win.gg
Win.gg League of Legends Page 105

League of Legends

Team SoloMid gets first LCS win of 2020 by beating Evil Geniuses News Team SoloMid gets first LCS win of 2020 by beating Evil Geniuses By William Davis Riot promises improvements to Clash, top lane impact soon League of Legends Riot promises improvements to Clash, top lane impact soon By Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Liquid rebounds from loss to Dignitas by beating FlyQuest in LCS League of Legends Liquid rebounds from loss to Dignitas by beating FlyQuest in LCS By Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Johnsun after beating TL: “I’m glad I’m not stuck in Academy” League of Legends
Johnsun after beating TL: “I’m glad I’m not stuck in Academy” Olivia Richman Dignitas is currently 3-0 in the Spring Split after defeating Team Liquid. The only rookie on a team full of veterans, Johnsun “Johnsun” Nguyen was all smiles after Dignitas’ latest victory. Johnsun talked with WIN.gg about their win over Team Liquid and his goal for the Spring Split.  Team Liquid is considered the top North American team. Is this how you thought the match would go?  I was nervous. I was …
100T Meteos thinks playing Blaber will be a challenge vs C9 League of Legends
100T Meteos thinks playing Blaber will be a challenge vs C9 Olivia Richman 100 Thieves is looking strong this season after their win over Counter Logic Gaming. They are currently sitting at a 2-1 record, with their only loss being to Evil Geniuses. But jungler William “Meteos” Hartman isn’t too concerned about that. He told WIN.gg that his biggest goal is just to be a good teammate.  How are you feeling after that win against CLG? Meteos: Pretty good. Just pretty good?  I don’t …
Froggen on Orianna ult whiffs: “Some ults you hit, some you miss” League of Legends
Froggen on Orianna ult whiffs: “Some ults you hit, some you miss” Olivia Richman After defeating top North American organization Team Liquid, Dignitas is now 3-0 in the 2020 LCS Spring Split. Once considered underdogs, the roster full of veterans has become the team to watch.  WIN.gg sat down with Henrik “Froggen” Hansen to talk about Dignitas’ victory, his team’s strengths, and what Dignitas’ logo even is.  How do you feel about being Player of the Week?  Froggen: It feels pretty good. I’m really happy about it. …
Team Liquid’s CoreJJ: “If we beat FlyQuest, we can win LCS again” League of Legends
Team Liquid’s CoreJJ: “If we beat FlyQuest, we can win LCS again” Olivia Richman Team Liquid has not been at the top of their game. Support Yong-In “CoreJJ” Jo wasn’t too happy after his team lost to Dignitas to start their second week in the 2020 LCS Spring Split. The game was close though, and CoreJJ told WIN.gg that his team is not about to roll over just yet. Not with their eyes already on their match with FlyQuest tomorrow.  How are you feeling …
Cloud9 runs over Immortals, remains undefeated in 2020 LCS Spring League of Legends Cloud9 runs over Immortals, remains undefeated in 2020 LCS Spring By William Davis Dignitas scores big upset win over Team Liquid, takes 1st in LCS League of Legends Dignitas scores big upset win over Team Liquid, takes 1st in LCS By Syed Mujtaba Naqvi G2 Esports picks Soraka top to destroy Team Vitality in LEC League of Legends G2 Esports picks Soraka top to destroy Team Vitality in LEC By William Davis
Here’s how MMR and LP work to affect your League of Legends rank League of Legends
Here’s how MMR and LP work to affect your League of Legends rank Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Which rank a League of Legends player is placed in depends on two different ranking systems. Players are familiar with League Points, but there’s also a hidden Match Making Rate, more popularly known as MMR. MMR is something that used to be a lot more accessible to players in League’s earlier seasons, however the situation changed since the introduction of LP. Not even third party websites can give accurate information …
Team Liquid’s League of Legends squad has a lot to say in AMA League of Legends
Team Liquid’s League of Legends squad has a lot to say in AMA Olivia Richman Team Liquid’s League of Legends team took a break from scrimming to take part in an extensive AMA on Discord. Eon-young “Impact” Jeong, Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, and Yongin “CoreJJ” Jo joined substitute jungler Shern “Shernfire” Tai to answer questions about the LCS, League of Legends, and each other. Fans also got to learn that Doublelift’s favorite Pokemon is Psyduck. Do with that information what you will.  Fans …
Riot turns fans away from LCK Spring Split amid coronavirus fears League of Legends
Riot turns fans away from LCK Spring Split amid coronavirus fears William Davis The 2020 LCK Spring season will proceed as scheduled, but with a major change sure to displease Korean fans. Earlier this week, Riot Games Korea issued a statement saying that it was considering delaying the start of the LCK due to the coronavirus outbreak. The statement was made just days after the LPL confirmed that the tournament was postponed indefinitely. While there are only a handful of cases confirmed in …
