During the opening match of the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea Challengers League (LCK CL) play-in stage on August 24, DN Supers Challengers (DNS) secured a hard-fought first-game victory against Kiwoom DRX Challengers (KRX) at the WDG Studio Hongdae in Seoul, highlighted by a surprising roster swap from their opponents.
The Roster Gamble and Early-Game Friction
Entering the best-of-five series, Kiwoom deployed an unorthodox tactical setup by slotting Ha “Vincenzo” Seung-min, who has originally active as a jungler, into the AD carry role on Jhin.
DN Supers capitalized almost immediately. At just two minutes in, Bang Mun-young “또이브” (Another) orchestrated a successful bot lane gank utilizing Jarvan IV’s EQ initiation. Kwak “Enosh” Gyu-jun on Kalista and Son “Quantum” Jeong-hwan on Renata Glasc locked down Vincenzo for the game’s opening kill.
Kiwoom refused to stay dormant. Lee “Frog” Min-hee on Olaf and Woo “Winner” Ju-seong on Vi applied counter-pressure across the map. At the six-minute mark, Winner achieved level six and rotated mid to neutralize Kim “Flip” Sang-wook’s Akali, evening the score to 3-3 in a scrappy opening phase.
Mid-Game Macro Swings and Objective Trading
The tactical chess match intensified around map objectives. During a 15-minute clash over the Rift Herald, DN Supers secured the monster, but Kiwoom won the skirmish through decisive ability chaining from Winner’s Vi and Choi “Akaze” Su-hyeok’s Orianna. Kiwoom parlayed that momentum into their second elemental dragon of the match.
The structural equilibrium broke down entirely at 22 minutes. During a chaotic dragon pit teamfight, Frog’s Olaf attempted to zone Han “Lancer” Jeong-heum’s Camille, but Enosh’s Kalista survived initial targeting from Winner’s Vi. Flip’s Akali executed a clinical backline dive, ripping through Vincenzo’s Jhin and Winner’s Vi in rapid succession to shift the objective control back to DN Supers.
Not to be outdone, Kiwoom engineered a 26-minute ambush near the bot lane tier-two turret. They isolated Lancer’s Camille and Quantum’s Renata Glasc, subsequently dropping Enosh’s Kalista to secure the Nashor (Baron Nashor) buff and re-establish macro control.
Closing Out the Opener Through Teamfight Execution
The decisive breakthrough arrived late in the 37th minute. Lancer’s Camille and Flip’s Akali initiated an aggressive, high-tempo dive into Kiwoom’s backline. They eliminated Vincenzo’s Jhin and Akaze’s Orianna before cleaning up Kang “Minos” Min-woo’s Alistar.
With Another’s Jarvan IV disrupting enemy pathing, DN Supers routed the remaining members of Kiwoom. Lancer chased down Frog’s Olaf and Winner’s Vi to seal a resounding ace.
Holding the map firmly in hand, DN Supers marched down the mid and top lanes at 39 minutes to shatter both inhibitors and secure a second Baron buff. By the 41-minute mark, they cleared the bot lane inhibitor, leaving all three of Kiwoom’s base entry points exposed.
Kiwoom attempted a desperate final defense led by Minos’s Alistar, but Another’s Jarvan IV dove deep into the upper quadrant to rupture their defensive formation. DN Supers efficiently dismantled the remaining Nexus turrets to lock down the 1-0 series lead.
Match 1 Key Statistics & Lineups
- Winner: DN Supers Challengers (1-0 lead in best-of-five)
- DN Supers Lineup: Lancer (Camille), Another (Jarvan IV), Flip (Akali), Enosh (Kalista), Quantum (Renata Glasc)
- Kiwoom DRX Lineup: Frog (Olaf), Winner (Vi), Akaze (Orianna), Vincenzo (Jhin), Minos (Alistar)
- Tournament Stage: 2026 LCK CL Play-In Round 1, Game 1
