Strafe’s Selections: The Best LEAGUE OF LEGENDS Players of 2023

When considering the Best Players of 2023 in League of Legends, so many factors go into defining a successful player’s career for the year. From the physical hardware earned throughout the year, to the context of each of their team’s victories, to their personal contributions through their performance, the role and importance they had in defining their year. So, the list can never be a short one (though we certainly gave it a shot).

With that said, 2023 as a whole, was an incredibly exciting year for professional League of Legends players. There was a narrative rise of new challenger teams globally; Bilibili Gaming, Hanwha Life, BDS, and NRG to name a few. Longtime fans of the LCK and League of Legends history were treated to South Korean organization T1 (formerly known as SK Telecom T1) raising their 4th Worlds trophy and title. Undisputed GOAT of League of Legends, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, also lifted his 4th Worlds trophy and title, cementing his legacy as the greatest to ever do it.

So when we attempted to make a definitive list of the best players of 2023, it was a fair trial to even attempt. Within this piece, we have honored each role as a separate ‘best.’ It ended up having like 5 per list, so we’ve decided to give a special nod to some of the players who were also exceptional, just not the absolute top of the class.

Best Top Lane Player of 2023

Bai “369” Jia-Hao

LPL Spring and Summer champion. MSI 2023 champion. Semifinalist at Worlds 2023. Two steps from the Golden Road, 369’s story as a player continues to evolve. Having previously debuted as a powerful carry laner, he has since adopted a more team-oriented mindset and is now considered the best ‘tank’ player in the world. Specializing in absorbing pressure, 369 earns his spot as the best Top Lane Player of 2023 with stellar hardware and a solidity of performance at a level that few can match.

Honorable Mentions:

Choi “Zeus” Woo-je

MVP of T1’s Worlds 2023 Grand Finals victory. Their most consistent and outstanding player throughout the year. Zeus easily makes the list as one of the strongest current Top Laners in the world with a champion ocean at his disposal.

Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin

Master Jax player and primary instigator. Bin backs his words with stellar in-game performances. One of the key playmakers for BLG in 2023, Bin undoubtedly earns his spot as one of the premier carry Top Laners. Do not, under any circumstances, let him have Jax.

Sergen “BrokenBlade” Çelik

Be it Kled or K’Sante, BrokenBlade seemingly has the ability to play virtually anything for G2 in the Top Lane. Hoisting both the Winter and Summer LEC championships, he also has the honor of being the first Season Finals winner. While G2 may have fallen short at Worlds, BrokenBlade was easily one of their most outstanding performers throughout the year.

Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon

Doran falls in an odd space within the conversation. On the one hand, for most of the year he was a fairly strong performer for Gen.G. As part of the veteran trio of Doran, Peanut, and Chovy, he played a large part in their success throughout the year, however, fell into more questionable form at Worlds.

Best Jungle Player of 2023

Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok

Strongest performing Jungler of the year hands down, Kanavi has cemented himself as one of the greatest Junglers in League of Legends. Boasting an immense collection of titles and trophies, Kanavi was part of the JDG project in 2023, going on to nearly complete the Golden Road, falling short by two series while only losing a single series in the entire year. One of the most remarkable aspects of his gameplay to note is his proficiency on utility/setup Jungle champions. While he is more than capable of playing carry champions, he is beyond a terror on picks like Sejuani or Maokai.

Honorable Mentions:

Han “Peanut” Wang-ho

Gen.G’s veteran Jungler barely misses on the list by the smallest of margins. Peanut has long been considered one of the greatest Junglers to have never won a Worlds title yet. A macro-genius, Peanut is a supreme facilitator and considered one of the best Junglers in the world period.

Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong

LNG’s Tarzan was one of their standout performers, and one half of the deadly Jungle-Mid duo that was him and Scout. While LNG may not have left a deep impression at Worlds 2023, for most of the year, they were considered a top 3 team in the LPL and coming into Worlds, was considered the second strongest LPL after JDG. Tarzan was a massive part of that undoubtedly and is considered an extremely skilled and knowledgeable Jungler and a high performing Jungler.

Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun

For most of 2023, Oner became the scapegoat for T1’s many hiccups. The team was undergoing some turmoil, especially past MSI, where they really struggled to find their groove. The absence of Faker only further hammered the point and Oner was seen as the weak link. However, by Worlds, Oner has returned to form and was easily one of the best performing Junglers in the tournament. Considering T1’s overall success still throughout the year, and his standout performance at Worlds, it would be remiss to not include him.

Juan “Contractz” Arturo Garcia

If Contractz was to retire tomorrow, he would still go down in memory as the defining factor that led NRG to their biggest victory to date - defeating G2 at Worlds. Stellar performer throughout the year, Contractz really grew into his own as one of NA’s better Junglers and a mega performer that has shown he can carry entire series against international opposition.

Best Mid Lane Player of 2023

Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon

While there is argument for either Chovy or knight as the best Mid Laner of 2023, we land on Chovy due to his immense growth as a player and super-star level lperformance that he delivered throughout the year (barring most of MSI and Worlds). Previously, much of Chovy’s success in the head-to-head in the Mid Lane was attributed to his ability to perfectly CS and generate immense gold leads quietly. However, a glaring weakness in his gameplay which allowed more experienced Mid Laners to defeat his teams was his unwillingness to roam more frequently on timers. In 2023 however, it seemed he had overcome that barrier finally, and was slowly shaping into the Mid Laner that was heralded.

