Best mid laners at Worlds 2023

From the flashy and outrageous to the understated and supportive, there are many ways to play the mid lane as a professional League of Legends player. Only the best mid laners, however, are able to maintain their composure under intense pressure, and the lights are always the brightest at the World Championship, set to kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

This year, the mid lane represents one of the most stacked roles at the tournament, featuring some of the greatest players in the position’s history. Veterans from all around the world have gathered after shedding blood, sweat, and tears to help lead and carry their teams to the grandest stage of them all in South Korea.

As always, there is a contingent of talent hailing from the juggernaut teams of the East, including powerhouses like Gen.G, JD Gaming, T1, KT Rolster, and LNG Esports. They will all be vying for the crown, and in their eyes, their success starts with their efforts against the other top guns of the event.

Here are the best mid laners at Worlds 2023.

The best mid lane players at Worlds

Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon – Gen.G

Chovy has always been considered to be one of the best players in the world, but throughout the four and a half years he has spent as a top LCK pro, he still remains without a single international trophy. To truly elevate himself into the next echelon of LoL Esports legends, he must finally claim his throne by capturing the Summoner’s Cup in front of his home fans.

The 22-year-old was a freight train during the summer, maintaining his classic early game dominance while also dealing the third most damage of any LCK mid laner, according to Oracle’s Elixir. Like a fine wine, the young phenom has only gotten better with age, and is finally poised to capture greatness with his star-studded team after winning three regional trophies in a row.

Zhuo “knight” Ding – JD Gaming

From Top Esports to JD Gaming, Knight has been a force to be reckoned with. This past summer, he led all LPL mid laners with 166 kills and a destructive 692 average damage to champions per game, while only holding the seven-highest total team gold share, according to Oracle’s Elixir. His mechanics are almost unmatched, and his fearlessness and decision-making make him the perfect X-factor for a championship-bound squad like JDG.

Before 2023, people doubted whether Knight would be able to break his curse at international events after stumbling at multiple tournaments in a row. But after dominating the competition in China, this firecracker now has one of the best AD carry players in the world to help carry the load, as JDG aims to become the first team to win the elusive grand slam: Back-to-back regional championships, MSI, and a Worlds title.

Lee “Scout” Ye-chan – LNG Esports

It’s only been a couple of years removed since Scout lifted the Summoner’s Cup with Edward Gaming, but now, the star mid laner has returned to his home country to etch his name in history once again with a new team.

The 25-year-old veteran comes into Worlds with some impressive stats from the summer, including the third-most kills, the highest KDA, and some of the highest damage numbers in his role, according to Oracle’s Elixir. With reliable forces like Tarzan and Gala flanking him as his partners in crime, Scout is looking at a deep run to help solidify his place among the best mid laners in history.

Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong – KT Rolster

Bdd has gone under the radar for many casual League fans, since he hasn’t constantly been in top-tier teams throughout his career. But the 24-year-old helped build a surprisingly decent squad with KT Rolster—bringing back an organization that hasn’t sniffed the international stage since 2018, back when they had Smeb, Score, Deft, and Mata.

Individually, Bdd had the highest KDA of any LCK mid laner during the summer, and was a consistent rock that KT Rolster could rely on across the regular season and beyond. He might not necessarily be a massive pop-off threat like some of the other names on this list, but he can hold his own against almost every top mid lane star.

Heo “ShowMaker” Su – Dplus KIA

ShowMaker—and DK as a whole—might not have lived up to the heavy expectations that most fans placed on them when they formed their three-headed beast with Deft, but the 23-year-old is still a World Champion who can turn on that killer instinct at any moment.

He led the LCK mid lane class in average damage to champions per minute, and has the second-most kills in his role, according to Oracle’s Elixir. He and Canyon are still among the most dangerous mid-jungle duos in the tournament, and will always be a treat to watch due to his explosiveness and expert mechanical prowess.

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok – T1

No mid laner ranking piece would be complete without the greatest of all time, and although there are plenty of fans who would think otherwise, it would be hard-pressed not to add Faker to this list after watching T1 transform from a championship contender into a middling team at best without his presence on the Rift.

He is still one of the best players in his position, bar none, even though his mechanical skills have clearly regressed somewhat from his prime. His true impact on the team lies in his supreme leadership skills, which are unmatched when compared to any of the other players on this list. He elevates players like Gumayusi, Keria, Zeus, and Oner to new heights with his shotcalling, and has a great shot at adding another piece of hardware to his extensive trophy case.