There are only a few games that can define a generation and League of Legends is one of them. Riot Games’ flagship MOBA title has been the landmark game for the esports industry since its inception back in 2011.
The game is free to play which makes it accessible for those who want to play casually or join the competitive scene. This has led to supremely talented players performing at the top level of League esports. The game has a worldwide audience over its decade-long history at the top of the industry.
Skill is a hard metric for League of Legends but some players have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Let’s look back at history and find out who are the best League pro players of all time.
Jian ‘Uzi’ Zi-Hao
Even if he doesn’t have a World Championships win in his résumé, Jian ‘Uzi’ Zi-Hao can be considered as one of the best players to perform in League esports. The mid player has come up short multiple times during his career with second-place finishes at Worlds in 2013 and 2014. Uzi has been with Royal Never Give Up (RNG) for most of his career apart from his brief stints with Oh My God and Qiao Gu Reapers earlier in his time as a pro player.
Uzi is the best example of a top-tier attack damage carry (ADC). If one is playing the ADC role, you can always expect them to be the team’s focal point. Over the years, Uzi has been a top performer with the perfect mix of mechanical skills with solid instincts. Based on his teammates’ glowing praise for him, it also helps that Uzi is a fantastic team player that knows how to step up in their time of need.
Uzi knows how to adapt well to any situation and his champion pool is diverse. You can always rely on Uzi to perform at the highest level which is a good argument for him to be named one of the greatest League players of all time.
Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković
Europe is not usually given the credit they deserve when it comes to League of Legends. Most of the attention is on the Eastern side of the world with both South Korea and China dominating the pro scene. When it comes to the top players from Europe, it is hard to not name Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković.
The Croatian was the steady mid player from G2 Esports back from 2015 to 2020. While his time with G2 came to an end, Perkz went to North America to play for Cloud9 for a year. After that run, he went back to Europe where he joined Team Vitality in late 2021.
Perkz is well known for his contributions to the strong G2 run in the late 2010s. He is one of the only two players who have won titles in both the NA and EU regions. With his excellence on champs like Lucian, Yasuo, and LeBlanc, Perkz has been consistently one of the best in the world. You can expect him to always pull off some amazing plays because he knows how to work around obstacles and tough situations.
Heo ‘PawN’ Won-seok
Even if he retired in late 2021, Heo ‘PawN’ Won-seok deserves to be recognized. He was one of the best players during his career which was highlighted by both a Worlds and Mid-season Invitational win under his belt. He is one of the most talented players to grace League of Legends but that was not a consensus opinion before.
He played for many teams during his career but his runs with both EDward Gaming and Samsung White deserves to be recognized because he’s the only player to win Worlds and MSI without being a part of SK Telecom/T1.
PawN was not seen as a top star back in the day because of his constant use of Fizz in a large chunk of his games. However, LoL fans have grown to love him because of his high skill ceiling as well as his willingness to perform in high-pressure situations.
Go ‘Score’ Dong-bin
The jungler role is one of the most challenging hurdles that League players have to deal with during their time learning the game. During the early stages of League of Legends esports, Go ‘Score’ Dong-bin was once an ADC and a top laner. He found his calling in the jungle in 2015 and his conservative playstyle has drawn many fans to him over the years.
He has the nickname ‘The Immortal’ for a good reason because he plays the game with his safety mindset. He does not blindly jump into the fight because he loves to calculate the possibilities that can happen during a match.
His slow style has endeared him to the fans because they try to emulate him during their public matches. He is an unlikely candidate for the greatest of all-time tag, he does argue for the best jungler tag in League history.
Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson
European League of Legends has been defined by the success of G2 and Fnatic. As a bot laner that previously played for both teams, Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson has a good argument for being one of the best to ever touch the game.
He is one of the most prolific players in Europe because he always pulls off flashy plays while staying as one of the most stable players in the region. That is a hard mix to do and he is not stopping anytime soon.
Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok
With three Worlds and two MSI titles under his belt, the accolades argument favours Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok. He is the most decorated player in history and in terms of highlights, you can’t argue against Faker and his amazing plays over the years.
He has been the most consistent player in the T1 lineup with almost a decade of experience with the team. Faker is near-consensus, the best player of all time. While that will never be unanimous, it is close because almost everyone in the League of Legends world recognizes his skills.
Those are just a few of the candidates for the greatest League player of all time. League of Legends has a diverse player base with high ceilings to the point where they become superstars. These players are just a handful of the biggest League stars ever but more players will join them soon.