League of Legends pros: Who’s the best in each role?

With the 2025 League of Legends esports season ending and fans now looking at transfer news to see where players end up, it seems right to look at who were the standout players throughout the year. Many have risen to the occasion to take the year by storm, whether they be young guns aiming for the spotlight or veteran legends proving they’ve still got it.

From the legends like Faker, to the best rookies, like HongQ, we’re looking across all the League of Legends regions and determining the best players in each of the five LoL roles. 

These LoL roles are as follows:

Plenty have shone throughout the year, and some have done so in the most important matches of the season, like Gumayusi’s MVP performance at LoL Worlds. But for the best in 2025, consistency is key. It isn’t just about one or two good performances; it’s about who can show up week in and week out.

Of course, individual accolades will be taken into consideration, like MVP and seasonal awards, although we will also note team trophies. The best players play on the best teams and are often favourites to win the biggest prizes in League of Legends esports.

When people name the best top laners, names like TheShy and Kingen will come up as all-timers, but when looking at the 2025 season, it’s tough to look past Zeus of Hanwha Life. While some could argue that Zeus isn’t the most consistent, when he’s at his best, there isn’t anyone with a higher skill ceiling in the world. When it comes to talent, no one matches Zeus.

For those who prefer consistency, Kiin of Gen.G is the cream of the crop. Bin is another of the best League of Legends players in the top lane, playing for Bilibili Gaming. These two, along with Zeus, form the top three for this lane. We have chosen Zeus as the best in the role for his immense skill ceiling and versatile champion pool. 

It’s impossible not to mention Faker when talking about the best mid laner in LoL, but while he is the most recognisable name, 2025 belongs to Chovy of Gen.G. He won Player of the Year at the League Awards, having been part of the Gen.G side that dominated domestically and internationally. Aside from not winning League of Legends Worlds, Chovy’s 2025 season has been perfect.

He was the MVP of MSI 2025, had the most player of the match awards in the LCK, and was that season’s Regular Round MVP. Despite all the trophies Gen.G won, Chovy has practically matched that with his individual awards. HongQ, who played for CTBC Flying Oyster in 2025, also deserves a mention in the mid lane, earning Rookie, Finals MVP, and Player of the Year for the LCP. At 18, he has the potential to sit at the table with players like Choovy and Faker one day.

Jungle is arguably the hottest contested role when it comes to deciding who is best. Oner of T1, Kanavi of Hanwha Life, and Tarzan of Anyone’s Legend could all be contenders for the crown. But we have chosen Tarzan, who won a myriad individual awards in the LPL, from being the Split 2 Finals MVP to being named to the 1st All-Pro Team in Split 1.

Tarzan is best known for his strong game sense that has made him one of the best in his role, even if Oner, like the rest of T1, showed up in a big way at the League of Legends World Championship. While we have chosen Tarzan as the best Jungle player in LoL 2025, Oner and Kanavi are at a similar level.

Despite his Finals MVP award at LoL Worlds, we haven’t chosen Gumayusi, although he is probably the hottest name in the ADC role. He struggled to stay in and out of the team in early 2025, while Ruler of Gen.G has been insurmountable. Gen.G, in general, has dominated practically everything but Worlds, and Ruler has been a big reason why.

After transferring from JD Gaming to Gen.G Esports, he won the LCK 2025 Season, MSI, and the Esports World Cup, and was the LCK Finals MVP. This has primarily been down to his high mechanical skill and genius positioning. It’s hard enough to stand out in a team as stacked as Gen.G, but Ruler has managed to do so by being one of the best LoL players. 

Mata will likely go down as the best support player League has ever seen, and as the coach of T1, it seems his wisdom has rubbed off on Keira, who has been consistent in 2025 but really showed off what he could do at Worlds. His strategic play was vital to T1’s historic LoL Worlds hattrick, and he always seems to show up whenever there’s a League Worlds around the corner.

The other option for the best support player in LoL is Luo ‘ON’ Wen-Jun of Bilibili Gaming, who managed a whopping 14 MVP awards in the LPL during the 2025 season. But Keria managed a greater trophy haul with Worlds, despite a lacklustre domestic campaign, at least by T1 standards, and Mata’s coaching will only serve to make Keria one of the best League of Legends players around.

The best players in every League of Legends role tend to be debatable, depending on what is valued most, but these are our picks for who reigns supreme going into the 2026 season. Still, the subjective nature is what makes the LoL esports scene so dramatic and competitive. 

The best are continually challenged and constantly have to prove why they’re at the top of their game. Rookies are always looking to usurp those at the top, with talent seemingly coming through all the time, but the best are the cream of the crop for a reason, whether that be because of talent, decision-making, or sheer consistency.