Usually, when the season has just started, teams, especially in major regions like LCK or LPL, do not tend to change coaches mid-season. This is because each season of League of Legends generally lasts for a short period (about 4 – 5 months). Therefore, stability is an extremely important factor. However, in the 2021 season, T1 surprised everyone by firing the coaching duo Daeny – Zefa when the LCK Summer 2021 was only halfway through.
Recently, DRX also announced the termination of its contract with Coach Kim, making the coach who led Invictus Gaming to the 2018 World Championship title the second coach in two consecutive seasons to be fired even before the tournament ended. Moreover, Coach Kim was fired even faster than Coach Daeny. Notably, Coach Kim was suspended from directing DRX just as the team began to show signs of a comeback after a difficult start.
On DRX’s side, as mentioned in a recent interview, they decided to keep the matter completely secret from the media and fans. The team’s representative only provided a general explanation that this is an issue between Coach Kim and the DRX management. Furthermore, they stated that players are not allowed to discuss the team’s mid-season coaching change.
Coach Kim is known for being a very strict figure. He has a reputation for being very tough on his players, from Nuguri to even Faker. However, this coach also maintains a close relationship with IG players and has defended “The Demon King” when some anti-fans exploited Clozer’s rising form to attack him.
DRX is currently facing numerous difficulties. Just when they were showing signs of improvement, they received news that almost the entire team, except for Deft, tested positive for Covid-19. With the pandemic situation still unresolved, the current coach has been fired. Therefore, the match against KT Rolster as the LCK Spring 2022 resumes will be a significant challenge for Deft, as he now has to “carry the team” 100%. Deft himself has not been able to instill complete confidence in fans recently.