Seeking consecutive gold medals, the South Korean League of Legends national team secured a dominant victory over Chinese Taipei in their opening Group B match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Held on September 30 at Aichi Sky Expo Hall D in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, the match ended in a swift win that solidifies South Korea’s path toward the knockout stage.
Roster Dynamics and Strategic Lineups
Head coach Kang Dong-hoon deployed a formidable starting lineup for the tournament opener. South Korea started Choi “Zeus” Woo-je of Hanwha Life Esports, Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu of Gen.G, Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung of Hanwha Life, and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok of T1. Notably, team captain Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok of T1 started on the bench.
Chinese Taipei countered with Chen “Il-jjang” Yi-jin of Ground Zero Gaming, Wei “JunJia” Chun-chia, Tsai “HongQ” Ming-hong of JD Gaming, Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-chiang of CTBC Flying Oyster, and Liu “ShiauC” Chia-hao of Revolve Deep Cross Gaming. Lin “Woody” Yu-en of DetonatioN FocusMe remained on the bench as a substitute.
Early Game Pressures and Objective Exchanges
Chinese Taipei constructed an early-game-focused draft that yielded a narrow global gold lead and the first two dragons of the match. However, South Korea systematically countered this momentum. Jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu utilized aggressive lane interventions on Vi to secure crucial kills, steadily eroding the early gold deficit.
The tactical tipping point occurred around the 15-minute mark near the Rift Herald. South Korea leveraged their superior engagement composition to ambush Chinese Taipei’s main forces. The resulting team fight wiped out the opposing roster, yielding an uncontested ace and instantly stretching the global gold gap beyond 4,000.
Decisive Skirmishes and Rapid Victory
Despite a brief skirmish concession moments later—where Chinese Taipei claimed a third dragon and picked off two members of the South Korean backline—the underlying combat strength differential remained decisive. South Korea routinely dispatched opposing champions during subsequent objective clashes.
At the 23-minute mark, a successful isolation of Wei “JunJia” Chun-chia’s Qiyana allowed South Korea to claim the first Baron Nashor. Armed with the Baron buff, the team dismantled defensive towers. A final dive into the bottom lane eradicated the remaining defending units, leaving only Tsai “HongQ” Ming-hong to contest the base. South Korea closed out the match with a 20-5 kill score, securing the victory in just 26 minutes.
