Recently, fans around the world have faced difficulties following the LCK Spring 2024 due to persistent DDoS issues that have yet to be resolved. The tournament organizers have been forced to conduct closed matches and provide replays afterwards. However, this has impacted many regions wanting to follow the LCK, as matches are often broadcast very late. For instance, in the VCS, viewers can only watch replays at 9 PM, and finishing two matches could stretch to nearly midnight. However, the tournament still captures attention during key matches, such as the recent KT Rolster – Gen.G clash.
No longer showcasing peak performance as seen in the first round, KT displayed a certain disjointedness in the second match against Gen.G, particularly in game two. In the decisive game, it felt like only PerfecT and somewhat BeryL – Pyosik really showed their potential. Being forced to use a champion that is only strong late game with sufficient levels and items, combined with being constantly exploited by the opponent, left Deft nearly “useless” throughout the match. Bdd with Azir also struggled against a player who understands Azir all too well – Chovy. Thus, the outcome was almost unsurprising.
However, importantly, Deft’s performance has genuinely disappointed many viewers. Smolder is a champion that is very powerful late in the game, even considered a “200-year” champion, but needs to maintain positioning well in the early game. As a seasoned professional ADC, right from the start of the match, Deft ventured into the jungle alone without vision, resulting in him giving First Blood to Peyz. Granted, the subsequent plays were due to KT’s excellence, but Deft himself did not demonstrate that he could “carry the team” at this moment, and the match against Gen.G was not the first time this has occurred.
There are even opinions suggesting: “If only Deft had retired after Worlds, he might have become one of the greatest ADCs with an unblemished career and reputation. But after moving from DK to KT, perhaps now Deft should just play for fun.” In the recent match, in game two, KT had a very good position in the top lane. However, the significant shift in the bottom lane caused KT to lose control in the Mid and Bottom lanes, as Bdd had to rotate to support the top lane while Deft was insufficient to defend the first two towers in the Mid and Bottom lanes.
Indeed, having achieved all the titles a League of Legends player could dream of, Deft has had many career choices for himself. The only thing is, until now, Deft has not shown that he has made the right choices.