On June 7, the LCK 2023 Summer Split began. After the first week of competition, one top laner had dominated practically all measures, outpacing most of his rivals. Lee “DuDu” Dong-ju, the top laner for Kwangdong Freecs, had one of the best starts to the split with a 35.0 KDA after four games, according to the data website Games of Legends. According to Games of Legends, he managed a total of 15 kills and 20 assists while only dying once in four matches against DRX on K’Sante.
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.
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.