Worlds 2022 Top 20 Players List

Worlds 2022 is simply across the nook, so I figured why not proceed the venerable custom of arbitrarily rating the highest 20 gamers to the complete extent of my biases and receiving hate for it for weeks on finish?

Signal me up!

Anyway, right here’s the checklist:

#20: C9 Berserker: From Apprentice to Grasp

The one NA participant on this checklist, though he’s a Korean import, Berserker’s efficiency from the beginning of this 12 months to his eventual championship run has been nothing in need of exemplary.

The previous understudy to T1’s Gumayusi, Berserker has been vastly superior to each different bot laner in NA, and simply carried Cloud9 to their first championship in fairly a while together with his chic positioning in teamfights.

Strengths: Excellent teamfighter

Weaknesses: May look higher than he truly is due to NA competitors

Key decide: Aphelios

#19:  MAD UNF0RGIVEN: Unmatched Potential

UNF0RGIVEN has been one in all my favourite gamers to look at this complete 12 months.

One of many few bot laners to have your entire Infinity Gauntlet of meta ADCs inside the summer season break up and playoffs, UNF0RGIVEN’s season was lower abruptly quick by shortcoming from his solo laners within the playoffs.

He’s a whole bundle by way of versatility, laning and teamfighting who appears to be restricted solely by his teammates’ run of type.

Out of all Western gamers at Worlds, my cash is on him to carve out a reputation for himself after styling on his Asian counterparts on this match!

Strengths: Can play each single ADC within the meta, Good laning, Nice teamfighting

Weaknesses: First Worlds, First time enjoying in opposition to Japanese groups

Key decide: Twitch

#18: RNG GALA: The PentaKing

GALA has had a secure season since profitable MSI this 12 months, narrowly making it to Worlds by beating out large names comparable to Doinb and Tarzan in LPL Regionals.

Whereas his Lucian has been completely terrifying on this summer season break up, he has seemed shockingly lukewarm on different champions all through LPL playoffs.

Though GALA stays among the best teamfighters on this planet, in addition to the best Kai’Sa participant of all time, his laning has not precisely been top-tier, and he has been prone to getting abused by different gamers additional down this checklist.

Strengths: Monster teamfighter, Monster Lucian, Finest Kai’Sa participant of all time

Weaknesses: Subpar laning

Key picks: Kai’Sa

#17: RNG Xiaohu: The Spring Tiger

The second-greatest participant of all time!

No less than in my ebook…

Then why is he ranked so low, you ask?

As a result of Xiaohu’s declare to greatness doesn’t come from sheer mechanical brilliance like another GOAT contenders like Rookie or Uzi.

Xiaohu has had a decisive return from his MSI championship, inserting 4th within the common season and choosing up the All-Professional 1st Staff this summer season break up.

Although he did get outpaced by EDG within the playoffs, he managed to get himself to Worlds following a prudent sequence versus DoinB’s LNG, the place he as soon as once more demonstrated his means to acknowledge and play to win circumstances.

Whereas Xiaohu is rarely rated as extremely due to his lack of good mechanics, his means to competently play a large assortment of champions and playstyles make him a far more terrifying participant than any hotshot rookie with loopy montages.

Strengths: Excessive IQ, Versatile, Win situation evaluation

Weaknesses: Mediocre laner, Struggles in high-skill matchups

Key picks: Galio, Taliyah

#16: TES JackeyLove: The Lunatic Famous person

Look I do know what you’re pondering…

Does JackeyLove deserve a High 20 spot after one of the egregious Zeri ints that value his workforce the championship in Sport 5?

Properly… no. However I can clarify…

See, JackeyLove has truly been fairly constant, by his mediocre requirements, all through this break up. His well-known laning proficiency stays among the best, if not the most effective, amongst all ADCs within the match, and he nonetheless has the flexibility to utterly shutout the enemy bot lane and win the sport via sheer laning expertise.

His teamfighting has improved as properly; there have been a number of instances inside playoffs the place he was capable of clutch out some large teamfighs on Zeri and save his workforce from precarious positions.

Nevertheless, Jackey nonetheless hasn’t grown out of the lunatic positionings that has plagued him since his rookie days, and continues to be very prone to going aggressive at instances and simply inting away the sport on the most inopportune moments.

Strengths: Monster laner, Versatile champ pool

Weaknesses: Will get caught randomly, Aggressive positioning in teamfights

Key decide: Draven

#15: TES Wayward: The Cocky Rookie

The 2022 LPL Spring Rookie of the Break up, Wayward is a sensational high laner that may flip heads at this 12 months’s World Championship.

