10 dominant players and their most feared champions

Riot·7/17/2014, 10:00:04 PM·3 votes·151,560 views

Some players’ mastery over their best champion becomes iconic. The most notable instance of this phenomenon came in Season 2 when Toyz led TPA to the World Championship floating on the ball of Orianna. While you can always take a trip down memory lane and watch the VoDs of the since-retired Toyz doing work, there are pros who have reached the same level that you can watch right now. Let’s take a look at some of the best player / champion combinations in professional League today.

#10 Froggen’s Anivia

Though much more known to play Anivia in Season 2, Froggen has continued to show prowess on cold-blooded bird. It's perhaps surprising that of all the skills in Anivia's kit, it's the application of Crystallize (W) that sets Froggen apart from every other player. In Froggen's hands, the ice wall can shut off jungle paths to prevent ganks, provide a barrier to aid his personal escape, and secure kills for his team by hindering the movement of his opponents.

#9 Madlife’s Thresh

Madlife is God. He has earned a reputation for being able to hook an enemy with impunity, often through minions, into fog, over terrain, following a Flash… in short his enemies are never safe.. He has also mastered timing and position of lanterns, both to set up ganks, and to rescue his allies.

#8 Dade’s Yasuo

While Dade made his name with Ryze, Jayce, and Zed, it is now his Yasuo that is most feared. His initiation into 1v2 situations looks suicidal, but is well calculated. He uses Sweeping Blade (E) to dodge skillshots, confuse opponents, get into brushes, go over walls, and chase. Evasion, split-pushing, and precise timing all make Dade an incredible Yasuo.

#7 Arrow’s Draven

While the most inexperienced player on this list, Arrow’s Draven became infamous faster than any other paring. Arrow’s strength comes from his positioning and knowledge of Draven’s strengths and weaknesses. He knows when to use his abilities for offense and chasing, or defense and kiting. And he always catches the axe - even when you think he can’t.

#6 Alex Ich’s Ryze

Few pros are as outspoken about their favorite champion as Alex Ich is about Ryze, going so far as a pro player pick on Ryze. Alex is able to mitigate Ryze’s low range and mobility with precise timing, and patience before engaging with an enemy. This patience, and knowledge of individual matchups, allows him to snowball faster and more frequently than any other Ryze player.

#5 xPeke’s Kassadin

While xPeke played Kassadin in probably the most famous play in League of Legends history, his proficiency with the champion doesn’t stop there. xPeke’s roaming and aggressive timing in teamfights on Kassadin is what makes him special. Often teams will specifically watch for him to jump in, and yet are still unable to adjust when he is tearing through backlines.

#4 Uzi’s Vayne

While those in other regions may immediately think of Piglet or Doublelift, no player has been more synonymous with Vayne than Uzi. For a long time, Royal Club was dependant on Uzi to carry them through matches in the late game. And as a result, his positioning, mechanics, and timing are nothing short of perfect.

#3 Faker’s Zed

It’s a tragedy of epic proportion that Faker has been restricted to less demanding, supportive mid laners. When he’s at his best, he’s on an assassin--specifically, the master of shadows, Zed. Faker shines most on Zed when using his shadows not only for personal mobility, but also positional outplay - his ability to dodge skill shots is unparalleled. No mid laner has proven a more skilled duelist on a champion.

#2 InSec’s Lee Sin

InSec innovated most of what are now Lee Sin fundamentals - ward jumping over walls or to engage, using Sonic Wave (Q) to escape, or, most notably, combining both to Dragon Rage (Ultimate) an enemy back into his team to initiate a teamfight or gank. Now whenever a Lee Sin kicks an enemy into his team, it is referred to as an ‘InSec’. Since InSec’s innovations, other players have replicated his moves, but his creativity in ganks, precision in escapes, and aggressive early moves continue to impress.

#1 Xiyang’s Syndra

Fans were outraged when Xiyang was chosen to succeed China’s MVP. Boy were they wrong. Xiyang’s ability to hit long range stuns, often on multiple targets, with multiple different orbs, is unmatched by any other Syndra player in the world. Often even the threat of a long range initiation is enough to freeze a team away from an objective - and that is why Xiyang’s Syndra is the most powerful pro/champ combination today. Think we missed any? Let us know in the comments who your favorite champion / player pairings are.