When it comes to international results, DWG KIA have been one of the most consistent and successful League of Legends teams in the last three years. A World Championship, a Worlds Finals, and a top-eight finish have established them not only as a top team in the LCK but also worldwide.
That being said, the results have been on a downward trend, both domestically and internationally. While being in the top four of the LCK for the majority of the 2022 season, the team never looked dominant or close to the top teams Gen.G and T1. For these reasons, the organization is looking for a major rebuild, with many official departures already reported.
Here are all the changes that DWG KIA is likely to implement to its roster for the 2023 season.
Departures
Unlike the LEC, the LCK has been rather quiet in terms of rumors and official moves. Having said that, DWG KIA made some big announcements in the last few days, starting off with its two top laners.
Both Nuguri and Burdol were released by DWG KIA on Nov. 15, which means the team is looking for a new replacement up in the top lane for 2023.
Burdol was the starting top laner at the beginning of the 2022 season but then had to split time with Nuguri when he returned to the DWG KIA roster in April. The 2019 World Champion top laner had a very poor split in 2021 with FunPlus Phoenix due to being homesick, which forced him to take a break. While he managed to get back to his former team, Nuguri didn’t showcase the same dominance he had back when DWG KIA was the strongest team in the world.
Burdol, on the other hand, wasn’t given the space to grow and improve, even though his Spring Split wasn’t a great one either. Currently, there are no rumors regarding their next destinations.
On the same day, DWG KIA also released three members of its coaching staff: athletic director kkOma, head coach Daeny, and coach Zefa.
While many know kkOma for being the head coach and the backbone of the T1 roster who went on to win three World Championships, he has been working for DWG KIA since the end of 2020. Initially coming in as the head coach, he was moved to athletic director this year.
As for Daeny and Zefa, this is the second time the two leave DWG KIA. The pair previously worked for the team a few years ago but were later picked up by T1 for the 2021 season. That being said, the two came in the eye of the cyclone when the legendary organization wasn’t delivering, and therefore were fired after only seven months of service. The two then returned to DWG KIA and worked with kkOma in 2022, achieving a third-place and a fourth-place finish in the two LCK splits.
Aside from them, there is also another player leaving the team. DWG KIA has parted ways with ADC deokdam after the team picked him up in last year’s offseason. The player had a decent season, so it raises questions about who might be replacing him next year.
DWG KIA now finds itself with two vacant positions and the goal of finding a new coaching staff. With the potential players available on the market this offseason, however, DWG KIA can really make a strong roster for 2023.
DWH KIA has a long list of candidates—but no rumors yet
If DWG KIA was to make a roster to aim for its second World Championship, it will have to find the best players possible available on the market.
Considering that DWG KIA has to look for a top laner and an ADC, domestically speaking there aren’t many choices that might look like upgrades compared to the players the team had previously.
In the top lane, the best candidate seems to be Kwangdong Freecs’ Kiin. When it comes to mechanics and laning phase, Kiin is one of the best talents Korea has ever produced. In addition to him, the only other player who is worthy of investing in is Kingen, but only if DRX or the player himself wants to leave. After winning the World Championship this year, it might not be as certain.
As for the ADC role, this is where it gets exciting. ADC player Ruler has officially parted ways with Gen.G, which means he’s now up for grabs by other teams. There are no rumors regarding his next team, but if Ruler wants to win another world championship, then DWG KIA might be a potential candidate to reach that goal.
That being said, there isn’t anything confirmed yet.
Canyon and ShowMaker will lead the team
Nevertheless, DWG KIA’s core players, Canyon and ShowMaker, are set to stay on the team for another year. The two have been the foundation of this team and they are the only two players left from the squad that won the championship in 2019.
Canyon, in particular, had a great showing at Worlds, continuing to prove why he is one of the best, if not the best, junglers in the world. Throughout the 2022 season, he was constantly among the best-performing players and adapting to his teammates, especially when it came to the drafts.
On the other hand, while ShowMaker hasn’t been as dominant as he was a few years ago, he is still a solid player and in the top four of LCK mids. With how important the jungle-mid duo synergy can be in League, ShowMaker and Canyon are going to be a scary combination in 2023.
The other player who is likely staying on the roster is support Kellin. He had a decent year with deokdam, but the general impression was that the bot lane duo wasn’t on the same level as T1’s or Gen.G’s bot lanes.
Despite this, he hasn’t been released and his contract is running until the end of 2023, so he should be on the starting squad next year.
It’s going to be an exciting offseason in the LCK, especially if DWG KIA can get its hands on top-tier talents in the two vacant roles. That being said, we might have to wait a little more before the roster is finalized.
