WORLDS 2017 TOP 20
THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE FINAL STAGE FOR THE BEST LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PLAYERS AROUND THE GLOBE. THEY COME FROM EVERY REGION TO PROVE WHICH ONES ARE THE SHARKS AND WHICH ONES ARE THE MINNOWS. THE PLAYERS BELOW ARE THE ONES MOST LIKELY TO DEVOUR THEIR COMPETITION.
THE TOP 20 LIST WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN JOSHUA "JATT" LEESMAN, MARTIN "DEFICIO" LYNGE, AND CHRIS "PAPASMITHY" SMITH. IT TAKES A LOOK NOT JUST AT CURRENT FORM, BUT PLAYERS' PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT 2017, AT PREVIOUS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, AS WELL AS EXPECTED PERFORMANCE IN THIS YEAR'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. YOU CAN FIND THEIR INDIVIDUAL LISTS AND A HOUR LONG DISCUSSION HERE.
20
DOUBLELIFT
YILIANG PENG
NAME
ADC
ROLE
TSM
TEAM
NA LCS
LEAGUE
“He’s gotten increasingly better about toeing the line between dealing damage and staying alive. Doublelift is looking to improve on past failures on the international stage.”
– Jatt
19
SCOUT
YECHAN LEE
NAME
MID
ROLE
Edward Gaming
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“The largest difference in opinion we have on the list is Scout. He had the same number of MVPs as Xiaohu and he had a dominant Finals over him. I think he’ll have a lights out performance at Worlds.”
– Jatt
18
CONDI
RENJIE XIANG
NAME
JUNGLE
ROLE
Team WE
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“He has so many different styles. He can snowball the early game, he can play for late game, and he can adapt on the fly to unexpected situations. Shutting down Condi is close to impossible. He will always have an impact!”
– Deficio
17
SWORDART
SHUO-CHIEH HU
NAME
SUPPORT
ROLE
Flash Wolves
TEAM
LMS
LEAGUE
“SwordArt has made his name as part of a three pronged trio of stars on Flash Wolves alongside Maple and Karsa. In an engage support meta, few can match his smart warding and top-notch playmaking ability.”
– PapaSmithy
16
ZVEN
JESPER SVENNINGSEN
NAME
ADC
ROLE
G2 Esports
TEAM
EU LCS
LEAGUE
“Zven's been the best and most consistent AD Carry in the west for the past two years. He’s such a flexible player and is always reliable on the big stage. He's the one member to lead the charge when G2 Esports needs to perform.”
– Deficio
15
AMBITION
CHANYONG KANG
NAME
JUNGLE
ROLE
Samsung Galaxy
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
"It wasn’t kills. It wasn’t deaths. It was Ambition's understanding of where to stand in relation to the enemy team. It’s not something you see on a scoreboard.”
– PapaSmithy
14
UZI
ZIHAO JIAN
NAME
ADC
ROLE
Royal Never Give Up
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“Uzi is an unbelievably strong laner. He’ll get his CS, and he’ll deny his opponent CS. The potential he has is so high, but his stubbornness holds him back.”
– Jatt
13
CROWN
MINHO LEE
NAME
MID
ROLE
Samsung Galaxy
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“Crown was well regarded as the second best mid laner in the world after 2016. A great 2017 Spring Split led into a Summer Split plagued by inconsistency, dropping him below the more consistent Bdd. However, Crown has the work ethic and the attitude to bounce back and once again challenge Faker for the throne.”
– Deficio
12
BANG
JUNSIK BAE
NAME
ADC
ROLE
SK telecom T1
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“Bang is League of Legends royalty, but even those at the top can look vulnerable. Usually a peerless laner and big game player, there were moments in the Summer Season where Bang faltered. But you’d be brave to not expect Bang to return to the peak of his powers by the end of Worlds 2017.”
– PapaSmithy
11
MYSTIC
SEONGJUN JIN
NAME
ADC
ROLE
Team WE
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“His laning is strong, but his team fighting is better. Mystic consistently goes toe-to-toe with Uzi, and bests him more often than not.”
– Jatt
10
BJERGSEN
SØREN BJERG
NAME
MID
ROLE
TSM
TEAM
NA LCS
LEAGUE
“He will always do well, and never cost you a game. But I am waiting for the tournament where he puts the team on his back.”
– Deficio
9
MEIKO
YE TIAN
NAME
SUPPORT
ROLE
Edward Gaming
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“Meiko has had an amazingly consistent year. To have multiple games with three or four support bans thrown at him -- there’s nothing bad to say about him.”
– PapaSmithy
8
CUVEE
SUNGJIN LEE
NAME
TOP
ROLE
Samsung Galaxy
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“The thing about CuVee that pushes him up the list is his transformative summer season. He was innovative and had monstrous performances even in losses. He is a counterpoint to the current meta.”
– PapaSmithy
7
WOLF
JAEWAN LEE
NAME
SUPPORT
ROLE
SK telecom T1
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“In a split where Bang slumped, Wolf found a way to keep SKT afloat. While there have been large amounts of instability in the top lane and jungle for SKT this year, Wolf has had perhaps his best year ever.”
– Jatt
6
BDD
BO SUNG KWAK
NAME
MID
ROLE
Longzhu Gaming
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“KDA player is very rarely a term of endearment or praise, but Bdd truly redefines what it means to be a KDA player. This is a player who knows how to control his lane and roam to set his side lanes up for success better than nearly any player in history.”
– PapaSmithy
5
XIAOHU
YUANHAO LI
NAME
MID
ROLE
Royal Never Give Up
TEAM
LPL
LEAGUE
“It’s rare that a player can outshine Uzi, but if you watch RNG in 2017, it was the Xiaohu show. Fantastic performances during the entire summer split earned him the LPL MVP and that is why he is the highest ranked non-LCK player on our list.”
– Deficio
4
KHAN
DONGHA KIM
NAME
TOP
ROLE
Longzhu Gaming
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
"There is a reason we don’t have many top laners on this list and it is because the role doesn’t lend itself towards carrying the game. Except for Khan."
– Jatt
3
GORILLA
BEOMHYUN KANG
NAME
SUPPORT
ROLE
Longzhu Gaming
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“GorillA has proven that he can play every style of support and do it at a higher level than anyone else. GorillA is always pushing the envelope and always seems to be in the right place."
– Jatt
2
PRAY
JONGIN KIM
NAME
ADC
ROLE
Longzhu Gaming
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“Attending five World Championships, this evergreen AD Carry only keeps getting better. This year, he separated himself from every other ADC with his consistency and flexibility. Whether you need a primary initiator, a hard carry, or an out of game leader, you’d find excellence if you looked to Pray.”
– PapaSmithy
1
FAKER
SANGHYEOK LEE
NAME
MID
ROLE
SK telecom T1
TEAM
LCK
LEAGUE
“Faker proved everyone wrong, as always, at Worlds last year when he wasn’t number one. Towards playoffs this year, despite SKT’s summer slump, Faker picked it up and once again proved he was the best player in the World.”
– Deficio