KT Rolster. Courtesy of Riot Games

‘bound for Wonju’ the last ticket belonged to KT Rolster. KT, which produced a thrilling ‘loss-loss-win-win-win’ comeback, will continue its bid in Wonju for its first-ever MSI berth since its founding.

At the 2026 Road to MSI Round 2 held at the LCK Arena in LoL Park in Jongno, Seoul, on the 7th, KT defeated Dplus KIA (DK) 3-2 after a full five-game battle to advance to Round 4 in Wonju. It was a ‘reverse sweep’, dropping Games 1-2 to DK and then taking Games 3-5 in a row. DK came close to avenging its 0-3 sweep loss to KT in Round 1 of this event last year, but suffered a painful comeback defeat and left disappointed.

For KT, it could not have been more exhilarating.

When KT dropped Games 1 and 2 in a combined 58 minutes 13 seconds, things looked very bleak. In Game 3, ‘Aiming’ Kim Ha-ram recorded a pentakill and seemed to flip the momentum, but in Game 4 they were routed after a 2-for-4 trade in the first Dragon teamfight, and the outlook turned dark again. They kept conceding objectives thereafter, and at one stage the gold gap widened to more than 10,000, making defeat look imminent.

Then ‘Perfect’ Lee Seung-min on Sion hung on with everything he had, turning what looked like a quick finish into a long game, and as KT started to come online with items, they looked for an opening. As DK grew impatient, ‘Siwoo’ Jeon Si-woo mispositioned and was picked off in an instant, and the game took a turn. KT secured the Elder Dragon, rode the momentum, won a massive teamfight in mid around 44 minutes, and completed a dramatic comeback.

In the final Game 5, KT were again behind early. DK blew open bot lane and looked set to snowball to a safe close. KT began to recover by steadily picking up single kills in successive skirmishes, keeping the game tight, but around 26 minutes at the fourth Dragon timing DK won big in the teamfight and took both Baron and Dragon, seizing control again.

KT answered the unfavorable state with yet another teamfight. Around 33 minutes, Jeon Si-woo’s Ambessa was picked off first in front of the Elder Dragon; seizing the opening, KT jungler ‘Cuzz’ Moon Woo-chan dove in as the Elder Dragon health dropped and landed Smite to steal it in dramatic fashion. In the ensuing fight, Gwak Bo-sung’s Azir and Kim Woo-ram’s Corki poured out damage to clean up, then the team pushed through to the Nexus to close the game.

With the dramatic win, KT now set sights on earning its first MSI berth in Wonju in team history. KT cleared both Rounds 1 and 2 last year but bowed out in Round 4 with a loss to ‘telecom rival’ T1. In Round 4, KT will face Gen.G, which finished third across LCK Rounds 1 and 2, on the 13th at Wonju DB Promy Arena. If KT win that match, they will play the loser of Hanwha Life vs TI for a ticket to MSI.