The difference between a low-rank player and a professional player is so vast to the point where you don’t know if continuing the grind is even worth it. This is true for every game, and League of Legends is no exception. However, even in professional play, there’s a big gap between great and world-class and this list is meant only for the best.

15. Bengi

Known for his nickname as “The Right Hand of God” where the God was none other than the famous Faker, Bengi played a crucial role in supporting SK Telecom in the jungle position. He started his professional career as a jungler for the Korean team BBT in 2012 (back then he was known as JangTa) but peaked when he joined SK Telecom T1 2 in 2013. He acted as Faker’s guardian and helped set up his flashy plays.

As time passed, he just couldn’t keep up, often being benched for Blank in 2016. That being said, that same year at Worlds when it seemed like T1 was about to be dethroned, Bengi was picked as the jungler for the final game and snatched the win from Samsung Galaxy.  Bengi was later on picked as a coach for T1 Challengers where he remains to this day. Nevertheless, Bengi was still a top-tier jungler, 4 times LCK Champion and 3 times Worlds Champion.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCK CL Spring 2021 as a coach for T1 ($26,759 prize amount)

Bengi highlights

14. Clearlove

Contrary to Bengi’s supportive jungle playstyle, Clearlove often relied on his team, mostly throughout the early game. In earlier seasons, he was a power-farming machine, trusting his teammates to survive the beginning of the game, Clearlove focused on clearing jungle camps. Up until a few seasons ago, jungle monsters gave immense gold and experience, allowing one to dominate the mid and late game without the need to gank or leech off of lane exp. This kind of playstyle may have been why his Lee Sin became infamously known for only dealing 4396 damage in the fourth game of the 2016 Season Worlds Championship.

Clearlove used to play for Chinese teams Phoenix and WE but the spotlight didn’t really find him until 2014. when he joined EDG (EDward Gaming). Since then he has won LPL six times, the latest one being this year, and MSI once in 2015. Despite somewhat tanking his Worlds games, Clearlove has clearly, no pun intended, shown great skill and jungle prowess.

Latest 1st place achievement: LPL Summer 2021 as a player for EDG ($309,683 prize amount)

Clearlove highlights

13. TheShy

Every League player knows the struggle of playing against a strong top laner. Going 1v5 and getting away with multiple kills is what feeds these power-hungry carries and allows them to destroy their opponents’ spirits.

TheShy was known for his aggressive playstyle and fearless determination. When getting ganked, he was less focused on escaping, more on using the opportunity to get a double kill and snowballing into the late game. One of his greatest strengths is being aware of his power and using it to start teamfights and annihilate his enemies.

TheShy has been a member of multiple teams, such as Team WE, Anarchy, and Awe Max, but has had the greatest success while being the top laner for Invictus Gaming where he stands currently. He placed 1st in two LPL tournaments as well as Rift Rivals 2018 and NEST 2017.

Latest 1st place achievement: LPL Spring 2019 as a player for IG ($224,006 prize amount)

TheShy highlights

12. MadLife

MadLife is the original support carry. Back in the day, nobody chose to play support, instead wanting to be the one to solo kill everyone on the enemy team and be the center of attention. MadLife showed the world that even in the supporting role, one can make plays and hold the spotlight.

Best known for his Thresh and Blitzcrank, MadLife set up kills for his team as well as protect them from the enemy, basically holding them by the hand and helping them achieve victory. Despite his skill, MadLife has had little professional success and has up until recently been a streamer for Hanwha Life Esports.

He was a support for the Korean teams MiG Frost, Azubu Frost, CJ Entus Frost, CJ  Entus as well as the NA team Gold Coin United

Latest 1st place achievement: NA CS Summer 2017 as a player for GCU ($10,000 prize amount)

MadLife highlights

11. Doublelift

Starting off as a support for Counter Logic Gaming, Doublelift soon realized his potential as a carry, transitioning to the AD carry role for the team unRestricted (now known as Curse Gaming). He had a personality that just screamed “I’m the greatest. Everyone else is just trash.”, and that’s not just because he often joked around by saying those exact words.

Not a lot of NA players can boast about being the best and get away with it, but Doublelift had the track record to back it up. He won multiple LCS  Champion titles from 2015 to 2020 on a variety of different teams. First as a member of CLG, then TSM (Team SoloMid), Team Liquid, and TSM again, where he currently plays as a streamer.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCS Summer 2020 as a player for TSM ($100,000 prize amount)

Doublelift highlights

10. PraY

As an AD carry, you often find yourself behind your team silently but notably chunking off the enemies' health bars. The role doesn’t always give you the chance to show your skills in a flashy way but PraY somehow still managed to be the center of attention in his games.

One of the best AD carry moments in League of Legends might just be the Ashe arrow that hit the enemy Ekko stopping him from recalling and defending the Nexus. This play was made by none other than PraY in the game ROX Tigers vs. SKT in the 2016 World Championship Semifinals.

While playing for a multitude of different teams, PraY is a 4-time LCK Champion and 3-time Worlds semi-finalist usually getting beaten by the SKT champions, which is an honor in and of itself.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCK Spring 2018 as a player for Kingzone DragonX ($93,484 prize amount)

PraY highlights

9. Caps

As one of the newer players, starting his professional career in Enigma Esports in 2015, Caps has risen to one of the best mid laners in the world, often being called “Baby Faker”. Fans also have a habit of calling him Craps when he plays badly, and Claps when he’s dominating.

