LoL: Deft joins the military service and bids farewell on stream — a legend of the game

Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu said goodbye to his fans during a stream, as he is joining the military service. At 28, Deft will now fulfill his duty like all South Korean men. The legendary AD Carry retired a few months ago after his stint with KT Rolster, closing the chapter on a long and decorated career. From domestic success in Korea and China to international glory with an MSI and a Worlds trophy, his legacy is etched in League of Legends history.

Deft’s storied career began with MVP Blue, where he played alongside Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon. He then joined Samsung Blue, winning the LCK Spring title in 2014. That same year, they finished second in Summer after falling to KT Rolster Arrows, but qualified for Worlds, where they made a strong run before losing in the semifinals to their sister team, Samsung White.

At the end of 2014, Deft moved to China and joined EDward Gaming, reuniting with his former midlaner Heo "PawN" Won-seok. There, he played with some of the region’s biggest names, including Ming "Clearlove" Kai and Tian "Meiko" Ye. With EDG, Deft claimed two LPL titles and the MSI trophy in 2015, defeating T1 and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok in the finals — a victory that helped ignite a long-standing rivalry between the two players.

In 2017, he returned to Korea with KT Rolster, and in 2018, he captured another LCK title, this time alongside some of the league’s biggest stars like Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho and Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong.

Deft’s career continued with Kingzone DragonX, which later rebranded as DRX — the team with which he would eventually make history. During his time there, he played with two rising stars: a talented midlaner named Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon and a young support who made him a promise — to win Worlds for him. That support was Ryu "Keria" Min-seok.

The 2022 World Championship was one of the most legendary tournaments in League of Legends history. DRX barely made it through the Regional Finals, defeating Liiv SANDBOX 3–2 to earn their spot. After an exhausting run of 26 games — the most played by any team at Worlds due to starting in the Play-In stage — DRX defied all odds and lifted the Summoner’s Cup after an unforgettable finals win against the eternal rival, T1 and Faker. It was a historic, emotional triumph that gave Deft his first and only World Championship title.