With Gen.G locking in the final LCK seed, all the spots at Worlds have been claimed. With Worlds happening in China, the teams that will represent their home were some of the first to be decided. TOP, JDG, Suning and LGD will try to continue the LPL’s winning streak. The next few articles leading up to Worlds will break down the players for each role. Today’s article will focus on the junglers for each team, starting out with the champion top laner, Karsa.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Leading the pack of the junglers is TOP’s Karsa. This will be Karsa’s sixth Worlds in a row, making him the most consistent player ever to go to Worlds and ties him with Soaz as the player that made it to Worlds the most times.
Formerly on Flash Wolves, Karsa became the most well-known jungler from the LMS, which is now a part of the PCS. In December 2017, he joined the LPL, after being picked up by RNG. After two years on RNG, Karsa left to join TOP, who were now looking like a top tier team. Despite being the only non-carry jungler on this list, Karsa is one of the few junglers that manages to out-pace the aggressive junglers in LPL, effectively shutting them down. This is a role that Karsa can play well, as it is the same one he would play on his time on Flash Wolves, alongside Maple.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
The only non-veteran player in today’s article, Kanavi came into 2020 with a lot to prove. After a quiet year in 2019, and then being caught in the crossfire in Griffin’s scandal, many thought Kanavi would leave. However, he resigned with JD Gaming, who decided to start playing around him for 2020.
As JDG started playing with Kanavi as a win condition, the team blossomed. Loken was relived from being the only late-game insurance, while Yagao and Zoom were freed up to play whatever they would feel more comfortable on. In the Spring Split, Kanavi had an explosive return, winning Spring MVP. And while Knight would be the summer MPV, Kanavi still made it to the first All-Pro team.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
A player that not all fans might know, Style of Me is a veteran player that joined the LPL in 2016. He was the first Vietnamese import to the LPL, as well as the first non-Korean import to the LPL. His impact was felt immediately, as he finished tied for third in the MVP standings for summer 2016.
Fast forward a few years later, and Snake, who then became LNG, started struggling. While SofM still had good performances, the team wasn’t managing to perform. Even in his first year on Suning, SofM didn’t perform well, and his name got lost in the pack of LPL junglers. However, summer 2020 has shown that SofM still has what it takes to tango with the best. In the post regular season, Sunnig has won nine games, three versus V5, and six versus LGD. SofM has picked up match MVP in seven of those nine games.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Returning to top form and to Worlds, Peanut seems to once again be at the top of his game. After a rough end of 2018 and an even rougher 2019, Peanut joined LGD in the LPL. Although he performed well in spring, earning him a spot on the third All-Pro team, LGD didn’t impress and the team missed playoffs.
However, that would change for Summer. Now with two reliable, veteran solo laners, Peanut could play as aggressively as he liked. On picks like Graves or Kindred, Peanut is the driving force behind LGD. With Xiye on picks that can push and roam, fans can’t help but remember when Peanut was on the Rox Tigers, and Kuro would always have his back.
And that concludes today’s article on the LPL junglers that will be at Worlds 2020. Come back on Sunday to discuss the Mid-laners that will represent the LPL.
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