Best Mid Laners in League of Legends leading into Worlds 2021

The mid lane position has always been the most highly coveted role in League of Legends. With the recent item changes in Season 11, mid laners found themselves shifting from the traditional control mages to more aggressive champions. This is mainly due to the fact that the mage items aren’t as powerful and the game awarding players with early-game action.

For this reason, we’ve been seeing more and more often AD champions in the mid lane. Whether it’s a bruiser or an assassin, mid laners have an easier time handling minion wave and ensure strong early game skirmishing. In Season 11, the ability of having flexible picks in the mid lane is more important than ever.

Nonetheless, picks are not everything. Exceptional 1v1 ability, playmaking, communication and shotcalling are all aspects of mid lane play we have grown accustomed and that will always remain vital to the role. In this list, we take a look at the most dominant mid laners currently within each region.

As we compare team strength internationally, how do these elite players shape up in a head-to-head battle?

1. LPL – Doinb, Knight

Starting off our list, we’re taking at the most stacked region in the world: China. Throughout the years, the LPL mid laners have taken League by storm thanks to their insane laning and mechanical outplays. While new rookies are showing, the LPL veterans are still a tier above them: Knight and Doinb are without a doubt the best two lol mid laners in China right now.

What’s impressive about these two players is how these two completely differ in playstyle: Knight likes punishing his enemies for every little misstep and make sure they see a grey screen after that. He has been doing this so consistently for the last two years, but this summer he surpassed himself: Knight broke the record of most solo kills in a split, held by former SKT T1 top laner Marin back in 2015. Knight also helds the most MVPs from the summer split: 14. If Top Esports a potential candidate for the championship, Knight is undeniably their main key to success.

Doinb needs no introduction. After cementing his position as a mid lane legend in 2019, Doinb has kept his consistency up, despite FPX not performing well in the LPL. Come 2021, we see a resurgence of both the team and himself on the scene as FPX make their run for yet another LoL Worlds trophy.

2. LCK – Gori, Chovy, Faker

After covering the LPL, we have the other main Asian region in League: the LCK. Just like China, the best three mid laners all have different strengths which make them very valuable.

Chovy is not enjoying his time on Hanwha Life Esports this year. The Korean youngster is still being one of top mid laners in LCK despite poor showings. Even more so than last year, Chovy is showing fans that he’s the real difference maker… and the true laning king. Without him, HLE would be even lower in the standings. It’s sad to see such talent miss out on Worlds, so we’re hoping to see him back at the international stages the next year.

Gori on the other hand, is currently having his redemption arc over in Korea: tired of being the sub to other players, he now has a core position in Nongshim RedForce. He joined the team and immediately showed his strong laning as well as good teamfighting abilities. He might not be the flashy mid laner people love seeing, but he’s a consistent presence in NS… and that’s what they needed.

Last but not the least, the GOAT Faker is still arguably the best mid laner in history. After so many years, his level of play is still above the benchmark. He might not be the untouchable mechanical god anymore, but his value is undeniable: his leadership and shotcalling experience are something else, especially on a team with so many young players and rookies like the current iteration of T1. The organization seriously wants to get back on the Worlds stage… and tell the world that Faker is still hungry to win it all.

G.O.A.T

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3. LEC – Larssen, Nisqy

EU has been notoriously famous for growing great mid lane talents… so many that a few of them ended up going to NA. Despite that, the mid lane position in Europe is stacked. We’ve been seeing a few of them rise up to glory but the veterans are still conquering the top spots.

Larssen has always been a great mid laner, but he always ended up behind either Perkz or Caps. With G2 struggling more than ever this year, the title of the best lol mid laner finally goes to him.

He’s very similar to Inspired, who also made it to our best lol jungler tier list. Their main common point is their versatility and flexibility. Larssen can play almost anything at a top level and always makes sure to not be a liability during the game.

The other strong mid laner from EU can come as a surprise for many. It’s not Caps, who didn’t have a brilliant split (although his recent performance has been on the rise), but it’s Fnatic’s Nisqy. The Belgian player is favored by the meta that doesn’t require him to be the core carry of the team: instead, he coordinates with his teammates to secure and push leads in the early to mid-game. He might not be insane individually, but his value truly comes out when playing as a team.

No wonder they call him Nesquik. He blend so well with any team and roster hes signed with.

4. LCS – Perkz, Abbedagge, Jiizuke

To close off our list, we have NA. The NA mid lane talent has always been a little lackluster: since Season 7, North America struggled to grow competitive talent. For this reason, the best NA mids are technically imported EU players: Jiizuke, Perkz and Abbedagge have been the best three in the most recent season.

Out of the three, Jiizuke has been the biggest surprise so far. The Italian player was finally able to match his playstyle to the team’s overall identity, and the results have been brilliant. Evil Geniuses were one of the best teams in summer and the Italian Stallion finally found his groove. Hes aggressive playstyle allows him to punish the enemies more often and extend the leads to close out games.

Perkz on the other hand, needs no introduction. What was the biggest LCS acquisition to date is finally paying out dividends for Cloud 9. We are going to see C9 at Worlds 2021, and a big portion of the success can be directly attributed to Perkz and his absolute need to carry a roster on his back despite circumstances. As it stands, Perkz will be the only 2020 member of G2 that will be present at Worlds this year.

To cap or not to cap

Lastly, we have the new entry to the list of imported EU mids. Abbedagge joined 100Thieves this summer split and turned them from a top 4-5 team, into a top 3 team. The German player can easily adapt and pilot any champions he’s thrown at, making sure he respects the win condition and plays accordingly. Considering that we haven’t seen him internationally, it will be an important test for him as a player to keep growing and evolving in new environments.

So, what do you think of our lol mid lane list? Did we miss anyone? Let us know!

Read also: NA LCS Power Rankings