DRX Academy won the third open tournament of the 2023 LCK Academy Series, the first stage for aspiring LoL pros, on Sunday.

A total of 45 teams participated in the third LCK Academy Series Open Tournament, including 14 academies affiliated with LCK teams and 31 other amateur teams, the most in the first half of the year. Of these, DRX Academy, KDF Rookies, Genji Scholars, and Shadow Cob advanced to the quarterfinals. In the final, DRX Academy and KDF Rookies faced off.

The two teams battled hard from the first set. The key pick in the first set was KDF Rookies' Top Kale. DRX Academy slowly started to break the balance of the early game, but KDF Rookies' Jungle Seo Seung-won's buy and Top Kale's kill evened the score midway through. However, the balance was upset when DRX Academy picked up a baron and a kite at 25-minutes, and DRX Academy broke the nexus by picking up another baron at 32-minutes to close out the first game.

The second game started with KDF Rookies taking the early advantage. DRX Academy skillfully answered back to keep the balance, but at 27-minutes, DRX Academy bottom Seok-hyun Park's Lucian showed high concentration and led Hanta to a big win. However, in the 30th minute of the hantas in front of the dragon, KDF Rookies took the lead and turned the game back in their favor. In the 36th minute of the hantas, DRX Academy bottom Seok-hyun Park's Lucian once again showed off his explosive deal volume, leading Hanta to a big win to close out the match.

"I wasn't feeling well, but I was able to win because my teammates took care of me and gave me the courage to do it," said Bottom Seok-hyun 'Paduk' Park. Surfot's Hyung-seok "Career" Oh said, "We have a new coach this time, and a lot of things have changed since the Banpik. I was able to learn a lot from him, and I think I was able to win thanks to him."

Meanwhile, the first half of the 2023 LCK Academy Series tryouts will be held at LoL Park (Jongno, Seoul) on Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16, where players will have the opportunity to interview and try out for 10 LCK franchises. The number of tryouts will be 50, with 10 players per position, and final participants will be selected based on their account LP and Open Tournament performance, age, etc. LCK teams may select additional roster spots for tryouts, and the final participants will be announced individually on Friday, April 7.

The LCK Academy Series is an LCK-affiliated tournament where aspiring LoL players and academy teams affiliated with LCK teams compete to showcase their skills in preparation for their professional debut, and is organized by the LCK League Corporation, hosted by the Korea Esports Association, broadcast by Nice Game TV, and sponsored by Woori Bank. Last year, 사설토토 the LCK introduced a tryout and academy league system to strengthen the player development system.