A comfortable 2-0 lead turned into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. In the LCK Playoffs Round 2 upper bracket match held on September 2nd, Hanwha Life Esports pulled off a dramatic 3-2 reverse sweep against T1. After being dominated in the first two sets and pushed to the brink, Hanwha Life unleashed incredible momentum to take the next three sets in a row, securing their ticket to the 2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds).

This match drew significant attention from fans due to the drama surrounding the transfer market. It was a matchup featuring Zeus and Gumayusi, now wearing Hanwha Life jerseys, against their former team, T1. From the third set, Hanwha Life quickly adjusted their composition and macro play to turn the tide. In the decisive fifth set, they completed the comeback by breaking T1's formation with a solid frontline led by Zeus's Ambessa and Kanavi's Cho'Gath.

After the match, T1's interim head coach Im Jae-hyeon openly cited draft mistakes as the cause of the defeat. He admitted that choosing compositions that struggled in early-game priority in the later sets, as well as failing to provide a sturdy frontline to protect Peyz's Jinx in the final game, were regrettable. Meanwhile, the high-spirited Hanwha Life will face Gen.G Esports on September 5th for a direct spot in the finals, while T1, pushed to the lower bracket, must now navigate a grueling path to bounce back.

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