The LCK 2023 season is already underway and we’re bound for yet another banger year. The LCK Spring Split started on Jan. 18th and this year we will have a new double elimination playoffs bracket, giving teams the chance to redeem themselves if things don’t turn out well.
If you haven’t followed the offseason, here are the LCK top five contenders that should fight for the title. We kick things off, with the most dominant team Korea has ever known.
Image Credits | Riot Games
T1, formerly SK Telecom T1, continue to be a world class team going into 2023. If it weren’t for world champions DRX, we probably would have seen T1 and Faker raise the Worlds trophy for the fourth time.
The org is the only one in the LCK that made zero changes to its roster, giving them a head start when it comes to synergy and coordination. What’s scary about T1 is that they seem so consistent in their performance, regardless of what the meta looks like. Aside from the bot lane underperforming in the Summer Split last year, they were the strongest team, achieving the first-ever LCK perfect split. Will they be able to do it again? With such a competitive league this year, it’s definitely a tough goal…
If T1 is the best team going into 2023, then Dplus KIA is looking like the number two team that can go against them. The team brought in world champion Deft and former T1 top laner Canna, as both are considered upgrades over last year’s Nuguri and deokdam. With Canyon and Showmaker leading the team, this lineup has similar potential to T1: it will be a matter of whether they can immediately find the right identity and playstyle needed. After a disappointing 2022 season, this might be the year of redemption for DK.
As Korea’s number one seed at Worlds, Gen.G were expected to make it to the finals. Unfortunately, they were knocked out by DRX and during the offseason, they ended up losing their superstar player Chovy.
With a completely new bot lane, Gen.G might need some time to find the right form and identity to make things work. Even if they are behind Dplus Kia and T1 at the start, we will have to wait until playoffs to see where Gen.G actually land. Regardless, Gen.G won’t be the dominating force that won the LCK Summer Split last year.
HLE went big during the offseason, rebuilding its entire roster and hiring some of the hottest agents of the preseason, including world champion Zeka and EDG superstar Viper. The two will be the diamond tips that should carry the team to the top of the LCK. That said, the roster might not be as strong as some anticipated.
Jungler Clid comes from a bad split in the LPL and top laner Kingen might struggle as there are many strong top laners in the LCK this year. Nonetheless, they should easily make it into the top five. After that, it will be up to them to see whether the team comes together and how far they can go.
Finally, we have KT Rolster. Just like HLE, KT made big roster moves, bringing in former Gen.G support Lehends and former KDF top laner Kiin. The two have been considered great players in their respective roles and with an underrated ADC like Aiming, KT has the potential of outperforming other top teams. That said, while their potential peak can be similar to the other teams in this list, this is also the team that has the highest variance: KT have great individual talents but will have to prove great team play to have the chance of fighting for the title.
Read also: LCK 2023 Roster Shuffle Free Agency Tracker
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