Balancing offense and defense: EDG’s Deft
Samsung Galaxy Blue’s team fights were well-choreographed dances. Adept at both initiating and re-engaging on opponents, Blue fought their way through the 2014 season, winning Champions Spring 2014 and nearly taking the Summer title as well. Skillfully positioned on the backline of nearly every fight as an embodiment of his namesake was their AD carry, Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu.
Two Galaxies Far, Far Away
Scouted from Korean Solo Queue, Deft joined MVP Blue, which later became Samsung Galaxy Blue following a Samsung Electronic sponsorship. With impressive performances everywhere outside of the Champions Playoffs, Blue earned the nickname "Kings of the Offseason" -- a wallflower team due to their reactionary playstyle. This style of play suited Deft well, but he was also criticized for his poor laning phase. Never an aggressor, he relied heavily on Blue’s team fighting to personally impact the game.
In one of the most effective uses of sister teams in League of Legends history, Samsung Coach Choi swapped mid laners between his two squads, sending White’s Bae “dade” Eo-jin to Blue and Blue’s Heo “PawN” Won-seok to White. The result stabilized White while revitalizing Blue. Following this roster change, Samsung Blue won Hot6ix Champions Spring 2014 and narrowly missed the Summer title as well, losing to the KT Rolster Arrows 2-3 in an explosive Final.
Dade was indubitably the new hero of Blue -- his intensity a catalyst for the previously listless roster -- but Deft was Blue’s emerging star, albeit without the flashy highlight reel of Samsung White AD carry Gu “Imp” Seung-bin. What Deft lacked in playmaking, he made up for with his defensive teamfight positioning and damage output. With dade demanding opponents’ attention on Twisted Fate and Yasuo, Deft was free to safely lane. He ended the 2014 Spring season with an impressive KDA of 5.35, fourth best of AD carries that season.
Bending and Breaking
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Deft still often gave up early kills, especially when his support Lee “Heart” Gwan-hyung left lane for routine vision rotations. While boasting a combined 88% win rate on Kog’Maw and Twitch throughout Champions Summer 2014, Deft also had a significant amount of early deaths on these champions, which significantly lowered his statistics.
However, come the mid game, Deft and Blue always shifted into gear, coordinating skirmishes and 5 vs. 5 team fights while mowing down objectives. Deft’s flexible playstyle bent to Blue’s adversaries without breaking. Blue always knew how much they could give up early before taking control.
While Blue’s flexibility allowed Deft to flourish mid and late game, the early losses often affected him emotionally. Deft’s spirits rose and fell depending on his personal performance regardless of team result. While he always impacted the game with superior teamfight positioning, Deft sulked if he had the worst score on his team. This became somewhat of a running joke for Blue.
“Deft loses his mentality pretty quickly,” joked Blue top laner Choi “Acorn” Cheon-ju in an introduction for Champions Spring 2014. “We have to soothe him right away, or he will become very salty.”
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Again exemplified by his statistics, Deft’s Champions Summer KDA placed him fifth overall -- behind Imp and NaJin newcomer Oh “Ohq” Gyu-min -- with his early penchant for dying dragging down his numbers. Nonetheless, Deft entered the 2014 World Championship as one of the most lauded AD carries in the world.
Unfortunately, Samsung Blue finally broke on the world stage, swept by sister team White in the Semifinals. Following their match, teammates from both White and Blue rushed to console a tearful Deft after the defeat. A few weeks after White won the Championship, Deft left the Samsung organization.
A New Spring of Success
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He landed on Edward Gaming, the most domestically dominant Chinese team of 2014. The roster change was initially met with skepticism. Questions arose regarding his laning phase and oft-fragile mentality. By some accounts, he spent his first few weeks following jungler Ming "ClearLove" Kai around the EDG gaming house like a lost puppy. Many doubted that Deft would do well on a foreign team without the rest of Samsung Blue to back him up.
In 2015 LPL Spring, Deft immediately proved his critics wrong. Edward Gaming quickly sprung out to an early lead over their competitors, untouchable in the standings by mid season at 18-2. EDG only lost one set in their first five weeks, a Week 2 loss to Snake Esports.
As EDG grew throughout Spring, Deft’s laning phase improved dramatically from his Champions days. Previously an early game liability, Deft learned more offensive and aggressive trading from his Chinese counterparts. Combined with his remarkable positioning, Deft is now a more complete AD carry package.
Worlds in His Sight
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Unlike Blue’s patient reliance on team fighting, EDG often attacks early and aggressively in packs of three or four, out maneuvering opponents on the map. No longer left to his own devices until mid game, Deft takes objectives with EDG on Sivir and Jinx, the latter on which he posts a phenomenal 17-0 record.
Aided by excellent drafts from Coach Ji “Aaron” Xing, EDG won 2015 LPL Spring, and proved themselves internationally by winning the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Earning the 2015 LPL Spring MVP, and showcasing his newfound aggression at MSI, Deft cemented his place as one of the world’s best.
In interviews, Deft remains quiet and sheepish. His face still falls after a loss, and he awkwardly towers over his teammates while bowing after a win. However, Deft’s newfound self-sufficiency allows EDG breathing room for experimentation while always showing up in team fights. He still bends but doesn’t break, deft in both playstyle and name.
You can watch Deft and EDG take on their competition right here when the LPL airs each week on Lolesports.
