Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu, now 27, made history in League of Legends in 2022. As an outsider, he defeated his former schoolmate Faker and surprisingly became world champion with DRX. But now his career is over for now: The decisive game for the last place at the LoL Worlds 2024 was lost. The South Korean military is calling.
Why was Deft the main character in LoL in 2022? Deft is a veteran of the South Korean LoL league LCK. Since 2013, he has played for countless different teams in the bot lane, but never stayed anywhere for more than two years.
Deft’s special story was that even as a student he was in the shadow of Faker, who was in his year and at his school. For ten years, all eyes were on Faker as he rose to become a superstar in LoL. While Deft was a good player, he was denied great fame.
All that changed at the 2022 Worlds: Deft and his team DRX started as underdogs in the Worlds, but then beat all the favorites and messed up Faker and T1’s seemingly sure world title in the final.
He is the absolute superstar of LoL:
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Deft loses the decisive duel for the LoL Worlds 2024 against Faker
What happened after 2022? Since 2022, Deft has changed teams twice, first he went to Showmaker and DK Plus, and in 2024 he played for KT Rolster, who narrowly missed qualifying for the LoL Worlds 2024 on Saturday, September 14. This means that the season is over for Deft.
KT Rolster lost the decisive best-of-5 against Faker and T1 on Saturday with 2-3. Therefore, Faker is going to the Worlds in Europe again, while Deft’s career seems to be over.
Deft must join the military
Why is Deft’s career now over? Deft is drafted into the South Korean military. He has 18 months of service ahead of him. It is considered unlikely that he will continue his career after that, at just 30, although he says the door is not yet closed for him.
He said it was very disappointing to end his career in LoL with a defeat against T1 and Faker. That’s why he hinted that he wants to come back.
But whether a return in 2026 is really realistic seems questionable.
What did his farewell look like now? Deft said goodbye to the fans with a personal message. He wrote:
I have learned, achieved and gained so much since then, but if I had to give it all up and go back, I would do it because you have given me so many happy and amazing memories. For that, I thank you so much.
Fans react emotionally to the departure (via reddit). He said goodbye “in the best possible way,” says a post on reddit, with which many agree.
And it was a great last game against his big rival for the Worlds – everyone agrees on that.
The story of Deft and Faker is like an anime
This is what’s behind it: For many, the story of Deft and Faker is a typical anime story. Two people meet at school, compete with each other and a rivalry develops. But one is much weaker than the other and remains in his shadow.
Then in Act 2, their careers diverge greatly; one is the superstar, the other the hard worker who has to fight for everything.
In the final, ten years later, the clearly weaker one beats “the favorite” and becomes the hero. That could be exactly the story of an anime.
The story of Deft and DRX’s miracle run at the LoL Worlds 2022 has moved many. Many of today’s LoL players have followed Deft and Faker’s careers over the past 10 years and that was an important part of their childhood or youth. The enormous importance of Faker in particular can be seen in German LoL players like NoWay4U or Tolkin, who rave about Faker when they talk about him.
Actually, Faker, at 27, should also be starting his military service soon, but the LoL star has probably done something to avoid this fate. Because he cheated his way to a victory as a substitute player in 2023, which could exempt him from military service: LoL: Faker (27) wins game of world stars, probably avoids early career end – Didn’t even have to do it himself