With the 2025 LoL Esports season reaching its midway point and First Stand having shaken up the international standings, it’s time for us to take a look at the best LoL players in 2025, right before the Mid-Season Invitational.
| Ranking | Player | Current Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chovy | Gen.G |
| 2 | Zeus | Hanwha Life Esports |
| 3 | Faker | T1 |
| 4 | Ruler | Gen.G |
| 5 | Kanavi | Top Esports |
| 6 | Oner | T1 |
| 7 | Viper | Hanwha Life Esports |
| 8 | JackeyLove | Top Esports |
| 9 | Tarzan | Anyone's Legend |
| 10 | Caps | G2 Esports |
We are aware ten players might be too few to list the best LoL players in 2025, considering the sheer talent and veterancy in rosters this season. While trying to separate the wheat from the chaff, our selection might not list the players with the best player stats overall. Yet, their value is crucial to the overall team performance and they are instrumental in their team’s success.
Keep in mind that our list is fluid and will be updated at each stage of the season. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it!
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Seeing any Western player on this list might be a bit strange, considering the results the LEC achieved in the past few years. That said, I still believe Caps is a difference maker and one of the few Western talents that can really go head-to-head with the best players in the world. But after two poor Worlds showings, the international rankings got shaken up again at First Stand, with the LPL looking much weaker than expected and Europe placing higher than them. It’s not enough to erase two years of slump, and MSI will tell whether the West deserves a name on the podium again.
And if I had to bet on one European player to step up and perform, it’s Caps.
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Anyone’s Legend barely missed first place in the LPL in Split 1, and they’re about to get another good shot at it. Tarzan has been the driving force for AL this split, collecting more MVP titles than anyone else – even players on teams that won more.
Having always been one of the best but never quite the best, Tarzan will have his opportunity at MSI and we’re excited to see if he’ll show us what he’s made of.
Image Source: Flickr
I dropped JackeyLove far down the list in light of Top Esports’ subpar results at First Stand. The LPL was supposed to be the second strongest region, yet TES got the fewest game wins at the competition, putting in question the strength of the LPL compared to the LEC and even APAC. That said, TES have stepped up in Split 2, and JackeyLove has shown in the past that he can beat the entire world when he’s in his top form.
Image Source: LCK
We have seen how ADCs have been playing a key role in the past few seasons. Strong bot laners can make a huge difference during the mid-late game teamfights and I think that only a handful of people can match Viper in that regard.
The Korean player has been carrying teams on his back for years, and with the upgraded roster that Hanwha Life has put together, I believe he can better last year’s results and take the team to new highs.
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Oner is probably one of, if not the most important piece in the current iteration of T1. Even when the team isn’t in a good position, he’s the one who pulls them by their bootstraps to start the comeback. That being said, T1 have not managed to find the formula to beat HLE or Gen.G lately. They definitely have the potential to tape it back together for the playoffs, but actually pulling it off is another thing. And we’ll see next month whether our doubts are founded this time, or if Oner will prove us wrong once more!
Read next: Best LoL mid-laners in League of Legends
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Top Esports won the first split of the LPL by doing a full run of the loser’s bracket. But this split, they’re on top of the competition right away, and in no small part thanks to Kanavi. Just like with JackeyLove, we’ll see if his poor showing at First Stand was just a fluke or if the LPL has lost its touch this year.
But Kanavi’s form this split definitely makes me want to bet on the former.
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We dropped Ruler down the standings earlier this year, but he’s cleared all doubts since then. Gen.G barely lost in finals last split, and they’ve come back with a vengeance in Spring, dominating absolutely all competition. Now Ruler will have to show that he and Gen.G can cross the finish line in the LCK this time, and show as good an international performance as HLE did at First Stand.
Image Source: Reddit
Faker, not in first place?
This isn’t the first time T1 is in a slump (…which means being third place, for them), and Faker’s magic just doesn’t seem to be enough to beat HLE and Gen.G. But I have little doubt in my mind that he and T1 will – once again – get it together by the end of the year, and be unstoppable at Worlds like they always are.
