Ruler

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ruler's journey began in 2016 with Stardust before he joined Samsung Galaxy for the LCK Summer Split. In his rookie season, he helped SSG reach the 2016 World Championship Final, where they lost to SK Telecom T1 after a grueling five-game series. The following year, Ruler led SSG to victory at the 2017 World Championship, defeating SKT 3–0 in the finals. During this run, he played Xayah with zero deaths in the first two games and executed a pivotal Flash on Faker in game three, earning him the World Championship MVP award. After Samsung Galaxy rebranded to Gen.G, Ruler remained through lean years before leading the team back to prominence. He became the 12th player in LCK history to reach 1,000 kills in April 2020 and later the fourth to hit 2,000 kills in July 2022, after Faker, PraY, and Deft. His dominance peaked in the 2022 Summer Split, where he was named MVP with a 7.6 KDA and led all players in kills. He then moved to JD Gaming for the 2023 season, winning back-to-back LPL titles and the 2023 MSI, and remained with JD Gaming for the 2024 season.

In Their Own Story

The path to glory was not linear. In 2019, Ruler faced his most challenging period, contemplating retirement after Gen.G missed the playoffs in both splits. However, he signed a three-year extension and became the cornerstone for the team's rebuild. By April 1, 2020, during a match against T1, he secured his 1,000th kill, marking a historic milestone. That summer, despite losing the Spring Finals to T1 0–3, he earned First All-Pro Team honors. The defining moment of his career arguably came in 2022. In July, while facing Liiv Sandbox, Ruler reached 2,000 kills, joining an elite group behind only Faker and Deft. Gen.G finished the summer split with a historic 17–1 record, boasting an 87.5% win rate. Ruler was named MVP of the split, securing 21 first-place votes and tying for the most Player of the Game awards. His leadership carried Gen.G to the 2022 LCK title, his second domestic championship after a long hiatus from the summit.

Reader's Guide

Ruler's gameplay is characterized by exceptional wave management and high damage output, as seen in his 2016 World Championship run where he maintained zero deaths across multiple games. His adaptability was crucial during his time with JD Gaming, where he won two LPL titles and the 2023 MSI. Statistically, he excels in efficiency; in 2021 Spring, he led all bot laners in damage per minute, KDA, and gold per minute, contributing an average of 31.3% to his team's total damage. Fans should note his consistency in high-pressure environments. At the 2017 Worlds, he utilized a chaotic Flash play on Faker that turned the tide of game three. In 2020, playing Senna and Ezreal helped Gen.G secure their third seed for Worlds through regional qualifiers. His individual accolades include an LCK Season MVP, an LPL Finals MVP, two LPL First All-Pro Team designations, and three LCK First All-Pro Team selections. He also represents South Korea internationally, winning silver at the 2018 Asian Games and gold at the 2022 Asian Games.

Did You Know?

• Ruler is one of several players—including Deft—to win the LPL, MSI, and World Championship titles, though he has not won an LCK title. (Doinb has never won an LCK title, and Rookie has not won an LCK title, so they are n
• He was the fourth player in LCK history to reach 2,000 kills, following Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok, Kim 'PraY' Jong-in, and Kim 'Deft' Hyuk-kyu.