Becoming a progamer is no simple task. Practicing eight to twelve hours a day just for the smallest morsel of a chance to chase a fleeting dream. Being able to maintain an absurd level of drive and passion to strive for something that seems so unattainable and far reaching. Many careers end in a breakneck pace. Being able to have a career in esports for 6-7 years is priceless, yet for some South Korean natives this is the ideal. Let me introduce you to Kim “EscA” In-jae; captain of the critically acclaimed Overwatch team, Lunatic-Hai.

His career began in around 2009 when EscA first started to take a popular South Korean shooter called “Special Force” quite seriously. He was drafted to the KeSPA team, STX Soul to play within the SK Telecom Special Force Pro League. STX was a Starcraft mainstay and they asserted their dominance with EscA as their MVP, winning the league for the 2010-2011 season and a world championship.

Quick Trivia: The same year Kim "FruitDealer" Won Ki won the GSL Open Season 1, Kim “EscA” In-jae won the Special Force World Championship. Both were shoutcasted by Starcraft’s Nick "Tasteless" Plott and Dan “Artosis” Stemkoski.

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Sometime around 2012-2013, a sequel to the widely popular Special Force was released with excitement and speculation around whether or not OGN would add Special Force 2 to their stable of games. Special Force 2 was added to the list of titles that OGN hosted tournaments for, EscA quickly signed with Lunatic-Hai and with some people that we might now be quite familiar with in Overwatch; Lee "LEETAEJUN" Tae Jun and Ryu "ryujehong" Je Hong.

After about a year, the Special Force 2 Pro League shut down and ryujehong took his compulsory military leave. However, this did not stop EscA and crew as they recruited another Lunatic-Hai veteran in Geum "dean" Dong-geun and they attacked a fresh new game that had just recently hit the internet; Blacksquad. EscA would lead that squad to three repeat titles and be named MVP of Season 2 of OGN’s Blacksquad Nights (BSN). While the team itself won many titles and earned a number of accolades, EscA was considered to be on of the best players during the games run through OGN. Once ryujehong came back from the military, it was prime time for Overwatch. The Lunatic-Hai team added Gong "Miro" Jin Hyuk to its roster and charged into the game head on.

...and the rest is history.

Lunatic-Hai took second place at the Overwatch Power League, which was approximately about a year ago. Then achieved managed a second place victory at the APAC 2016 and at IEM Season XI Gyeonggi. Many worried if Lunatic-Hai were cursed or were facing some sort of mental blockage. Since then, Lunatic-Hai has done extremely well, capturing both the Season 2 and Season 3 APEX titles. They are widely considered now to be the best Overwatch team in the world.

While EscA has faced harsh criticism as of late and has become the butt of many jokes, Kim In-jae was a world champion. While EscA fell short in one game, Kim In-jae succeeds immensely in multiple. EscA is finally on an upswing in Overwatch, but his play will always be clouded by his past inconsistency and clumsiness. In some senses, it feels like “EscA”  has been chasing the coattails of “Kim In-jae.” Let me explain.

- “EscA”  is a runner up at both IEM Gyeonggi and the APAC Premier 2016, an Overwatch World Cup winner, and is now repeat OGN APEX Champion with victories in Season 2 and Season 3.

- “Kim In-jae” was the 2010 Special Force World Champion, 2010-2011 SK Telecom Special Force Pro League Champion, 2011 SK Telecom Special Force Pro League MVP, Blacksquad BSN Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 Champion, and the Blacksquad BSN Season 2 MVP.

The differential between these two careers is staggering. On one hand, we have an Overwatch player that has finally hit his stride after a rocky start to his career and on the other, we have an incredibly decorated FPS star that has won numerous awards and titles. Yes, we cannot ignore the facts; EscA has been underwhelming in the past, but with more context to what he has done in his FPS career it helps to better see a reasoning to why Lunatic-Hai see’s him as a valuable asset. His veteran and mature nature is what keeps the team glued together as a unit.

Kim “EscA” In-jae is a champion in multiple titles with an esports career that is continuous and ever growing. Between the many editions of Special Force, Black Squad, and now Overwatch, EscA is a champion in every right. He has been an integral member of any roster that called upon him, whether he was in the spotlight or not. He has been a paragon of flexibility and is a fine example of what success looks like while under extreme and heavy scrutiny.

While EscA had rocky path to the beginning of his Overwatch career, it has immensely improved and he is now a core member of the Lunatic-Hai roster. With his former teammates, Lee Tae Jun (Lee Tae Jun has recently rejoined the Lunatic-Hai main roster) and dean’s controversial step back from Overwatch, EscA found himself stepping into a new role and the uneasiness that came with the switch showed greatly in his play. Most notably, Head Coach Chae “alwaysoov” Ho-jeong mentioned this on the matter of EscA’s slow start to OGN APEX Season 2:

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“Esca's role [change] on Tracer was too sudden and unexpected. On Season 2 Lee Tae Jun was supposed to play the Tracer/Roadhog role, but due to that certain incident, EscA had to suddenly start playing Tracer which he was completely unprepared for. Considering all the difficult circumstances, EscA did pretty well on Season 2. He explained that Esca's understanding on the Tracer is still not fully developed, and the coach believes he is actually improving right now.”

