Mid lane is the one position on summoners rift where all the stars align, where the mechanical superstars fight one other in a bid to hailed as the greatest. With the monotonous wave clearers of Vladimir and Malzahar finally fading out of competitive play, fans are hoping to see some spicy assassin and mage duels in the middle – but which mid lane prodigy is the most likely to shine at the 2016 League of Legends World Championship?
Season 6 has been a generally frustrating era for the professional mid laner. As assassin’s were faded out of the meta, everything rested on a champions ability to maintain control – Azir, Cassiopeia, Malzahar, Vladamir – they’ve all had their moment in the limelight, but they’re hardly the most exciting champs to watch.
Eager to please their fans, Riot have diversified the mid lane power picks ahead of Worlds 2016 with the rise of the mechanically intensive Orianna and Jayce marking an encouraging trend during the pre-tournament bootcamps. On the eve of the Championship, who should fans be expecting to shine?
Samsung Galaxy: Crown
Crown is one of the steadiest mid laners in Korea, making few mistakes and notching consistently strong individual performances. Alongside his veteran jungler, Ambition, Crown has the space he needs to shine. Despite SSG having a stacked roster, stuffed with multiple superstars, Crown is often the man to shine and seal the title of MVP in critical Samsung victories.
Edward Gaming: Scout
Scout is an insane playmaker. In the spring split of the LCK, EDG's mid laner had an astonishing 100% kill participation - believe it - he participated in EVERY kill his team when he stepped out on to the rift... granted he didn't play in every game. Regardless, Scout is not a hard carry but a player who will create opportunities for his team to shine alongside him - with Clearlove and Deft as teammates, you would expect to see his name up in lights on more than one occasion during the tournament.
SK Telecom T1: Faker
Faker... third!? It's a well known fact that SK Telecom T1 are not in their best shape right now, though for now at least, they remain as League of Legends' overlords and Faker will always be one of the best players this game has ever seen. Rarely making a single error and consistently creating opportunities for his teammates to shine, Faker will claim many of the plaudits for SKT's success.
Team SoloMid: Bjergsen
Bjergsen is widely appreciated to be the best mid laner in the western League of Legends scene. Europe, NA, Russia, nobody is close to his mechanical ability and his excellent game understanding and mechanical prowess. As one of the biggest gaming brands, Team SoloMid's millions of supporters will be channeling all their energy to the Danish star. The stakes have never been higher for Bjergsen, he will surely take the opportunity to bask in the World Championship spotlight.
ROX Tigers: Kuro
Having usurped Faker from his Korean throne, Kuro is probably the world's best mid laner heading into this tournament. With an all-star roster by his side to work with, Kuro can afford to push the boundaries of his game - with every statistic and form guide seemingly guiding the ROX Tigers directly to the final. Kuro is in shape to outclass Faker on the game's grandest stage, potentially basking in the limelight of World Championship glory.
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