The LCK offseason began on November 21 and it’s shaping up to be a busy one. There are big names whose contracts have come to expiration and a large shuffle ahead, with many teams – including current world champions DRX – releasing their entire rosters into the pool of free agency. Notable names facing contractual expiration include Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, and Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. Some of the LCK's most memorable and storied players are up for grabs and even though it’s only been a couple of days, lots of big signings have already been announced.
The LCK offseason began on November 21 and it’s shaping up to be a busy one. There are big names whose contracts have come to expiration and a large shuffle ahead, with many teams – including current world champions DRX – releasing their entire rosters into the pool of free agency. Notable names facing contractual expiration include Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, and Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. Some of the LCK's most memorable and storied players are up for grabs and even though it’s only been a couple of days, lots of big signings have already been announced.
Following the exciting Worlds 2022 final there was a lot of talk on the matter of retirement, especially after Kim "Khan" Dong-ha's exit from professional League of Legends after a tremendous Worlds run with DWG KIA that took him to the quarter-finals.
The implications of mandatory military service within Korea have been plaguing the minds of many League of Legends fans, with the predominant name in that conversation being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) himself, “Faker”. However, following his performance in the Worlds 2022 final, his humble loser's interview included the promise that he would be back and while the Korean law regarding their conscription is sometimes unclear, it’s understood that only high school graduates are required for military service which rules out “Faker”.
The other big name in that conversation was fellow Worlds 2022 finalist, Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu. DRX’s fairy-tale run to the Worlds 2022 title was dubbed his last dance and it was expected by many, including “Deft” himself, that this might be his last year of professional play. But following his victory, it seems he's willing to throw his hat into the ring once more.
Many seemed concerned on Twitter and Reddit as to the status of his military service, but it’s understood that the lower back injury he sustained two years ago absolves him of his duty and thus the two main characters from this year’s Worlds final will be returning to play next season.
Free Agents and Roster Re-works
As aforementioned, one of the biggest pieces of news regarding the offseason for Korea is that almost immediately, the Worlds 2022 champions DRX were all announced as free agents by their organisation. This didn't stop at the players; the coaching staff were also announced to be on the market not long after. It was obvious that following the hype surrounding him and his story, and the resilience he has shown, “Deft” was high on the list of priorities for any LCK team. And it didn’t take long for one of the region’s most well-known teams, DWG KIA, to snatch him up.
However, the more exciting news surrounds Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo. The Mid-laner for DRX surprised many fans and experts alike when his performance peaked on one of the biggest stages in esports. And when all eyes were on him, he did not back down – taking down opponents such as Lee "Scout" Ye-Chan, frequently solo-killing him in one of the most contested mid-lane matchups of the meta.
He held his nerve better than Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon, who many have considered for a long time to be the best Mid-laner in the world, and faced down the Unkillable Demon King himself to help his team earn the first Worlds victory for a play-ins team ever. That’s quite the resume!
Something can also be said for back-to-back finalist Cho "Beryl" Geon-hee, whose consistently high seedings speak for his consistency, and also Lee "Mowgli" Jae-ha, the recently retired coach who took the first team he represented outside of the server to a ludicrous Worlds victory.
Another team looking to go into rebuild mode seems to be the Kwangdong Freecs. After being just short of the sixth-place spot in the Summer Split, KDF have put up their entire roster onto the market. Teams considered to be in the top bracket may look to these players to fix weaknesses that presented themselves in their own rosters last year.
A big name in this team was Park "Teddy" Jin-seong. The ADC player has multiple LCK titles and was a part of the T1 roster that transitioned from being SK Telecom T1, from 2018 through to 2021. It’s worth noting that despite KDF's record of 13 wins and 29 losses within the Summer split, “Teddy” maintained a positive Gold and CS differential within the bot lane on average, indicating his continued potential. It will be interesting to see whether any teams are willing to give him a shot.
Another notable name is ex-T1 Top-laner Kim "Canna" Chang-dong, who was released from RedForce and recently signed to DWG KIA. It’s also worth noting that Liiv SANDBOX's ADC, Lee "Prince" Chae-hawn – who is credited heavily for their meteoric rise from second-bottom in the standings to a top-three finish in the Summer 2022 season and considered near-prodigal to some – is also on the table. However, its rumoured that "Prince" is already spoken for, as current information points towards the LCS team FlyQuest as his destination.
If you can’t beat them, buy them
No stranger to Jayce, Akali, Gwen or Gangplank, the many-time LCK victor “Canna” is willing to play almost anything from Fiora to Ornn to Kennen, although his history would indicate he favours being strong side. Because of this, the pair of new signings make a lot of sense; DWG have been famous in recent years for having a strong top side, with “ShowMaker” considered one of the best Mid-laners in the world and “Canyon” generally considered the best Jungler in the world.
A carry Top-lane player, in a season where top lane scaling has been buffed considerably, could only be more perfect when played with a versatile bot side player willing to play safe. Who better than “Deft”, who is no stranger in recent memory to Ezreal, Ashe, Miss Fortune or Varus? At Worlds especially, where he played to survive in order to have a lot of late-game impact against some of the most lane-dominant bot-lane players the world has to offer, such as former GenG Bot-laner Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk or T1's Lee "Gumayushi" Min-hyeong.
Rumoured Rosters and Possible Super-teams
The LCK is rumoured to be losing some big names in the coming days. There have been rumours suggesting that JD Gaming are looking to make a super-team of sorts. The team would likely consist of their current players Bai "369" Jia-Hao, Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok, and Lou "Missing" Yunfeng, and they’ll look to add Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, who's time with GenG this year took him to the semi-finals of Worlds. “Ruler” was notably part of the SSG roster that took down SKT1 at Worlds 2017 and has won many a split within the LCK. He is a consistently high-performing ADC player that the region will sorely miss.
Up-and-coming Top-laner Kyeong "Photon" Gyu-tae from the T1 academy is expected to join the LEC's Team Vitality for the coming split. “Photon” will be following his fellow academy player Lee "JeongHoon" Jeong-hoon, who went to Astralis last year following an impressive stint in an academy of his own. This, along with Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong recently winning a split with Rogue, indicates an increased willingness from the LEC to start importing players at a level that matches the LCS now they've seen the success of other teams.
Hanwha Life Esports are also looking to make big moves this offseason. Having already confirmed to have signed Park "Viper" Do-hyeon, there are lots of rumours surrounding their coming roster. Some believe that EDG's Lee "Scout" Ye-chan might be joining his old teammate in the Mid-laner position, while other rumours point towards the reigning Worlds champions "Zeka" and Top-laner Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon from DRX making their way to the roster instead of “Scout”.
