The greatest players in the history of League of Legends cement their legacy at the World Championship. Faker, Mata, Ambition, and Rookie all etched their names in the pantheon of esports on this stage. Every year, players from around the world hope to reach the top of the mountain and throw their names in with the greats. This year is no exception. The only question is, who is currently the best player in the world? Who will carry their team and their region to victory? After days of VOD review, we built a list of what we feel are the top 20 players at the tournament based on 2020 domestic performances.
20. Emil “Larssen” Larsson - Mid Laner, Rogue
Rogue’s first place summer regular-season finish can largely be credited towards Larssen’s evolution throughout the year. The second-year mid laner began competing with the likes of Caps. His growth towards an aggressive playstyle led to an 86 kill summer split, tied for first with G2’s mid laner. His ability to hard carry late-game fights on champions like Corki made Rogue a dominant force in the LEC. Larssen is the key if Rogue hopes to get out of a group with DAMWON and JDG.
19. Martin "Rekkles" Larsson - AD Carry, Fnatic
He's one of the most storied players in League of Legends, as well as the face of the Fnatic franchise. Although Rekkles and his teammates inarguably had an up and down year, the European titans did end up making it to both the spring and summer finals, even if they wound up getting swept both times by G2. Rekkles is a proven commodity. He's demonstrated the ability to pop off at any moment, with the talent to completely turn the tides of a game. Rekkles will go into Worlds 2020 geared up and ready, as he always does.
18. Lee "LokeN" Dong-wook - AD Carry, JD Gaming
As one of the most talented bot laners in the game, LokeN returned to his home of JD Gaming after a short stint with Top Esports. In his first split back, LokeN and his teammates defeated the very same Top Esports in China’s League of Legends Pro League Spring Finals, winning JD Gaming their first title as an organization. Paired with support Zuo "LvMao" Ming-Hao, JD Gaming’s strong bot lane makes them one of the favorites to win it all in 2020.
17. Lê "SofM" Quang Duy - Jungler, Suning
The talented Vietnam native has been one of many shining stars for the young Suning team. Together with Xiang "Angel" Tao, SofM comprises half of a strong mid-jungle duo, which helped lead to Suning grabbing China’s third spot at Worlds. With over 60% win percentages on Trundle, Lee Sin, Graves as well as Jarven IV, SofM easily lands among the top junglers in the world.
16. Martin "Wunder" Nordahl Hansen - Top Laner, G2 Esports
The longtime G2 Esports top laner has played a major part in the juggernaut team winning four European titles in a row. Wunder showed off his impressive champion pool during the League of Legends European Championship Summer Playoffs, playing a total of 11champions throughout seventeen games. The Dane has cemented himself as one of the best players in Europe, as well as one of the best top laners in Worlds 2020
15. Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee - Support, DAMWON Gaming
One of the few supports to make the list, BeryL finds himself firmly in the top 20. Competing in the bot lane with AD Carry Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun, BeryL has been a rock for Ghost and their teammates, being the catalyst for a lot of the success DAMWON as a team have found in the League of Legends Champions Korea.
14. Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong - Mid Laner, Gen.G
In his first split as a part of Gen.G, BDD was one of the best performing mid laners in the LCK, with a 6.2 KDA (kill/death/assist) ratio, which was good for second in the LCK Summer Split, behind only DAMWON’s Heo "ShowMaker" Su. Although many consider bot laner Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk to be the main carry of the team, BDD brings a ton of talent and leadership to the team, making them one of the favorites from Korea to win the entire event.
13. Zuo "LvMao" Ming-Hao - Support, JD Gaming
The 24-year-old stands strongly as the number one support in the world. With the ability to play a mix of tank supports, playmaking supports as well as enchanters, LvMao has made a name for himself as a playmaker in a meta that doesn’t provide much wiggle room for supports. The JD Gaming support won 9 of his eleven games on Bard during Summer, averaging eleven assists per contest.
12. Jang "Nuguri" Ha-gwon - Top Laner, DAMWON Gaming
Although he may look like the ultimate inter at times, Nuguri’s playmaking skills and natural talent make him one of the most talented players in the world. Ever since DAMWON’s first year in the LCK, fans have been waiting for Nuguri and his team to pop off. Many believe 2020 to be the year that it happens. Nuguri played an essential role in DAMWON’s utter domination in the LCK Summer Split, and he will look to continue his tear on the Worlds stage.
