Gen.G Win 7th LCK Title With 3-1 Comeback in Final; Ruler Becomes Final MVP Two Years in a Row

On the 13th, Gen.G lost Game 1 of the LCK final to Hanwha Life, then came back to win 3-1 and take a second consecutive title. Ruler became the first two-time consecutive Final MVP in the LCK.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Summary in Three Lines

After losing Game 1, Gen.G won three straight to beat Hanwha Life 3-1 and claim their 7th LCK title.
Park Jae-hyuk (27), known as 'Ruler,' won Final MVP, becoming the first LCK player to win it two years in a row, according to media reports.
Gen.G won the title after reaching 8 consecutive finals, and will go to the Worlds in the United States as the LCK's No. 1 seed.

The afternoon of September 13, KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in Seoul. Hanwha Life Esports took Game 1 after a close match of more than 38 minutes. Gen.G took the other three games. At the center of the comeback was ADC Park Jae-hyuk (27), 'Ruler,' who had worried that his pro career might end this year.

Gen.G Win LCK Final 3-1 in Comeback, Taking 3 Straight After 38-Minute Game 1 Loss

Illustration graphic depicting the LCK final stage and the championship trophy — Gen.G 2026 LCK title / Graphic = Whale SV

Gameview reported that Gen.G beat Hanwha Life by a set score of 3-1. According to Etoday, Hanwha Life won Game 1 after a 38-minute 45-second marathon. Gen.G turned the tide from Game 2 and won three games in a row.

Game	Winning team	Game time	Notes
Game 1	Hanwha Life Esports	38 minutes 45 seconds	Per Etoday
Game 2	Gen.G	Unconfirmed	—
Game 3	Gen.G	Unconfirmed	Media reports differ
Game 4	Gen.G	Unconfirmed	Media reports differ

Hanwha Life, the July MSI champions, reached the final by beating T1 3-1 in the playoffs on the 12th. The two teams met in the final for the 3rd year in a row. Hanwha Life won 2024 Summer, while Gen.G won in 2025 and this year. After the final on the 13th, Hanwha Life head coach Yoon Sung-young said, "The picks and bans were disappointing, and our calls were split," Inven reported. He also said the team would work on this before the Worlds.

Ruler Wins Final MVP 2 Years in a Row, a Rebound After Retirement Fears

Stock photo, not a photo of any specific person or match in the article — Stock photo · Not an actual scene of any person or match mentioned in the article / Photo = Pexels (Alef Morais)

The Final MVP went to Ruler. Etoday reported that he is the first player in LCK history to win Final MVP twice, and to do so two years in a row. During the regular season, he was said to be struggling. In an interview after the final on the 13th, Ruler confessed, "I even thought my pro career might end like this."

Born on December 29, 1998, Ruler started at Stardust in 2016 and moved to Samsung Galaxy the same year, and experienced the 2017 Worlds title. After joining Gen.G in 2018, he left for China's LPL to join JD Gaming in 2023. There he won 2 LPL titles and 1 MSI title. After returning to Gen.G in 2025, he swept MSI and the Esports World Cup.

Ruler's Career Prize Money Totals $1.03 Million; LCK Title Prize Money Abolished This Year

Esports Earnings tallied Ruler's prize money from 37 tournaments between 2016 and 2025 at $1,035,773. Because this is an estimate compiled only from publicly announced tournament prizes, it excludes salary and does not reflect this title. There is no LCK title prize money at all this year. According to a Gameple report, regional league split prize money was abolished starting in 2026 and replaced by a Global Revenue Pool (GRP).

Chovy (Jung Ji-hoon, 25) also added a record. Kukmin Ilbo reported that this title is his 6th career LCK title. Esports Earnings' estimated total for Chovy's career prize money is $635,485 from 39 tournaments. Meanwhile, in LCK titles Chovy has 6, double Ruler's 3.

Gen.G Reach 7 Titles, Chasing T1's 10, and Head to Worlds as No. 1 Seed

Rank	Team	Total titles	Notes
1	T1	10	Last title 2022 Spring; eliminated in 2026 playoffs
2	Gen.G	7	2025·2026 back-to-back
Unconfirmed	Hanwha Life Esports	At least 1	2024 Summer title

According to Inven, this is Gen.G's 7th LCK title. The gap with the most successful team, T1 (10 titles), has narrowed to 3. Digital Daily reported that Gen.G have reached 8 consecutive finals since 2022 Spring, and that this is an LCK first.

Gen.G go to the Worlds in the United States as the LCK's No. 1 seed and Hanwha Life as the No. 2 seed. The final will be held on November 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to Digital Daily, head coach Yoo Sang-wook said on the 13th that the team had become stronger over the 2026 season and that it would have a positive effect at the Worlds as well.

Some things still need confirmation. The Worlds is reported to open on October 15 local time. 'First LCK player to win Final MVP 2 years in a row' is the media's wording. It has not been confirmed through official records whether this tally includes past final MVPs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many LCK titles does Gen.G have in total?

According to Inven, this is their 7th LCK title overall, following 2025 for a back-to-back. The most titles belong to T1, with 10.

Q. How old is Ruler?

Born on December 29, 1998, he is 27 as of September 2026. He debuted in 2016 and has won the 2017 Worlds and 3 LCK titles (2022 Summer, 2025, 2026).

Q. How much is the 2026 LCK title prize money?

None. According to a Gameple report, regional league split prize money was abolished starting in 2026 and replaced by a Global Revenue Pool (GRP). The distribution ratio is 50% equal distribution, 35% performance-linked, and 15% fan engagement.

Related Official Sites

LoL Esports LCK official page — Official LCK website
Gen.G Esports official X (@GenG_KR) — Official Gen.G Esports X account

Featured image · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (Fomos Esports), CC BY 3.0