This year’s LCS jungle role is looking top-heavy, as each player on this list can take over any game at any moment and time. Not only that, but all of their teams will be looking at them to be lynchpins for their rosters moving forward. 

5. Robert "Blaber" Huang — Cloud9

As the only jungler on this list to have two LCS MVP awards, Blaber has been one of the most essential pieces for Cloud9 since joining the team in the middle of the 2018 season and this year will be no different. 

Time after time Blaber has proved that he’s one of the best homegrown talents with carry performances North America has ever seen. These were especially highlighted in the 2020 and 2021 Spring Splits in which Cloud9 showed unparalleled dominance. Carry performances that centralized the team’s play around him, netting him those two MVPs. 

Although he didn’t finish out last season quite as strong, Blaber still had one of the most dominant performances of any jungler during the 2021 spring split. According to Oracle’s Elixir, he was at the top in kills, assists, first blood rate, total team kill share, and damage, completely sweeping his role. A new look Cloud9 this season will look to have him as an integral part of the team once again.

4. Mingyi "Spica" Lu — TSM

Having been awarded the 2021 LCS Summer Split MVP in just his sophomore year, Spica is another NA homegrown talent that will surely make waves in 2022.

Prior to the 2021 season, like other junglers on this list, Spica was brought into a team in hopes to make some much-needed changes, and he delivered. During the 2020 season, TSM looked at him as a central point that could bring the two powerhouse carries of Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng together while also providing for the team as a whole.  In that role, Spica has performed so well that after an abysmal Worlds 2020 run, he was the only player kept on the roster for next seas. The new-look TSM will still have great reliance on him.

3. Can "Closer" Çelik — 100 Thieves

Closer was not quite as flashy as Blaber or Spica during the 2021 season but like them, he was just as crucial for his team. During the final weekend of the 2021 LCS Championship, Closer proved to be an imposing threat on champions such as Lee Sin and Viego, all while drawing multiple bans from both Cloud9 and TL.

Even when targeted the draft phase, Closer still managed to pull off impressive stats, showcasing a 5.8 KDA — the highest in the whole tournament — the highest gold per minute at 359, and the average gold differential at 15 at 539 according to Games of Legends. Closer showed promise towards the end of last year and he will certainly look to continue that momentum in the 2022 season.

2. Lucas "Santorin" Larsen — Team Liquid

After wandering the LCS for a few seasons, Santorin finally reached what many would deem his true potential with Team Liquid. In 2021 Spring, he boasted the highest KDA, GD@10, and XPD @10 among his peers.  He also was almost at the top for first-blood percentage at 56%, shadowed only by that split's MVP, Blaber. Performances like these helped an inconsistent TL get through the regular season following their Lock In tournament success.

To say Santorin is a good jungler is an understatement. Ever since his first big break on TSM, he has gotten better and better to become the ultimate glue guy. Now that he has Bjergsen back on his side as well as another star-studded lineup, it’ll be his time to shine.

1. Kacper "Inspired" Słoma — Evil Geniuses

To say Inspired carries high expectations for his LCS debut is an understatement. Inspired comes hot off one hell of an 2021 LEC Summer, leading all junglers in KDA by quite a margin, and snagging his first-ever MVP.

Like every other jungler on this list, Inspired was the guy for Rogue and he’ll undoubtedly do the same on EG. His ability to take control over the early game is uncanny, elevating the rest of his teammates’ play.  Inspired is a big reason as to why this EG lineup is as exciting as it is going into the 2022 season and he’ll show why the organization shelled out the big bucks for him.