With a decade of competitive history between the Season One Championship back in 2011 and the most recent World Championship, it seems about time to take stock of the greatest players in LoL history.
The last time I came across such a list was Duncan “Thorin” Shields’ list, made back in the spring of 2015:
Over six years have passed since then, and while many of the names on his list lost their relevancy, there’s a few who have stood the test of time. Given how starved the LoL scene is of historical content, and given how I’d bet there are few people in the world as devoted to following competitive LoL and thinking in-depth about its history as me, I figure I’d take a crack at it.
Greatness Criteria:
- Eye Test
- Peak
- Whether they were the best in their role (and for how long)
- Longevity
- Clutch Factor
- International Performance
- Achievements
- Role in their team’s success
- Innovation
- Intangibles (Shotcalling, Leadership, etc)
- Level of Competition
- Quality of Teammates
20. Imp
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Playoffs MVP
- 2x LPL Finalist
- 1x LCK Champion
- 1x LCK Finalist
Imp won arguably the three most difficult trophies to win in LoL Esports with an LCK title, a World Championship title, and an LPL title. More importantly, displayed an insane level of play while doing so.
Imp quickly established himself as the best adc in the world in his debut year (2013), winning an LCK (then called OGN) title in his first split. He started 2014 off by bringing his adc rival and reigning world champion Piglet to tears by stomping him in the OGN Winter Finals so hard.
After winning worlds on the legendary Samsung White lineup and departing to the LPL, he proved he didn’t need star support Mata to succeed. He not only reestablished himself as the best adc in the world, but also hard carried his team to a title in LPL Summer of 2015, netting himself Playoffs MVP.
The last four years of Imp’s career were a mixed bag, with him openly admitting in interviews to not practicing and balling out in $1000 t-shirts. Had he taken his latter years more seriously he’d likely have a higher spot on this list, but then he also wouldn’t be the cocky, villainous character we all loved him for being.
19. Scout
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x World Finals MVP
- 3x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Finalist
- 2x LPL Playoffs MVP
- 1x LPL 1st All-Pro Mid Laner
- 1x LPL 3rd All-Pro Mid Laner
Scout has maintained an elite level of play since he won his debut split on EDG back in 2016 Summer. Back then, he was a volatile player with high highs and low lows. In the past few years however, he’s taken his career to the next level by evolving into a more complete and stable player, while still maintaining the mechanical prowess of years past.
Scout’s story is one of constantly being doubted yet rising to the occasion. I won’t make the mistake of predicting he won’t advance further up this list in the years to come.
18. PraY
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Finalist
- 2x World Semifinalist
- 4x LCK Champion
- 2x LCK Finalist
- 1x LCK Playoffs MVP
Easily one of the greatest weak side players and initiators of all-time, PraY was an unusual ADC talent. With elite play ranging from 2012 to 2018, PraY was godlike at setting up his carries for success, rather than being the carry himself.
Given his domestic success and a pair of fantastic World Championship performances in 2015 and 2016, PraY’s spot in the top 20 is a given.
17. Meiko
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x MSI Champion
- 4x LPL Champion
- 2x LPL Finalist
- 2x LPL 1st All-Pro Support
- 3x LPL 2nd All-Pro Support
- 2x LPL 3rd All-Pro Support
The 2021 World Champion has put together a resume that cannot be denied. Meiko has been the engine of EDG since his debut in 2015. Since then, his leadership and shotcalling has netted the team an impressive collection of the most prestigious trophies LoL Esports has to offer.
While he may not have been the best support at any point, few players have maintained an elite level of play for as long as him, or won as much as him. It’s also no coincidence that nearly half a dozen ADC’s have shined so brightly at his side.
16. Smeb
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Finalist
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 2x LCK Champion
- 3x LCK Finalist
- 2x LCK MVP
When I first envisioned a top 20 list, I anticipated Smeb would be much higher than number sixteen. Unfortunately, it becomes difficult to justify a higher ranking when you consider his lack of longevity, low lows, and the failure of the KT Super Team he was the captain of.
Nonetheless, Smeb peaked extremely high and was the best top laner in the world during 2016. He also put up some serious carry performances on the world stage, most notably during the 2015 World Championship where he hard carried his team to the grand finals. No top 20 list would be complete without him.