Honorable Mention:

Zhuo “knight” Ding

The 1v9 machine makes the list for another year. With a stellar 2023 under his belt, knight once more solidifies his legacy as one of the all-time great Mid Laners in League of Legends. With a total of 3 tournament wins this year, and a fierce run at Worlds, to say it has been a fairly busy year for knight would be an understatement.

Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther

Europe’s best Mid Laner scores big for the region once more. Coming in in 2023 as one of the remaining remnants from the prior G2 lineup, Caps once more proves he is the Western GOAT with another two LEC championships to his name.

Zeng “Yagao” Qi

Stable and strong performing. The Mid Laner of BLG may not have had a stellar individual year, however, he was part of BLG’s most successful year to date, placing 2nd in the LPL Playoffs, 2nd at MSI, and making the semifinals of Worlds.

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok

In any era of League of Legends, it is difficult to completely discount Faker from any conversation . 11 years into his career, and still he continues to deliver at the highest level of competition, in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Moreover, in a year where the Demon King collects another Worlds title while performing as the best Mid Laner at Worlds? You bet he’s making the list. Anyone still needs convincing?

Best AD Carry Player of 2023

Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk

Domination. That is Ruler’s legacy throughout 2023. The veteran ADC has lifted more than his fair share of trophies during his career, but in 2023, he joined JDG. Together, they created the ultimate fighting roster, brimming with talent in every role. Not only did Ruler win both LPL championships this year, he also won MSI and helped the South Korean national team win the Asian Games. He secured military service exemption for himself, continuing to carve himself not just as one of the all-time greatest AD Carries from Korea, but also one of the greatest players in League of Legends.

Honorable Mention:

Kim “Peyz” Soo-hwan

The rookie that could. Peyz’s story in 2023 is an uplifting one. After being called to service for Gen.G alongside fellow newcomer Delight, he quickly established himself as one of the quieter albeit mega-impactful AD Carries, frequently assuming the role of hyper carry in the late-game teamfights for Gen.G.

Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung

Gumayusi has blossomed in 2023, truly coming into his own on T1 with a confidence that finally belies his immense skills. Notable as one of the most flexible AD Carries currently in the world, much like his Support duo Keria, he has a Champion ocean to rely on.

Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol

Cloud9’s best asset arguably, the young AD Carry star for the NA roster is a true diamond in the rough. Considered not just one of the best talents in NA currently, he continues to deliver for Cloud9 as their most reliable and stable talent.

Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao

BLG’s AD Carry Elk is not one that gets enough credit at times. With so much of the team’s focus on the Top Lane, Elk has quietly accrued success as the individual who can have mega-carry performances and acts as the safety net in many of BLG’s teamfights. In 2023, he proved himself to be one of the premier talents for the region.

Best Support Player of 2023

Ryu “Keria” Min-seok

Legendary Genius Monster Keria continues to defy the traditional idea of a Support. From his immense Champion ocean to his staggering mechanical skill that allows him to pull off irreplicable moments, Keria is fast on his way to carving his name amongst the greatest Supports and players in League of Legends. His incredible adaptability, instinctive brilliance, and mechanical prowess all serves to highlight him as a once-in-generation prodigy. While he may not have won the LCK Championships or MSI, his impact on the Support meta and landscape of League of Legends this year nets him the top spot as the Best Support Player of 2023.

Honorable Mentions:

Loud “MISSING” Yun-Feng

31-3 on Rakan in 2023. That should be enough to sum up the incredible Support that is MISSING. With a stellar performance that includes the three tournament wins for JDG, MISSING was also considered one of the best engage supports in the tournament, and served as the perfect set-up catalyst for his team’s carries to pop off.

Yoo “Delight” Hwan-joong

Gen.G’s youthful support may have been a fresh addition to the roster in 2023, but he was a ‘delight’ (get it?) to watch in-game alongside fellow rookie Peyz. The duo not only made for a strong bot-side that rarely lost matchups, but they also paired well with the more experienced top-side players, especially when Peanut ventured down the map.

Lou “ON” Wen-Jun

BLG’s support, much like his compatriot Elk, was a less recognized member of their retinue. However, his ability to engage supports felt second only to MISSING at times, showing extreme versatility on champions such as Nautilus and Rell.

Mihael ‘Mikyx” Mehle

In the West, there are few names that draw as many admirations in the Support role as Mikyx. Considered one of the best Supports to grace the Western scene in recent times, he is also one of the most consistent performers for G2. Specializing in engage support champions, all we can suggest is to not get caught by this man - for wherever he is, the rest of G2 is not far behind.

 

With that concluded, this is Strafe Esports’ selections for the best LEAGUE OF LEGENDS players of 2023. Do you agree with our picks? Leave your thoughts down in the comments.

Follow the latest LEAGUE OF LEGENDS news on Strafe Esports. Keep up-to-date with the latest roster moves, tournaments, and news in the scene. 

Credit: Lance Skundrich/Riot Games

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