The competition is fierce in Riot Games’ ever-popular MOBA, League of Legends (LoL), especially in the upper echelons of esports. The top players in the various regional leagues are incredible esports athletes who have dedicated years to becoming legends on Summoner’s Rift.
To celebrate their performances, we’ve taken on the monumental task of picking the top players in each LoL role and added five honorable mentions per role for good measure.
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Top LoL Players Of The Year
Best LoL Midlane Player Of 2024
As the inaugural inductee into the Hall of Legends by LoL Esports, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is forever immortalized as the greatest LoL player in history. Some fans may argue that Chovy or knight is edging ahead in terms of pure, raw skill, but no one can argue with the results. Faker is the only player ever to win five LoL Worlds events. Plus, he helped T1 defend their title to become back-to-back champions in 2024.
On the biggest stage imaginable, Faker becomes “The Unkillable Demon King.” Just look at his performance at LoL Worlds 2024, where he proved he could still beat any pretenders to his throne. He could remain the best midlane player in LoL esports until he retires, especially if he keeps lifting the Summoner’s Cup.
Honorable mentions
- Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon (Gen.G Esports)
- Zhuo “knight” Ding (Bilibili Gaming)
- Eain “APA” Stearns (Team Liquid)
- Heo “ShowMaker” Su (Dplus)
- Rasmus “Caps” Winther (G2 Esports)
Best LoL Toplane Player Of 2024
The toplane is an isolated role where self-sufficiency is paramount for players. It’s a bit more challenging to measure this performance than kills scored in the midlane or gold per minute for carry players. Looking at all the past performances from LCK Spring, Summer, MSI, and Worlds, our pick for the best toplane player this year is Gen.G Esports‘ Kim “Kiin” Ki-in.
Kiin’s beautiful, aggressive playstyle speaks volumes. The same goes for his immense game sense, which allows him to escape enemy ambushes, keep the toplane secured, chip away at the enemy support, and carry players with style. With Gen.G Esports, Kiin won LCK Spring 2024 and MSI 2024, placed 2nd at LCK Summer 2024, and 3rd-4th at LoL Worlds 2024.
Honorable mentions
- Choi “Zeus” Woo-je (Hanwha Life Esports)
- Chen “Bin” Zebin (Bilibili Gaming)
- Bai “369” Jiahao (Top Esports)
- Chen “Breathe” Chen (Weibo Gaming)
- Choi “Doran” Hyeon-jun (T1)
Best LoL Jungle Player Of 2024
After joining Hanwha Life Esports at the end of 2023, Han “Peanut” Wang-ho already saw some success as an instrumental part of the roster that beat Gen.G Esports 3-2 in the nail-biting conclusion to the LCK Summer 2024. The South Korean superstar is the most reliable jungler in current LoL esports, pulling off fantastic plays and putting up strong performances in nearly every match.
At LCK Summer 2024, Peanut earned eight Group Stage MVPs and four Playoffs Stage MVPs to secure a spot at LoL Worlds 2024. And we can’t wait to see what he and his team can do in 2025 following the signing of legendary toplaner Zeus, who joined Hanwha Life Esports in November 2024.
Honorable mentions
- Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun (T1)
- Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu (Gen.G Esports)
- Yan “Wei” Yangwei (Bilibili Gaming)
- Gao “Tian” Tianliang (Weibo Gaming)
- Iván “Razork” Martín (Fnatic)
Best LoL Botlane Player Of 2024
Fans know him as “The (almost) Unkillable Demon Prince,” a homage to the legendary Faker’s nickname, and near-perfect performances in the botlane for T1. But South Korean superstar Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung is building his legacy as one of the best carries in modern LoL esports.
Gumayusi won an MVP award during the Worlds 2024 Playoffs Stage and continues to shine in botlane (previously ADC carry lane), with standout performances even when T1 loses. At the Esports World Cup 2024, Gumayusi lifted the coveted trophy with T1 without playing the same Champion twice, putting his incredible range on full display for the world to see. As part of the T1 roster, Gumayusi won back-to-back Worlds events, cementing himself as one of the best carry players ever.
Honorable mentions
- Park “Viper” Do-hyeon (Hanwha Life Esports)
- Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan (JD Gaming)
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (Gen.G Esports)
- Wenbo “JackeyLove” Yu (Top Esports)
- Zhao “Elk” Jiahao (Bilibili Gaming)
Best LoL Support Player Of 2024
The support role is sometimes thankless, as the player must protect and help the botlane secure vision while assisting anyone on their team who needs it. What separates a good support from a great one is their impact, like keeping their carry alive even in the stickiest situations. That’s why we’ve picked Bilibili Gaming’s Luo “ON” Wenjun as the best support player in 2024.
ON was instrumental in the Chinese squad’s tremendous success, winning LPL Spring and LPL Summer, and he earned four MVP awards. Bilibili Gaming also secured second-place finishes at LoL Worlds 2024 and MSI 2024 tournaments, cementing themselves as one of the best teams in the world.
Honorable mentions
- Ryu “Keria” Min-seok (T1)
- Labros “Labrov” Papoutsakis (G2 Esports)
- Son “Lehends” Si-woo (Nongshim RedForce)
- Tian “Meiko” Ye (Invictus Gaming)
- Yu “Delight” Hwan-jung (Hanwha Life Esports)
How Did We Rank These LoL Players?
To create our list, we examined results and stats throughout the year to find the best players for each role. While we heavily weighed performances at the biggest tournaments—Worlds, MSI, and Esports World Cup 2024—we also looked at the regional results for the Spring and Summer splits and the respective regional finals and leaderboards.
For us to consider players the best in their LoL roles, they must consistently play well and outshine everyone else on LAN. While our list is based on diligent research, we also know that everyone won’t agree with it.
After all, it’s not just about the stats. Some players may have fewer kills, but their plays throughout a huge event have a far greater impact, turning the tides of battle and making them stand out.
Who’s Your Pick For Best LoL Player Of 2024?
Now that you know our choices, who do you think dominated the Rift this past year? We get the strong feeling that most people will lean towards the seemingly unstoppable Faker, but it’s hard to overlook the talents of players like Kiin and ON. In any case, we’re looking forward to seeing who steps up in 2025, and whether someone can move up from our honorable mentions to the main list.
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