League of Legendspro players often have their success and skill defined by their trophy cabinet, and most importantly by if whether have ever claimed the ultimate prize: The World Championship. While many players have now claimed the honor, including a select few to do so more than once, others have come very close and are just as noteworthy. Trophy wins are just one measure of success, alongside mastery over mechanics, leadership, and their impact on the game.
Some of the most talented players of all time have simply been unlucky in their pursuit of the title, whether due to an unfavorable meta, team dynamic, or similar factor that prevented them from reaching the heights they could on paper. Here are just someLeague of Legendspro players who deserve much more acclaim than their tournament record might suggest.
9Peanut
Some fans argue that Peanut is now past his peak, but after winning the LCK Spring 2023 with GenG, for the second split in a row, it’s clear he has no plans of slowing down. With an MSI title and two Worlds semis to his name, he has been a part of some of the most successful rosters in League of Legends history, but the World Title has eluded him.
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Peanut has always played for his teamas a jungler. He specializes in getting his lanes ahead rather than carrying himself, which can impact his stats somewhat. He was largely responsible for popularizing both Morgana jungle, even after her nerfs, and Poppy in recent years, who has remained a powerful pick to this day in the right circumstances.
8Hylissang
Perhaps the most controversial entry on this list is Hylissang, a long-time LEC support player who has spent a large portion of his career on Fnatic. A true LEC veteran, Hylissang was the first player to reach 4000 assists, 2nd to reach 500 games, and 3rd to reach 300 wins, with 2 EU LCS titles to his name from 2018.
Known worldwide as The Professor, he has divided opinion among fans over his high-risk, high-reward playstyle, which can look somewhat baffling when it doesn’t work out. It’s important to remember, though, thathis innovation and skillplaced him into consideration for the best support in the world for a few years, and he has not lost his spark.
7PraY
Many consider PraY to have been robbed of a World Title, and for good reason. Having attendedthe World Championships5 times, he has lost to the eventual winner each time, SKT on three occasions and TPA and SSG once each, each time delivering exceptional carry performances.
He is certainly in the conversation for best ADC of all time, and holds some other very impressive accolades. He’s the second person to reach 1500 LCK kills after Faker and the first to win the LCK on three different rosters. Now retired, he will be forever remembered as one of the greats, but sadly won’t have the ultimate prize.
6Knight
Knight has been considered one of the best mid-laners in the world since 2019, after consistent 1v9 performances on Top Esports, and now with JD Gaming. He has now won two LPL regular splits in a row, with two different rosters.The JDG superteamis set to make a serious impact on the international stage, which has eluded Knight since he made Worlds semis with TES in 2020.
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Knight has been included in an LPL All-Pro team in almost every split since 2019, and reached 2000 LPL kills in the second-fewest games after only Uzi, a major achievement for any mid-laner. With the right team behind him, he easily has the skill to bring home a World Championship. JDG may very well be that team.
5Kiin
Unlike many other players on this list, Kiin is lacking the existing trophy cabinet to back up his placement on this list, but despite this, may be one of the most talented entrants. Many of the mostsuccessful top lanersof the last few years, including T1’s Zeus attribute their success to watching and learning from Kiin, and for very good reason.
Finally on a team seeing some success, Kiin has been a huge factor in KT Rolster’s run to and through the LCK Spring 2023 playoffs, before falling in the semi-final to eventual winners GenG. He is more than deserving of far more accolades than he has yet been awarded, and with a solid team behind him could make a serious impact.
4Xiaohu
For a slight change in pace, Xiaohu is one of the most decoratedLeague of Legendsplayers to ever play the game, with quite an astonishing record to his name, in longevity and success. He is the only player to win international titles in two roles, one of only two to take home three MSI trophies with Ming, and one of only two to reach 100 international victories, alongside Faker.
Xiaohu has been known as the Spring King for some time now, due to his tendency to be a force to be reckoned with in Spring Split, but less so in Summer. This is a big part of why he holds three MSI titles, but no Worlds titles. His stats speak for themselves, and he has more than earned his place on this list.
3Caps
Perhaps the most storiedLeague of Legendsplayer the West has ever produced, Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther is certainly not short of achievements in his long career, but the World Title is one to have eluded him, if only by a small margin. Caps wasthe star playerof the 2018 Fnatic Roster, and the 2019 G2 Esports roster that took the world by storm, blazing through Europe and winning MSI, only to be foiled at the final hurdle by FPX, who defeated them 3-0 in the World Finals.
He is the only European player to have appeared in consecutive World Finals, and to this day, shutting him down is by far the most popular method of teams looking to take down G2. Few players worldwide have seen as much domestic or international success, and the Worlds Trophy is the only accolade he is missing.
2Uzi
Almost certainly the greatest ADC to ever play the game, newer fans may even be surprised to learn that the World Championship title has eluded Uzi for his entire career. He does have an MSI title to his name, and two consecutive World Final appearances, but has never made it over the finish line.
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Almost every ADC in the World has at one point beendemolished in laneby Uzi, and he is known worldwide as one of the scariest bot laners to ever play (both in-game and out). While he may not have the ultimate prize, his legacy will forever remain, and perhaps never be topped.
1Khan
Khan quickly established himself as one of the best top laners in the game after carrying his team Longzhu Gaming to a win over SKT in the LCK finals, in his first split. The strategy used by Longzhu, with him as the centerpiece, took the world of professionalLeague of Legendsby storm, to the point where many top teams went through full rebuilds to try and emulate it, leading to the rise of players such as TheShy and Kiin.
Khan embodied the spirit ofLeague of Legendsperhaps better than any player since, and has had arguably one of the biggest impacts on how it’s played at the pro level. While he might not have the World Title to his name, his legacy is one not to be sniffed at.
