South Korea’s League of Legends team have added Deft and Rascal to their analyst staff ahead of the 2026 Asian Games campaign.
Rascal and Deft Appointed as Analysts for South Korea’s 2026 Asian Games LoL Team
Former professional League of Legends players Kim “Rascal” Kwang-hee and Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu have been announced as analysts for South Korea’s LoL national team for the 2026 Asian Games.
Rascal, who stepped away from the professional scene in June 2025, and Deft, who played his last game in the 2024 season, are both currently serving South Korea’s mandatory military service. However, they will still be involved in their national team’s Asian Games campaign.
South Korea, who will enter the 2026 Asian Games as defending champions, are once again considered the main favourites to claim the trophy, fielding an incredibly stacked roster.
The lineup includes top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je, jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, mid laners Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, ADC Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong, support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok, and former KT Rolster coach Kang “Hirai” Dong-hoon.
Now, the national team have added two huge names behind the scenes, with Deft and Rascal set to work alongside Hirai.
Rascal, a former top laner for KT Rolster and DRX, is one of the most recognisable names in the Korean LoL esports scene.
He made his professional debut in 2017 with Rascal Jester and later played for Kingzone DragonX, now DRX, KT Rolster, and Gen.G, with whom he reached the semifinals of the 2021 World Championship.
Deft, a former ADC player, started his career in 2013 with MVP Blue.
Throughout his career, the 29-year-old played for some of the biggest Asian teams, including Samsung Blue, EDward Gaming, Hanwha Life Esports, Dplus KIA, and DRX, with whom he won the 2022 World Championship.
While both former players are serving in the military, their participation is made possible under South Korea’s military service regulations, which allow active-duty personnel to take a leave of absence for major national sporting events.
Since the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee recognises the Asian Games as an international competition, Deft and Rascal can be temporarily released from their military duties to help the national team chase a second trophy.
South Korea won the 2022 Asian Games, where seven esports titles, including League of Legends, made their debut, without losing a single series.
While four years have passed, South Korea’s lineup for the 2026 Asian Games looks just as strong, featuring three returning players in Zeus, Faker, and Keria.
The 2026 Asian Games are set to run from September 19 to October 4. The League of Legends tournament is scheduled to begin on October 2.
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
