Since its launch in 2009, League of Legends (LoL) has quickly become one of the most popular and most lucrative eSports for competitors to engage in – as well as one of the most widely followed by fans of the game. The most successful players in the LoL realm can access eye-watering sums of prize money – but the road to the top is a rocky one, to say the least.
Just as other sporting disciplines require huge dedication and hours upon hours of practice, so too must the best LoL players put in the hard yards to reach the pinnacle of their profession. So who has made it to the promised land? While any list of this kind is necessarily subjective and must exclude some big names, we’ve narrowed it down to a handful of the most accomplished and impressive LoL players playing the eSport today.
Lee Sang-hyeok, “Faker”
Faker is probably the closest thing to a household name that LoL boasts. In his ten years on the scene, he has amassed more than half a million dollars in prize money and appeared in three World Championships, and though his form has dwindled of late, his hunger for a fourth keeps him going. A player with nerves of steel and the experience to back it up, he’s dubbed the “Unkillable Demon King” by his opponents. All eyes remain upon him, even a decade down the line.
Jesper Svenningsen, “Zven”
If the name “Zven” doesn’t ring a bell to you, that’s perhaps because you might know this unassuming young Dane by another moniker. For a decade, Zven has bounced between professional and semi-professional leagues under various different handles, including “Niels”, “Phlow” and “Zvanillan”. Now apparently settled as Zven at G2 eSports, the impressive Scandinavian has earned over $50,000 in prize money to date and is hungry to add more.
Ryu Min-seok, “Keria”
According to his teammates, Keria is the shot-caller on the T1 team. His calm voice and lightning-quick reactions guide his buddies’ actions and tell them what they should be doing and when they should be doing it. Not just an accomplished overseer, however, Keria also has the skills and the mechanics to back up his role as shot-caller. He’s just 19 years of age, but his execution is unparalleled and this young Korean prodigy has a strong claim to the best LoL player in the world right now.
Ming Kai, “ClearLove”
It’s a testament to the dynamic nature of the eSport that at just 23 years old, ClearLove is considered one of the elder statesmen of his chosen game. But despite his advanced years, his presence on any team (he’s currently with EDward Gaming) means that they invariably are placed near the top of the LoL odds when it comes to betting on the victors. The more than $250,000 prize money he’s pocketed to date – alongside the three World Championship attendances he boasts – indicate his quality.
Hung Hao-hsuan, “Karsa”
Hailing from Taiwan, Karsa is widely considered as one of the most mechanically skillful junglers playing LoL today. He made his name at Flash Wolves, where he helped the team to a clutch of LMS titles and some international events, to boot. A step up to TOP eSports didn’t work out as planned, but Karsa is now with Victory Five. The team were bottom-tier fodder prior to his arrival, but he’s turned around their fortunes and looks to have gotten his career back on track. One to watch in the years ahead for sure.
This list of five of the best LoL players in action in 2022 just goes to show that like traditional sporting disciplines, eSports is a young man’s game.
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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