There’s arguably no purer expression of mechanical skill in League of Legends than the ability to generate early CS leads as a mid laner, unless you want to talk about solo kills. While there’s more to mid lane than just an isolated 1v1, it is the role best captured by the CS difference at 10 minutes (CSD10) statistic.
Here’s how the NA and EU LCS mid lanes are falling out so far this split.
NA LCS
Phoenix1’s Ryu and Cloud9’s Jensen top the leaderboard in CSD10, but Ryu has the edge in gold and experience. TSM’s Bjergsen isn’t far behind.
| Player | CSD10 | GD10 | XPD10 |
| Ryu | 7.4 | 323 | 447 |
| Jensen | 7.4 | -46 | 193 |
| Bjergsen | 6.4 | 183 | 134 |
| Froggen | 3.7 | 201 | 184 |
| Ninja | 0.8 | -55 | -108 |
| Hai | -0.1 | 120 | -6 |
| Huhi | -2.0 | 105 | 69 |
| Keane | -5.4 | -96 | -141 |
| Pobelter | -6.7 | -288 | -389 |
| GoldenGlue | -9.2 | -267 | -201 |
On numbers alone, Ryu is looking like the strongest 1v1 mid laner in the league so far. However, comparing the opposition Ryu and Jensen have faced, the Cloud9 mid laner has had a slightly more difficult path.
| Player | CSD10 | Opponents |
| Ryu | 7.4 | Froggen, GoldenGlue, Keane, Ninja |
| Jensen | 7.4 | Bjergsen, Huhi, Keane, Pobelter |
| Bjergsen | 6.4 | GoldenGlue, Jensen, Keane, Pobelter |
| Froggen | 3.7 | Hai, Keane, Pobelter, Ryu |
| Ninja | 0.8 | Pobelter, Ryu |
| Hai | -0.1 | AlexIch, Froggen, GoldenGlue, Huhi |
| Huhi | -2.0 | AlexIch, GoldenGlue, Hai, Jensen |
| Keane | -5.4 | Bjergsen, Froggen, Jensen, Ryu |
| Pobelter | -6.7 | Bjergsen, Froggen, Jensen, Ninja |
| GoldenGlue | -9.2 | Bjergsen, Hai, Huhi, Ryu |
Generally speaking, Keane and Pobelter deserve the most leeway for their laning stats, given that they’ve faced three or four of the best laners in the league so far.
Hai and Huhi, however, have one had one stiff opponent each, with three opponents from the bottom end of the list. It’s reasonable to expect that their laning numbers will decline, with Keane and Pobelter having a chance to surpass them in the coming weeks.
EU LCS
In Europe, H2K’s Febiven is working hard to reclaim his place among his region’s strongest mid laners. With Jankos and Pr0lly driving H2K’s early game, Febiven is well on his way to putting a disappointing 2016 behind him.
| Player | CSD10 | GD10 | XPD10 |
| Febiven | 10.1 | 336 | 273 |
| Caps | 7.3 | 368 | 442 |
| Perkz | 2.0 | -134 | -90 |
| NighT | 0.2 | 28 | 98 |
| Nukeduck | -0.2 | 27 | 43 |
| Naehyun | -0.8 | 47 | 138 |
| PowerOfEvil | -3.4 | 159 | -106 |
| Betsy | -5.0 | -380 | -280 |
| Sencux | -5.8 | -234 | -218 |
| Exileh | -6.0 | -266 | -304 |
A low GD10 from Perkz, despite his positive CSD10, suggests that Perkz has been attacked by his opponents early, giving away some kill gold. In fact, Perkz is averaging 0.63 deaths at 10 minutes. Only Exileh is doing worse in that stat, with 0.71 deaths at 10 mins.
The lack of crossover between groups A and B has created overlaps in opponents faced. For reference, group A’s mid laners include Caps, Perkz, NighT, PowerOfEvil, and Betsy. Group B’s mid laners are Febiven, Nukeduck, Naehyun, Sencux, and Exileh.
| Player | CSD10 | Opponents |
| Febiven | 10.1 | Exileh, Naehyun, Sencux |
| Caps | 7.3 | NighT, Perkz |
| Perkz | 2.0 | Betsy, Caps, PowerOfEvil |
| NighT | 0.2 | Betsy, Caps, PowerOfEvil |
| Nukeduck | -0.2 | Exileh, Naehyun, Sencux |
| Naehyun | -0.8 | Exileh, Febiven, Nukeduck |
| PowerOfEvil | -3.4 | Betsy, NighT, Perkz |
| Betsy | -5.0 | NighT, Perkz, PowerOfEvil |
| Sencux | -5.8 | Febiven, Nukeduck |
| Exileh | -6.0 | Febiven, Naehyun, Nukeduck |
Caps gets strong points for doing so well against NighT and Perkz, two very respectable opponents. Febiven has had a slightly easier time against a weaker group at his position, so it should be exciting to see those two face off during crossover play on March 2.
Exileh’s opposition hasn’t been especially fearsome, aside from Febiven. The only opponent from his group that he hasn’t faced yet is Sencux. Exileh will have to work hard to redeem himself from the bottom of the leaderboard.
Photo courtesy flickr.com/lolesports