The LCK is making some big changes ahead of the 2025 season with the introduction of a brand-new format. Along with that format is an exciting new tournament called the LCK Cup. This is a new tournament that will see the winners be invited to the first of three international events starting in 2025. Not sure how the LCK Cup format works? Don't worry, stay tuned to this article to find out more.

The LCK Cup format

The LCK Cup is what we should likely expect from all tier one regions moving forward. A smaller and shorter kick off style event that leads into the first international event, before ramping up the competition as the Mid-Season Invitiational and Worlds comes into town.

The first thing to note is that the LCK Cup will run entirely on fearless draft. There are different types of fearless draft but the one the LCK is going with is a hard fearless draft, meaning once a champion has been played, they are banned for the entirety of the series. This means that in a full five-game series, fifty champions will be banned from going into the deciding game. With the drafting style out of the way, here's how the LCK Cup format works.

The ten teams will be divided into two groups. The best two teams from the previous season will be drawn into each group and will pick the teams they want into their groups. The teams will then play a single round-robin against each team from the other group. Every match in the group stage is a best-of-three. The top three teams from the winning group advance to the playoffs. The bottom 2 teams from the winning group and the top 4 teams from the losing group move onto the play-ins.

The play-in stage is a double elimination bracket with every match being a best-of-three outside of the finals. The best three teams advance to the playoffs. The LCK Cup playoffs is also a double elimination bracket with every series being a best-of-five. The winner advances to the new international event.