A cocky, emote-spamming child with the scary mechanics to again them up, Wayward has a penchant for locating artistic teamfighting angles in clutch conditions.

Though I feel he might want to develop additional to shed himself of his rookie naivety, his uncooked mechanics and his means to run over the sport when enjoying robust aspect, ought to already make him a fearsome proposition for any workforce at Worlds.

Strengths: Nice laner, Nice teamfighter

Weaknesses: Too aggressive, Inexperienced, First Worlds

Key Picks: Gnar, Irelia

#14. T1 Zeus: The Saving Grace

The prodigy that has stored T1 afloat amidst a bizarre season, Zeus is available in at #13.

A particularly highly effective laner that may additionally perform as a weakside participant, Zeus permits T1 to pivot into top-focused drafts given how unhealthy Gumayusi has been enjoying this 12 months.

That being stated, T1 doesn’t appear to understand that, placing him on Ornn obligation in the course of the finals, and ending up getting swept…

Strengths: Finest Jayce participant on this planet, Monster laner

Weaknesses: Staff doesn’t mess around him as a lot as they need to

Key decide: Jayce

#13: JDG Lacking: The Quiet Storm

The best ranked assist on this checklist, Lacking will certainly not be lacking from making this checklist!

Hehe… anyway…

Lacking has been quietly instrumental in Jingdong Gaming’s ascent to the championship this 12 months, proving to be a key contributor together with his proficiency on enchanters.

One explicit factor to notice when watching Lacking is the accuracy of his ultimates on champions like Nami or Yuumi.

I see skilled helps both toss these ults out haphazardly or miss folks altogether, however Lacking has an excellent finger on the heart beat with regards to utilizing ultimates at simply the proper moments in essential choke factors throughout the map.

I consider his prudence with large final spells was one of many large explanation why JDG had been capable of comeback in opposition to TOP in these 10 video games within the playoffs.

Strengths: Finest Nami on this planet, Excels at enchanters, Good teamfighter, Good laner

Weaknesses: Isn’t recognized for his interact helps

Key decide: Nami

#12: RGE Comp: The Finest within the West

The best ranked Western participant on this checklist, Comp is available in at #12 after choosing Finals MVP in Rogue’s first ever championship!

A teamfighting monster whose laning has improved on account of his assist’s excellence on enchanters, Comp is the definitive win situation for Rogue.

His efficiency in opposition to G2 within the Finals was fairly as near good as anybody may ever get, going immortal while sweeping the very workforce that tormented him for years to lastly clinch the chip!

Strengths: Monster teamfighter, Nice laner

Weaknesses: First Worlds

Key decide: Caitlyn

#11: RNG Breathe: Most Underrated

I really feel like folks don’t fairly perceive simply how good Breathe is…

I imply, they know he’s good however simply how good precisely?

He’s ridiculous.

Whereas he wasn’t out there to play throughout RNG’s MSI run this 12 months, Breathe has come again in for summer season break up and picked up simply the place he left off final 12 months. A really world-class high laner who is ready to play tanks in addition to carries, there are actually no holes in Breathe’s gameplay.

I’ve solely seen him get crushed by 369, who you’ll meet additional down this checklist, and Bin, who might be the most effective high laner in your entire world.

Strengths: Nice teamfighter, Stable laner, Versatile pool

Weaknesses: Staff doesn’t mess around him sufficient

Key Decide: Akali

#10: TES Knight: The Golden Left Hand

For another participant, getting tenth in this sort of checklist might be a profession accomplishment.

For Knight, it’s a stunning disappointment… 

Probably the most effective Chinese language-born participant of all time, The Golden Left Hand has been spinning on all cylinders all break up, main TES to a 14-2 file within the common season.

He’s terribly well-known for his Sylas, which is banned in opposition to High Esports 48% of the time…

Let that sink in, groups are so afraid of Knight embarrassing their whole households on this champion, it’s banned virtually half of his video games…

A particularly highly effective participant with as a lot versatility as carry efficiency, Knight was largely lukewarm in his pivotal video games in opposition to JDG and childhood good friend Yagao in the course of the 10 video games they performed in opposition to one another in playoffs.

Whereas he appears to excel at melee, playmaking champions, he has seemed fairly not like himself on different picks comparable to Lissandra.

Given his unhealthy run of type within the playoffs it will likely be attention-grabbing to see how he shapes up for Worlds.

Make no mistake, as excessive as he already is on this checklist, Knight often belongs a lot greater.

