The yearly League of Legends All-Star event has successfully wrapped up. The most favored player of the year went without question to TheShy, who secured the most votes. This is his sixth time claiming the LPL’s fan favorite title, showing just how much attention he commands. Most awards matched the voting outcomes, but a few differed. Let’s review the winners.

The most popular host of the year, Xiran, achieved a three-peat, while Rita won the commentator award for the first time. Additionally, Xia An earned the fastest improving commentator/host award. Moving on to players, clubs, and coaches: the annual MVP was Tarzan, who had the best performance at the World Championship. He also took home best foreign player and best jungler honors. Among players, Xiaoyong was the top awardee at the All-Star event.

In the annual roster, despite TheShy’s high vote count, he did not make the final list. After ten years, Saint Gunner reclaimed the best top laner award. The other three positions—Karl and Gege—were undisputed, but Left Hand’s win as best mid laner stirred some debate. Many viewers felt that Shanks performed better overall at international events this year and should have been awarded best mid laner instead.

If focusing solely on international results, I personally believe the award should have gone to Shanks. However, Knight’s league performance was stronger than Shanks’, especially since there was only one championship this year, won by BLG. Also, Left Hand was the Finals MVP, so considering everything, awarding Left Hand seems reasonable. Furthermore, foreign commentators also gave Knight the best mid laner title when selecting the annual roster.

Another controversial point during the awards was TheShy’s nomination for MVP. Alongside him were Tarzan (the winner), JKL, Left Hand, and Karl. Among these five, TheShy’s in-game performance was arguably the weakest. If one player per position had to be nominated, Saint Gunner would have been a better fit than TheShy. However, since he didn’t win anyway, the impact was minimal.

The LPL officially awarded the best coaching staff to AL, which was well-deserved. AL had a low investment this year but delivered multiple standout performances, with Tabe playing a key role. Additionally, AL took the best club award. BLG didn’t go home empty-handed either; their youth training team won best youth coach, and BLG’s second team clinched the LDL championship in the third split.

Currently, BLG and TES are the only LPL teams with solid youth development programs. Over the next few years, most of the LPL’s new generation players will come from these two squads. The All-Star exhibition also featured LDL rookies competing against LPL newcomers, with a surprising result: the LPL rookies were dominated like bots by the LDL team, who scored 45 kills and led by 12,000 gold in a 27-minute match.

However, the LPL rookies chose an entertainment-focused lineup—Jayce jungle, Phoenix in mid and bot, and Nunu mid—which would likely struggle even in ranked games. Meanwhile, the LDL squad picked a more conventional lineup, including the current meta powerhouse, Aatrox, in jungle. That Aatrox finished with an impressive 13-0-15 stat line. In upcoming Demacia Cup matches, Aatrox will likely be an essential pick due to his overwhelming strength.

Conclusion:

This season, Tarzan truly redeemed himself. Previously, during his time with LNG and WBG, he was criticized after Worlds as lacking loyalty. This time, thanks to his World Championship performance, he earned the annual MVP, best foreign player, and best jungler awards—a remarkable achievement. Hopefully, Tarzan can maintain his form next year.

So, what do you think—was the best mid laner choice questionable?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!