This year's race to qualify for Worlds 2024 has been intense, leaving some notable players on the sidelines. Sheep Esports has chosen to spotlight a few of the most missed players in this year’s edition, whether due to their deep connection with the tournament or because they were expected to be strong contenders this season. Here is the 5-man roster we imagined, filled with players who could’ve made a strong impact at Worlds this year.

Adam, GODS have fallen (BDS)

The now globally recognized toplaner, known for his fiercely combative playstyle and unique "GODS" champion pool, has unfortunately missed the chance to return to the World Championship this year. Adam "Adam" Maanane and Team BDS fell short by just one game against G2 Esports in the Season Finals, suffering a reverse sweep for the second time this season - first one was against Fnatic in Spring and denied them from MSI. He has had a pretty decent year as the roster was considered the 3rd best team in Europe all-year long. No doubt he would have brought more entertainment to the tournament as he has been able to pull off a Cassiopeia toplane in Season Finals, the first of his career, and hold a 100% winrate. While it remains uncertain where Adam will play next year as his contract with Team BDS expires this November, he is undoubtedly focused on finding a project that will allow him to make a return to the World Championship next season.

Kanavi, the Jungle-Slayer (JDG)

Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok will miss his chance to compete at the World Championship for the fourth time with JDG. Last year, he was part of a super team that came close to realizing the Golden Road prophecy, but the departures of Bai "369" Jia-Hao, Zhuo "knight" Ding and head coach Yoon "Homme" Sung-young significantly impacted the team's stability. Struggling on the weak side and facing challenges with Zeng "Yagao" Qi in the midlane who did not thrive in the current meta in Summer, Kanavi found it harder to find his mark in games. Despite this, he remained one of the league's top junglers, particularly in the Spring Split. However, his carry playstyle has been less effective last split, often failing to yield the desired results.

Rookie, no matter the experience (NIP)

Displaying an exceptional level of play, Song "Rookie" Eui-jin led many to believe throughout the year that he could guide Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) to compete with the top teams in the LPL. However, he will not participate in the 2024 World Championship following a challenging season for his team. NiP finished fourth in the Spring Split but struggled to replicate that success in the Summer, being eliminated early by Weibo Gaming in the playoffs and then falling to JD Gaming in the regional finals. At 27 years old, with a decade of professional experience behind him, Rookie will miss the opportunity to chase the dream of lifting the Worlds trophy this year, a feat he achieved in 2018 with Invictus Gaming. He is now on a 5-season streak of not qualifying to Worlds.

BDD (KT Rolster) could have been integrated here as he follows a similar case where he maintained an amazing level of play, especially during summer, but fell short at the very last step of Regional Qualifier against T1 (3-2).

Ruler, a crownless Emperor (JDG)

Considered by many as the best player in the World last year, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk will also not make it to Worlds. This would have been his 8th participation after he has previously won the tournament in 2017 in one of the most legendary final to date. Still showcasing his high mechanics skills this year, his team overall lacked of stability and they often gave themselves to chaos. They got eliminated really early in Summer playoffs and barely managed to qualify for Regional Qualifiers. This is only the second time this happens in his career as he did not qualify with GenG in 2019.

BeryL, more free time to play Genshin Impact (KT)

Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee, double World Champion, historically proved he could make miracle happens with DRX in 2022, but could not find the spark again this year despite reuniting with Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu and Hong "Pyosik" Chang-hyeon at KT Rolster. Indeed, his team fell short at the very last step of regional finals to their all-time nemesis, T1. Mainly playing engage support all year long, Beryl has showed less creativity despite a very good level of play. According to Sheep Stats, he is actually the fourth best player rated in LCK. He and his team mates actually struggled with occasional macro mistakes that frequently led to game throws.