Following a disappointing 2022 season where they failed to reach their 2021 heights, DWG KIA have released Jang "RIN" Byeong-uk.
This is the third roster change for the team after Heo "CATsang" Se-woong was released due to his military service obligations, while Park "PJH" Jae-hyun, one of their two coaches, was also released.
In 2021, the newly formed DWG KIA team found near-immediate success despite pre-season drama. Their second stage in the top-flight saw them qualify to the Mexico Major and beat reigning world champions Ninjas in Pyjamas back to back to qualify for the playoffs.
The subsequent Sweden Major saw the best performance of any APAC team at a Major, with DWG KIA viewed as a Six Invitational favourite after being one bullet away from a grand-final appearance at the Major.
While they nearly made history in 2021, things came crashing down in 2022 with a disappointing run at the Invitational. They then missed out on the Charlotte Major in May, with RIN's poor performance a large factor in the decider map against CYCLOPS athlete gaming.
While DWG KIA managed to finish top in APAC North in Stage 2, they crashed out in the group stage of the Berlin Major -- a far cry from the Sweden or Mexico Majors.
The team then also failed to qualify for the Jönköping Major. Now, it only has an outside chance at Six Invitational 2023 qualification after failing to progress through the APAC North qualifier, with a potential direct invite to the Closed Qualifier incoming.
A significant rebuild is now in order with RIN, CATsang, and PJH gone. The issues will also be exacerbated by the fact that DWG KIA potentially missed out on exciting Spear Gaming talent Park "Mephi" Ju-wan, who signed with SANDBOX Gaming instead.
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