Despite competing in a 5v5 team game, League of Legends top laners have forever been tasked with playing on ‘an island’, often left to duke it out 1v1 against their lane opponents. Long gone are the days of every top laner being stuck on tank duty – in the modern era the best top laners in the world thrive on carry champions, aiming to take down their rivals solo and showcase their mechanical abilities to sit among the best LoL players.
Here we’ll look at the best five top laners set to compete in the upcoming Worlds Championship; those that have the best positive impact on their teams and help punters win when backing them during their LoL betting escapades.
5. Zeus
When looking at League of Legends odds, chances are that T1 is always the favourite in any match that they play. Not only are they an incredibly successful team, but they’re also one of the world’s most popular and the legions of fans betting in favour of the team often skews odds entirely.
One of the key pieces on their lineup is Korean top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je. Thought of as one of the world’s best top laners for a number of years despite his often hot and cold form, Zeus finally pulled it together when it counted most to carry T1 to a LoL Worlds win last season. Now still with the same T1 roster, Zeus has struggled to keep up that elite form and T1 have once again slipped behind their regional rivals Gen.G.
4. 369
Bai “369” Jia-Hao has cemented his place as one of the game’s best top laners in recent seasons. The Top Esports loyalist stuck with the organisation for many years – through periods that saw Top become LPL champions and others where similarly stacked rosters failed to live up to expectations.
No years with Top were as fruitful as the single season 369 spent with JD Gaming in 2023. The mega roster, rumoured to have cost $14m to assemble, swept both LPL splits, won MSI and came close to completing a Golden Road. Having now returned to Top, the Chinese top laner is once again looking to win Worlds and will be hungry to add more international medals to his collection.
3. Doran
After making his debut as part of the famous Griffin rookie squad that took the LCK by storm in 2019, Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon’s stock dipped after an average 2021 with DRX was followed by successive 7th place finishes in a forgettable season with KT Rolser in 2021. However his move to Gen.G in 2022 put him back at the top, becoming part of the dominant roster that earned him three LCK titles in a row.
After being ousted as part of a 2024 rebuild, Doran looked to have taken a step down to join Hanwha Life Esports, however a miraculous summer 2024 title that stopped his previous team’s attempted five-peat has reminded the world that Doran is one of the world’s best.
2. Bin
No top laner strikes fear into their opponents quite like BLG’s Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin. His intimidating aura matches perfectly with his playstyle – an aggressive laner who always looks to solokill his opponents and dominate his lane. He’s spent years up against 369 for LPL bragging rights and now finally finds himself on the winning side after BLG lifted its first-ever domestic titles – winning both spring and summer splits this season.
Were it not for a certain Gen.G, BLG would have capped off the perfect season so far by winning MSI. Had they done so then Bin may well have found himself atop this list, however a Korean challenger will take the number one spot…
1. Kiin
Until this year Kim “Kiin” Gi-in’s career was spent largely as a ‘what if’. The Korean showed a strangely strong loyalty to the LCK mid table meddlers Afreeca Freecs, staying with the organisation for years as it failed to make a dent in the league despite Kiin being one of the best in his role. He finally left in 2023 to join KT Rolster and the side had a decent season, but 2024 provided an even better opportunity as Kiin landed a spot on a new-look Gen.G roster, built around superstar mid laner Chovy.
Kiin’s switch to Gen.G has immediately proved fruitful. The team won its fourth consecutive LCK title — Kiin’s first — and followed that up with a historic Mid-Season Invitational victory. Now Kiin has gone from a player with promising potential, one that fans always wanted to see on a top roster, to turning out in the top lane for the current best team in the world to cement his place as the best top laner.
