When the 2021 LCK Summer Split kicked off, Hanwha Life Esports’ AD Carry – Deft had an interview with South Korean media. In this conversation, the 1996-born player once again expressed his desire to conquer the League of Legends World Championship:
“I crave the World Championship more than I care about my health; even if I collapse, I am willing to sacrifice to lift that trophy just once.”
At 24 years old, Deft and Faker are the “oldest” players in the LCK. In fact, Deft’s career has seen countless glories. He has won the LPL, MSI with EDward Gaming, and has also claimed the LCK title.
However, the World Championship remains a tournament that haunts Deft. In the 2014, 2015, and 2018 World Championships, wearing the uniforms of Samsung Galaxy Blue, EDward Gaming, and KT Rolster, Deft’s teams were all considered the top contenders for the championship.
In 2014, Deft’s SSB was defeated by its sister team, Samsung Galaxy White, with a score of 0-3, despite SSB being the team that had “drained” all the stars from SSW to aim for the championship. In 2015, as the reigning MSI champions, EDG was also seen as the most potential team to dethrone LCK, but Deft made mistakes that contributed to EDG’s humiliating 0-3 loss to Fnatic.
By 2018, still with Deft in KT’s colors, they unexpectedly fell to IG in the quarterfinals of the World Championship, only to witness that team claim the world championship title. Clearly, even with a collection of coveted titles, the World Championship remains a title that Deft or any other player yearns to possess.
Yet, with HLE’s potential and Deft’s current performance, this dream seems distant. Perhaps Deft’s desire to win the world championship at all costs will forever be the greatest regret of this legendary AD Carry’s career.