The League of Legends champions that defined esports history

Rituraj Halder Published August 9, 2026

League of Legends has 14 years of competitive history. In this massive span, the meta has shifted countless times, yet there are a select few characters that have consistently dominated the lanes in the professional circuits.

With over 173 total champions in League of Legends, getting the right pick is tough. In the list below, we have listed the best champions in each lane or role that we think have had the most influence in the competitive history of League of Legends.

The best three champions in esports history for the top lane

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1) Gnar

Gnar is the ultimate competitive top-lane safety net and playmaking insurance policy. Because his kit transitions from a safe, ranged lane bully (Mini Gnar) to a massive, crowd-control-heavy tank (Mega Gnar), he fits into almost any team composition.

The character’s competitive pinnacle occurred at the 2016 World Championship Semifinals, during the legendary series between the ROX Tigers and SK Telecom T1. ROX top laner Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho utilized Gnar to execute a miraculous, game-saving teamfight.

2) Renekton

Renekton is the definitive gatekeeper of the top lane. Known for his overwhelming early-game dominance, point-and-click stun, and high sustain, he has been the premier pick for teams looking to execute dive-heavy strategies or secure early Rift Herald and Baron control.

Renekton’s identity as a tournament-defining bully was permanently established during the 2013 World Championship, where SK Telecom T1’s Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong used the champion as an unkillable frontline weapon.

3) Sion

Sion represents the absolute pinnacle of weak-side tank play in professional history. Capable of absorbing immense pressure without resource investment, Sion allows teams to funnel all their map attention and gold into their mid and bottom-lane carries.

During the 2018 LCK Spring Finals, Kingzone DragonX top laner Kim “Khan” utilized Sion’s hyper-aggressive playstyle to secure a dominant 3-1 victory, proving that Sion could be played as a primary playmaker.

Top three junglers in League of Legends’ competitive history

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1) Lee Sin

Lee Sin boasts the highest longevity of any jungler in esports history due to a mechanical skill ceiling that completely ignores patch balance notes. His unmatched early-game mobility and high duelling potential allow elite junglers to dictate the tempo of the map.

In 2013, the champion permanently altered the vocabulary of global gaming due to Choi “inSec” In-seok at the Shanghai All-Star Event.

Playing for Team Korea against Team China, inSec landed a Sonic Wave on an enemy carry, activated Resonating Strike to gap-close, and mid-dash placed a ward behind the target, using Safeguard to jump to the ward and casting Dragon’s Rage to kick the player into his teammates.

This sequence revolutionized League of Legends mechanics forever, marking the universally known “InSec Kick.”

2) Sejuani

When the meta shifts away from high-carry junglers, Sejuani stands as the universal baseline for supportive, tank-centric jungle play. Her ability to effortlessly apply her “Permafrost” stun through allied melee champions makes her an oppressive skirmisher alongside solo-lane bruisers.

Sejuani was the foundational backbone of one of the greatest international upsets at the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).

Royal Never Give Up (RNG) jungler Hung “Karsa” Hau-hsuan completely neutralized Korea’s elite Kingzone DragonX roster by utilizing Sejuani’s “Glacial Prison” ultimate with sniper-like accuracy.

Karsa’s flawless zoning and vision control on Sejuani insulated his star ADC, Uzi, systematically locking down opponents to deliver China its historic MSI trophy.

3) Jarvan IV, the Exemplar of Demacia

Jarvan IV is the premier architect of early-game playmaking and terrain manipulation. His classic “EQ” knock-up combo gives him unprecedented gank paths that completely bypass traditional defensive ward placements.

At the 2019 World Championship Grand Finals, FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) jungler Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang put on a masterclass performance on Jarvan IV against G2 Esports.

Across a clean 3-0 sweep, Tian used Jarvan’s “Cataclysm” arena ultimate to repeatedly trap G2’s high-mobility carries in the jungle choke points, rendering Europe’s best roster entirely helpless. Tian’s flawless, aggressive playmaking on Jarvan IV earned him the prestigious Worlds Finals MVP award.

The impactful mid-lane champions in League of Legends esports

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1) Azir

Azir is the undisputed king of professional mid-lane draft priority, boasting an unrivaled presence at the World Championships. He represents the perfect mid-lane character: safe wave-clear, elite late-game magic damage scaling, and the game-changing “Shurima Shuffle” playmaking utility.

The definitive Azir moment occurred at Worlds 2023 during the semifinals between T1 and JD Gaming. With T1 on the back foot in Game 3 and facing tournament elimination, Lee”Faker” Sang-hyeok executed the greatest macro outplay of the decade.

Utilizing a blind-spot drift, Faker drifted straight through JDG’s defensive line, flashing instantly to cast an Emperor’s Divide that shoved JDG’s star carry, Ruler, backward into the waiting arms of T1. The split-second reaction won T1 the match, saved their tournament run, and paved the way for Faker’s fourth World Championship.

