Look Sports Media – The highly anticipated LCK 2026 Season Opening Invitational is poised to ignite the competitive season, with rosters now officially finalized. Fans are buzzing with excitement as legendary mid-laners Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon are set to rekindle their formidable partnership for this unique preseason spectacle.
Scheduled for January 9th, this invitational event precedes the official LCK Cup, which commences the following week. It offers a distinctive format where the LCK’s elite Top Laners, Junglers, Mid Laners, Bot Laners, and Supports are strategically divided into five distinct teams. Their ultimate goal? To assert dominance and claim the title of the LCK’s premier role.
The selection process, a fan-favorite tradition, involved a captain-led draft designed to ensure balanced competition by preventing captains from repeatedly picking players from their own professional teams. This year’s esteemed captains, each representing their respective roles, were: Choi "Zeus" Woo-je for Team Top, Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun leading Team Jungle, Faker himself at the helm of Team Mid, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk guiding Team Bot, and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok orchestrating Team Support.
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The draft culminated in the following star-studded lineups for the invitational:
- Team Top: Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Kim "Kiin" Gi-in, Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju, Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon, Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon
- Team Jungle: Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun, Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok, Kim "Willer" Jeong-hyeon, Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan, Kim "GIDEON" Min-seong
- Team Mid: Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Heo "ShowMaker" Su, Lee "Scout" Ye-chan, Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon, Son "Ucal" Woo-hyeon
- Team Bot: Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan, Park "Teddy" Jin-seong, Shin "Smash" Geum-jae, Nam "Diable" Dae-geun
- Team Support: Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun, Kim "Kellin" Hyeong-gyu, Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong, Kim "Life" Jeong-min
Unsurprisingly, reigning champions T1 boast the strongest representation, with their entire starting roster participating in the event. Gen.G, another LCK powerhouse, contributes three members from their dominant lineup, a number matched by HLE, who are widely considered strong contenders for the LCK title following their ambitious offseason acquisitions. Other organizations such as DN SOOPers, Dplus KIA, DRX, Hanjin Brion, KT Rolster, and NS Redforce each feature two players. A particularly intriguing pick saw Faker select Heo "ShowMaker" Su as his first choice, a testament to ShowMaker’s stellar performance throughout 2025.
The invitational also marks the unofficial return of former Gen.G ADC Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan to the LCK stage, albeit in a non-competitive capacity, offering fans a glimpse of his skills once more.
However, the event will proceed without a couple of notable figures. Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, a recent T1 departee, will be absent, as will Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong, the esteemed LCK 2025 Player of the Year. Despite Bdd’s omission, Team Mid, spearheaded by Faker and Chovy, remains a formidable force and is heavily favored to defend their title after their triumphant victory in 2025. The stage is set for an electrifying start to the LCK season!
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