The LCK 2023 Summer Split kicked off on June 7 and after the first week of play, one top laner has been dominating nearly all metrics, gapping most of his competitors.
Kwangdong Freecs’ top laner Lee “DuDu” Dong-ju started with one of the most impressive starts of the split, boasting a 35.0 KDA in four games, according to stats site Games of Legends. He achieved a total of 15 kills and 20 assists, dying only once in four games against DRX on K’Sante, according to Games of Legends.
The numbers don’t stop there. The Korean player also boasts the highest gold and CS differential at 15 minutes, while also having the second-highest damage share among all top laners at 29.5 percent, and the highest CS-per-minute.
To make a comparison, most top laners average a sub-8.5 CS-per-minute, with their damage share averaging below 25 percent. Only two other players, NS RedForce’s top laner DnDn and OKSavingsBank BRION’s Morgan, are above that threshold. The player with the second-highest KDA among top laners in Dplus KIA’s Canna, sitting at 6.9.
Related: Dot Esports’ 2023 LCS Summer Split preseason power rankings
Dudu and the entire KDF lineup delivered promising performances during the first week of the split, quickly sweeping DRX and BRO. While the two aren’t considered strong lineups, KDF were convincing in their victories and looked much improved from the previous split, and look like a playoff-caliber team.
In a recent interview with Korizon Esports, head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho confirmed that their realistic goal is finishing in the top six. The team has been polishing their “base mechanics” over the past months and now has what’s needed to play the macro game. Having said that, he also added that his team’s highest priority right now is to improve their fighting.
With eight weeks still left, Dudu and KDF still have time to see if they have what it takes to fight the top teams. They will have their first test in Week 2 when they will face Gen.G Esports on Wednesday, June 14. If they are able to take down Gen.G, then KDF might be the real dark horse of the LCK Summer Split.
