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Professional League of Legends player Deft at the 2022 World Championship.
Photo by Colin Young-Wolff via Riot Games
Category:
League of Legends

Deft is off to military service next year, but this doesn’t spell the end of his LoL career

We can't know for sure, though.
Image of Mateusz Miter
Mateusz Miter
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Published: Aug 28, 2024 05:59 am

Deft announced that he’s going to miss competitive League of Legends next year due to military service, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his professional career is over.

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On Aug. 26, a clip from Deft’s interview surfaced on social media, with one fan posting a translation on X that same day. In the video, Deft claims he’ll be focusing on his military service next year, but if he has a chance in the future, he would like to return to League.

“It seems like I’m going to perform military service next year. If my skills don’t decline when I come back, and if any team contacts me, I can always be a player again. That’s what I think,” Deft said, according to AlpacaHunt’s translation.

DRX hoisting the Summoner's Cup after winning the 2022 League of Legends World Championship
Photo by Colin Young-Wolff via Riot Games

Deft is currently signed with KT Rolster, with whom he competed in the 2024 LCK Spring and Summer Splits. They saw decent results, allowing the squad to qualify for the 2024 LCK Regional Finals, where they’ll fight for one of two spots at Worlds 2024. If Deft and crew fail at their last chance tournament, the season will be over for the renowned AD carry.

Deft already has a World Championship trophy under his belt. He and DRX entered the event as LCK’s fourth seed in 2022 and made a miracle run all the way to the final, where they defeated the favorites in the form of T1.

Deft has been competing professionally since early 2013, and in his 11-year career, he’s represented organizations like EDward Gaming, Samsung Blue, Dplus KIA, and Hanwha Life. If his skills don’t deteriorate, and he still wants to keep playing, he shouldn’t have an issue finding a new team in 2026.

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Author
Image of Mateusz Miter
Mateusz Miter
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. Mateusz previously worked for numerous outlets and gaming-adjacent companies, including ESL. League of Legends or CS:GO? He loves them both. In fact, he wonders which game he loves more every day. He wanted to go pro years ago, but somewhere along the way decided journalism was the more sensible option—and he was right.
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