Who Will Be The Next King Of The LCS?

The LCS is entering a new age where most of its old players have made their exit from the professional scene. As players like Sneaky, Bjergsen, and Doublelift graduating from the pro-scene, fans are asking who will be the next King of The LCS among the candidates that they have today. To understand the scene better, let’s take a look at how the structure of the LCS’ previous MVPs were created and how they can be incorporated in today’s time when choosing among the next generation.

Sneaky walking through the hallway - old king of the LCS
Who will inherit the title of King of the LCS?

The Old King of The LCS

During the early stages of the LCS, there were very little biases since there aren’t that many players you can use as basis for the standard of impacting the region on a large scale. Players like Doublelift, Bjergsen, and Sneaky were gods but if we look at their skill level during the start of their career, a lot of rookies today have just the same talent as they had. However, we can only look at players nowadays depending on their peak performance since the game has been around for over a decade.

The thing is, the choice on which players were considered the King of the LCs was probably harder back then. In the early days of competitive League of Legends, everyone stood out since the scene was so small and there were very little standards on what made a player so great. Every player had supporters so there weren’t any “nobodies” in the league per se. So what made the old kings stand out in an environment where everybody loved everybody?

Bjergsen and Doublelift talking post match as TSM members
The Old Kings of the LCS

Doublelift had a story. Bjergsen had a story. Sneaky had a story. These three individuals had incredible stories which made each of them so interesting to follow on and off the League of Legends scene. Aside from their natural talent and showmanship on the rift, their stories on self-development and how they led their teams to the championships were probably the reason people were so drawn in to support them. Doublelift had the most compelling story of them all. It’s no wonder he had one of the biggest fanbases in the LCS.

Throughout the years, many of the old favorites retired one at a time and many more had passed their primes and became average players. Many young players rose to stardom but the people had already chosen who they wanted to support and it became infections. The hype surrounding the legacy players of the LCS never died because it would be reignited every time a new generation of fans took over the scene and fell in love with the players their predecessors chose to support all those years.

Remnants of an Old Empire

The LCS has changed a lot over the years and even though the old kings stepped down from the throne, many legacy players still remained on the scene and are still alive and kicking on the scene. Players like Wildturtle, and Aphromoo have been in the LCS since the early days. However, they are merely remnants of an old empire and are here to serve as transitional guides for the new generation to take over.

Aphromoo and Stixxay talking after the match
The remnants of an old empire

In addition to some OGs, there are also players that have come to prominence in the middle eras starting 2015. They have developed a fanbase but the existing kings had already established themselves as NA’s best so they were seen as mere challengers instead of being actual heirs to the title. Even today, in an era where the old kings have stepped down, there aren’t enough people to recognize them as the next king of the LCS. That leaves us with the question on who is worthy of inheriting the throne.

Looking for the New King of the LCS

Looking for the New King of the LCS isn’t some sort of a joke. Each region has their own kings and some regions, like the LPL, are already developing the heirs to their legacy. Regions like the LMS (now called the PCS) who have lost their kings also lost their identity but that’s not their fault. They simply need to get another one and so does the LCS. Otherwise, the joke about the LCS being relegated to a minor region won’t be so far from the truth.

That’s not to say that having a King or Representative is a part of the rules or requirements to being a major region. These kings are like leaders that inspire the region as a whole and give them something to look up to and fight for. Players like Faker and Uzi have impacted the growth of the region so much that the very identity and strength of the region became based on these individuals. Let’s not pretend that Bjergsen, Doublelift, and Sneaky didn’t have anything to do with the development of the region today.

The Candidates

1. Spica

Spica is a young player from Team SoloMid and is their regular starting jungler starting Summer 2020 but stood in for some games during Summer 2019 and Spring 2020. He has shown massive growth over the span of the a year and proved that he a player worthy of being the starter for a large team like TSM. During the Group Stage of Worlds 2020, he played aggressively and showed the world that he wasn’t some random rookie on the team.

Spica giving the biggest smile
The Best TSM Jungler?!

Spica has admitted that even though he’s young, he’s already playing a leadership role in a team containing players like Huni, PowerOfEvil, and Swordart. This player has been exceptional and there’s still a lot of room for him to grow into an even stronger player in the region. He already has an entire fanbase at his back with TSM being one of the most popular organizations in the world. He also has a great personality as seen in the TSM Legends vods.

2. Blaber

Blaber is the second jungler on this list and has been a popular topic of discussion since the start of the 2020 season. He was considered the best jungler in 2020, being one of the more dominant factors that contributed to Cloud9’s dominant run during the season. If not for their failure to make it to worlds that year, this player would have gained more international recognition already having such an aggressive yet team-oriented playstyle.

Blaber holding his mic on stage
The most aggressive jungler in the LCS

Blaber has already established himself as an amazing player. His development but as he stands now, he’s already one of the Top 10 players in the LCS. All he needs now is a global proving grounds where he can show the world that he isn’t an LCS rookie but an established player who’s looking to take the title of becoming the next King of the LCS. Cloud9 is also another organization that has a huge fanbase and will definitely get behind the rise of this young player.

3. Tactical

Tactical was a player that received a lot of skepticism after being chosen to replace Doublelift for a few games. During the short time he was starting as Team Liquid’s AD Carry, he more than proved himself worthy of being Doublelift’s stand-in and many even thought that he played better than the Trash Talk King himself. After the weekend of being out, Doublelift eventually regained his spot back but players knew that Tactical was something else.

Tactical with the rest of Team Liquid
The Rising ADC King

During the 2020 Summer Season, Tactical was promoted as starting AD Carry and fully replaced the much-respected Doublelift. He led his team to the World Stage and put on the performance of a lifetime. Under the guidance of a world champion support in CoreJJ, he continues to be the best AD Carry in the league in today’s time. The bot lane may not be the flashiest role in the game but he sure as hell makes it entertaining to watch. Once he graduates from CoreJJ’s shadow, the world will see how talented he actually is.

4. Jensen

The second player from Team Liquid, Jensen has been in NA since 2015. He has long been considered as Bjergsen’s rival in the mid lane and has been always been his point of comparison. Now that Bjergsen is out of the picture, Jensen has a very good spot of usurping the title of King of the LCS for himself. Jensen has always been a consistent player and a talented mid laner in NA, always ensuring that his team makes it to the Group Stage of the World Championship.

Jensen wearing his Cloud9 jersey
The man who outlasted his rival

Jensen is already a prominent figure in western League of Legends. He has established himself as a North American superstar and continues to become one of the most sought-after players on the market. Unfortunately, Jensen has been around for quite some time so whether the community thinks he or a younger player deserves inheriting the throne depends on their performance in 2021. Jensen has nothing left to prove but perhaps an international victory might secure his spot as the very best.

5. Perkz

Perkz arrival to NA has shook the entire League of Legends community. He has long been considered one of Europe’s kings but when he transferred back to the mid lane on Cloud9, the region was left with only Rekkles and Caps holding the throne for themselves as the ultimate duo in G2 Esports. He was once a king, but the question lies in whether he can bring that title to North America still remains. As of now, he’s still adjusting to his new role at Cloud9.

Perkz getting interviewed
The Conqueror from EU

Perkz can easily take North America for himself. Fortunately for the LCS, Perkz hasn’t been playing the Mid Lane professionally for a few years consistently. Aside from the brief roleswap that Caps and Perkz had back in Spring 2020, he doesn’t have any solid experience on the meta for a long time. Once he gains his edge as a world class mid laner in the coming months, no one can stop him from being the New King of the LCS.

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