Even though he started playing professionally in 2015, some believe his potential wasn’t being fully utilized until Fnatic picked him up in 2017. He took home two 1st place trophies in the EU LCS Spring as well as Summer 2018. After that, he joined G2 Esports where he continued his conquest with four LEC Champion titles and an MSI Champion title.

Latest 1st place achievement: LEC Summer 2020 as a player for G2 Esports ($94,724 prize amount)

Caps highlights

8. Smeb

We’ve already talked about ROX Tigers being formidable opponents against SKT T1 in tournaments. This was partially because of PraY, but also Smeb. Smeb is the best top-laner ROX Tigers has ever had, often starting, as well as finishing teamfights with overwhelming force.

Smeb later joined KT Rolster where he won the 2018 Summer LCK and the 2017 KeSPA Cup. He hasn’t had much success in tournaments, usually because of the sheer talent of SKT T1.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCK Summer 2018 as a player for KT Rolster ($88,933 prize amount)

Smeb highlights

7. Ruler

Ruler is relatively new to the professional stage, having started his career in 2016 as the AD carry for Stardust, but that doesn’t mean he’s less deserving of standing with the greats. He aggressively contests CS and forces trades which has its ups and downs but his real forte is teamfighting.

Watching his Vayne gameplay in LCK Spring 2019 is a sight to behold. He switches between frontline and backline, constantly putting pressure on the enemy team and destroying their health bars. Surprisingly enough, he hasn’t had much professional success yet, but it’s just a matter of time seeing as he’s still going strong in Gen.G.

Latest 1st place achievement: 2017 World Championship as a player for Samsung Galaxy ($1,723,722 prize amount)

Ruler highlights

6. Deft

When talking about teamfighting prowess, you can’t not talk about Deft. His laning has had its ups and downs, but whether he wins the bot lane or gets stomped, his damage output is astounding. He was often at the top of the damage charts in tournaments in 2014, 2015 as well as 2018.

Deft might not have the mechanical skills of someone like Uzi, but with two LPL, two LCK Champion titles, and an MSI Champion title, he is more than deserving of this list and Hanwha Life Esports is lucky to have him.

Latest 1st place achievement: Rift Rivals 2019 as a player for Kingzone DragonX ($80,000 prize amount)

Deft highlights

5. Perkz

Perkz is one of few professional League players who swapped roles during his career. In his case, it’s even stranger because he was thought of as one of the best mid laners in the world, and usually the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” would apply. In Perkz’s case, it didn’t hinder his ability to carry at all.

Whether he’s a better mid laner or an AD carry is up for debate, but in any case, Perkz is an amazing player who’s able to adapt to any situation. He’s a five-time EU LCS Champion, four-time LEC Champion, he won the 2019 MSI along with Rift Rivals 2018 and 2019. Since joining Cloud9, he’s even won the 2021 Spring LCS, showing us that in any team, Perkz is a force to be reckoned with.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCS Spring 2021 as a player for C9 ($100,000 prize amount)

Perkz highlights

4. Mata

If Madlife represents the Original Support Carry, Mata is the Ultimate Support Carry. Mata’s experience and decision-making skills make him a natural-born leader. Flashy plays and impeccable mechanics are cool, but when it comes down to winning, consistently leading and supporting your team throughout the game is a must, and that’s exactly what Mata brings to the table.

Mata is the only support player who was awarded MVP at Worlds. He played for a variety of strong teams, including SKT T1, KT Rolster, Samsung White, and has even been a coach for Royal Never Give Up.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCK Summer 2019 as a player for SKT T1 ($82,874 prize amount)

Mata highlights

3. Rookie

We mentioned Invictus Gaming when talking about TheShy, and even though TheShy is an amazing top laner, the backbone of IG has been Rookie ever since he joined the team in late 2014. At times people even argued that he was a better mid laner than Faker and you don’t get that kind of praise lightly.

When you’re up against Rookie, you have to be ready to question whether you even deserve to play in the same league as him. He’ll keep you on your toes while laning, splitpush you into turret bankruptcy and teamfight the hell out of you.

Latest 1st place achievement: LPL Spring 2019 as a player for IG ($224,006 prize amount)

Rookie highlights

2. Uzi

Solo queue support players know the struggle when you do everything in your power to hold your AD carry’s hand and they still manage to fail. With Uzi, that is practically impossible. In earlier years, Uzi was the type of player who needed a dedicated team, someone who could help him become overpowered. But when he got there, no one could stop him.

His mechanics, aggression, and thirst for victory shaped him into the AD carry monster he is today. Uzi embodies the saying “Results aren’t everything” and it truly is puzzling how he hasn’t had much success in tournaments when he himself is a world-class player. Two LPL Champion titles and one MSI win do not do this man justice.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCL Summer 2018 as a player for Royal Never Give Up ($219,458 prize amount)

Uzi highlights

1. Faker

Known as “The Unkillable Demon King” and “Faker Faker Playmaker”, Faker is as close to a perfect League of Legends player as you can get. It is almost frightening how consistently he dominates his games and annihilates his opponents. Farming, decision-making, shot calling, roaming, teamfighting, everything he does is beautifully executed to the point where you question whether you’re playing the same game as him.

From his debut to today, he has been a member of SKT, and even if other members may come and go, Faker is the one pillar that will make sure it always stays on top. 9-time LCK Champion, 2 times MSI Champion, 3-time Worlds Champion, and he’s still going strong. I don’t believe anyone is more deserving of the number 1 spot on this list, and it’s probably a question of whether anyone ever will be.

Latest 1st place achievement: LCK Spring 2020 ($81,196 prize amount)

Faker highlights

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