SKT T1 recruited Jungsoo “Surrender” Kim, a Hearthstone pro gamer.

On July 29th, SKT T1, a prestigious pro gaming team in South Korea, delivered the news that they are creating a Hearthstone team with Jungsoo “Surrender” Kim, Sebastian “Xixo” Bentert, and Frederik “Hoej” Nielsen. SKT T1 is broadening its spectrum of esports with their official PUBG team created in April, and now with their new Hearthstone team.

Jungsoo “Surrender” Kim, the Hearthstone pro gamer who has been recruited by SKT T1, is undoubtedly the best Hearthstone player in South Korea. After his debut at the Korea and China Masters 2014, he carved out his career path by claiming the 1st place at the Hearthstone Masters Korea Season 2 and 2nd at Season 3.

Surrender’s name spread among Hearthstone fans all around the world after he claimed victory at the 2017 HCT APAC Summer Playoffs, 2017 HCT Summer Championship, and semifinals of the 2017 HCT World Championship. Additionally, he was selected as a representative of South Korea for the 2018 Asian Games after winning the selection match. His presence on the SKT T1 team shows that his efforts during the past years have been acknowledged.

On top of that, Xixo and Hoej, who are joining the SKT T1 alongside Surrender, are already familiar to Korean Hearthstone fans. These three players, who are known to be very good friends with each other, had been playing as pros at Planet Odd, an NA pro game team, from last July to April this year.

Xixo is from Germany and has been building up his career actively since Hearthstone’s start as an esport. Not only has he appeared in international tournaments, but he also entered South Korean leagues such as the Hearthstone Masters Korea Season 3 and earned renown among the Korean fans. Hoej is from Denmark and is also a great player who claimed the final victory of the 2017 Hearthstone Autumn Championship.

It will be interesting to see if and how amateur Hearthstone esports in Korea will turn change with the arrival of SKT T1’s Hearthstone team.