LCK 2025: HLE Versus GenG Game One – GenG Holds Off Early Pressure

A year later, we find ourselves in the same spot for the LCK Grand Finals. HLE and GenG face off to decide who the best team in Korea is. Last year, HLE came in as underdogs, but they defied odds to win 3-2. GenG has begun the Grand Finals in ideal fashion with a dominant game one victory. Peanut helped HLE to early lane leads, but that quickly evaporated as GenG outplayed HLE.

LCK 2025: GenG Leaves Peanut’s Poppy Open

One champion that teams rarely want to give over to Peanut is Poppy. He is notorious for his early lane ganks and ability to control fights on the champion. GenG has allowed the champion through in the first game draft. The Poppy value is not at the highest point in this draft, but given Peanut’s proficiency on the champion, he can make it work. Will Peanut look for early ganks, and can GenG circumvent them?

HLE Composition

• Zeus – Aurora
• Peanut – Poppy
• Zeka – Orianna
• Viper – Corki
• Delight – Rell

GenG Composition

• Kiin – Sion
• Canyon – Vi
• Chovy – Ryze
• Ruler – Ezreal
• Duro – Neeko

LCK 2025: Peanut Helps His Lanes

Despite the understanding that Peanut will gank early, GenG did not seem to care about him getting kills for his laners. The GenG botlane and Chovy pushed up in their lanes, looking to crash the waves. However, Peanut showed up in both lanes before the waves crashed. The kills went over to Viper and Zeka. Despite the early kills, both carries were at CS deficits. The kills equalised the gold between them and their counterparts.  

LCK 2025: Ruler and Chovy Take Over

Ruler and Chovy are two of the best players in their roles. If only one of them is shining, targeting them is a potential success point for their opponents. However, when both are in top form and in a comfortable spot, few teams can match their dominance. That was the case in the first game. Both players stepped up to help GenG dominate team fights. Playing around Kiin’s Sion afforded them all the space they could ask for.

Game One Ratings

HLE

• Zeus – 4
• Peanut – 5
• Zeka – 4
• Viper – 6
• Delight – 6

GenG

• Kiin – 8
• Canyon – 7
• Chovy – 9
• Ruler – 8
• Duro – 7

Player of the Game – Chovy

HLE’s Solo Laners Missing

Zeus and Zeka are two players who struggled to reach their peak during the LCK regular season. HLE’s rise was credited to their improvements alongside Peanut. They could not find their footing in the first game of the series. If HLE wants to be successful in the upcoming games, both players will need to step up their game.