11. Hung "Karsa" ( listen) Hao-Hsuan - Jungler, Top Esports
Top Esports looks like the best team in the world, and their jungler is a big reason as to why. Many remember him as being a part of the notorious “Korean Killers” with Flash Wolves, and Karsa hopes to continue his tradition of beating Koreans during Worlds 2020.
10. Bai “369” Jia-Hao - Top Laner, Top Esports
369’s champion pool tells the story of exactly what kind of player he is; Renekton, Wukong, Jayce, Jax, and even a Quinn game. The carry top laner shows glimpses of 2018 Theshy and brings yet another carry threat to an already stacked Top Esports team.
9. Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu - Jungler, DAMWON Gaming
Canyon spent the summer split proving that he is the best Jungler in Korea. His flexibility opens DAMWON's drafts and playstyles, preventing the team from being predictable. Mechanically, he can go toe to toe with the best. Canyon’s ability to both enable Showmaker and Nuguri while also inhibiting enemy junglers led Damwon to dominate the summer split, and potentially the international stage.
8. Yu “Jackeylove” Wen-Bo - AD Carry, Top Esports
While Ruler may be the perfect AD Carry, Jackeylove is a highlight waiting to happen. The former World Champion joined Top Esports at the beginning of the year and was the spark that the team needed. His fearlessness led to a lot of TES victories, and the occasional int. He looks to earn his second World Championship and cement himself as one of League’s greatest AD Carries.
7. Zhang “Zoom” Xing-Ran - Top Laner, JD Gaming
Zoom does everything JDG requires him to at near perfection. If JDG needs hard engage and a frontline, Zoom will play the best Ornn in the world. If JDG needs top lane domination, Zoom does exactly that on Renekton and Camille. There is no variance with Zoom and in a region that has plenty of instability, Zoom’s stability lands him as the best top laner in the world.
6. Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk - AD Carry, Gen.G
The first former World Champion on the list, Ruler comes into the tournament as the best AD Carry in the world, and there’s very little debate. In a meta so dependent on dragon control, the importance of bot lane priority can not be understated. Ruler leads all AD Carries at the tournament with a 13 CS differential at 15 minutes. Finding flaws in his game is near impossible as he is virtually the perfect AD Carry.
5. Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok - Jungler, JD Gaming
Kanavi may be the best jungler the LPL has ever sent to the World Championship. The Korean import fully embodies the patented LPL aggression with his champion pool (Lee Sin, Nidalee, Graves) and mechanics. He consistently finds advantages against enemy junglers through optimal pathing, counter-jungling, and ganking. He seems to know exactly when to start fights and how to set up his team for success. He spent the year outplaying some of the best junglers in the world, like Tian and Karsa, and he looks to do the same at Worlds.
4. Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard - Mid Laner, G2 Esports
To put it frankly, G2 may not have made the playoffs were it not for Caps’ MVP season. Even after six straight domestic titles, an MSI victory, and back to back World’s Finals appearances, Caps continues to find ways to impress. In a region famous for its mid laners, Caps stands above. He comes into the tournament with hopes for a third shot at the title and to finally prove the best player in the world does not have to come from the east.
3. Heo “Showmaker” Su - Mid Laner, DAMWON Gaming
DAMWON dominated the LCK in summer and come into Worlds as the team with the highest potential to reclaim the World Championship crown for South Korea, and Showmaker is at the root. He comes into the tournament with a KDA of 16. For context, T1’s Teddy had the second-highest KDA at 7.8. DAMWON's success stems from Showmaker’s ability to completely take over a game. The LCK MVP looks to show the World why Damwon is so dominant.
2. Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon - Mid Laner, DRX
The best individual laner in the world, Chovy takes any and every opponent to his lane kingdom. He averages 13.5 CS over enemy mid laners at 15 minutes, the highest amongst all qualified mid laners. DRX depends on Chovy, sometimes overly so, to dominate the lane early in order to gain advantages on other parts of the map. Luckily, he delivers. Chovy single-handedly carried an inconsistent and underperforming DRX roster to the LCK finals and, subsequently, Worlds qualification. May the church of Chovy bless the rift.
1. Zhuo “Knight” Ding - Mid Laner, Top Esports
Being the best player, on the best team, in the best region secures Knight the number one spot. Finding flaws in his gameplay is a tall order. He consistently gains advantages over lane opponents. He moves around the map and supports his team better than anyone. His understanding of his and his team’s specific win conditions is impeccable, and he brings incredible champion diversity to the World’s stage. Top Esports is the overwhelming favorite to take home the title and Knight is the catalyst for their success.
Sources: Leaguepedia, Riot Games, Inven Global, Sohu