First Stand 2026 Top Lane Power rankings – Who will have more impact?

First Stand kicks off in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 16. Here are the FST 2026 Top Lane Power rankings, voted by three of our members on the editorial team.

First Stand 2026 Top Lane Power Rankings

3. JDG Xiaoxu

At just 22 years old, Xu “Xiaoxu” Xing-Zu has reached the very top a bit later than other Chinese top laners of his age. The JD Gaming top laner will take part in his first international tournament after a strong rise. After spending years near the bottom of the LPL standings with LGD Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, and Rare Atom, Xiaoxu started getting some attention in 2025 and is finally experiencing the top of the table in 2026 with JDG.

Despite a mixed group stage, he held his own against some of the LPL’s biggest names. Li “Flandre” Xuan-Jun, Bai “369” Jia-Hao, and Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin all fell to him, although the latter dismantled him in playoffs. Nonetheless, Xiaoxu enters this tournament as, in our view, the third-best top laner in the league, with the two players ahead of him operating on another level.

Last year, while JD Gaming struggled to perform, Xiaoxu showed flashes of brilliance, proving he wasn’t the main one to blame. The organization backed him, keeping him as the only player from that roster. His first test will also likely be the most important one, as he faces Gen.G’s Kim “Kiin” Gi-in.

2. BLG Bin

While both Xiaoxu and Bin are 22 years old, Bin is a much more familiar face to the international scene. With four Mid-Season Invitationals and four Worlds appearances, First Stand 2026 will be the ninth international event for Giga Bin, who arrives full of confidence: “I’m gonna beat up Kiin at First Stand,” he said after winning LPL Split 1.

The start of the year was somewhat complicated between Bin and his management, following a dispute that even led the organization to briefly promote their academy top laner. In the end, however, Bin came back and held the starting position, showing dominant performances, especially when it came to the laning phase. Compared to previous years, the players looked more composed and even earned the FMVP award, a rarity for top lane players.

After winning MSI in 2022 with RNG, Bin is now chasing his second international trophy. Reuniting with his jungler Peng “Xun” Li-Xun has clearly benefited him, and Bin will be one of the favorites in this tournament with BLG. Bin will open their run against Song “Clear” Hyeon-min and BNK FEARX, a matchup where BLG is favored.

1. Gen.G Kiin

Unquestionably the best top laner in the world over the past year, Kiin has started 2026 on the same dominant footing with a strong LCK Cup performance. Statistically and according to Games of Legends, he stands above everyone else: compared to Bin, he leads in Damage Share, Kill Participation, and DPM.

In the LCK, he holds a 7.0 KDA, while the next top laner sits at 3.3. He also leads the league in both kill participation and assists, highlighting just how impactful he is in Gen.G’s gameplay. Kiin enters this tournament as the clear favorite, though a peak-form Bin could still challenge him. After barely missing out on First Stand last year, Kiin is looking to start the 2026 season with a new title to his name.

The rest of the Top Lane Rankings

After strong playoffs in the LEC, Sergen “BrokenBlade” Çelik logically comes in fourth in our ranking, closely followed by Clear, who impressed in the LCK. Next is Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, who finds himself at First Stand despite originally not even being set to play the LCS Lock-In with LYON. To close out this power ranking, we have Team Secret Whales’ Nguyễn “Pun” Đăng Khoa and LOUD’s Carlos Felipe “xyno” Ferreira. Keep an eye out on the Brazilian player, though: Xyno is the youngest top laner in the tournament, yet earned himself the most amount of MVPs in the CBLOL Cup.

• 4th: BrokenBlade
• 5th: Clear
• 6th: Dhokla
• 7th: Pun
• 8th: xyno

Are you enjoying our Power Rankings? Stay tuned for more rankings and check out our First Stand ADC Power Rankings!