15. Score
Notable Achievements:
- 1x LCK Champion
- 1x LCK Playoffs MVP
- 4x LCK Finalist
Score brings a unique legacy in that he was an elite player in two different positions. After solid ADC play during 2013 and 2014 in the best league in the world, Score transitioned to jungle for the remaining five years of his career. Not only was he an elite level jungler for most of that time, but he was the best jungler in the world from 2016–2017.
Score was known as a cerebral jungler, but he could also step into the hard carry role when needed. When superstar KT top laner Ssumday choked in the 2016 LCK Summer Playoffs, it was Score who hard carried the team to the finals. When the newly formed KT Super Team slumped in 2017 LCK Spring following their defeat at the hands of SKT, it was Score who hard carried them to a top 3 finish, despite having to play picks outside of his wheelhouse like Kha’Zix and Rengar. This stylistic flexibility was perhaps the most underrated aspect of Score’s career.
Unfortunately, Score was also known for making the LCK finals but never winning. Though he did eventually win a title, his achievements are noticeably lacking compared to other greats, and it’s for that reason he’s not higher on this list.
14: Perkz
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Finalist
- 2x World Semifinalist
- 1x MSI Champion
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 8x LEC Champion
- 1x LCS Champion
With nine domestic titles and an international title, most of which earned while being the best mid laner in Europe, it’s hard to argue against Perkz being the greatest western player of all-time. What puts him alongside the greatest eastern players of all-time, however, is his international performances.
Comparing western players to eastern players is notoriously difficult given how much harder the latter group have it in their domestic leagues. This leaves us with international play as the main way of differentiating the players.
While it’s true that Perkz flopped in his first couple tournaments in 2016, he would go on to be a consistent force of dominance and clutchness on the biggest stages. Whether it’s showing up Faker in lane in the 2017 MSI Finals, his Ryze single-handedly giving G2 a fighting chance at the 2017 World Championship, his legendary Leblanc performance against RNG at the 2018 World Championship, his godlike Kai’Sa and Xayah play at the 2019 World Championship, or miraculously leading C9 out of the group of death at the 2021 World Championship, Perkz always showed up against the best teams in the world.
Some may contend he deserves to be higher on this list, but the flipside of his international success must be considered. It’s markedly easier to qualify for MSI and the World Championship from Europe than it is from China or Korea, especially when you’re playing on a super team. Many players just as skilled as Perkz don’t get nearly as many chances to play internationally because their region is harder to play in than international tournaments themselves.
13. Bengi
Notable Achievements:
- 3x World Champion
- 1x MSI Champion
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 5x LCK Champion
The Right Hand of God blows everyone out of the water when it comes to achievements, save for Faker. And despite what detractors say, he was a fantastic individual player in his prime with a clutch factor that was out of this world.
What is lesser known is that he had many bouts of bad play, with his career ending in relegation. That combined with the fact that all of his success came while enabling the GOAT player in his prime is why he lands as low as number thirteen despite such a monstrous trophy case.
12. GorillA
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Finalist
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 3x LCK Champion
- 3x LCK Finalist
GorillA is perhaps the most underrated player of all-time. Very few players have dominated their role for as long as he did (2015–2017). Even fewer brought the level of innovation and intelligent map play GorillA showed during his long career.
Had he won some international titles, he’d instantly shoot up the list, but twelfth is nothing to scoff at.
11: Ming
Notable Achievements:
- 2x MSI Champion
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 3x LPL Champion
- 3x LPL Finalist
- 5x LPL 1st All-Pro Support
Ming brings five years of longevity and five years of elite play to the table. His peaks have been astronomical, and his consistency has been virtually unmatched in the support role.
Netting himself another LPL and MSI title in 2021, he’s proven beyond a doubt that he was Uzi’s equal during their time together, rather than just being along for the ride.
10. Xiaohu
Notable Achievements:
- 2x MSI Champion
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 4x LPL Champion
- 4x LPL Finalist
- 1x LPL MVP
- 2x LPL 1st All-Pro Top Laner
- 2x LPL 3rd All-Pro Mid Laner
Before 2021, Xiaohu already had a very impressive career as a mid laner. But after switching to top lane, he took his legacy to another level. He became the only player to ever win a major international title in two different roles, and did so as the centerpiece of the best team in the world.
