For Dplus KIA, the 2026 goal will be to keep the same core while trying to correct course. The 2020 World Champions have made two roster changes after a difficult year—the first in their history where they failed to qualify for Worlds. Kim "Aiming" Ha-ram returns to KT Rolster, opening the door for Shin "Smash" Geum-jae to step in.

Meanwhile, Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee currently remains teamless and will be replaced by Oh "Career" Hyeong-seok, who’s set to make his debut in the LCK. On the coaching side, Bae "Bengi" Seong-woong departs after a year at the helm. The head coach role will now be taken over by Kim "cvMax" Dae-ho, who joined the staff during the Summer Split.

Ha “Hachani” Seung-chan and Lee “PoohManDu” Jeong-hyeon will also remain with the team. As for the rest of the roster, Jeon "Siwoo" Si-woo will continue to hold down DK’s toplane for a second consecutive year in the LCK, while Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok enters his third season alongside Heo "ShowMaker" Su in the midlane.

A young and promising roster

Dplus KIA is recognized for giving young talent a chance, and this year’s roster features a mix of rising stars and an iconic veteran. Leading the squad is ShowMaker, the seasoned midlaner, joined once again by Siwoo and Lucid—two standouts who proved themselves capable of competing with the best in the league. A recent team documentary shed light on some internal tensions, which seem to have been resolved, considering the lineup will stick together for the upcoming season.​

In the botlane, Smash finally earns a full-time spot in the LCK after making headlines in early 2025 for his brief stint replacing Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong at T1, where he delivered standout performances. Smash’s career has been entirely within the T1 system, starting in LCK AS in 2021 before moving up to LCK CL in 2023 and eventually winning the Asia Masters in 2025. He’s not the only T1 academy player promoted this season—Ha "Vincenzo" Seung-min also jumps to DRX.​

Smash will be partnered with Career, a support player making his first appearance in Korea’s top league. At 21, Career came up through DRX Academy and later joined BNK FearX Youth, winning LCK CL on his debut. Together, Smash and Career form one of the youngest, most promising botlanes in the LCK.

Hope is still allowed

The 2025 Dplus KIA roster, despite some inconsistency, had several standout moments and was far from being a lost cause. In the LCK Cup, the team achieved a perfect record during the group stage. The most challenging stretch came during Rounds 1-2, when DK was forced into the Rise group after a dramatic tiebreaker against KT Rolster.​

During the Summer Split, DK’s Worlds qualification slipped away by the narrowest of margins, falling to T1 in a do-or-die five-game series. BeryL’s infamous Rammus support pick in that decisive match confused many spectators, especially given the rough performance it led to. Ultimately, T1 secured the fourth seed for Worlds and went on to make history, becoming three-time consecutive champions and earning Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok his sixth Summoner’s Cup.​

DK’s decision to bet on youth is risky—especially with some lingering concerns regarding cvMax’s reputation and how he’ll manage a group with past internal conflict. Nonetheless, just as Faker elevated his own "miracle generation" in 2022, many feel ShowMaker deserves the opportunity to achieve a similar legacy and bring DK’s talented lineup to new heights

Dplus KIA’s 2026 roster: