Legends never log off: LCK teases LoL match that sees veteran players return to classic rift

Once a legend, always a legend. A special match featuring veteran players of the multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends (LoL) is set to be held on Aug. 4, according to Riot Games on Tuesday.

The Legend Match, an event staged to mark the launch of LoL Classic — a new featured game mode that recreates gameplay from earlier versions of the game — is scheduled to be held in Chzzk LoL Park in Jongno District, central Seoul. The list of participating players is set to be released at a later date.

Riot Games, which runs LoL Champions Korea (LCK), previewed the mode with a similar LoL Classic match at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in Daejeon on Sunday, ahead of the July 29 launch.

Sunday's special match featured notable professional gamers from previous seasons who are now retired, such as Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong, Heo "PawN" Won-seok and Kang "Cpt Jack" Hyung-woo.

Riot Games teased the upcoming LCK version of the event through a video compiled from historic highlights of previous LCK matches, including closeups of seasoned and veteran players such as Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and Ryu "Ryu" Sang-wook, but no details — namely who will play in the matches — were revealed as of Tuesday.  

The latest MSI was held at Daejeon Convention Center II in Daejeon from June 28 to Sunday. Worlds 2026, the pinnacle of the season, will be held in North America from October 15. The Grand Final will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 14.

LCK is the Korean league for LoL and is one of six LoL leagues in the world. A total of 10 teams compete for the league title from April to September every year. 

BY LEE JI-WON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]