esports, are now fighting for survival in the losers' bracket.

Dplus KIA and BNK FearX square off this Wednesday the 17th. Dplus KIA initially looked to be the bogeyman for BNK FearX, stringing together victories from the LCK Cup through the third round of the regular season, but BNK FearX clawed back wins in the fourth round and play-ins, making the outcome of this clash anyone's guess.

The victor of Wednesday's match will face T1 on Thursday the 18th. At stake is the final remaining ticket for the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship allotted to the LCK. It is a critical juncture, especially for T1, the two-time defending World Champions, as their path to defending their crown hangs in the balance.

The winner of the match on the 18th will advance to face Gen.G in the third round of the losers' bracket on Sunday the 21st. While both teams reaching this stage are guaranteed a spot at the World Championship, victory is essential to ensure a stable path through the tournament. The loser will be relegated to the LCK's 4th seed spot.

That team will face the LPL’s 4th seed in a best-of-five play-in match, where a loss results in an immediate exit from the World Championship. Beyond that, the winner of the losers' bracket third round earns a coveted ticket to the finals, which will be held at Inspire Arena on the 27th (Saturday).

The second week of the 2025 LCK Playoffs will be broadcast live via SOOP, Naver e-sports & games, LCK YouTube channel. Matches begin at 5:00 PM on weekdays and 3:00 PM on weekends, with tickets for live viewing available on Interpark 48 hours before each match.