Deft, aka Kim Hyuk-kyu, is one of South Korea’s most accomplished League of Legends players. Born in Seoul in 1996, he became a professional esports player in 2011 at the age of just fifteen. In the following decade, the Deft LoL player profile has shown many of his impressive feats in the global esports arena.
1. Season 4 World Championship Qualification
Deft became a valued player at Samsung Blue in 2013. His presence no doubt helped inspire the team to achieve qualification for Season 4 of the World Championship. Surprisingly, the team went into the competition as favorites to win. Although Samsung Blue failed to progress beyond the semi-finals, Deft had certainly made an impression in LoL.
2. Spring Split Playoffs
In 2014, Deft joined EDward Gaming. It enabled him to learn more about his craft from his teammate, PawN, an established LoL World Champion. Their partnership was to bring great rewards during 2015. The duo earned first place in various Season Splits, complete with a stunning victory in the Spring Split Playoffs.
3. 1,000 Kills
As Deft helped EDward Gaming secure qualification for the World Championships of 2016, he reached an important personal milestone. Inspired by Jinx, his favorite champion, Deft achieved his 1,000th kill. As only the seventh player to reach such a significant score, his win-rate was an awesome 91.3%.
4. League of Champions Korea Title
During 2017, Deft continued to make such progress in LoL that he and his team landed the coveted League of Champions Korea title. The league is one of the most fiercely contested in LoL. After some tense moments, Deft helped his team to an amazing victory.
5. Another 1,000 Kills
In 2018, Deft became a member of Kingzone DragonX. On March 21st, 2019, Deft scored his 1,000th kill with his champion, Ezreal. He was the ninth player in the world to reach such a target, but even more significantly, Deft became the only player in the world to reach 1,000 kills in completely separate regional leagues.
6. Winning 500 Games
By the end of 2020, Deft was a member of Hanwa Life Esports. Team performance was mediocre, but on a personal level, Deft was stunning. He won his 300th bout in the League of Champions Korea during February 2021. Even more amazingly, the following year saw Deft achieve his 500th win in the LCK.
7. Unique 3,000 Kills
Deft’s legendary status was finally secured during February 2022 when he reached 3,000 kills. It is a unique achievement that has placed Deft as the top kill specialist in LoL.
8. World Champion 2022
A decade after becoming a profession player, Deft finally achieved his life-long ambition. As part of DRX, he won the Season 12 World Championship. Although aged only twenty-six, Deft became the oldest championship winner.
