Who is the Best Midlaner at Worlds 2024?

The League of Legends World Championship 2024 is ready to conclude the five-week bloodbath on November 2 with only one team to lift the Summoner’s Cup. Teams as a whole commanded the applause of the crowd and rose through the ranks, yet midlaners have had their overwhelming share of the spotlight.

Prodigies, veterans, steady performers, and clutch show-stoppers vied for the brightest light all the same, displaying exceptional talent. With only one series left before curtain call, we’ve seen enough performances to declare who has been the best midlaner at Worlds 2024.

Midlaners at Worlds: The Pressure and Prestige

Being a midlaner competing at Worlds, the most prestigious LoL tournament of every season, means having tremendous support and admiration with every game and play. Yet, it is also performing under intense pressure and constant scrutiny.

With their roles considered as the “main course” in every team, midlaners are expected to have flashy and consistent excellence. They must have the mechanical prowess, strategic brilliance, and unrelenting drive to lead their teams to glory. Among the contenders for being the best midlaner who exhibit all and more at Worlds 2024, there are a few names that stand out.

First, the honorable mentions: Scout (LNG), Xiaohu (WBG), Showmaker (DK), Creme (TES), and Caps (G2). While not in the top 4, they all have given outstanding performances at Worlds deserving of recognition.

Chovy (Gen.G) 

Gen.G’s Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon has ruled this role in recent years, being the key to their dominant run from the LCK regular season to MSI. The South Korean pro gamer has consistently suffocated opponents with his map control, outclassed his counterparts in macro mechanics, and executed game-changing plays that got them victories. His comfort picks continue to be fearsome threats to opposing teams and get relentlessly banned, yet this doesn’t stop Chovy, who proved he can excel in a wide range of champions.

At Worlds, despite facing setbacks and ultimately falling to T1 in the semifinals, Chovy’s unparalleled understanding of his role proved why he rightfully earned being treated as the king of the mid lane and the best midlaner at Worlds 2024.

Knight (Bilibili Gaming)

Coming in second is Bilibili Gaming’s Ding “knight” Zhuo, who is set to prove his value at the Worlds Finals this Saturday. Knight dominates all other midlaners in the LPL with his map control and aggressive playstyle, as well as his ability to lead BLG into winning teamfights. These have been his signature, along with a mastery of champions on and off-meta. At Worlds 2024, Knight has the most number of unique champions played (12 across 15 games) among all players.

BLG as a team wavered slightly in the Swiss Stage, with the tendency to allow little resources for Knight both in the game and draft. Yet, Knight has mostly maintained individual form, excelling in his role regardless and steering BLG to their current place at the Finals.

Faker (T1)

While often a controversial choice, Lee “Faker” Sanghyeok has earned his spot at the top 4 midlaners in the tournament. T1 notoriously struggled domestically all year long, and despite being the GOAT, Faker was undoubtedly not in the form he was in his prime. Yet, like T1 as a whole, there is certain magic in his improvement at Worlds. While he maintains decent stats, his leadership, strategic decision-making, and adaptability are unmatched, and are what makes him the third best midlaner at Worlds 2024.

From the Swiss Stage to the Knockouts, Faker’s insightful shot-calling, macro play, and teamfight dominance was able to guide T1 to victory game after game. His unparalleled experience, game sense, and clutch factor have once again elevated his team to the finals of the tournament.

Zeka (Hanwha Life Esports)

Kim “Zeka” Geonwoo’s clutch factor has also been on full display, repeatedly delivering game-winning performances with HLE when the stakes are highest. Zeka is known for aggressive and often bold playstyles on top of excellent mechanics. This flashy, “high-risk, high-reward” strategy in the most important LoL tournament apparently pays off, allowing Zeka to outmaneuver and outplay his opponents.

True to being unpredictable, he can single-handedly turn the tide of a game and allow HLE to snowball the resulting lead from there. His constant map pressure is difficult to cast off, in addition, and that leads to the enemy team having a hard time reversing the eventual win for Hanwha. Despite the team’s early exit in the quarterfinals after losing to BLG, Zeka has proven himself a formidable midlaner at Worlds 2024.

Evaluating the Midlane Elite

Midlaners, who can swing the tides of battle, need to have champion mastery, lane dominance, sharp shot-calling and decision-making, and good leadership to make an unwavering impact on their team’s overall performance. When determining the best midlaner at Worlds 2024, it all comes down to who can showcase and execute these multitude of factors best among 20 contenders.

Chovy, Knight, Faker, and Zeka all showed exceptional prowess in all aspects, each excelling in specific areas more than others throughout the tournament. Beyond raw mechanical skill, they have also displayed a deep understanding of the game and meta both, adapting and strategizing quickly to gain advantage. The differences in which areas they shine the brightest make it hard to truly compare and rank them. However, restricted to how they delivered this brilliance at Worlds 2024, these four names fall in an order that puts one slightly above another.