Strengths: Sylas monster, Monster teamfighter, Good laning, Good roamer, Champ ocean

Weaknesses: Struggled on low useful resource picks in the direction of the tip, Lukewarm playoffs

Key Decide: Sylas

#9: GEN Peanut: The Lynchpin

Peanut is coming off among the best splits of his whole profession! It’s fairly formidable to see the younger, flashy Lee Sin prodigy of 2015 being lauded for his Poppy and Trundle play in 2022, however hey, that’s simply the way it goes generally!

Armed with among the greatest laners on your entire planet, Peanut has been the engine behind GenG’s early and mid video games, and has been an important bridge to get his laners into their merchandise spikes the place they’re just about invincible as a workforce.

Strengths: Early sport engine, Good on summer season meta junglers

Weaknesses: May wrestle if meta switches to farm heavy junglers, May look higher than he truly is due to laners

Key Decide: Poppy

#8: JDG 369: The Dwelling Cheat Code

369 is just the most effective high laner at Worlds.

Make no mistake, he’s not the most effective high laner in the world (that will be Bin, who sadly couldn’t 1v9 his method right here) however, nonetheless a daunting proposition for any workforce to need to take care of.

369 lit up LPL Summer season Playoffs by choosing weakside tanks like Ornn and Sejuani… and continuing to solo kill his opposition left, proper and middle…

Basically, he is sort of a cheat code that you just used that you may’t inform your mates about. His workforce advantages from having a frontline and utility together with his picks, however as an alternative of struggling the drawbacks, additionally they know he would possibly simply kill the enemy carry with they ever misplay in opposition to him.

Strengths: Finest weakside participant on this planet, Monster laning, Nice teamfighting, Monster interact, Nice versatility

Weaknesses: Has not been enjoying many carries this break up

Key decide: Sejuani

#7: JDG Hope: World’s Largest Shock

We come off 369’s Hype Practice straight into Hope Station.

Hope has been a revelation via LPL playoffs, managing to distance himself from all of the unbelievable ADCs in his area to come back out because the champion.

He was somebody I didn’t have a selected eye on this 12 months, so you can think about my shock as I noticed him merely tearing aside large names like JackeyLove together with his chic laning and teamfighting.

Versus JackeyLove, who nonetheless hasn’t tempered his aggression regardless of his veterancy, Hope has razor-sharp instinct, and is continually capable of tow the road between optimistic aggression and guarded passivity.

Actually, Hope is severely good, and alongside Lacking, they could simply be the most effective bot lane at this match.

If you’re like me, and also you didn’t actually know who Hope is and don’t see a cause to get hyped off of him, belief me, you’re in for a giant shock.

Strengths: Monster teamfigher, Nice laner,

Weaknesses: None

Key Decide: Lucian

#6: JDG Kanavi: Carry Jungle Extraordinaire

The truth that #6 via #8 are all JDG gamers ought to inform you one thing concerning the power of Jingdong Gaming…

However hey! Perhaps I’m simply BiASED.

Kanavi is just glorious and I daresay he was the most important cause why JDG had been capable of pull off these anime-level comebacks in opposition to TOP throughout these 10 video games. A carry jungler who managed to steadiness it out with efficient ganking, Kanavi is actually unbeatable when he’s having a superb sport, form of like Damwon’s Canyon.

One thing I observed in these teamfights in opposition to TOP was how he performs his bruiser champions like assassins, intelligently entering into small pockets of imaginative and prescient and leaping out at simply the proper time to choose off a squishy, warping your entire teamfight in only a matter of seconds.

Strengths: Nice carry jungler, Nice versatility, Nice interact, Good ganker

Weaknesses: Forces picks that generally backfire like Bel’Veth

Key Picks: Vi, Kindred, Karthus, Bel’Veth

#5: EDG Viper: The Fundamental Character

The worldwide heartthrob of final 12 months’s World Champions, Viper makes it again to Worlds in true Viper vogue – incinerating all the pieces in his method.

Regardless of not with the ability to clinch the summer season title, Viper continues to be the most effective bot laner in China and has been ever since he bought imported from Korea.

From laning, to teamfighting, to positioning, the person merely excels in each side of ADC skillsets in a fabulous maelstrom of expertise, the likes of which I’ve hardly ever seen from the ADC place.

EDG shall be counting on this guardian deity to grow to be the primary workforce since SKT to win back-to-back World Championships, and with Viper on the helm, it isn’t too inconceivable…

Strengths: Godlike teamfighter, Godlike laner, Monster versatility, Can play non-ADCs

Weaknesses: Completely nothing.

Key Decide: Aphelios

#4: GEN Chovy: The Good Participant

Ah… can’t watch for the Korean fanboys to see their lord and savior ranked so low…

Look man, Chovy is sweet. Chovy is nice. Hell, he’s actually the most effective laner this sport has ever seen…

That being stated, he does have good teammates round him and the summer season meta was undoubtedly suited to his tastes.

