Dplus KIA parts ways with longtime LCK jungler Canyon, star ADC Deft

Following a disappointing run at the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, top LCK organization Dplus KIA is cleaning up shop for a major roster revamp in 2024.

The team has parted ways with three players on its starting roster, including legendary AD carry Deft, longtime jungler Canyon, and starting top laner Canna. The only players left out of the announcement were mid lane phenom ShowMaker and the team’s 22-year-old support Kellin, although their contracts have also expired as of Nov. 20, according to League’s global contract database.

As a result, Dplus KIA currently has no players signed to its LCK roster to start the offseason. But it does have a plethora of Challengers players ready for the call-up if the org can’t find pros to replace its former stars for the next split.

Canyon was one of the longest-tenured players on Dplus KIA, having made his LCK debut with the team back in 2019. Since then, he has helped DK win three LCK championships, has been a Mid-Season Invitational finalist, and even captured a World Championship in 2020.

Deft, on the other hand, is known as one of the best marksmen in the history of League. The 27-year-old veteran was coming off a miraculous run to the Summoner’s Cup last year before joining DK in what seemed to be another superteam in the making within one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

Together, Deft, Canyon, and ShowMaker tried to create a three-pronged attack to take over the LCK but were ultimately stopped short of their goals by Hanwha Life Esports during the 2023 Spring Split and by T1 in the summer. They failed to find any glory domestically, and at Worlds, they suffered an early exit in the Swiss stage after losing to G2 Esports and KT Rolster twice.

Although Canyon and Deft are leaving 2023 without a tournament victory this year, they are still two of the most significant names on the free-agent market. They could easily become a major piece in a future superteam in Korea, unless they decide to make the jump over to the LPL like so many others have done before.