Riot Games announced that in 2024, they would begin to enshrine the greatest players in League of Legends history, in and outside the game, into the newly created Hall of Legends. The first inductee this year, according to Riot Games, will be “independent voting panel of esports industry veterans and experts from every region to vote and select our very first inductee.” With so many great players across so many leagues, there are many arguments to be had about who should be in. This tier list, however, hopes to settle all of those arguements.
The Best Ever: Faker, Mata, Deft, Ruler, Smeb, Score
Faker is Faker, the greatest player of all time. He has four World Championships, 10 LCK titles, two MSI wins and is the game’s defining player. More than anyone else, he is a no doubt selection into the Hall of Legends.
Mata, meanwhile, is the consummate support and the greatest ever. He is a world champion, holds six domestic titles and is one of the greatest shotcallers in league history. Yet, he importantly was an innovator. His roaming style and vision work, alongside playing with jungle, set the standard for modern supports.
Two of the defining ADCs in LoL esports history are Deft and Ruler. Both won world championships, both define the position to this day as they continue playing competitively. Ruler is the definitive Korean ADC. He could and still can win in lane, while also simultaneously dominantly carrying the game. His biggest struggle was that it took until 2022 to finally win an LCK title. Deft, meanwhile, was the prodigal ADC. Up until he finally won Worlds in 2022, Deft was the greatest player to never win Worlds. He had five domestic titles and one MSI title, but never a world championship. That was largely due to the underperformance in playoffs, but his legacy is undeniable.
While Smeb and Score didn’t play their entire careers together on KT Rolster, their time together makes them inseparable in this ranking. Smeb is the defining LCK top laner who defined top lane play in Korea for the better part of four years. Score, meanwhile, defines what a Korean jungler should aspire to be. While both lack the international success of their counterparts in this tier, they defined the positions they played for almost half a decade.
Should Get In: DanDy, GorillA, MadLife
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Before the Korean Exodus changed the landscape of LoL esports, DanDy was the defining jungler of early LoL Esports. He shaped the concept of the modern carry jungler through his dominance. That showed itself in 2014 when he and Samsung White ran through the 2014 World Championships to claim the title. No jungler was able to match him that year. While his tenure in the LPL never reached the same level, DanDy is still one of the defining players in LoL history.
Regarding champion pool and longevity, few early pros can match GorillA. Despite never claiming an international title, GorillA is one of the defining supports due to his longevity and relevance in Korea. He finished top eight at every World Championship he attended, owns three domestic titles and holds a second-place finish at MSI. Most people will remember him for his run on the legendary Rox Tigers that produced the greatest Worlds Semifinals back in 2017. His Miss Fortune support singlehandedly warped that series and helped send it to five games in that final.
When it comes to peak, there may be no player who changed how support was played more than MadLife. Before Faker claimed the title of best player in the world, that distinction belonged to him. Similar to DanDy, MadLife was ahead of his time. His ability to warp a bot lane is something few supports have ever managed to do since. He set the standard for support play, especially on engage supports like Thresh. Even when he was stuck on poor teams in the back half of his career, he still carried games from his position.
On the Doorstep: Peanut, Kiin, Khan, Flame, Ambition
If you were so good that you have a a piece of esports terminology named after you, you have a case. Flame was one of the great early top laners in the world. The term “Flame Horizon” comes from the fact that he would dominate the lanes so hard, that he went up 100 minions on his opponent. While he does not hold the accolades the way he shaped and influenced top lane lands him here.
Regarding players never winning on the global stage, Khan is one of the best never to win an international tournament. He owns six LCK titles, finishes second at MSI twice, top four at Worlds once and second at Worlds once. That last one came heartbreakingly in 2021 when he and Damwon were up 2-1 in the Grand Finals. After the loss, he retired due to required military service. It is up to the voters to measure his domestic success against international shortcomings.
Peanut sits in a similar situation to Khan. He owns six domestic titles and even an MSI title. However, his failure to win a global title is the glaring hole in his trophy case. He finished second with SKT in 2017 and since he has not managed to finish higher than top four at Worlds. He has a long domestic career and the respect of the world, but his performance on the global stage is what may hold him back.
While it may be a surprise to put him here, Kiin is likely hovering around the doorstep of the Hall. For a long time, few top laners could say they were better than Kiin in Korea. His biggest issue, however, is that he was stuck in the elo hell known, at the time, as Afreeca Freecs. With KT Rolster this past year, he could finally break out and show how great he is topside. This year, he is on Gen.G alongside Canyon and Chovy. This is a roster looking to rewrite their legacies. If they can win at least one international title together, that could make all the difference for Kiin’s case.
A sneaky doorstep sitter is Ambition. Ambition was a pioneer of neutral junglers in modern metas. As the modern carry jungler rose to prominence, he showed that old school tactics and brain could win. He set a new archetype of jungler which some call the “dog” jungler. He did not need to carry games to help his team win, he helped his teammates win the game. In many ways, players like Oner and the current version of Peanut are the best comparisons. While Oner has the mechanical skill on T1, he very much is a facilitator to his lanes more than the carry. Peanut served the same purpose on Gen.G alongside Chovy and Peyz.
Good, But Not In The Hall: Bengi, Nuguri
Despite the love for him in Korea and across the world, Bengi is not a Hall of Legends-level talent. Yes, he has three world titles. However, those titles came with Faker. Given Faker’s dominance and Bengi’s playstyle, the former carried the latter to those titles. He was never the best mechanically or strategically, but he collected those titles on peak SKT. If he got in, it would not be surprising. But there are more deserving players.
The issue with Nuguri is his longevity. Despite being at one point arguably best top laner in the world, his cataclysmic fall and retirement will keep him outside the Hall. From 2019 to 2021, he established himself as a premier top laner with immense flexibility. He grew with Damwon, then went to FPX in 2021. Following their collapse at the 2021 World Championships, he took of spring split before returning to Damwon for Summer. Upon return, however, he was a shell of his former self. At the end of the season, he quietly retired and has not been seen since.
On Their Way: Chovy, Showmaker, Keria, Canyon, Viper
Chovy is the signature modern Korean midlaner in the aftermath of Faker. Chovy’s dominant farming style and lane domination have cemented him as the best player in Korea today. However, the multiple shortcomings during his career, both domestic and global, mires him just outside the hall for now. A little more dominance in Korea and increased international performance lands him in the Hall.
Showmaker had an immense peak during Damwon’s 2020-2021, but that peak has vanished. If Damwon can return to form, alongside the re-ascension of Showmaker, he may land himself in the Hall one day. If not, he may be stuck alongside Nuguri.
Canyon is suffering a similar issue currently following a massively disappointing two-year run with DPlus. After being the best jungler in the world, something is missing in his play. With this move to Gen.G, he hopefully can exorcise the demons plaguing him over the past few years and return to his Hall of Legends trajectory. Meanwhile, Viper sits in a similar position following his exit from EDG and underwhelming 2023 season. The former world champion will need to return to form if he wants to land in the Hall of Legends one day.
While the youngest, Keria sits as the heir to the throne of greatest support ever. His champion pool is an ocean, he is a meta innovator thanks to him immense mechanical skill and owns domestic and world championships. If he maintains this trajectory, he’ll be in the Hall of Legends not long after he stops playing.
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