2016 MSI player rankings by position

1.) Faker – SKT

Do we really need to go over this? Oh, alright.

MSI is going to be Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s event. He is the king of kings and will not be denied.

Ok, that was really corny, but it is expected for Faker to come into this event and absolutely light things up. The best player of all-time hasn’t had many failures in his career, but last year’s second-place finish at MSI is probably his biggest one.

Not only does Faker and SKT want revenge from last year, but they would also love to dominate all the international events this season. They already won Katowice, and taking home the MSI title would make them one step closer to an amazing three-peat on the season.

Faker finished the regular season with a 4.20 KDA and the second-highest percentage of his team’s total damage at 31.5 percent. However, it’s never really about the stats for Faker, but it’s about how he steps up in the most crucial of moments. Maybe we’ll see him do that a couple of times at MSI.

2.) Maple – FW

Recently on Reddit, someone posted a great Gangplank play to which someone responded with: “Looks like that person has been watching some Maple GP.” That was followed with someone asking, “What’s a Maple GP?”

It’s criminal how little the LMS is acknowledged by the League of Legends community, but you can guarantee that everyone will know who Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang is after MSI.

While Karsa is a large part for FW’s success, but Maple is the most important player on the team.

He was amazing in the regular season, but what he did in the six games to win the LMS title was just stupid: 26.3 KDA, 74.5 percent kill participation and 30.8 percent of his team’s total damage. Those are bonkers numbers.

If Maple can continue playing at a high level, FW will have a great shot at being the dark horse team to take down SKT.

3.) PerkZ – G2

Luka “PerkZ” Perkovic is still a baby in the competitive League world, but he has already shown signs of being an incredible player.

Some mid laners are only at their best at a specific style of play, but PerkZ is a player that can do it all. Need a control mage? He can do it. Need an assassin? He can do it. Need a supportive champion? He can do it.

You can guarantee that everyone will know who Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang is after MSI.”

He had a great showing during his first LCS experience and finished with the highest KDA (5.2) of mid laners that played the entire season.

The only thing scary about PerkZ going into MSI is that he is only 17 years old and this is his first international tournament. How will he perform when he is against Faker with everyone watching?

4.) Xiaohu – RNG

There are some big time mid laners in China, but it was Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao who dominated the regular season with a 5.1 KDA in 36 games. Xiaohu had the same KDA over nine playoffs on the way to helping Royal win the LPL.

His goal now will be to help redeem his team’s Katowice performance, even though he wasn’t necessarily their issue then. Xiaohu actually had a good showing at the event by having a 4.5 KDA, the second-most percentage of his team’s damage (33.7 percent) and the highest kill participation percentage (83.1). He

RNG will be in a good position if Xiaohu can play like that again. He would just need his teammates to step it up this time.

5.) HuHi – CLG

Choi “HuHi” Jae-hyun does not get enough credit. Similar to Xmithie, HuHi is a role player, but he isn’t a walking ward like many people seem to think.

Most people in North America believed that Cloud9’s Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen was the best mid laner in the region for the regular season, and HuHi’s numbers are extremely similar to his. Jensen had a 4.3 KDA, and HuHi had a 4.2. Jensen had a 70.1 percent kill participation, and HuHi had him beat with 72.7 percent. Jensen did 31.3 percent of his team’s damage, and HuHi was right there at 31.2 percent.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t carry a big name or make a lot of noise, but HuHi is a respectable player who does what his team’s needs.

The big thing for HuHi will be redeeming his Katowice performance where he had a low 2.6 KDA.

6.) Naru – SUP

SUP have a couple of spots where they can try to make some stuff happen, but the mid lane with Koray “Naru” Bicak isn’t one of those options.

No disrespect towards him, but he is going to have an extremely difficult time in every single matchup at MSI. The only thing that could help him out is if they have Stomaged set up a tent in his lane, but that wouldn’t be the most optimal way to win.

The best thing Naru can do is try to play some champions that will allow him to have a big presence in team fights. There’s no reason for him to try and show off on a Zed or LeBlanc. He should stick to Azir, Lulu and Lissandra.

In the IWCI, Naru finished the event with a 4.1 KDA, 60.8 percent kill participation but onl 25.5 percent of his team’s damage.

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