Dplus KIA Gets Revenge, Defeats T1 at Home Ground

T1 just faced off with Dplus KIA at their LCK Home Ground event, with DK flipping the script and taking the victory. The win takes revenge for DK a week after their crushing 2:0 defeat. What does this mean for the two teams and their run through the LCK? Let’s explore a quick recap.

Dplus KIA Just Beat T1 at Their Own LCK Home Ground

Dplus KIA has just pulled off a notable win over T1 on August 14, 2026, closing out their LCK 2026 Rounds 3-4 Legend Group best-of-three with a 2:1 final score. This League of Legends matchup, which occurred at T1’s own Home Ground event, put a halt to the team’s recent wins and began evening out its record against DK.

Fans noticed ShowMaker had a standout performance, continuing to remind the LCK of his Worlds 2020 prime. His picks had a massive impact in the game’s outcome. We also got to see some Locke gameplay, as Faker selected League of Legends’ newest Champion in Game 1.

Rosters:

T1

• Doran (Top)
• Oner (Jungle)
• Faker (Mid)
• Peyz (Bot)
• Keria (Support)

Dplus KIA

• Siwoo (Top)
• Lucid (Jungle)
• ShowMaker (Mid)
• Smash (Bot)
• Career (Support)

Game 1: Let’s Locke and Roll

Game 1 was an easy sweep for T1, with Dplus getting diffed. DK Jungler Lucid and Support Career struggled the most, continually feeding T1 kills. T1 pushed forward quick thanks to immediate objective control. A successful teamfight for the Voidgrubs gave the org an early lead, which they snowballed into the next few drakes. From there, T1 did not take its foot off the gas, and energy in the stadium was high. Faker’s Locke impressed, with an 11/3 K/D. He danced around enemies in teamfights. Peyz also popped off on Kai’Sa. DK Siwoo held his own in top, but Doran’s Olaf provided great value and scored some great solo kills.

Game 2: Lucid’s Playground

Once Dplus KIA settled in, though, the momentum swung the other way. Game 2 completely turned the tables, making an example of T1 instead. It opened with some reliable ganks from DK Lucid. Lucid was a relentless Jungler on Jarvan IV, constantly lurking in the shadows to protect his teammates and aggressively fighting for a lead with his picks. He made the map his playground. Oner’s performance on Pantheon was less than optimal here. He struggled to match up, and he definitely did not make as much impact.

T1 attempted to catch Siwoo off-guard with a 4v1 toplane tower dive, but ShowMaker denied the team’s efforts with a quick trade. This would happen throughout the game: since Doran’s Ambessa was on the struggle bus with a 1/6 K/D, T1 tried to even out top by providing support. However, DK got its revenge by tower diving Doran, and the team cruised through drakes to stack buffs. T1 made a last-ditch effort to grab the Baron, and it initially looked like they had the objective in the bag, but DK was able to flip the teamfight in its favor and force them off. Ultimately, Game 2 ended in 44 minutes, with DK victorious.

Game 3: ShowMaker Shows Up

Game 3 was the final decider in DK’s win. Lucid once again impressed on Naafiri, going 6/0 by the end of the match. Smash and Career held their own in the bot lane, taking important space that set DK up for objective success. Career’s Rakan was key in teamfights, reliably engaging so ShowMaker and others could deliver the final blows. ShowMaker was in top form on Akali, pummeling Faker with a 7/0 final K/D. The Worlds Champion was certainly beating the washed allegations today.

What Does This Mean for League of Legends Esports?

This DK vs T1 Home Ground matchup carried extra weight given the recent history between the two rosters. T1 had swept Dplus KIA just over a week earlier, on August 6, which made them a clear favorite in most prematch predictions. That said, Dplus KIA is the reigning Esports World Cup winner, so they couldn’t be counted out just yet.

There’s always high hype when T1 plays matches in its own Home Ground arena, and there was a sense heading in that this LCK series could help gauge where each team stands as Worlds approaches. In the end, DK displayed a remarkable ability to bounce back after losing Game 1. The team was cool and composed and had clearly ironed out some issues that cost them previous battles.

This theme of resilience carries into DK’s real-life organization: the team was the center of controversy earlier this year for payment delay issues. Reportedly, several League of Legends athletes had gone over two months without pay, and the organization was encountering unexpected struggles during an attempted sale. With this context hanging over the lineup’s heads, the EWC win (and potential path to Worlds 2026) is far more significant.

DK will face Hanwha Life Esports, another LCK top performer, next week on August 20 at 4:00 Eastern time. It will also battle the notorious Gen.G roster on August 22, so stay tuned for more coverage.