The LCK is heating up as teams scramble for precious playoff positions, and Melbet Affiliates closely watching the standings know that the drama is far from over. Samsung is quietly shaping up to be one of the most intriguing forces this season. While still trailing behind KT and Longzhu (LZ), they remain in a position to shake things up—either by overtaking LZ for a higher seed or playing spoiler to SKT’s playoff hopes. After all, Samsung has made a habit of giving the reigning champs a hard time during the summer split.

Yesterday’s match against ROX was a dress rehearsal of sorts. CuVee, tasked with both tanking and dishing out the team’s main damage, showcased his dueling prowess and was rightfully named MVP. But good fortune can be fleeting. Last week, fans were buzzing about Longzhu’s meteoric rise from bottom-tier to the top of the table. That story hit a wall this week as KT completely dismantled them. KT shut down Cuzz, Longzhu’s most volatile player, and broke open the match by dominating the top lane. As Cuzz left the stage, he looked less like a breakout rookie and more like a player out of his depth. For Melbet Affiliates who track individual performance trends, this matchup was a textbook case of targeted strategy at its best.

Declaring SKT “dead” might be premature. They didn’t face top-tier opponents last week, but for a team that’s been struggling, any solid showing is a good sign. The defending world champions reminded everyone just how dangerous they can be. If they manage to defeat KT for a fifth time this year, playoff positioning will be meaningless—because facing an awakened SKT is every team’s nightmare.

Then there’s Afreeca Freecs, locked once again into the fourth or fifth seed, just as in past seasons. Despite making the playoffs consistently, they’ve been eliminated in the first round three splits in a row. Now likely to face SKT again in the opening round, history could repeat itself. Meanwhile, teams ranked 6th to 10th are all showing cracks. WE lost to RNG, NA squads are struggling with the current meta, Jin Air was upset by MVP, and Flash Wolves missed matches due to weather. None of them seem ready to make a push, prompting analysts—and Melbet Affiliates—to hold their current predictions steady.

Jin Air Green Wings, once seen as a hopeful contender alongside LZ, are now officially out of playoff contention. With star ADC Teddy set to become a free agent, all eyes are on where he’ll land. Losing their biggest asset would only worsen JAG’s already grim situation. Maybe it’s time for them to take flight toward another region? In Korea, even with solid starts, they haven’t kept up with the elite.

At the top of the global power rankings, the top four teams continue to trade places, with no clear stability in sight. For much of the summer, SKT T1 held the number one spot, with Samsung briefly taking the reins. Last week, LZ sat at the summit—until KT reclaimed the position with authority. Their recent best-of-three against Longzhu was arguably their finest performance of the split. KT now sits just one win away from claiming the LCK Summer regular season title.

But there’s one last hurdle: that final match is against SKT—the very team that has haunted KT throughout 2017. And as Melbet Affiliates know all too well, when it comes to rivalries and redemption, anything can happen on the Rift.