After one of the most hectic splits in LPL history, the LPL is set to return for the Summer Split in a few days where the pool for LPL top laners is stronger than ever. With a strong mix of both veteran and prodigy talent, the top lane is one of the most highly contested roles in the LPL. It was difficult to decipher who ranked the highest amongst all LPL players at this position, but these five players stood above the rest and are the players you need to keep an eye out for in the top lane this split.

5. Dai "Cube" Yi — Rare Atom

While Rare Atom finished 9th-10th by the end of the LPL 2022 Spring Split, the team saw momentous improvement throughout the split and a lot of that success is credited to the team’s top laner Cube.

The Rare Atom top laner enjoyed a successful LPL 2022 Spring Split, where he played a pivotal role in Rare Atom’s miracle run into the playoffs. In the final five weeks of the LPL 2022 Spring Split, Cube dealt 534 damage per minute and 27.1 damage per minute, both good for fourth and second amongst all top laners during that four-week period. During this time, Rare Atom improved their regular-season record from 1-5 and finished out the season with a respectable 8-8 record. 

Cube led both Rare Atom and all LPL top laners with eight MVPs across the Spring Split where his strong laning phases against top LPL top laners like Weibo Gaming’s TheShy, FunPlus Phoenix’s Xiaolaohu, and former Royal Never Give Up top laner Bin were constant factors that playoff teams needed to worry about.

At just 19-years-old, Cube is becoming one of the most feared top laners in the LPL. If Rare Atom looks to make another strong run, Cube will need to continue his level of play seen in Spring.

4. Bai "369" Jia-Hao — JD Gaming

When JD Gaming first picked up longtime TOP Esports top laner 369 for Zoom, the pre-conceived notion was that TOp Esports had won the trade. Over time, however, 369 became one of the driving factors behind JD Gaming’s second-half climb from the middle of the pack to third place in the LPL 2022 Spring Split Regular season.

While a lot of that credit can be given to jungler Kanavi, 369 was a primary lane that Kanavi would prioritize. As a result, 369 collected five MVPs throughout the regular season. Overall, 369 has become a vital member of JD Gaming because of his ability to solo carry games when given resources. Now, he looks to help JD Gaming improve from their fourth-place finish in Spring and make a deeper run in Summer.

3. Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin — Bilibili Gaming

Starting out the top three is reigning 2022 Midseason Invitational champion Bin, who will be joining Bilibili Gaming ahead of the LPL 2022 Summer Split after a successful split with Royal Never Give Up. In truth, if you were to look at Bin’s statistics in the regular season alone, they are somewhat uninspiring. His 410 damage per minute ranked 21st out of 24 top laners while his average gold share of 23.3 was the second-highest of all top laners. However, you cannot ignore Bin’s strong performances during the LPL 2022 Spring Split playoffs and the 2022 Midseason Invitational. 

In the LPL Spring Finals, Bin’s champion pool was pivotal in allowing Royal Never Give Up to shut down TOP Esports Wayward. Then, at MSI, that diversity allowed Royal Never Give Up to gain a lot of leverage against the likes of T1 in the 2022 MSI Finals. Overall, Bin was a strong factor in Royal Never Give Up’s successes in Spring. What stops him from placing higher is his lackluster Spring Split and need for gold.

Still, that all should not stop Bin from helping Bilibili Gaming climb up from their 7th-8th place finish in Spring.

2. Lee "Rich" Jae-won — Victory Five

If this list were created following the events of the LPL 2022 Spring Split regular season, Victory Five’s Rich would be atop this list by quite a large margin. One of the most mechanically talented players on this list, Rich came over from Nongshim RedForce ahead of the 2022 season and quickly skyrocketed to the top in the LPL with Victory Five. Throughout the regular season, Rich was a perfect secondary carry to Victory Five midlaner Rookie in 2022 through his aggressive laning phases that resulted in a number of incredible 1v1 outplays.

His aggression paired beautifully with teammate Karsa whose play helped enable Rich to tap into his natural aggressive playstyle and led all top laners in damage per minute throughout the Spring Split. The only thing stopping Rich from landing in the number one spot on this list was the noticeable drop in the playoffs, as noted by his 35/55/71 scoreline throughout the postseason. Still, the ceiling and potential for Rich is very high as Victory Five looks to redeem themselves in the LPL 2022 Summer Split.

1. Huang "Wayward" Ren-Xing — Top Esports

When TOP Esports traded 369 to JD Gaming for top laner Zoom, many assumed that the former LPL 2020 Spring Split champion would take reign within the team. So when rookie top laner Wayward began to outperform the veteran top laner for the starting spot on TOP Esports, it was a telling sign that the former LPL 2020 Summer Split champions had a special player.

What really separated Wayward from talented rookies was his strong performance throughout LPL 2022 Spring Split playoffs where his ability to be effective with little resources. With five total MVPs in the playoffs, Wayward was a key factor in TOP Esports nearly making the miracle run to win the entire split. Now, with one split under his belt, the TOP Esports prodigy turned LPL starter is ready to help TOP Esports reclaim glory heading into the upcoming Summer Split.

All images by: LPL