Legends never die: Peanut's career comes to a close

"Goodbye, goodnight." Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, 28, ended his final stream on June 10 before reporting for his social service duty — the last chapter of one of the longest and most decorated careers in LCK history. The numbers tell most of the story. Seven LCK titles — second only to Faker's ten. One MSI and one First Stand. More than 1150 professional games across ten years. The only thing missing: a Summoner's Cup.

The Tigers years

Peanut debuted in 2015 with NaJin e-mFire at 17 — and spent most of that year on the bench. The team saw him as a "soloq player" in a pro jersey, constantly forcing fights without checking where his teammates were. The ROX Tigers signed him anyway for 2016. First match, first MVP.

Peanut's a maniac — he charges in

Midlaner Lee "Kuro" Seo-haeng said in the post-game interview. The aggression that got him benched became the engine of the best team in Korea.

The numbers from that spring bordered on absurd. Last in jungle farm at 10 minutes, second in gold — he farmed players, not camps. Barely any wards, yet he always knew where the enemy jungler was. Casters called him "BattleWard". The team reshaped itself around him. ROX, previously known for slow 50-minute teamfight wins, became the fastest team in the LCK, closing games in around 30 minutes — with three of the league's five top killers on the roster.

The Spring 2016 final ended in a loss to SKT, Peanut discovering the weight of a big match. ROX answered in summer, winning the LCK title, then pushed SKT to five games in that Worlds semifinal still remembered as one of the greatest series ever played.

SKT, and the first heartbreak

In 2017, he joined the team that had eliminated him. The move paid off immediately — LCK Spring title, then MSI 2017. But his form dipped in summer, and he spent the second half of the season sharing the jungle with Kang "Blank" Sun-gu. The Worlds final against Samsung Galaxy ended with Peanut on the bench, subbed out after two losses, watching SKT get swept.

A year at KingZone DragonX followed, with another LCK Spring trophy in 2018 and a silver medal at the Asian Games with the Korean national team. In 2018, esports was only a demonstration event — even gold wouldn't have exempted him from service. The rule that later freed Faker and Chovy came too late for Peanut.

Then came the wilderness: a difficult 2019 at Gen.G, a season abroad with LGD Gaming in the LPL in 2020 — good enough to drag the team back to Worlds after a five-year absence — and a 2021 revival at Nongshim RedForce that earned him Summer regular season MVP honors.

The second peak

Most players decline at that stage. Peanut returned to Gen.G in 2022 and entered the best stretch of his career — three more LCK titles across 2022 and 2023, anchoring a roster built around Jung "Chovy" Ji-hoon.

In 2024, he came full circle. Hanwha Life Esports — the organization that had absorbed ROX — signed him, and Peanut delivered the LCK Summer 2024 title, ending an eight-year drought for the org. 2025 added two more trophies: the LCK Cup and the inaugural First Stand, won against Karmine Corp at LoL Park.

The last dance

Peanut had already delayed his enlistment once to play 2025. He announced the decision himself on September 20, after HLE's 3-0 win over KT Rolster in the LCK playoffs — his final match at LoL Park. The grand final ended in defeat against Gen.G. Worlds 2025 would be the last shot at the one title that always escaped him.

It ended in Shanghai, in the quarterfinals, against Gen.G again — a 3-1 loss on October 28, the same scoreline as the LCK final. Game 2 stretched to 59 minutes, both teams reaching the enemy base, before Gen.G closed it out.

I hoped I wouldn't be left with regrets, but when you lose, you inevitably are

After the stage

Retirement became official on November 6. HLE confirmed the end of his contract on November 18, after Peanut declined the retirement ceremony the org wanted to hold. His successor, Kanavi, picked jersey number 1 as a nod to Peanut's 11.

He spent his final months streaming on SOOP, like his old ROX teammates. The run ended June 10, on his last words to viewers :

Goodbye, goodnight.

Whether he returns after his service — around two years — remains open. The legacy doesn't: the last of the ROX generation to leave the stage, and one of the greatest junglers the LCK has produced.