Korea’s Mid Lane Dominance at League of Legends World Championship
In this year’s League of Legends World Championship, Korean fans will once again witness the presence of four familiar mid laners. These same four players have represented Korea for the past five World Championships, with only a single player breaking that streak.
This year, Korea will send the fearsome foursome of Faker (T1), Showmaker (Dplus KIA), Bdd (KT Rolster), and Chovy (Gen.G) to Worlds. Since 2019, one of these players has been a part of 17 out of 18 teams that the LCK has sent to Worlds.
Consistent Performance at Worlds
| Year | Players & teams | Best result |
| 2019 | Faker (SKT), Showmaker (DWG), Chovy (GRF) | Faker (Semifinalist) |
| 2020 | Showmaker (DWG), Bdd (GEN), Chovy (DRX) | Showmaker (World champion) |
| 2021 | Faker (T1), Showmaker (DK), Bdd (GEN), Chovy (HLE) | Showmaker (Runner-up) |
| 2022 | Faker (T1), Showmaker (DK), Chovy (GEN), Zeka (DRX) | Zeka (World champion) |
| 2023 | Faker (T1), Showmaker (DK), Bdd (KT), Chovy (GEN) | TBD |
The only player who has attended Worlds as a Korean mid laner outside of the Faker-Showmaker-Bdd-Chovy foursome was Zeka, the mid laner for last year’s world champions, DRX. Though Zeka couldn’t make it to Worlds this year, his performance in the tournament last season left a lasting impact.
Zeka had an outstanding performance at last year’s edition of Worlds. His incredible plays in the group stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals were instrumental in DRX’s “miracle run” towards the Summoner’s Cup. The highlight was his remarkable fifth game in the quarterfinals against Edward Gaming, where he dominated the game as Sylas.
Korea’s Return to Familiar Ground
This year, Korea will see Faker, Showmaker, Bdd, and Chovy leading the charge at Worlds. Additionally, the tournament will take place in Korea for the first time since 2018.
In the 2018 season, none of the four big players were present at the tournament. Instead, Korea was represented by Kuro, Crown, and Ucal in the mid lane.
Worlds 2023 will commence on October 10 with the play-in stage. However, none of the LCK representatives will have to compete in the opening round. All four Korean teams will start their journey towards the Summoner’s Cup in the newly-introduced Worlds swiss stage.
League of Legends, World Championship, Korean, mid laners, Faker, Showmaker, Bdd, Chovy, performance, dominance, tournament, teams, Summoner’s Cup, DRX, Zeka, gameplay, 2023, play-in stage, LCK.