Dplus KIA defeated Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) 2-0 in the first round of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) regular season, held at LoL PARK in Jongno on the 23rd. With this victory, Dplus KIA secured their fourth win of the season and their first winning streak, vaulting them into a tie for third place.

Heo 'ShowMaker' Su, who earned his first Player of the Match (POM) honor of the season after leading the team to victory on Azir and Annie, shared his thoughts: "I felt this week's matches were crucial. We were in sixth place before today, so we needed to start climbing. That makes this 2-0 win even more meaningful."

Dplus KIA players like Shin 'Smash' Geum-jae and Jeon 'Siwoo' Si-woo have previously received Player of the Match (POM) honors. When asked how he felt watching them, 'ShowMaker' replied, "I felt proud, but as a pro gamer, I also felt a bit of professional envy. It made me determined to win one myself next time."

Although the team seemed to struggle against BRION's offensive in the early-to-mid game of the first set, 'ShowMaker' had a different perspective. "It was tough at times, but aside from Varus, our team members were so well-farmed that I believed the team that executed teamfights better would win. I wasn't intimidated," he explained. Indeed, during a dragon teamfight, 'ShowMaker' managed to sharply pinpoint the opposing Ezreal despite limited vision, leading his team to a decisive victory.

Regarding his preferred Annie-Lee Sin mid-jungle duo, he explained, "In the Annie-Lee Sin combo, Lee Sin is actually more important than Annie, and (Choi 'Lucid' Yong-hyeok) is incredibly good at Lee Sin. That makes it easier for me to perform well in the mid lane."

In the second set, the team displayed truly overwhelming firepower. They widened the gold gap to 12,000 within just 20 minutes, dismantling Hanwha Life Esports' BRION. Reflecting on the second set, 'ShowMaker' said, "We gained a massive advantage in the 3-on-3 skirmish in the bottom lane. Since I also had the upper hand in the mid-lane matchup, we were able to use that as a foundation to snowball the game."

He attributed the team's recent resilience to 'real-world experience.' Regarding the 'winning mentality' emphasized by head coach Kim Dae-ho, he noted, "It's not something that can be built through endless practice alone. Actually beating strong teams like Gen.G or T1 in real matches has been huge. Even during the first set today, I didn't really feel like we were at a disadvantage. I think those experiences of winning are truly important."

ShowMaker recently reached the milestone of 700 career games in the LCK. When asked what kind of mid laner he aspires to be, he pledged, "I'm happy to have reached 700 games. As I've said since I was a rookie, I want to be a player who is consistent. I will keep working hard to achieve that goal."