If the Little Tiger can ever find success at the World Championship, his name ought to start appearing in top 5's.
9. TheShy
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 1x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Finals MVP
- 1x LPL Finalist
- 5x LPL 1st All-Pro Top Laner
TheShy is undoubtedly the most difficult player to place on this list. There’s plenty one can knock him for, such as a lack of longevity or his undying ability to int away games. But the sheer brilliance of his peak cannot be denied.
TheShy broke the game in 2018 and showed us a level of dominance over his role unseen since Faker’s debut in 2013. If that isn’t greatness, I don’t know what is.
8. Doinb
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x MSC Finalist
- 1x LPL Champion
- 3x LPL Finalist
- 3x LPL MVP
- 4x LPL 1st All-Pro Mid Laner
- 2x LPL 2nd All-Pro Mid Laner
Doinb’s career consists of a long history of elevating team and after team to the top of the standings. Initially relying on an enigmatic playstyle to get ahead, the latter years of Doinb’s career have seen his individual play rise to an insane level. Not only does he play the map better than you, but now he lanes and teamfights better than you.
What makes Doinb truly great is that every team he’s succeeded on has been about him. The resources are funneled into him and he consistently delivers. There’s no getting carried, there’s virtually no bad games. There’s just Super Carry Doinb.
7. Canyon
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x World Finals MVP
- 1x World Finalist
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 3x LCK Champion
- 2x LCK MVP
- 2x LCK 1st All-Pro Jungler
- 1x LCK 2nd All-Pro Jungler
Canyon is the greatest jungler of all-time. He’s been the best jungler in the world for nearly two years straight, he’s absurdly clutch, and he’s already achieved a ridiculous amount in his short career. The few players ahead of him in this list should be sweating.
6. Showmaker
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x World Finalist
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 3x LCK Champion
- 1x LCK Finals MVP
- 1x LCK MVP
- 1x LCK Player of the Split
- 3x LCK 1st All-Pro Mid Laner
Showmaker has lived up to his name. He’s not only phenomenal at all aspects of the game but has nerves of steel to boot. He and Canyon are the primary reasons Damwon has attained a world championship title and three straight LCK titles (including the most statistically dominant split in LCK history), cementing themselves as one of the greatest organizations in LoL history.
What separates him from most other legendary players is his playmaking ability. No matter how instense the pressure is or how unwinnable a game may look, Showmaker will find a way to win.
Perhaps he may be the one to finally fill the fabled “successor to Faker” title given to so many over the years. Only time will tell.
5. Uzi
Notable Achievements:
- 2x World Finalist
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 1x MSI Champion
- 1x MSI MVP
- 2x LPL Champion
- 2x LPL Playoffs MVP
- 4x LPL Finalist
- 2x LPL 1st All-Pro ADC
- 2x LPL 2nd All-Pro ADC
- 1x LPL 3rd All-Pro ADC
The Mad Dog is not just individually outstanding, but he’s easily the most iconic and influential ADC to ever touch the game. He inspired an entire generation of Chinese ADC’s who emulate his hyper-aggressive style; though none have yet matched the legacy he built.
Many have him pegged as the second best player of all-time, but that argument has some holes in it. Uzi lacks domestic dominance relative to his peers in the second GOAT discussion, and he also was never able to attain a World Championship title.
Uzi also lacks the stylistic flexibility other legendary ADC’s like Bang or PraY had, typically playing a hard carry style on hard carry champions. People often bring up his brief time on the QG Reapers back in 2016 Spring as a counterpoint, since that was undoubtedly a team which was based around their mid laner Doinb. But what they neglect to mention is that Uzi spent most of that season being subbed out for Peco, a more self-sufficient ADC.
Nonetheless, Uzi’s godlike carry potential and iconic status in the LoL Esports scene is something few will ever surpass.
4. Deft
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 1x MSI Champion
- 2x LCK Champion
- 3x LCK Finalist
- 2x LCK 3rd All-Pro ADC
- 2x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Finalist
Deft was the best ADC in the world in three different years (2014, 2016, 2019), something no other ADC can claim. He also brings an unbelievable amount of longevity with nine straight years of elite play, something no player in history besides Faker can claim.
