The Recall: What we learned from Week 1 of LCK Summer 2023

Kwangdong Freecs earned a surprising 2-0 record, and T1 lost their Spring Final rematch versus Gen.G — here's what we learned from the first week of the 2023 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Summer Split at LOL Park in Seoul, South Korea.

In Week 1, every team in the league won at least one game, and three teams went undefeated in match score:

• KDF (2-0 in series/4-0 in games) beat DRX (0-2/1-4) and OKSavingsBank BRION (0-2/1-4).
• GEN (2-0/4-2) won against T1 (1-1/3-3) and kt Rolster (1-1/3-3).
• Dplus KIA (2-0/4-1)) triumphed over DRX and Liiv SANDBOX (1-1/2-2).

KDF led all teams in average lane percentage (52.9%), jungle percentage (55%), and gold difference at 15 minutes (3,391), as well as logging the fewest deaths of any team (28 in four games). The squad also scored 100% of first bloods, first towers, first three towers, and first drakes — to go along with a 100% Elder Dragon rate — but only found 25% of first Baron Nashors.

KDF bot laner Kim "Taeyoon" Tae-yoon led all players in average gold difference at 10 minutes (543), experience difference at 10 minutes (581), and CS difference in 10 minutes (16.5), despite being one of only two LCK bot laners with less than 10 CS per minute — along with DRX's Park "Paduck" Seok-hyeon.

It was DK, however, who scored the best kill-death ratio of any team (79-32/2.47 in five games), as well as the most kills and best gold spent percentage (64.2%). The team's support Kellin also attained more assists in Week 1 than any other player with 63.

Other notable stats

• DRX had the highest average game time (33.8 minutes) of any team in Week 1, while KT had the lowest (27.4 minutes).
• GEN was the most bloodthirsty team, leading all teams with 0.77 average combined kills per minute.
• Eight bot laners found more than 10 average CS per minute in Week 1: Nongshim RedForce (1-1/2-3) bot laner Ha "vital" In-seong (10.9); Hanwha Life Esports (0-2/2-4) bot laner Park "Viper" Do-hyeon (10.7); T1's Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong (10.5); LSB Teddy (10.2); DK's Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu (10.2); BRO's Park "Hena" Jeung-hwan (10.2); GEN's Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan (10.1); and KT's Kim "Aiming" Ha-ram (10).
• LSB bot laner Park "Teddy" Jin-seong has made an immediate impact on his new team, with league-leading kill participation and kill share stats: 94.3% and 54.2%, respectively, of his team's 35 kills.
• GEN top laner Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon's death percentage of 31.7% is the highest of any player.
• Aphelios and Yuumi are the most played champions of the 2023 LCK Summer Split so far, each appearing in 18 of 26 games — a 69.2% pick rate.
• Yuumi, Neeko, and K'Sante have all been picked or banner in 100% of games.
• Neeko has been banned in all but one game: Game 1 of GEN vs. T1, in which GEN mid laner Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon went 2/2/4 on the pick.
• Jinx has the best KDA of any champion, with a score of 15/2/23, or 19.

Jame's Player of the Week: KDF DuDu (15/1/20 in four games), 1st

KDF top laner Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju led all players in Week 1 in KDA (15/1/20, or 35, in four games). He died just once in four games, accounting for 3.6% of his team's deaths; both stats also lead the league. Honorable mention to DK Deft (35/9/30, or 7.2, in five games), who led all players in kills and damage per minute (849).

All stats from Leaguepedia and Oracle's Elixir. Featured photos courtesy of the LCK/Riot Games.