New Firepower: DRX announces new 2023 League of Legends roster, including returning support Beryl
New Chapter for World Champions
After the turmoil of the LCK off-season the past few weeks, DRX have now announced their new roster for the 2023 LCK season on the 3rd of Dec. It was reported late last month that DRX’s entire Worlds winning roster was entering Free Agency. Only Cho “Beryl” Geon-hee of the original roster was retained. In the place of the former roster members, DRX have acquired former DRX alum top laner Kim “Rascal” Kwang-hee of KT Rolster, AD Carry Seo “Deokdam” Dae-gil (formerly of DAMWON KIA), jungler Kim “Croco” Dong-beom (formerly of Liiv SANDBOX), and upcoming mid lane talent Yoo “FATE” Su-hyeok.
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According to reports, aside from “Beryl,” all four other members of the Worlds winning roster have found homes on other rosters. AD carry Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu has gone on to DAMWON KIA (DWG), the old home of “Beryl.” Mid laner Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo and top laner Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon are now part of Hanwha Life’s new roster. Jungler Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon has crossed the pond to Team Liquid’s new all-Korean LCS roster.
Failures of DRX
According to numerous reports, the former roster had plans to remain together, lending an explanation to the delayed announcements. However, a series of failures to come to an agreement between DRX management, the talent agency and the DRX players ended in the entire roster entering free agency.
That said, succeeding in retaining “Beryl” is a good start in the right direction. The support player has earned great admiration for his consistently high performances over numerous years. During Worlds 2022, he was one of the best support players across the tournament. In the finals against T1, he and rival support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok faced off in a battle of playmaking, with both supports enabling massive plays to turn the tide of skirmishes.
With his retention, DRX have managed to form a strong roster on paper, led by a two-time Worlds Champion. Moreover, Worlds winner Coach Shin "Shine" Dong-wook continues on with the team. Coach "Shine" was a big reason for DRX's Worlds' run, including their brilliant drafts.
Untapped Potential
The new botlane duo of “Deokdam” and “Beryl” is an interesting one. Having previously played for DWG, “Deokdam” partook in an unofficial team swap with former DRX AD Carry “Deft,” who went to DWG. Although DWG went out in the quarterfinals, their loss was a close one to superteam Gen.G (3-2). Throughout his year on DWG, “Deokdam” was a consistent force for their side, with a KDA of 5.1 and Win rate of 58.2% across the Summer Split.
Top laner “Rascal” sees his return to the hallowed team as well, having spent the last year on KT Rolster. Previously of Gen.G as well, he was part of the initial bid for a super team, with Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong, and Kim “Clid” Tae-min. During his time there, he earned 2nd place in the Spring and Summer Splits of 2021, and the same in the Spring Playoffs. Gen.G was eliminated in the semifinals against eventual winners Edward Gaming.
On KT Rolster, he was one of the brighter spots of the roster, consistently performing at a 3.3 KDA on champions such as Gwen and Sejuani. “FATE” is a relatively newcomer to the scene, however, there is great interest in his potential. There could be more than meets the eye with this new mid laner. “Croco” previously played with Liiv Sandbox and was a strong addition to their roster.
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