It could even happen in time for MSI.
Image Source: Riot Games
Gen.G’s insane results make it hard to justify keeping Zeus at number 1, but it ended up being a close call. Zeus keeps dominating most of the top lane matchups like he usually did back on the T1 days, and the rest of the world got a taste of how brutal an opponent he still is, even on a different team at League of Legends First Stand.
Will he be able to overtake Gen.G again like he did in the LCK Cup and claim yet another international back to back to back title at MSI? We’ll find out very soon!
Image Source: Flickr
We said that Chovy would carry his team on his back again this year. But after First Stand, he’s gone beyond every expectation, and Gen.G has yet to drop a single match. He might be the most talented player individually, and he’s earned this spot with his performances this split.
No one has ever managed to dethrone Faker as the GOAT due to his ability to always come back at the top over all these years. But if one player eventually might, it’s Chovy that I’m looking at.
Starting off with our list, we will find the only LEC player and that is Rogue’s Korean jungler Malrang. After leaving DWG Kia during the off-season, he joined Rogue to fill the shoes of arguably the best European jungler in 2021, Inspired. Contrary to expectations, Malrang actually delivered an insane level of consistency, helping RGE find a new dimension. With a much more supportive playstyle, Malrang is the “bridge” for his team, finding opportunities and helping his laners to reach their win condition. He might not be a super carry jungler like others, but you can clearly see his impact on the game every time he plays. For this reason, Malrang manages to get into our top 10 list.
Next up we have yet another jungler, this time from the LPL. Despite being one of the biggest veterans in the competitive scene, Karsa showed that he’s still hungry to win and is in for his redemption arc. Following his departure from Top Esports, Karsa joined Victory Five who until this year used to be a bottom-tier team. Surprisingly, the team is performing extremely well and Karsa is one of the main elements of their success, thanks to his super flexible champion pool as well as his mechanics. While it is only spring, Karsa is proving that TOP made the wrong decision to let him go.
If Victory Five is currently considered one of the best teams in the LPL right now, the other key player on the roster is Rookie. Leaving IG during the offseason, Victory Five convinced him to join the organization. While his past two seasons have not been great, the one-time World Champion is still one of the best mid laners in the world. What’s really special about Rookie is that he doesn’t really die often, making him a consistent threat to enemies in any fight he’s in. Rookie might not be a super carry anymore, but he has been so consistent on control mages throughout the season that you can still feel his impact.
While DK is not the top dog in the LCK anymore, Canyon is still one of the best junglers in the world. World Champion and World Finalist are achievements that only the elite deserve, as Canyon should be in talks with the legendary status of other Korean players.
His mechanics and in-game knowledge are way above the rest, as he and ShowMaker are the two cores that make DK a top-tier team in the LCK. If you watch one of DK’s games, you’ll easily see how influential Canyon’s contribution is to the matches. He might not have a super roster this season, but you can be sure Canyon will give his best to prove he’s one of the best LoL players in 2022.
Knight is probably the best Chinese mechanical mid laner in recent history. He’s still very young, yet people have been regarding him as top tier for years. Despite only a decent 5th place finish in Spring, Knight and TES have really stepped up during playoffs.
When it comes to playing mechanical mid laners that require the best executions, Knight is always one of the first you think of. He’s had insane win rates on Ahri, Ryze and Vex, with even more astonishing KDAs (11.5 on Ahri and 14.0 on Ryze). Now that Viktor has fallen off in priority, Knight can fully unleash his proactive playstyle and lead his team to victory.
Number 5 on our list is yet another jungler, but this will be the last one as well. Oner, just like almost every player on the T1 roster, has had a stellar start to their 2022 season. Despite having very little competitive experience in the LCK, Oner has already established himself as a top tier jungler.
