Khan was an absolute beast this season; he proved both domestically and internationally why he should be considered as one of the best top laners LCK has to offer.
While SKT’s run was quite unsuccessful this World Championship, being knocked out before even reaching finals, Khan was a menace in every match they played.
We are happy to announce that Khan has joined FPX as a top laner. In the meanwhile, we have extended our contract with GimGoon. The S9 Championship Squad will stay together and become stronger! 💪💪💪#FPX #LPL2020 pic.twitter.com/YJbyCy9aSt
— FPX (@FPX_Esports) December 16, 2019
With this announcement, FPX will be running with two top-laners, GimGoon and Khan, both of Korean nationality. GimGoon said that he is looking to retire soon and that he is going to go all-out this season. FunPlusPhoenix is preparing for his departure and will take Khan under their wing to try to win a second World Championship before Doinb retires as well.
Kim ‘Khan’ Dong-ha began his professional career in Korea for Prime Optimus. He lasted for half of a year before migrating to LPL and playing for multiple teams throughout the years. He played for Team WE, Positive Energy, Newbee, Seoul, QG Reapers before returning to Korea to play under the Longzhu Brand. He stayed with Longzhu for two years before being acquired by SK Telekom T1 for the 2019th season.
Khan was a beast at carrying champions in the top lane when playing for Longzhu, he transferred those skills to SK Telekom T1 and utilized them effectively to achieve multiple victories. Under SKT, he won LCK Spring 2019 Playoffs, LCK Summer 2019 Playoffs and qualified for the World Championship.
At the World Championship stage, Khan flourished and showed impeccable skill by dominating most opposing top laners. He kept his streak of domination until he met G2 Esports in semifinals. G2 Esports defeated SKT during the MSI and this year was considered the golden year for Europe with multiple international wins. World Championship was no different, and G2 Esports swept the floor with SKT 3-1.
Following their defeat by G2 Esports and announcement of the Free Agency period, insiders said that Khan will be returning to the LPL since he believes they have more chances to win the World Championship now after all the investments in infrastructure over the years.
When Khan left LPL, it was in a much worse state, but in the last couple of years, multiple investment companies joined and invested tens of millions of dollars into the scene. Every LPL team now represents a city and even have their stadium. One more important reason for Khan’s departure is the team atmosphere; he repeatedly said in interviews that there is a lot of pressure by being on SKT. SKT is the pinnacle team of League of Legends, being the only team with multiple World Championships under their belt and are always held at a higher standard. Due to this, constant practice and pressure from everyone get to the players in the end and they want a more relaxed environment.
While there are no other official announcements yet, it is believed that the remaining roster will remain the same due to their synergy with each other and success from the last year, winning both LPL splits and the World Championship as well.