Beforehand given the title The Uncrowned King, Chovy lastly managed to win an LCK championship, after six makes an attempt on the trophy.

With each different participant on this checklist, it’s about how their strengths make them certified to be right here. For Chovy, it’s about how any intangible nook and cranny prevents him from being the automated greatest participant on this planet…

Should you ever tried to show an AI program to play League of Legends optimally, it’s going to ultimately come out to a method that’s most paying homage to Chovy’s.

Nevertheless, good play isn’t the one factor that constitutes profitable championships – Chovy would know that, as a result of for all his good play, that is the primary time he has a trophy to indicate for it.

If the meta stays on Azir and Ahri he shall be advantageous, however I’m anxious for him and GenG if it swaps over to extra roaming model mid laners.

Strengths: Biggest laner of all time, Good versatility

Weaknesses: Not very clutch, Struggles for affect on low useful resource mids

Key picks: Azir, Akali

#3: TES Tian: An Unbeatable Early Sport

The very best jungler on this planet, who in all truthfully deserved to win the championship for his efforts, Tian is available in at #3 following a break up which fetched him the MVP award in LPL Summer season 2022!

He appeared to have landed in a superb meta for him and shortly discovered his place facilitating his carries, changing into a really highly effective early sport engine that merely destroys groups earlier than the 15-minute mark.

His genius pathing and talent to smell out potential dives and ganks properly complement his laners’ highly effective, but unreliable, aggression, creating an ideal storm that makes TES probably the most effective early sport workforce on this planet.

Strengths: Monster ganker

Weaknesses: Will undergo if meta switches to farming junglers

Key Decide: Trundle

#2: JDG Yagao: Candy Vindication

Ahh.. I can hear the pitchforks from right here…

IMAGINE RANKING YAGAO OVER CHOVY?!?! REEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Lemme clarify…

To start with, neither Yagao or Chovy is definitely the most effective mid laner on this planet. That might be my hero Rookie who, identical to Bin, fell tragically in need of 1v9ing his method into this match.

Secondly, Yagao is coming off a career-defining playoffs on his street to securing one other championship for JDG, displaying his ability on a myriad of various kinds and champions.

Should you took the nameplates off, I’d have mistaken him for his childhood good friend Knight!

It’s heartwarming for Yagao, who is continually in comparison with and laughed at due to his obvious inferiority to his childhood good friend, to lastly shut the haters up and actually hole Knight in 10 straight video games to take dwelling the trophy in one of the contested LPL splits ever.

He’s even occupying a slot on this High 20 checklist that will usually be reserved for Knight, which matches to indicate simply how good this man has been enjoying within the ultimate stretch of the playoffs!

Whereas Chovy is a greater laner and arguably even a greater teamfighter, he’s considerably restricted by his reliance on hard-scaling mid laners that make use of his very good mechanics.

The rationale why I’ve Yagao ranked greater than his Korean counterpart is his means to play low useful resource mid laners in addition to the exhausting carries, which tremendously will increase JDG’s drafting efficiency, particularly when paired with a carry jungler like Kanavi.

Strengths: Godlike versatility, Excessive IQ, Nice interact

Weaknesses: Streaky participant, Non permanent run of type might need fallen off in Worlds

Key picks: Taliyah, Ahri

#1: GEN Ruler: And One to Rule Them All

The Season 7 Worlds Finals MVP is again, and is trying to cement himself as the best ADC of all time with one other Summoner’s Cup.

With GenG freed from all of the COVID instances that plagued them in spring, Ruler has been transcendent this break up, choosing up the LCK MVP award en path to his first ever home championship.

Heralded as the most effective teamfighter on this planet, Ruler has reached a stage of robotic precision in large 5v5 conditions that I’ve seldom seen all through my years of watching League.

His means to micromanage cooldowns, intelligently purchase targets, house accordingly is second to utterly nobody, and he has been the first cause for GenG steamrolling via the common season.

Though the present meta is vastly completely different from the Ardent Censor meta the place he received his first World championship, the technique stays the identical – mess around Ruler in any respect prices.

A mixture of unbeatable teamfighting acumen together with best-in-class teammates places Ruler as a frontrunner for Worlds 2022. Not solely that, however given GenG’s playstyle of prioritizing the bot lane, if his workforce had been to win ultimately, it’s greater than probably Ruler finally ends up with a second Worlds Finals MVP – a feat that no different participant has by no means been achieved within the historical past of League of Legends esports.

Strengths: Godlike teamfighter, Good laner, Versatile pool

Weaknesses: Shouldn’t be very aggressive

Key picks: Zeri