The off-season hasn’t been kind to the LEC. With many strong European players getting imported to NA and big names like Yasin “Nisqy” Dincer stuck in contract jail, power rankings in Europe are fairly uncertain. But while there are many rookies looking to make their mark in the big leagues, most of the LEC’s best mid laners are the old guard.

Here are Inven Global’s top 5 LEC mid laners for the 2022 season.

5. Vincent “Vetheo” Berrié — Misfits

Misfits had a resurgence last summer, going from a team that couldn’t break the upper half of the LEC’s rankings to a team that was vying for the top. All players on the roster improved massively through the year, but the off-season has mostly torn the team apart. Out of everyone that was on Misfits, Vetheo is one of two remaining members and remains one of the most exciting mid laners in the LEC, despite his short tenure.

Vetheo is a mage player through and through. He excels at commanding a CS lead and maintaining control of the lane. Where many mid laners are more concerned about rotations than laning itself, Vetheo tends to pressure the enemy out from level one. This comes with the inherent weakness of often having less map pressure than other mid laners, but with how mage-focused the emerging Season 12 mid meta seems to be, Vetheo’s skillset is sure to make him a threat to even the LEC’s most tenured players. This is Vetheo’s chance to prove 2021 wasn’t a fluke. 

4. Emil “Larssen” Larssen — Rogue

Larssen is, if nothing else, a consistent player. He was never the star player on Rogue’s 2021 roster, nor was he ever the reason they lost games. With players like Steven “Hans sama” Liv and Kacper “Inspired” Sloma on his team, he didn’t have to be the carry. But 2022 Rogue is a very different team.

The greatest strength and weakness of Larssen as a player is his safety. He averaged 2-2.5 deaths through all of 2021, and he rarely went above three deaths even in the LEC’s bloodiest matches. This makes Larssen one of the most reliable mid laners in Europe, but also a one that will rarely lead the charge and bring a game back from the brink. Rogue’s success will likely be decided on whether or not there’s a player that can step up and close out games.

Rogue is weakened, not weak. Considering how strong Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong looked through his brief stint on DWG during their strange roster shuffle, Rogue’s mid/jungle duo could be one of Europe’s best if the language barrier doesn’t prove itself too big to overcome. 

3. Luca “Perkz” Perković — Vitality

It really says something that 3rd place feels like low placing for Perkz. Considering his history as a player and the greatness he achieved during his time on G2, Perkz is one of Europe’s most iconic stars. But his time on Cloud9 was less than impressive. While Perkz certainly had his fair share of good games, he was consistently getting gapped by other mids in the LCS. That was doubly true at international events where Perkz was up against tougher competition.

It’s hard not to be hyped for Perkz’s return to Europe. With so many players departing to NA for 2022, getting one of the biggest names back feels like a big win for the LEC. But with how weak his 2021 was, Perkz has a lot to prove. 

Vitality’s new roster looks very strong across the board and it’ll likely be a top team regardless of whether or not Perkz is in top form. However, if Vitality want to be able to compete internationally the same way 2019 G2 did, Perkz will need to step up.

2. Rasmus “Caps” Winther — G2 Esports

Speaking of G2, Caps is one of the few remaining members of the iconic roster that still flies their flag. But 2021 was a rough year for the org. Caps had some pop-off moments and victories where he looked like a mid laner that deserved all the hype he's ever received — all tragically balanced against games where Caps was just running it down.

Caps’ wealth of experience makes him strong on a wide variety of picks, but he’s especially strong on classic control mages like Syndra and Orianna. His ability to find a lead and command it is second-to-none in the region. However, through 2021, there were times where Caps didn’t make the right call and tossed his lane in the trash within the first 10 minutes of the game.

Caps still has it. Sometimes. With only him and Jankos remaining on G2, there’s a lot on the shoulders of Caps when it comes to the future of this iconic organization. 

1. Marek “Humanoid” Brázda — Fnatic

Humanoid hasn’t always been on top. In fact, until Summer 2021, he was a very middle-of-the-road player in comparison to other LEC mids. He didn’t do poorly in Spring, but his performance was fairly muted and passive in comparison to the rest of MAD’s 2021 roster. By Summer, Humanoid was widely regarded as one of the LEC’s best mid laners. It felt like he found his confidence after a few years of pro play, and it showed by the end of 2021.

The biggest difference between Humanoid in Spring and in Summer is that he went from following his team to making his own plays. Out of every other mid in the LEC, Humanoid seems to have the most motivation to make things happen on the map. Regardless of how the lane phase goes, he always keeps up with or outpaces the opposing mid laner when it comes to rotations and teamfighting.

If Humanoid can continue to iterate upon his playstyle and maintain his confidence through his new position on Fnatic, he’ll be the one setting the bar for the rest of the LEC’s mid laners. He won his spot not through hard carry performances, but through strong teamplay and an objective-focused mentality.