It’s really hard to pick out which ADC is the best in the LPL on any given day. Consistency is a real problem for the role, and many of China’s best ADCs have a hard time replicating hard carry performances. Someone like Ultra Prime’s Elk is a great example. He may have taken a game off of EDG with a hard-carry Jinx game, but he had very little impact on the other two games of the set.
The level of omnipresent aggression in the LPL makes it hard to figure out who are the best ADCs in China. There are enough standout players to put together a top 5, but it’s one of the most contested roles in the region. Other than the number 1 spot.
Disclaimer: Uzi isn’t on the list due to the fact he hasn’t played on BLG since his spot on the roster was announced. He’s a great player, but he needs to hit the Rift on-stage before he earns a spot. Hopefully we see him play later this year.
5: Yu "JackeyLove" Wen-Bo — Top Esports
JackeyLove’s career is a long and storied one. From bringing home a Worlds title for Invictus Gaming back in 2018 to consistently high regional placing through 2019 and 2020, JackeyLove has been one of China’s premiere ADC players for years. However, after a disappointing 2021 and some inconsistent games through the beginning of 2022, JackeyLove is no longer the best ADC China has to offer.
To be clear, he’s still very strong. He’s never afraid to take a fight, and his bold playstyle can lead to some breakout performances where he hard-carries the team.
But he’s also a bit of a serial inter at times. Same champion against the same team, and he played with the same level of aggression regardless of how behind he was. JackeyLove’s bold playstyle and high level of mechanical skill earn him a spot on this list, but he has a long path back to the top of the region.
4: Tang “huanfeng” Huan-Feng — Weibo Gaming
Weibo Gaming (formerly Suning) has had some trouble getting off the ground this year. It’s a star-studded roster filled with world-class players, but their sets so far have been a little messy. Huanfeng, however, has been a rock for this team and has operated as their late-game guarantee.
Huanfeng is a selfish player in the absolute best sense of the word. He runs Cleanse instead of Heal or Exhaust a vast majority of the time, and he’s focused on confirming kills on the right targets. Considering that both of Weibo’s solo laners have a fairly inconsistent lane phase, it’s important to have a reliable carry in order to keep the game alive and bring games back from a deficit. If it weren’t for huanfeng, Weibo’s rocky start would be a lot worse.
3: Chen "GALA" Wei — Royal Never Give Up
When he won MSI, GALA had to go on to prove he was more than just a Kai’Sa one trick. She was strong in the meta at the time, and it was a perfect fit for GALA. His ability to bomb the backline and make plays on a knife’s edge put him on the map as one of China’s best ADCs, with the caveat that it’s really hard to be a backline assassin with any ADC other than Kai’Sa. Unless you’re GALA, that is.
GALA’s ability to play any ADC like an assassin and catch the enemy team off guard is near unmatched. He’s incredibly strong as a highlight player, and it’s hard to argue with results. That said, things don’t always work out for him.
In the very same game, GALA’s aggression and forward play wound up losing RNG the game. Despite ending the game with a 7/2/4 slashline, GALA’s aggressive positioning worked in JDG’s favor and gave them a win over RNG they should have never been able to find. GALA isn’t nearly as much of a coinflip player as some of the LPL’s other ADCs, but he still has the tendency to be a bit more aggressive than he should be.
2: Lin "Lwx" Wei-Xiang — FunPlus Phoenix
When talking about FPX’s legendary 2019 roster, LWX is usually the player that gets mentioned last. With FPX splitting up and spreading themselves across different Chinese teams during the 2021-2022 off-season, LWX was the last remaining member of FPX that raised the Worlds trophy. And many thought FPX was dead as a result. It was a common sentiment that LWX didn’t seem good enough to stand on his own and keep the team’s spirit alive.
LWX has since proven himself as one of the strongest ADCs the LPL has to offer. While he can match the aggression of players like GALA, he can also play well in the backline and make himself an absolute pain to kill. It helps that FPX have such a high level of synergy despite being a newly formed team, but LWX truly feels like the man that brings everything together.
1: Park "Viper" Do-hyeon — EDward Gaming
The previous four players on this list are pretty close in skill level. Viper feels like he’s playing a different game.
His mechanics are some of the best you’ll ever see. Flashing into a Syndra combo is no small feat, and it requires perfect timing on top of the guts to attempt a play that could go so horribly wrong. However, those mechanics aren’t what makes Viper the best ADC in China.
The main thing that makes Viper stand out is how much he thinks about the map. The above Ashe clip isn’t particularly flashy, but it shows how strong Viper’s spacing is. The moment Viper knew which side of the map Zac was on, he stood just outside the range of Zac’s E while continuing to push mid. Then, knowing he had the team at his back, Viper stepped up and facetanked a few tower shots to get the tower.
Careful and calculated play like that is what earned EDG their Worlds 2021 title, and Viper’s a great player to watch when trying to figure out how EDG manages to find big leads with very few kills. When EDG has control of the game, everything feels so calculated.
Mechanics are important for any role, but the way Viper thinks about the game sets him far apart from any other ADC in the region. The marriage of his strong macro play with his split-second reaction time makes Viper an undisputed great, and he’s cemented himself as the gold standard for the ADC role.
- Carver Fisher
- Email : fpcarver@gmail.com
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