In 2023, instead of just a waiting period for players and fans until the World Championship (Worlds) to continue enjoying exciting matches, the focus has shifted towards the Asian Games in Hangzhou. However, this event will have only a few players participating. Moreover, in the Asian region, other teams will find it difficult to compete for the top two spots with China and Korea. Therefore, the attention will still be on the Worlds 2023 – the tournament held right in the land of the morning calm.
Recently, the LPL community released a list of the 20 strongest players currently expected to participate in Worlds 2023. In the first half of the ranking, everything seems quite reasonable with Knight and Ruler sharing the top two positions. The JD Gaming duo, along with Kanavi, is considered the “atomic trio” in JDG’s success since Spring 2023. And if all three maintain their good form, the performance of 369 is no longer too important.
However, in the latter half of the ranking, there are many issues that are truly controversial. The first surprise is that Faker is ranked at number 10. Considering his performance and influence on the overall gameplay, this is clearly a low position for Faker. He even ranks behind the young player Peyz. Perhaps, this ranking focuses mainly on the individual skills of each player.
However, the most surprising position is that of TheShy, who is ranked at… the bottom of the list at number 20. Clearly, TheShy has not been able to maintain his former form. But his good performance in the playoffs was a crucial factor that helped Weibo Gaming qualify for Worlds 2023. Perhaps, the evaluation is based on TheShy’s inconsistent performance as well as the star-studded WBG roster. Even Xiaohu does not have a high ranking (15), placing behind JDG Support Missing (12).
All rankings are controversial and this one is no exception. Of course, this information is for reference only. The results of the teams at Worlds 2023 will only be determined when their players perform at their highest level and form.