Throughout its history, League of Legends has had names whose reputations, talents, and achievements have left a deep imprint on the minds of fans, creating immortal monuments in the realm of this national MOBA game. Notable players include Faker, Uzi, Bengi, Doublelift, Bjergsen…
These names have all experienced their share of ups and downs in their careers, but it can be said that League of Legends would not be the same without them. Especially “The Demon King” Faker – whose name has transcended the bounds of an ordinary Esports game and become an international celebrity, as noted by the CEO of T1.
However, the flow of League of Legends will not stop, and the above names will eventually have to “hang up their keyboards” when age no longer allows them to compete professionally. So, when Faker, Uzi… are no longer competing, who will be worthy enough to become the new faces representing the League of Legends community? This is also the question posed by an international media outlet to five renowned players in the League of Legends scene: Tarzan (LNG Esports), Chovy and Ruler (Gen.G Esports), ShowMaker (DWG KIA), and Fudge (Cloud9).
Among the choices made by the players, Canyon was the most frequently mentioned, as 3 out of 5 names were Chovy, ShowMaker, and Tarzan. Although still quite young, Canyon has almost everything a professional player dreams of. He won the 2020 World Championship, the 2021 LCK, and the 2020 LCK Summer. The only title he lacks is MSI, having lost to Royal Never Give Up in the finals last season.
Canyon is also regarded as one of the best junglers of all time. He possesses a creative playstyle, always knows how to balance resources for the entire team, and is a playmaker for DK alongside ShowMaker. Not to mention, he is one of the few players who have maintained peak performance even after winning the World Championship. Furthermore, his synergy with ShowMaker makes them one of the best jungle-mid duos in the world. Despite DK undergoing significant roster changes, they still hold many surprises as long as Canyon and ShowMaker remain side by side.
Meanwhile, Fudge chose Chovy, while the “golden spine of LCK” chose ShowMaker. These are two choices that can be considered quite understandable. Chovy and ShowMaker are among the best mid-laners in the LCK currently. And both, especially ShowMaker, are expected to extend LCK’s dominance in the League of Legends scene. However, in the end, ShowMaker and DK went home empty-handed in both international tournaments they participated in, despite reaching the finals.
In the new season, both ShowMaker and Chovy will have new teammates. There will certainly be challenges for them on their journeys, but fans of these two players hope they will overcome everything and shine according to their true potential.
The most surprising choice among them was Ruler’s. Instead of choosing his Gen.G teammate Chovy, Ruler evaluated GALA of RNG as the name that could become the future of League of Legends. Ruler explained that he pays great attention to the ADC position. In the past, he was very focused on Uzi – a legend of RNG as well as of the LPL. And when Uzi retired, GALA is expected to follow in his footsteps, which is why Ruler has paid particular attention to this player.
GALA was the standout name in the 2021 LPL Spring Finals, contributing significantly to the destruction of FunPlus Phoenix and sending RNG to MSI 2021. At the tournament in Iceland, GALA also performed well, helping RNG defeat the 2020 World Championship winners, DK. And in the match against EDward Gaming in the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Championship, GALA held his own against the “God Archer” Viper, despite RNG’s loss with a score of 2-3.
GALA is only 20 years old and still quite young with a whole career ahead of him. In the recent offseason transfer window, RNG added Bin and Xiaohu returned to mid. In the new season, GALA will undoubtedly be one of the three most important names, determining RNG’s chances of claiming titles in the near future.
Notably, none of the five players interviewed chose names from EDG – the reigning 2021 World Champions. Last season can be considered a historic season for this team as well as their players. And even though they maintained their roster in the recent transfer window, EDG is not highly regarded. Many fans are concerned that this team will follow the “downfall” of the previous two LPL World Champions, Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix.
However, everything has yet to begin, and all is merely speculation. It is very possible that none of the names mentioned above, nor any players from EDG, but rather Huanfeng, Ale, Bin… or some other surprising name will emerge, but the answer will only be revealed in the near future.