He’s able to pilot many different champions, including the less popular ones like Poppy. Not to mention that the guy has an insane Lee Sin and Viego. What’s really impressive about Oner, however, is how he has reacted to the pressure of being a T1 starter. This is only the beginning for one of the biggest prospects of the new era in League, but we can be sure that Oner will achieve something in the near future.
Now that Chovy has left Hanwha Life Esports, he has finally found a team worthy of his level. He has no longer the need to 1v9, although Chovy will always put his mark in every match he plays. Gen.G Esports welcomed him with open hands, adding him to a roster that is good enough to constantly fight for the top of the LCK: Peanut and Ruler are players you can consistently rely on.
The Korean prodigy can now fully focus on being the dominant carry he used to be back in the Griffin days, showcasing his insane laning and skirmishing capabilities. If we’re talking about talent, he should’ve been the number 1, but we all know that talent is not enough to be the best in LoL…
Almost 10 years have passed since Faker’s debut and almost a decade later, he’s still here showing the world how good he is. He could’ve retired like many other players of his era, but his passion is what drives him forward, as well as the hunger for that 4th World title.
Now that T1 actually has put together a formidable roster this season, Faker will be the veteran and the leader to guide the new generation of players. He and his low-tempered behavior is the type of presence any organization would die to want.
While Faker might not be the very best, you can be sure that his attitude and leadership can elevate any team to a much higher level.
For people who might not know, Gumayusi is cousins with Faker. Despite having family connections with the GOAT of LoL, Gumayusi earned his spot on the starting roster with his own strength. His mechanics are inhuman: you should probably consider watching his streams or pro view. There are many instances where you can’t understand how he manages to do certain stuff.
Gumayusi has reached such high potential in such a short amount of time that people wonder whether he still has room for improvement. He has won basically against all the Korean ADCs in the League. Only the international stage might give him more challenging goals. With T1 going to MSI, Gumayusi will be put to the test to see whether if he’s World Champion material.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see so many T1 players on the list after their perfect spring split. No one has ever achieved such a feat in the LCK, and the record might not be broken for many years to come. Out of all the players in that roster, however, Keria is head and shoulders above everyone else. Faker mentioned how most of the time Keria is the shotcaller on the team, constantly telling everyone what they should be doing. He’s the voice that’s guiding T1.
Aside from his shotcalling role, he’s also impeccable when it comes to execution. Keria has been impersonating MadLife with his Thresh hooks throughout the split and has been responsible for the playmaking. For this reason, Keria is not only the best support in the world but is currently the best player in LoL so far. Will he continue to shine? Only time will tell… but for now, Keria and T1 are without a doubt the team to fear the most for the upcoming MSI.
Martin “Rekkles” Larsson arrival to G2 made the European organization even stronger than last year. One of the best LoL players of all time, he continues shining even more in his new team. His presence grants G2 the consistent player that they needed: he’s able to carry his team over the finish line even when his teammates have a few rough games. The is definitely going for that Worlds title this year, and with Rekkles on board they have all the best LEC players to do so.
With almost a decade under his belt, Martin has remained one of the top ADCs globally for the his entire career span. His latest results showcase he is far from being done with League any time soon.
Alongside Rekkles, Rasmus “Caps” Winther is establishing himself as the most talented European player that ever played. Despite not having the best stats overall, his value to the team is visible to anyone watching G2’s games. He is the core & the backbone of the team, showing up whenever it’s time to shine. Caps has his eyes set on Worlds for his fourth consecutive year, after 3 years of almost making it, will this finally be the year he becomes the very best player of LoL, and surpass his “baby Faker” moniker.
Odoamne showed that LEC veterans still have the level of play to continue dominating Europe. After last year’s performance on Schalke 04, his recent transfer to Rogue has made him stand out even more. He’s surely in talks to become one of the best LoL players. An extremely flexible & consistent player, who can be aggressive or passive depending on what the team needs. This is what Odoamne is all about. RGE nailed the off-season by buying him, and the results have come in already. This year’s goal, however, is even higher: if they manage to go to Worlds, how will he & his team fare off against the best lol players in the world?