One of Deft’s biggest selling points is his domestic success. He’s managed high placings on five different teams and is the only player in history to win multiple titles in both the LCK and the LPL. He did this while being the main carry of his team nearly every time.
The bane of his career however is a lack of success at the World Championship. This is due in part to his own failure to play up to par (hello 2015), but also a fair amount of bad luck as well (hello 2018). Though he checks most of the boxes, putting him top 3 without a big performance at LoL’s most prestigious tournament feels wrong.
3. Mata
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x Worlds MVP
- 4x LCK Champion
- 2x LCK Finalist
- 1x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Finalist
The Maestro of LoL has been off the rift for a couple years, but his career still holds up as one of the greatest. He surpassed Madlife in 2013 Spring as the best support in the world and maintained elite play all the way until 2019, cementing himself as the greatest support of all-time.
Beyond his MVP World Championship performance in 2014, Mata’s domestic excellence is virtually unparalleled. Not only did he win five domestic titles, but also never placed below top 3 in all eleven LCK splits he played in.
A true rival to Faker during his peak, Mata holds a slight winning head-to-head record against Faker (37–36, adding in their 2018 Summer matches) despite a vast sample size of games. He was one of the only players to hold Faker back in his prime, particularly in 2014, where he not only eliminated Faker in both spring & summer playoffs, but also denied him a spot at worlds in the regional gauntlet.
It also must be mentioned that Mata, alongside his ex-Samsung White jungler DanDy, innovated how the vision game was played. Concepts like vertical jungling or using your support/jungle duo to roam about the map to place vision and catch out the enemy jungler quickly went from a SSW specialty to standard play across the world.
2. Rookie
Notable Achievements:
- 1x World Champion
- 1x World Semifinalist
- 1x LPL Champion
- 1x LPL Finalist
- 3x LPL MVP
- 2x LPL 1st All-Pro Mid Laner
- 2x LPL 2nd All-Pro Mid Laner
- 1x LPL 3rd All-Pro Mid Laner
- 1x LCK Champion
In Rookie’s debut year (2014), he was dubbed “Faker Junior” by fans. That nickname is also an apt way of describing his career. He nails every criteria, particularly longevity (eight years), peak (best player in the world), and clutch factor. Though he’s just not quite on Faker’s level in these aspects.
Nonetheless, Rookie’s name is synonymous with dominance. Destroying everyone in laning phase and dwarfing their cs, Rookie was Chovy before Chovy. No LPL or LCK player in history (not even Faker) can claim to have been the best mid in their domestic league or the best player on their team as consistently as him.
While he can’t reasonably be called the GOAT yet, Faker Junior is closer to Faker’s legacy than anyone else, and his career isn’t over yet.
1. Faker
Notable Achievements:
- 3x World Champion
- 1x Worlds MVP
- 1x World Finalist
- 2x World Semifinalist
- 3x MSI Champion
- 1x MSI MVP
- 1x MSI Finalist
- 9x LCK Champion
- 2x LCK Finalist
- 2x LCK MVP
Faker has the best achievements, the most longevity, the highest peak, the most insane clutch factor, the best macro, and the best playmaking ability. No player in history matches him in these aspects.
There’s a million ways to praise the Unkillable Demon King, so allow me to focus on just two that I find particularly impressive.
First, his clutch factor. The most inhuman thing about Faker is he not only is completely unaffected by pressure, but his level of play actually elevates the higher the stakes get. It’s not just that he shows up when it matters, it’s that he gets better when it matters.
Second, his longevity. After a competitive top 4 finish at the 2021 World Championship, Faker is about to enter his tenth year of professional play. He’s managed to remain at least a top 10 mid laner in the world for the entire time, no matter the meta or teammates around him.
Faker was number one on Thorin’s list six years ago, and still remains the consensus GOAT today. After another decade of competitive LoL, I have a feeling he’ll still be there.
The List:
- Faker
- Rookie
- Mata
- Deft
- Uzi
- Showmaker
- Canyon
- Doinb
- TheShy
- Xiaohu
- Ming
- GorillA
- Bengi
- Perkz
- Score
- Smeb
- Meiko
- PraY
- Scout
- Imp
