Pros to Watch at Worlds Part 1: Mids

There is more competition for the title of the best mid in the world right now than there is for any other role. Not a single mid who went to allstars is there except Alex Ich of Gambit Gaming, and even Alex who was once unquestionably the best mid in the world would now be happy to be called a part of the top 5. The following list is not a ranking, but I have tried to order it vaguely on the potential impact each mid will have at the world finals.

 

Faker: SK Telecom T1

Faker has been given many names and called many things, but the best summation of all those things is simply that Faker is almost undoubtedly the best mid laner in the world right now. Other pro mids marvel at his mechanics and continuously get outclassed in duels even from the most favorable of positions. It is said that Faker is to League right now what Lionel Messi is to football, the player of a generation, the prodigy that shows the world that even pro players have a long way to go to become the best. The following play is in slow motion, and one can use it to really see that Faker would not have won that duel if he had done a single thing differently.  

SK T1 enter the world tournament as the heavy favorites. Even though they are Korea’s 2nd seed as they hold fewer circuit points than Najin Black Sword, they are the winners of OGN Summer and importantly of another best of 5 to qualify for worlds against rival OGN Summer finalists KT Rolster Bullets. What is significant here is the ease with which SK T1 dominated KT B in the regional finals and if they can dominate quite possibly the 2nd best team in Korea so convincingly it seems difficult to come up with a circumstance in which they would fail.

 

Dade: MVP Ozone

 

MVP Ozone’s Dade is unquestionably one of the best mids in the world. He has fearsome mechanics, always dominates lane, he roams well, and has famed synergy with his jungler DanDy. He has possibly the best theorycrafting of all mids. He brought Zed back to the fore with his play in the OGN spring finals and in OGN summer he pioneered and popularized mid lane AD Ezreal, a key element of the push comp.

DoA the OGN shoutcaster once commented on the difference of MVP Ozone’s attitude in the spring season, as the humble underdogs, and in the summer season, as “golden Gods gracing the battlefield”. Ozone will need to prove that their newfound arrogance is no barrier to their admittedly godlike potential and Dade will be looking to carry his team to the greatest form of world recognition and immortalization in League of Legends history.

 

xPeke: Fnatic

With the potential exception of Meteos no other player in the Western hemisphere is as deserving of praise for performances this split as Fnatic’s explosive xPeke. He has been ripping apart the EU scene with assassins that can make picks and plays all across the map, especially if they are running his beloved teleport spell. xPeke was voted the EU Regionals MVP and is with little doubt the MVP of the EU LCS Summer, having carried his team to another regional victory.

Worlds is the time for Peke to prove himself on the world stage against the likes of Dade and Faker, just as it is for Fnatic to show the rest of the world that their team and the EU scene in general deserves a lot more respect on the world stage than they have gotten.

 

Cool: OMG

Although they did not get China’s #1 seed OMG are still probably the best team in China with a 13-2 record in the regular season. They are famous for their pick compositions and their potential to snowball objectives and kills from early game leads. There is probably no position more important in the pick comp than the mid laner and Cool has shown himself to be a critical part of the OMG style. He has some of the best Ahri, Zed and Twisted Fate play in China, and this coming from the same region as Misaya.

However, the pick comp was created and arguably perfected in Korea by KT Bullets (not at worlds :O) and SK T1, so OMG and Cool will have to show something outstanding in their play and in their strategies to stand above their Korean counterparts.

 

Mancloud: Vulcun Techbargains

The only NA mid I have hope will make waves at worlds. Vulcun is a true dark horse going into the tournament. They have shown better champ select prowess and adaptability than any other team in NA or EU except perhaps Cloud 9, and are best set to exploit the lack of adaptability that is quoted as the most apparent failure of the legendary Korean teams. However, they enter the tournament as NA’s 3rd seed and are undoubted underdogs in the group stage.

Mancloud has shown himself to be by far the best mid laner in NA and if Vulcun do well Mancloud’s play will be headline material. If they don’t, it will pass unnoticed. Regardless of how much acknowledgement Mancloud gets, his mechanics, kill threat and map awareness rival that of almost any mid in the world.

 

Nukeduck: Lemondogs

Like the rest of Lemondogs, Nukeduck made a soft impact on the world stage. It seemed to many fans that EU was so saturated with good mids that no newcomer could cause a huge impact and would be lucky to keep up. Nukeduck defied all expectations and was called the strongest and most consistent mid in EU by the shoutcasters all the way through the second half of the LCS until the playoffs when xPeke stepped up to a new level.

Having never won a tournament, Lemondogs and Nukeduck have a lot to prove, like Gambit but for almost opposite reasons. Their play has been much more consistent than Gambit’s for months and if they bring out that game they should offer a serious challenge for a spot in the quarterfinals.

 

Alex Ich: Gambit Gaming

Despite being voted allstar in a region famous for world class mids, Alex Ich has a lot to prove coming into worlds. Gambit scraped into Europe’s final qualifying spot after looking heavily outclassed by both Fnatic and Lemondogs. The mids of both those teams have more consistently put in awe-inspiring performances this split than Gambit’s legendary mid-laner.

Alex and Gambit both come as underdogs into a tournament they were favorites to win a year ago, but their team has time and again shown the ability to dominate at high-pressure tournaments. If they do, Gambit will be relying heavily on Alex to lead the way and carry them forward.

More to Come!

I hope to release the articles for the other positions really soon. Please let me know your thoughts, whether they support or counter my argument, in the comments. Thanks!