LCK Round 3 ends with eight teams at 2-2, who will come out on top?

Naerlyn Published August 10, 2026

The LCK has just finished the first round robin from Rounds 3-4. After every team faced the rest of their group, all of them finished 2-2 besides Dplus KIA (3-1) and Hanwha Life Esports (1-3).

With every match being a toss-up, it’s hard to make good bets in the LCK in 2026.

LCK Round 3 finishes with eight teams at 2-2

By the end of Rounds 1-2, an order was clearly established in the LCK.

• Hanwha Life Esports, Gen.G, and T1 make up the top three.
• KT Rolster are just within reach while Dplus KIA are slightly behind.
• HANJIN BRION, BNK FearX, Kiwoom DRX, and Nongshim RedForce are a clear step below, in the Rise Group.
• Lastly, DN Soopers is dead last after only miraculously picking up one single win.

Then, performances at the Mid-Season Invitational and Esports World Cup suddenly elevated DK while solidifying HLE’s spot. However, as the first week of the LCK Rounds 3-4 started, it seemed like the playing field had changed.

In the Legend Group, KT began by crushing T1 with an emergency sub. The World champions then beat Gen.G just as convincingly. Still high off their EWC win, DK won both their matches while HLE lost theirs.

The LCK Round 3 2026 finishes with no clear best team. Image Credit: Riot Games

However, week 2 arrived and the script mostly flipped. KT then lost their matches and Gen.G, won instead. The other three teams all went 1-1.

Meanwhile in the Rise Group, DNS locked themselves out of playoffs, then started winning with a new jungler. BRO and BFX, who seemed like the best in the group looked shaky again, while KRX and NS didn’t move.

Legend Group

Rise Group

Who is the best team in the LCK?

Ultimately, all teams finished Round 3 at 2-2, except for DK who went 3-1 and HLE 1-3. There is one final round robin to go before the season play-in and playoffs.

However, while they almost all scored the same these two weeks, the standings don’t reflect that. As the match scores carried over from Rounds 1-2 back in Spring, they face very different roads to the playoffs.

KT and DK are still respectively one and two wins behind the rest of their group. The top two spots matter to get a bye, while the last place goes through the play-in, and there are only four matches left.

In the Rise group, DNS are already out while the other four are neck-and-neck, aiming for the top spot while avoiding the bottom two.

As for who the best team in the LCK is, it’s impossible to say. Gen.G are a contender if they carry on with their week 2 strength, while DK has it otherwise. At the same time, T1 could beat anyone, but they often don’t manage to, and KT and HLE have shown their potential.

Who would you rank at the top? Share your thoughts on our forums.

Featured image credit: Riot Games