With three new recruits and two former World Champions, DWG KIA looks primed and ready to compete for more LCK and Worlds titles. (Photo by Lance Skundrich/Riot Games)
The end of an era is over, as DWG KIA reveals their new LCK roster for 2022. After narrowly missing the chance to hoist the Summoner's Cup this year, the team has decided to keep their core and add some fresh faces in the hopes of finding another World Championship title.
Former Worlds MVP jungler Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and star mid laner Heo "ShowMaker" Su are the two that made the cut to stay. This isn't surprising considering both are considered among, if not the best players in their roles. They're a mid-jungle duo to be feared and the perfect duo to build a new squad around.
Joining them from Nongshim RedForce are ADC Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil and support Kim "Kellin" Hyeong-gyu. The former DWG bottom lane caught a lot of flack for being the weak point of the team, so having a highly talented ADC like Deokdam come in will be a great addition. Especially since he'll be comfortable playing with Kellin already.
Finally, previous Gen.G top lane substitute Noh "Burdol" Tae-yoon completes the lineup. He played under Kim "Rascal" Kwang-hee in 2021, who was the primary starter for Gen.G. However, Burdol had some chances to shine on the LCK and Worlds stages and showed that he deserves a starting spot in a team.
With all that said, this is how the DWG KIA roster will look for 2022:
- Top: Burdol
- Jungle: Canyon
- Mid: ShowMaker
- ADC: deokdam
- Support: Kellin
Promising talent with high hopes
While DWG KIA clearly had a winning formula with their previous roster, anything less than perfection isn't enough for them. Keeping the core of ShowMaker and Canyon is smart, as they've been key to the team's success since the beginning. They'll certainly be eager to redeem themselves after the loss against EDG in the World Finals.
Their new additions seem like great decisions too. Burdol and Deokdam both are highly regarded in the LCK and have the skills necessary to carry games by themselves. Kellin is great too and will hopefully finally give DWG a strong bot side to play around too.
It's a bit early to start predicting who will win the LCK next year. But with the caliber of players they have, DWG's 2022 roster definitely looks like an early favorite to do just that and much more.