World Champion
From the past to the present of the League of Legends scene, it is not uncommon for a player to win the World Championship and then have fluctuating performances, or even completely decline. Of course, there are also superstars who have conquered the most prestigious title in League of Legends but continue to perform well. However, the number of players who reach the peak and then experience a “free fall” in performance is significantly higher. One name that has been receiving a lot of criticism since completing their trophy collection is Deft – the AD Carry currently playing for KT Rolster, who was once a World Champion.
From World Champion to Being Called to Retire
It can be said that KT’s performance has been fluctuating like a roller coaster, which also reflects Deft’s form this season and the Spring 2024 season before that. In reality, the 2022 World Champion has somewhat fallen from his peak. However, at that time, Deft had teammates like Canyon and ShowMaker who were regaining their top form around him. Therefore, his inconsistent performances did not come under much scrutiny. But now, Deft has reunited with BeryL and Pyosik on a team with higher expectations. Consequently, Deft’s performance weaknesses have become glaringly apparent.
In fact, in some recent reactions following KT’s surprising loss to OKSavingsBank BRION – the team currently at the bottom of the standings, the patience of the fans for this team has reached its limit. Many believe that perhaps it is time for Deft to end his career while still at the peak of glory. In the match against OKBRO, Deft was one of the two players with the lowest KDA (1.4, the other being PerfecT).
However, it is worth mentioning that PerfecT was using a tank champion in the first game and only got to play a damage champion in the second match. Meanwhile, Deft clearly performed worse than his teammates and even the opponents. His poor performance, even while using pure AD champions (Ezreal, Kai’Sa), significantly contributed to KT’s defeat.
Perhaps the 2024 season will truly be Deft’s “last dance” if he continues to perform like this. After all, Deft has already achieved all the titles and is one of the great players in the League of Legends scene. Saying goodbye to his career while still maintaining the respect of the League of Legends community is also a good option for Deft, especially since he is now older compared to a typical League of Legends player.