First Stand 2026 Mid Lane Power Rankings – Who Are the Best Mid Laners of the tournament?

The 2nd edition of the First Stand kicks off in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 16. Here are the First Stand 2026 Mid Lane Power rankings, voted by three of our members on the League of Legends team.

First Stand 2026 Mid Lane Power Rankings

3. G2 Caps (average: 3.00)

The best European player of all time? Quite possibly. Rasmus “Caps” Winther arrives at First Stand surrounded by hype after another impressive split. He was without doubt the standout performer on G2 throughout LEC Versus, proving it once again in the Grand Final against Karmine Corp, where he delivered an incredible final game on Anivia.

Caps remains the only European player to reach back-to-back Worlds Grand Finals, first with Fnatic in 2018 and then with G2 in 2019. On both occasions he fell just short of the title, losing 3–0 to Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix.

Despite those defeats, Caps has been the player who has brought the most hope to European fans in the region’s history. Because of his legacy and long-term impact, rumors have recently suggested that he could become the next player to be part of the Hall of Legends, joining icons such as Uzi and Faker.

2. BLG Knight (average: 2.33)

Zhuo “Knight” Ding has been one of the best mid laners in the world for years, yet he has often fallen just short of reaching the very top on the international stage. The Chinese star is renowned for his ability to carry games single-handedly, a trait he once again showcased frequently during LPL Split 1.

Knight is particularly famous for his Ahri, on which he once achieved an impressive 28-game win streak. However, his career has also had difficult moments. After BLG’s 3–2 loss to T1 in the Worlds 2024 Final, Knight faced heavy criticism from Chinese fans. One of the main concerns raised was his perceived inconsistency on Azir, a champion that has historically been extremely important in the competitive meta.

Despite those criticisms, Knight remains one of the most decorated players in LPL history. He reached that milestone after BLG’s victory over Top Esports in the LPL Split 3 2025 Final, further cementing his legacy as one of China’s greatest mid laners.

1. GEN Chovy (average: 1.00)

No one really knows if Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon is either a human or a robot, he arrives at First Stand once again as one of the tournament’s biggest stars after another dominant stretch in the LCK.

Chovy built his reputation on near-perfect laning fundamentals, often creating massive CS advantages against even the strongest opponents. His incredible consistency was already evident early in his career, when he briefly achieved an astonishing 100 KDA during LCK 2019 Spring, one of the most absurd statistical runs ever seen in professional League of Legends.

Despite his individual brilliance, Chovy’s early years were often defined by heartbreaking near-misses. Across his first eight LCK seasons he lost five domestic finals and finished third twice, leading many fans to question whether he would ever convert his talent into titles. That narrative finally changed in LCK 2022 Summer, when he won his first championship.

With multiple LCK MVP awards, thousands of career kills, and over 500 wins in the LCK, Chovy is most likely the scariest player of the whole tournament.

The other Mid Lane Rankings

Lee “VicLa” Dae-kwang stands in fourth place after having an insane LCK run with BFX, this is the first international appearance for a player who spent years between Korea, China and America. Tsai “HongQ” Ming-Hong is back again at an international tournament, he actually never missed one since his debut, everyone knows how big his potential really is.

Kang “Saint” Sung-in had a really good LCS split, it’s still his first international tournament and he will probably struggle against the top tier players. Trần “Dire” Duy Đức is at only his second competitive year and experience matters much ad this events, while Bruno “Envy” Farias  hasn’t really been at the top for a plenty of time as he spent the whole 2025 in the Brazilian second division.

• 4th: Vicla (average: 4.33)
• 5th: HongQ (average: 4.33, placed lower due to having two lower rankings compared to VicLa)
• 6th: Saint (average: 6.00)
• 7th: Dire (average: 7.00)
• 8th: Envy (average: 8.00)