2) Orianna

Orianna is the literal textbook definition of mid-lane fundamentals. Her unique mechanics revolve entirely around zoning and space control via her Ball. She acts as a structural anchor for draft phases, pairing beautifully with dive junglers to deliver a hidden “Shockwave” ultimate into the enemy backline.

Orianna’s ultimate capability was immortalized during the 2012 World Championship by the legendary Taipei Assassins (TPA) mid laner, Lau “Toyz” Wai-Kin. Toyz shocked the dominant powerhouse teams from Korea and Europe through his flawless manipulation of Orianna’s Ball positioning. His surgical, multi-man Command: Shockwaves during the grand finals against Azubu Frost dismantled the Korean meta completely, securing TPA the historic World Championship title.

3) Ryze

Ryze is a foundational piece of competitive history, renowned for causing numerous balance nightmares due to his point-and-click crowd control and immense wave management. In coordinated pro play, his “Realm Warp” ultimate turns normal macro map play on its head.

At Worlds 2015, Faker turned Ryze into a global terror, finishing the entire international tournament completely undefeated as the champion.

Faker bypassed traditional backline positioning rules entirely, building Ryze with a rare combination of raw ability, power, and defensive tank stats. His individual mechanical control on Ryze was so oppressive that it forced opposing coaches to permanently waste a ban slot on the character, culminating in T1 dropping only a single map on their entire path to the world title.

Bottom lane: Best ADC champions that have been picked in League of Legends esports

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1) Ezreal

Ezreal is the most historically resilient Attack Damage Carry (ADC) in professional play. He is also one of the most popular in League of Legends. Because his “Arcane Shift” serves as a built-in Flash on a remarkably low cooldown, he is entirely self-sufficient. This allows supports to roam freely without abandoning the bottom-lane economy.

At Worlds 2016, Cloud9’s iconic marksman Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi broke the absolute all-time international record for damage dealt in a single professional game while piloting Ezreal.

Facing off against Flash Wolves in a grueling, 76-minute group stage thriller, Sneaky utilized Ezreal’s Mystic Shots to systematically poke down opponents from maximum distance, racking up a historic 104,800 total damage to single-handedly drag Cloud9 across the victory line.

2) Kai’Sa

Kai’Sa redefined the hyper-carry position by blending traditional marksman damage with the explosive playstyle of an assassin. Her hybrid magic-and-physical scaling makes her incredibly difficult to itemize against.

During the 2018 LPL Summer Finals, China’s legendary ADC Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao delivered a career-defining performance on Kai’Sa. Trapped in a high-stakes Game 5 against Invictus Gaming, Uzi used Kai’Sa’s “Killer Instinct” ultimate to fly straight past IG’s frontline tanks, diving directly into the backline to secure a legendary teamfight ace.

The hyper-aggressive maneuver secured RNG the domestic championship, solidifying Uzi’s status as a global mechanics icon.

3) Jinx

When an esports meta revolves strictly around protecting the hyper-carry, Jinx is the ultimate weapon. Her massive attack range via her rocket launcher allows her to safely shred frontline tanks from afar.

Jinx’s hyper-scaling capability was the ultimate catalyst for the fairytale run of DRX at League of Legends Worlds 2022. Legendary veteran ADC Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu utilized Jinx during the dramatic quarterfinals against his former team, EDward Gaming.

Trapped in a stressful base defense on with the odds stacked against them in the fifth game, Deft’s mechanical kiting triggered Jinx’s “Get Excited!” passive, allowing him to systematically shred EDG’s champions to complete the historic reverse-sweep.

The best support picks in League of Legends esports history

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1) Nautilus

Nautilus is the definitive modern “go-button” of competitive support play. He provides an absurd amount of crowd control, ranging from his passive root on basic attacks to his massive “Dredge Line” hook. During the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), G2 Esports support Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle weaponized Nautilus to execute G2’s trademark fast-paced macro style.

In the grand final against Team Liquid, Mikyx utilized Nautilus’s point-and-click “Depth Charge” ultimate to systematically lock down TL’s carries from the opening seconds of every teamfight. His unrelenting engage pacing enabled G2 to secure the fastest best-of-five international victory in League of Legends history.

2) Karma

Karma is the absolute queen of lane priority and flex-drafting strategy. Able to be flexed between the top, mid, and support roles during the pick phase, she gives coaches immense draft leverage. At Worlds 2016, SK Telecom T1’s legendary support Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan demonstrated the true defensive strength of Karma during a tense five-game grand final against Samsung Galaxy.

With SSG pushing T1’s base in Game 5, Wolf utilized Karma’s Mantra-empowered “Defiance” shield to continuously grant his entire team massive bursts of movement speed and protective health pools.

Wolf’s calculated shielding completely nullified SSG’s engage compositions, protecting his carries to secure T1 back-to-back world titles.