T1 and other LCK pros are often topping the Korean solo queue ladder, but it looks like a new wave of talents is ready to fight for those spots on the starting roster.
On August 25, a user on Reddit posted an incredible outplay by Syun “Calix” Hyun-bin on Ezreal against T1’s starting ADC Gumayusi on his iconic Aphelios pick.
In an attempt to kill the enemy with the help of his support Rakan, Gumayusi gets completely destroyed by Ezreal, who played perfectly with the vision and dodged both Rakan’s ultimate and W with his flash and his E, Arcane Shift. By spacing perfectly while throwing Qs and auto attacks, T1’s marksman player dies with no chance of fighting back.
It was an impressive play by Calix, who is currently the highest-ranked player on the Korean solo queue ladder, boasting a total of 1,650 LP. According to the two players’ OP.GG stat pages, however, the match was played more than four months ago, so it’s not a recent play.
Regardless, the 16-year-old prodigy is gaining traction. Aside from his impressive solo queue scores, he recently won the LCK CL 2023 Summer Split, playing on Nongshim Academy. What’s even more remarkable is that he played two different roles: throughout the Summer Split, Calix played a total of 12 matches either as a mid laner or as an ADC, with the former being his main role.
His ability is also proven by his solo queue record: Calix has no issues playing both roles on the ranked ladder as well, having many games on champions like Aphelios, Zeri, and Tristana. This last pick is usually flexed across the two roles, and it’s not surprising that she happens to be his most-played champion in solo queue so far.
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Calix was initially picked up by Nongshim Academy back in March of 2021 when he turned 14, and he has stayed with the organization ever since.
He first participated in the LCK Academy Series in 2022, winning the title against T1 Rookies in his debut split and getting a top-four finish in the following one. For the 2023 season, he was promoted to the CL team. Even though he wasn’t a starter, and didn’t participate in the LCK CL Summer Playoffs, he contributed to the team’s results with six wins and six losses.
Nongshim RedForce, despite not having the best results in the LCK, is known to foster great and young talents. Their teams have been constantly in the top half of the LCK CL, and they have won both Summer Splits in 2022 and this year. Considering Calix’s incredible trajectory and the outplays he can pull out, he’s definitely a player worth looking at next season.
