LCP 2026 Split 1 Sees Guest Teams Rise as the Old Guard Crumbles

The LCP 2026 is undergoing a tectonic shift. After three splits of absolute dominance since the league’s inception, CTBC Flying Oyster’s reign as the ‘undisputed champions’ has come to a shocking end.

LCP witnesses CFO and GAM’s downfall

For years, CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) and GAM Esports were respectively the synonymous faces of excellence in the Pacific and Vietnamese regions.

However, the first split of the LCP 2026 saw the “Oyster Empire” totally collapse. After a shaky regular season where they finished with a mediocre 3–4 record, they got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Ground Zero Gaming.

The reasons for CFO’s downfall are both structural and fundamental; they suffered immensely from the departure of core stars Yu ‘JunJia’ Chun-Chia and Tsai ‘HongQ’ Ming-Hong, who left for the LPL. This move completely changed their roster; they ended up with a mid-jungle duo consisting of Zhao ‘Shad0w’ Zhiqiang and the rookie Lee ‘Pungyeon‘ Jong-hyuk that failed to find consistency, in part due to a language barrier, since the Korean youngster doesn’t speak Chinese.

During an interview, the head coach Chawy admitted that:

The team lacked of professional “bases” or fundamentals. Instead of focusing on high-level macro strategy, we were forced to spend the split teaching elementary laning and coordination. I also noted that the team would essentially “break” or “crumble“ the moment we were forced into 5v5 teamfights, leading us to rely on niche “comfort picks” like Ryze and Jayce just to stay competitive.

Similarly, Vietnam’s powerhouse GAM Esports faced an unexpected exit. Even if they had a stronger regular season finish, as they secured a 4–3 score, they were swept with a 0–3 result in the playoff opening round by the Japanese wild cards, Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming (SHG).

For the first time in years, CFO and GAM have been eliminated early into playoffs. This means that neither of them will be able to represent the LCP at the First Stand 2026.

It's time for new kings.

2026 brings new surprises as 2025 top performers CFO and GAM are eliminated from Split 1 Knockout Stage! pic.twitter.com/teGafXpYWQ

— LCP (@lolpacificen) February 13, 2026

Guest Teams and Dominant Newcomers

Since the giants fell, a new set of leaders emerged thanks to the “guest teams” system. Team Secret Whales (TSW) and Deep Cross Gaming (DCG) are at the top of the standings, both finishing the regular season with a dominant 6–1 score.

Team Secret Whales has lived up to their “dominant” reputation, securing the first seed and moving safely through the upper bracket after a 3–1 victory over SHG. Their roster has shown remarkable stability, with players like Dire and Eddie frequently appearing in the “Team of the Week”.

DCG were the only ones who could keep up with TSW. Their success has been built on superior objective control and the standout performance of players like HongSuo, who currently holds a share of the rank 1 MVP spot.

Ground Zero Gaming (GZ) is for sure the split’s biggest surprise: brought in as a guest team after PSG Talon’s removal. Led by 1Jiang and Orca, they managed to eliminate CFO, with Orca outshining 2274, the player once meant to replace him.

Finally, the Japanese “wild cards,” Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming (SHG), have proven they cannot be ignored. After a middling regular season, they found their form in the playoffs, and they even managed to find a clean sweep against GAM Esports. Even if they recently fell into the lower bracket after a loss to TSW, their ability to perform under pressure makes them a dangerous threat in the remaining double-elimination phase.

IT'S A CLEAN SWEEP!@esports_hawks 3-0 GAM AND ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND! pic.twitter.com/nYhXz5FZ4d

— LCP (@lolpacificen) February 12, 2026

With teams now on break for the Lunar New Year, the LCP action will resume next week on Thursday, February 26, with the upper bracket series between TSW and DCG. In the lower bracket, SHG will go up against GZ to see who will maintain the run alive.