A strange revive bug brings LCK players back to life mid-match

Professional League of Legends competition faced unprecedented disruption when an extraordinary bug emerged during an LCK showdown between DRX and Nongshim RedForce. Multiple competitors experienced immediate resurrection after being eliminated, bypassing standard death timers completely and creating chaotic gameplay scenarios.

During the opening match of their best-of-three series, DRX maintained control until a critical dragon engagement around the 35-minute mark. Support specialist Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee, piloting Amumu, fell in combat only to miraculously reappear at his team’s spawn point without any delay. The bewildered professional immediately signaled his confusion through pings before initiating an official game suspension.

Following investigation, gameplay recommenced without implementing a chronobreak reset. The confrontation picked up exactly where it paused, with BeryL having completely avoided his designated respawn period.

Mere minutes afterward, the identical glitch manifested for the opposition. Nongshim’s support player No “SnowFlower” Hoi-jong, commanding Leona, became a combat casualty only to immediately regenerate at fountain. This phenomenon repeated seconds later when DRX assaulted SnowFlower’s nexus territory and eliminated him beneath the fountain, where he promptly regenerated with complete health points moments before match conclusion.

Adding to the peculiarity, elimination credits failed to register for the apparent victors, and death penalties didn’t apply to affected competitors, though assisting players received credit on their statistical records.

Fortunately, the anomaly didn’t resurface during subsequent games, though a parallel incident occurred in Japan’s LJL competition between DetonatioN FocusMe and Sengoku Gaming, resulting in extended suspension for identical technical difficulties.

HexFlash Identified as Potential Source of Revival Anomaly

Although Riot Games hasn’t released formal analysis regarding the glitch’s origins, investigators identified one consistent factor among all affected participants: each utilized the Hextech Flashtraption rune, commonly referenced as HexFlash.

This particular rune has previously generated multiple technical issues throughout its implementation history and has been temporarily deactivated for this weekend’s LEC and LCS professional circuits. Riot’s official statement cited an undisclosed “critical malfunction,” prompting competitive restrictions that generated significant community response. SK Gaming support professional Erik “Treatz” Wessén voiced concerns, noting his squad had “zero preparation time without that rune configuration throughout our training week, though we’ll adapt accordingly.”

Game-disrupting technical issues represent serious concerns for competitive esports integrity. When anomalies like instant resurrection occur, they undermine fundamental game mechanics that professionals rely upon for strategic execution.

Riot Games maintains established protocols for addressing critical bugs, typically involving temporary disablement of problematic elements while engineering teams develop permanent solutions. This approach prioritizes competitive fairness but can create preparation challenges for teams who built strategies around specific rune configurations.

For amateur competitors encountering similar situations, immediately document the incident through recording software and report through official channels. Understanding that even professional environments face technical difficulties can help maintain perspective during ranked gameplay sessions.

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