The League of Legends 2018 World Championships has finally begun in Korea, after what seemed to be an eternity. Only the best of the best from around the world have earned a spot to battle it out for glory. Of course, many people understand that League is a team game, and playing as one is the most important aspect of victory. However, from time to time, each team will have to rely on their stars to help push them to victory. Here are some of the best ADC players to grace the stage at Worlds this year.
Here's a quick reminder how the #Worlds2018 format works: pic.twitter.com/adGQnQtrbi
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 1, 2018
1. Royal Never Give Up’s Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao
Royal Never Give Up is having one hell of a year. The Chinese powerhouse has taken home back-to-back LPL titles, as well as a championship win at the Mid-Season Invitational. Now, they aim to take home the ultimate prize in the Summoner’s Cup. RNG has never made it to the Grand Finals of the World Championships in their history. However, if they are to achieve this, they may have not only the best year in their history but also one of the best years in League history.
At the center of it all is their bottom lane, with superstar ADC Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao and always reliable Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming. Uzi is arguably the best player in the world right now and is topping multiple “best of 2018” lists across the League community. It is only fair that he will top this one as well. At the beginning of the Summer season, Uzi would take a break from the LPL. Their backup ADC, Dai “Able” Zhi-Chun, would play pretty well for the nine games he would play out.
However, Uzi would come back and light up the LPL in a way only he could. Having played only 29 games in the regular season, he would still finish with a 100+ kill in the split. Also, he would still average the most damage to champions per minute in the league. If he were to play a full season, who knows what numbers he could have posted this split. Uzi has consistently shown his mechanical prowess throughout the summer and will remain the best ADC at Worlds, for now.
2. Gen.G’s Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
2017’s World Championship winning bot lane is posturing up to defend their title come these next few months. Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in have been only improving as a duo ever since they would help then-SSG topple the SKT dynasty. Even in the brouhaha that was the Summer Split meta, Ruler would stay firm in his choice to play traditional ADCs in a time where mages would rule the role. Consistency is the name of the game for this duo; you can always count on them to be a rock in the bottom lane.
His stats and results are a testament to his ability as well. Ruler would end up with the third highest KDA and the second most kills among ADCs in the LCK. He would also be a part of 73.2% of kills on his team. He is one of the best ADCs in the laning phase, boasting the second highest average creep score difference at ten minutes (CSD@10). His results speak for themselves, as he would be a huge part of why Gen.G made it through the Korean Regional Gauntlet. Time will only tell if he can lift the Worlds trophy over his head again.
3. KT Rolster’s Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu
Finally, for the first time since 2015, KT Rolster has made it to Worlds once again. Their roster is bursting with talent throughout the Rift. For example, you have arguably the best top laner in the world in Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho. Go “Score” Dong-bin’s jungling skills were also a huge boon for KT Rolster’s summer run to the LCK championship. However, another huge part of their success relies on ADC Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu.
The results and stats speak for themselves. Deft is in the top five in KDA, kills, and assists for the summer. Not only that, but he leads the LCK in damage per minute to champions too. He is no doubt one of the most mechanically gifted ADCs in the world, no matter what meta is thrown at him. For this reason, KT would stay on top of the LCK ladder due to his champion pool flexibility. Combining him with one of the best supports in the world in Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong makes for one of the deadliest bottom lanes at Worlds.
4. Invictus Gaming’s Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo
Invictus Gaming’s 17-year-old phenom, Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo, is looking to make a mark at his first Worlds ever. He actually joined Invictus back when he was only fifteen years old, but would only reach the main squad for this year. What makes this young Chinese star so dangerous is his pure mechanical talent. JackeyLove may have one of the highest ceilings of any young player in the world. He was actually in the top five in kills amongst all ADCs in the LPL this split. We wouldn’t be surprised if he became a top five ADC in the next year.
However, not everything is perfect with the fiery prodigy. With his youth comes inexperience, and with inexperience comes mistakes that veteran players would know to avoid. Even still, JackeyLove’s huge effect in team fights cannot be beaten once he gets going. He could be one of the more exciting players to watch at Worlds this year and if he can stay in-form, Invictus Gaming could find themselves in a deep playoff run at Worlds this year.
5. Afreeca Freecs’ Ha “Kramer” Jong-hun
Many people have been underrating Ha “Kramer” Jong-hun at Worlds 2018. It is true that he hasn’t had a lot of playing time this past summer, but we cannot discredit his full skillset. He would play extremely well during Afreeca Freecs’ playoff run, even though they would drop out after a loss to Griffin. We cannot look at his stats too much, due to the lack of play, but we can look at his effect on the team.
What Kramer brings is great mechanics paired with a very good champion pool. His willingness to play champs to help the team is a huge help, especially when you have someone like Kim “Kiin” Gi-in at the table. He brings flexibility to Afreeca that his ADC counterpart, Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram does not necessarily have. Kramer also brings experience that Aiming does not have right now. However, I do understand why the Freecs would bring Aiming, as the 18-year-old can be very dangerous when in-form.
Honorable Mention: Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng
After the kind of year Doublelift had, there is no doubt that he is the best North American player at Worlds. In fact, he may be the best player in the NALCS at the moment and it shows. He had the second most kills in the entire league, and had the second most CSD@10 among ADCs in the region. Doublelift also boasts one of the highest average damage to champions among ADCs and is second in average gold difference at ten minutes (GD@10).
He would finally secure the Most Valuable Player award for the summer, and for good reason. Almost every game, Team Liquid would play through their bottom lane to get him ahead. He is the X-factor for Team Liquid’s success, and he needs to show up big time. After all, failing groups is not an option for someone who has found disappointment at Worlds time in and time out.
What are your thoughts on our ADC power rankings for Worlds 2018? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Worlds coverage, check us out here!
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