Before the LCK regional qualifiers took place, Dplus KIA’s (DK) chances of attending this year’s World Championship (Worlds) were considered relatively low. This was due to DK’s poor performance in both the Group Stage and the qualifiers of the LCK Summer 2023. Key players on this team such as Deft, Canyon, and ShowMaker had all been underwhelming in the previous stage.
However, DK showed a completely different face in the regional qualifiers as their key players regained their form. They convincingly defeated DRX and Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) to secure the final spot from the LCK region for Worlds. After the match against HLE, Deft also shared with the media about the opponents he wants to take down at the upcoming Worlds.
“I really want to face JD Gaming (JDG) and Bilibili Gaming (BLG) at Worlds. They performed well at MSI this year, so I want to defeat them. The whole team will study the version applied for Worlds very carefully to gain an advantage in champion selection. We have to compete against many teams from other regions, so this is crucial,” Deft shared.
At MSI 2023, JDG and BLG delivered an outstanding performance to create an all-LPL finals. Meanwhile, LCK representatives like Gen.G and T1 were unfortunately eliminated when they were not at their best. For Deft personally, defeating BLG or JDG at Worlds 2023 would affirm DK’s strength and championship ambitions.
Of course, JDG and BLG remain extremely strong opponents in the LPL region. Especially JDG, as they have secured both the LPL and MSI 2023 titles. To defeat these names, DK will need to put in a lot of effort in the upcoming period. Hopefully, Deft and his teammates will achieve their best form and realize their ambitions.