(Credit and translation thanks to u/TISrobin311 on Reddit)

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With little time to prepare for his role swap, EscA indefinitely had a handicap in the Tracer race. With stars like Stitch and birdring running wild and pushing the pace of what a Tracer player could do, EscA’s Tracer play started slow but ended respectably with a title win over RunAway. No, EscA was not the sole reason for the Lunatic-Hai victory in APEX Season 2, but his perseverance and competitive drive we’re a determinant factor in how he grew and continues to grow as a player.

That drive and passion for victory don't just bloom overnight, it’s cultivated over countless hours of practice. Not only has EscA’s maintained the practice regimen required to strengthen his play, but his experience plays a huge part in his performances. EscA’s prowess in other FPS titles undoubtedly was at play when tasked with swapping roles to main DPS. That same veteran is conducted as he continues to be molded by his surroundings and what his support network asks of him.

Season 3 came with new faces and new strategies. Sombra was seeing more play and Lunatic-Hai jumped to an early lead in the “group of death” which housed Rogue, KongDoo Panthera, and Mighty AOD. In amazing fashion, Lunatic-Hai was able to reverse sweep KongDoo Panthera after being down 2-0. While EscA did start the season with uneasy statistical, he ended strong with his newfound pick that worked within the ideals set by the support staff. The pick was Sombra and it was backed by the rock steady Soldier 76 play we have come to expect from EscA. Statistically speaking, Season 3 was one of the better seasons for EscA in his Overwatch career.

Season 1 Statistics

Season 2 Statistics

Season 3 Statistics

EscA has improved tremendously in term of deaths per 10 minutes. His average Deaths per 10 minutes for Season 1 was 5.64. Season 2, his average deaths per ten minutes was 6.04. And to round it all off his average deaths per ten minutes for Season 3 was 5.49. Interestingly enough he also scored high marks with his 5.68 kills per ten minutes on Sombra, his kills per ultimate (7.21 KPU) and lead Season 3 with his percentage of ultimate kills as Soldier 76 with 34.1%.

To have the humility and presence of mind to be able to fully absorb and learn what is going to make you win, at the end of the day is one of the greatest traits to have and throughout his career EscA has undoubtedly had to face that same fact. Sometimes it isn’t just about who has the most kills or death, sometimes it is as simple as protecting teammates. One could think that being a role player in a team, after being a multiple time champion would be jarring and a bit disorienting for a player. Barring the fact that EscA has been pulled around from role to role for the last half a season, he has filled this ‘flex DPS’ niche quite well. We all remember his Mei play from Season 1 and now his Sombra play in Season 3 starts to harken back to that same ‘supportive-style’ of DPS. One could also argue that these players are out shined by their more flashy peers, but you could also easily argue that the role player is one of, if not, the most important player on the team.

At times, it’s almost unfair to compare someone who is clearly underperforming to their peers. Take someone like Yoon "Runner" Dae Hoon from RunAway. There is clearly some intangible statistic at play with how he makes a difference within that team. While he does provide moral and vocal leadership, albeit assumed, he has performed poorly compared to his peers on the server. The question is, if they succeed while one of their role players is underperforming, is it an “underperformance?” In a way, you could use that same argument for EscA.

The role player, and in this case EscA, is part of the support around your ‘carries’ such as Gido, WhoRU, and Miro. He is the catalyst to start these chain reactions that have been indicative throughout his whole career. Just like the example of Runner, EscA is a serious part of the stability of the Lunatic-Hai roster.  EscA is your quintessential ‘“jack of all trades, master of none.” He quietly walks the thin line of serviceability, whilst teetering into clumsiness and brilliance from time to time. This is what makes him a prime candidate for the ‘lunatic fringe.’ You have to be a slight amount of crazy to be able to do what EscA does and succeed for the length of time he has done it.

As we widen the scope of one’s career we start to see the breadth of a player’s impact. The person’s track record can speak in silent bellows. For a career that is assumedly far from over, Kim “EscA” In-jae is one of the most accomplished FPS players domestically in South Korea. Being a world champion is one thing, but having a career for six years and winning multiple prestigious championships is another thing entirely. EscA is the “lunatic fringe” of Overwatch.

With the pedigree that EscA has accumulated over his career, he will continue to be a dangerous threat in any FPS game he puts his mind to. Can you feel the resistance? Can you feel the thunder? As of recently, ESPN reported that Lunatic-Hai have been in talks with KSV Esports for the Seoul, South Korea location in the Overwatch League.

Kim “EscA” In-jae and Lunatic-Hai are coming and it would be wise not to stand in their way, regardless of where we might see them next.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLG’s of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment and OGN.

Statistics provided by Winton’s Lab.