After a disappointing performance from LCS teams in last year’s Worlds, people realized that NA had serious problems. After joining Team Liquid during the off-season, Alphari showed that North America must catch up on a lot of things. The British top laner is smashing everyone else: 28.6% Damage output, 8 solo-kills, and positive stats is basically every single metric possible. No one has been as dominant as him: he’s the best player of LoL in North America and the LCS right now. The only other player who can match that is probably CoreJJ, making TL the best chance NA has on the international stage. Will they deliver at MSI?
After reigning supreme in last year’s Worlds, the newly-named DK (DAMWON Kia Gaming) continues dominating the LCK in 2021. With such a stacked roster, Heo “ShowMaker“ Su is still able to shine through, with insanely consistent play. Throughout spring, he had the highest KDA out of all the mid laners (which played for most of the split), further showing that he’s one of the best LoL players of the recent era. There’s only one big problem: ShowMaker recently stated some health issues that might hinder his performance this season.
If all is well and he retains his form, he might beat the KDA record for both the LCK and Worlds this year.
Next on the list is Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon. A truly mechanical god, arguably the best player of LoL in the world in terms of pure individual skills. Last year he carried DRX throughout the whole season; this year, he’s doing that once again on Hanwha Life Esports.
While not having the best stats due to his aggressive playstyle, he is the pure essence of lane kingdom: 18 solo kills! No mid laner has such an insane stat or even comes close. While HLE is surely a Playoffs team, Chovy’s presence grants them the chance to directly go for the championship. And that says a lot about the player’s value…
Kim “Khan” Dong-ha can be probably a questionable pick for this list. Adding him to the list was mainly based on the fact that he came in to fill in Nuguri’s spot, who recently joined FunPlus Phoenix. Once considered one of the best LoL players in LCK, his last few splits were pretty rough.
This split, however, his form has been very stable. While he’s not as flashy and aggressive as Nuguri was, he’s the perfect weakside player that DK needed. Khan allows his teammates to make plays whilst absorbing as much pressure as possible. If Nuguri were there, he would probably die and bleed advantage to the enemies. Khan, instead, doesn’t. And that’s part of what is making DK so consistent, fully deserving to be first in the LCK.
Xiaohu’s main strength comes from his willingness of changing his role, from mid to top. Just like Perkz, he role-swapped to help his team succeed. Result: it’s working wonderfully! He’s able to utilize mid-lane champs in the top lane to demolish his enemies, while also playing tanks, making him an extremely flexible player. And just like other players, having the flexibility can be a game-changer.
Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao is a name that you should definitely keep a track of, especially if RNG makes it out of the hell hole that is the LPL this season.
Jiang “beishang“ Zhi-Peng has made a name for himself this split. A 9-time MVP, with an insane early game presence. Thanks to him, WE are able to gain big leads, eventually snowballing the game. Now that the split is ending, the big test left is against the top teams. Will WE surprise us during the playoffs and win the LPL?
Beishang will surely be an important key for victory… and a strong performance will help him establish himself as one of the best LoL players in 2021. With LoL odds not on Team WE’s side, it might be a time to invest a buck, if you share the same faith in Beishang that we do.
Last but not the least, Zhuo “Knight” Ding is back to his form after the big slump at Worlds 2020. Similar to Chovy, Knight excels at laning: +13 CS Diff@15 as well as +384 XP Diff@15. His individual advantages always transition into something else, making him one of, if not, the best mid laner in the LPL.
If TES is able to go to MSI, then the international stage will be Knight’s time to redeem himself.
After an extremely up & down split by T1, Faker has finally come back to take the lead. His return in the last few games showed why he still deserves it: his contribution to the win against Gen.G showed that T1 still has the potential to be the number 1 of the LCK, and that he personally wants to be the best player of lol ever existed. As long as Faker is playing, odds for T1 in LoL betting will always be favorable.
As long as Faker remains active on the scene, he will always be considered the greatest player that ever moved a mouse on the Summoner’s Rift.
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