On February 7th, the first day of the Play-in stage of the LCK Cup 2025 took place. Two matches were played — DRX against DN Freecs and Nongshim RedForce against OKSavingsBank BRION. In this material, we summarized the outcomes of these matches.

DRX vs. DN Freecs

The opening match of the playoff stage. The encounter of DRX against DN Freecs. In the first map, DRX immediately showed their intentions to advance, proving they are the favorites in this match. DNF tried to resist, but thanks to the successful actions of DRX and a brilliant performance by Teddy, they managed to win on the first map.

The second map was much more even. DNF had decent chances to win and at some points in the game, it really seemed like we were on our way to watch a third map. But in the late game, Ucal began to shine. His Aurora with a score of 10/2/7 simply erased opponents from the map, thus winning skirmishes, and as a result, DRX won with a score of 2:0.

Nongshim RedForce vs. OKSavingsBank BRION

On the first map, BRION looked quite competitive. Hype on Ezreal displayed good gameplay, and Rumble from Morgan created a constant threat in team fights. However, the key factor for the victory of Nongshim RedForce was Kai’Sa from Jiwoo, who dealt the most damage among all players (26.7k). Fisher on Taliyah also stood out, gathering 5/3/10 and repeatedly deciding the fate of fights with his successful combos.

If the first game was relatively even, the second map was a one-sided demonstration of the strength of Nongshim RedForce. OKSavingsBank BRION couldn’t find an effective response to the opponent's actions, and Nongshim gained a significant advantage early on. BRION attempted to turn the game around, particularly through Azir by Clozer, but simply lacked team support. As a result, Nongshim RedForce won with a score of 2:0.

Tomorrow at 8:00 GMT+2, Nongshim RedForce will face T1 and DRX at 10:30 GMT+2 will play against Hanwha Life Esports. 

LCK Cup 2025 is held in a group stage and playoff format with 10 teams divided into two groups. Each group consists of 5 teams, and the seeding was based on results from the 2024 tournaments. A spot in the First Stand 2025 is at stake. You can find all the information about the tournament at the link.