4 'League of Legends' players who surprised at Worlds group stages

When the best League of Legends teams in the world get together to do battle, there are some familiar names to be tossed around. Faker. Smeb. Peanut. Uzi. Bjergsen. If you’ve followed the international scene for any amount of time, you probably know the heavy hitters from each region. We expect them to excel in this tournament, and most of them have done so.

But part of the excitement with this year’s competition is how many players have risen to the challenge of the global stage. And with so many upsets, multiple players turned in stellar performances that nobody, least of all their opponents, saw coming. The second week of group stages is coming up, and if there are going to be more surprises, these players could make it happen.

1. Avoidless (I May)

Day 2 of group play brought the first appearance of Zac in the jungle. In the hands of I May’s Avoidless, Zac was a devastating weapon against the Flash Wolves. He was able to secure great ganks thanks to impeccable technical skill and game sense with the champion. Avoidless also played a critical part in the extended Baron effort, from interrupting multiple Flash Wolves attempts at the objective to delivering the final blow to get the buff for I May that led to the win.

2. Likkrit (Albus Nox Luna)

You might notice his flowing hair first, but after one match you’ll be equally as struck by Likkrit’s aggressive play style. He gets wild in the support role, willing to push for a kill or a buff where calmer players would take the cautious route. Even when he’s facing off against a bottom lane regularly described as the best duo in the west, he holds true to his own unique style. And it works.

3. Yang (INTZ)

Also representing the wild card, Yang was half of the two-man wrecking crew that took down Edward Gaming on the first day of groups. With the backing of jungler Revolta, Yang was able to put serious hurt down on the Chinese squad. He piloted Gnar to a snowballing win, getting lots of kills on his opposing top laner and making INTZ an instant crowd favorite.

4. Ambition (Samsung Galaxy)

Ambition is hardly an unknown, but he wasn’t necessarily expected to make a splash with the Samsung Galaxy squad, especially when they got seeded into the Group of Death. But the jungler made his presence and his skills known in the match against Royal Never Give Up. He played Skarner with deftness, getting his team out to a quick two-kill lead and keeping one step ahead of RNG’s spicy jungler MLXG through the rest of the match.