Peanut (gamer)

Han Wang-ho (한왕호; born Yoon Wang-ho, February 3, 1998), better known as Peanut, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player for Hanwha Life Esports.

Throughout his career, he has one Mid-Season Invitational title, six League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) titles and one KeSPA Cup title.

Peanut's career began in 2015, at age 16, when he signed with League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) team Najin e-mFire for the 2015 LCK season.

From 2015 to 2021, Peanut played for a different team every year.

Peanut entered the competitive League of Legends scene when he signed with Najin e-mFire for the 2015 LCK season.

However, his debut was initially delayed due to age restrictions, as he was sidelined until he turned 17 on February 3.

He made his LCK debut with the team in a match against SK Telecom T1 (SKT).

While Nanjin lost, Peanut maintained a 100% kill participation in game one, playing a part in all seven of his team's kills, while in games two and three, his kill participation dropped to 72%–76%.

Throughout the season, his split time with the team's starting jungler, Jae-geol "Watch" Cho.

In the spring split, Najin concluded with a 5–9 record, narrowly avoiding the need to compete in the promotion tournament.

The team fared better in the summer split, ending with 11 wins and 7 losses.

Although Najin advanced to the LCK Summer Split Playoffs, they were eliminated in the first round by KOO Tigers.

In his rookie year, Peanut participated in a total of 17 games, securing seven wins and 10 losses.

Following the 2015 season, Peanut signed with ROX Tigers (formerly KOO Tigers).

In 2016, he signed with ROX Tigers, won the 2016 LCK Summer Split, and reached the 2016 World Championship finals.

In the 2016 LCK Spring Split, the Tigers secured the top spot in the regular season standings, earning a bye directly into the playoff finals where they faced SKT.

However, they lost the match, 1–3, finishing in second place.

The subsequent summer split saw them once again claiming the top spot in the regular season standings, leading to a playoff finals match against KT Rolster.

Peanut clinched his first domestic title as the Tigers emerged victorious in the finals with a 3–2 score.

By winning the Summer Split Finals, the Tigers secured a spot in the 2016 League of Legends World Championship as the LCK's top seed.

After advancing past the group stage, the Tigers defeated EDward Gaming in the knockout quarterfinals and moved on to face SKT in the semifinals.

Prior to the semifinals, Peanut led all players at the World Championship with 57 kills.

The semifinals match was tied after four games, bring the match to a decisive game five.

Peanut played as the champion Elise, a champion whom he had a KDA ratio of 23 heading into the match.

Despite securing first blood by eliminating Bae "Bengi" Sung-woong, Peanut was soon after himself killed Bengi and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.

Although the teams remained evenly matched for the first 20 minutes, SKT gained control around the 40-minute mark, ultimately winning the match 3–2.

Peanut concluded the World Championship with the highest average kills per game among all players with at least 10 games played; no jungler since the Season 3 World Championship had been in the top five.

He then signed with SK Telecom T1 in 2017, winning the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational and another LCK title.

The following year, in his fifth consecutive LCK finals appearance, he won his third LCK title with Kingzone DragonX.

He also represented the South Korean national team at the 2018 Asian Games, earning a silver medal.

After a disappointing year with Gen.G in 2019, he left the LCK to sign with League of Legends Pro League team LGD Gaming in 2020, where he made another World Championship appearance.

In 2021, he signed with Nongshim RedForce and was traded the following year to Gen.G. In his second stint with Gen.G, from 2022 to 2023, Peanut won three LCK titles and made two World Championship appearances.

He then signed with Hanwha Life Esports for the 2024 LCK season.

Peanut's individual accomplishments include accolades such as an LCK Season MVP award, two LCK Finals MVP awards, and one LCK First All-Pro Team designation.

In 2021, he recorded his 1,000th kill in the LCK and became the 11th player in LCK history to record 2,500 assists.

At the age of 16, Peanut expressed his desire to become a professional League of Legends player to his aunt before discussing it with his parents.

Despite excelling in academics, he faced disapproval from his mother when she discovered his frequent visits to PC bangs.

This led to the first confrontation with his parents, as his mother emphasized the importance of academic success.

Following a heated argument, Peanut's determination to pursue a career in professional gaming persuaded his father, who supported him with the condition not to blame them if things did not go as planned.

Despite initial hesitation, Peanut's parents bought him a new computer, and he began practicing extensively at home.