Player of the Year 2012: Henrik “Froggen” Hansen

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ggChronicle’s End of the Year Awards highlight the finest professional League of Legends players and teams in 2012. Be sure to visit our 2012 Awards hub to access all of the articles, including Team of the Year, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and our All-World Teams. Remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to keep up with the lastest news and articles in LoL eSports!

With the first full year of League of Legends as a premier eSport behind us, the ggChronicle staff sat down to debate who should be regarded as the top player of 2012. As fans, the professional scene blessed us with a deep field of talent to choose from and a dizzying array of highlight reels, but greatness ultimately exceeds the bounds of the game itself. We set out to select a player at the peak of his prowess who also displayed dedication to his fans, a vibrant personality, and devotion to his teammates. With these criteria under consideration, Henrik “Froggen” Hansen emerged as our choice for Player of the Year.

Froggen: ggChronicle’s Player of the Year

Froggen embarked on his professional career late in 2011 as part of the original Absolute Legends team, and it wasn’t long until the beloved CLG.EU roster solidified in December. Froggen first turned heads in the professional scene with a major victory in the Kings of Europe tournament, initiating a string of top finishes at events worldwide in 2012. Despite being a low-profile solo queue player until he joined forces with Snoopeh, Wickd, Yellowpete, and Krepo, Froggen won fans almost instantly by carrying his teammates in tournament after tournament.

Froggen’s renown spread around the world, and Anivia became one of the first champions intrinsically linked with a professional player. CLG.EU adopted a style of play to maximize Froggen’s farm, with heavy pressure from Snoopeh to keep enemy junglers from disrupting his income. The late game became Froggen’s playground, as he mercilessly destroyed his enemies through superior play and better itemization.

As a criterion for Player of the Year, in-game dominance reigns supreme. In 2012, Hansen demonstrated that he not only deserved consideration as the premier AP carry player, but also could be included in the debate for the most skilled overall. While rivals fear his Anivia, Froggen showed remarkable depth with mastery of Kog’Maw, Karthus, Lux, Ahri and Lee Sin, even playing Corki middle when necessary. He remains adaptable and threatening on a swath of AP carries, bruisers and AD carries, which keeps opponents on their toes and puts match-ups in his favor.

While Froggen’s talents in Summoner’s Rift exceed those of many other professionals, individuals such as Alex Ich, Toyz, WeiXiao, MadLife and others could have been crowned Player of the Year. The main factor that differentiates Froggen is the zeitgeist in the LoL community that idolizes him both as a player and a human being. His dedication to interacting with his fans through streaming, his sportsmanship at tournaments and the zeal of his fanbase factor into our decision.

To underscore the quality of his character, other professional gamers speak with glowing praise as to his work ethic and love for the game. On numerous occasions, Hansen’s teammates commented on his dedication to being the best and his competitive spirit, most recently by Locodoco in an interview with Travis Gafford. Froggen’s attitude leaves an indelible mark on those who meet and work with him, as even in fame he retains his work ethic and likable, open personality.

“Thanks a lot for the Player of the Year award, it’s really awesome to see my work getting recognized! I’m really grateful for all the support i get from all my fans, friends and family. Also big thanks to CLG for picking us up early 2012 which lead to my breakout and since then its been a really awesome trip and a ton of fun throughout this year.” – Froggen on receiving Player of the Year from ggChronicle

CLG.EU may not have won the Season Two World Championship and the team showed mediocre performances late in 2012, but Froggen still looms large in the collective consciousness of the League of Legends community. Players from many teams enjoyed the spotlight, but overall 2012 will be remembered as the Year of Froggen.

Tags: 2012 awards, featured, froggen, player of the year

Category: End of the Year Awards