58.1% players in NA would rather win LCS than advance at Worlds League of Legends
58.1% players in NA would rather win LCS than advance at Worlds William Davis 58% of the North American professional players say they would rather win the LCS than make it out of the group stage at the League of Legends World Championship. Riot Games conducted a survey where 86 pro players had the chance to answer the most important questions. For example, which role is the most impactful in the game? According to 43% of the players, mid lane is the most impactful …
Riot lowers the price for this season’s LCS and LEC Pro View Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends For fans interested in more details of LCS and LEC games alike, League of Legends Pro View is available again this season. The 2020 Pro View has a reduced price and some new features. Pro View is Riot’s broadcast feature that allows subscribed users to see professional games from a different point of view. Unlike the standard spectator mode the games are streamed from, this upgrade gives fans the opportunity …
AnDa and 5fire join EG Academy amid struggles to secure visas Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends With Evil Geniuses struggling to secure visas for Kadircan “Kadir” Mumcuoğlu and Ahmad “Giyuu” Charif, veteran League of Legends player Andy “AnDa” Hoang and rookie Aidan “5fire” Reckamp have joined Evil Geniuses Academy. AnDa is joining EG Academy as the new jungler, the organization announced on Twitter. This comes as a result of visa issues that are keeping Kadir, a European resident, out of North American competitive play. 5fire will …
LCK Spring Split may be delayed alongside LPL due to coronavirus William Davis News The LPL has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. The coronavirus is a highly infectious and potentially deadly virus that affects the respiratory system. The epidemic started in the Wuhan region and has spread throughout China. There are confirmed cases of the coronavirus in countries including Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the United States. The situation in China is worsening every day. The World Health Organization …
PapaSmithy announces 100 Thieves Next, criticizes amateur scene Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends 100 Thieves has announced 100 Thieves Next, the organization’s new League of Legends amateur program. Calling it the third pillar of its League structure, 100T’s general manager Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith announced 100X, an amateur team formed for the development of young talent in North America. The region has been in a negative spotlight when it comes to nourishing domestic talent, and 100T says it’s taking the first step to fix it. …
The most important changes coming to League with patch 10.3 Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends It’s almost time for the third patch of Season 10 to go live. There are many nerfs, buffs, as well as changes to jungle experience coming. Riot Games is looking to continue making sure that no champions are overpowered at any level of skill so no one will feel unbalanced, whether for an Iron player or a pro. With that in mind, over 15 champions are getting balance updates early …
Riot Games shuts down Doublelift’s stream during Academy game William Davis League of Legends Team Liquid’s bottom laner Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng was forced by Riot Games to interrupt his stream. On January 24, Doublelift posted on Twitter that he was going live on his Twitch channel. Immediately, many thousands of fans joined the stream and enjoyed while Doublelift played his first solo queue game of the day. 30 minutes later, Doublelift turned off his stream and used his Twitter to explain that Riot made …
The creator of Team Liquid’s new mascot Blue speaks out Olivia Richman League of Legends Team Liquid stole the spotlight at the LCS Spring Split’s opening weekend with the reveal of their new mascot, Blue. A white horse sporting a Team Liquid jacket and blue mane, Blue is the organization’s logo personified. The mascot exists to cheer on Team Liquid and be cute, according Team Liquid’s senior graphic designer Stacey Yamada.  Yamada is the creative mind behind the mascot. She led a team in creating …
Team Liquid outsmarts TSM, gets first win of 2020 LCS Spring William Davis League of Legends Team Liquid closed week one of the 2020 LCS Spring Split with a victory over Team SoloMid. Team Liquid and TSM met in the first Monday League Night of the season. The clash between these two powerhouses was the main event of the day and attracted thousands of viewers. Team Liquid, despite playing with a substitute in the jungle, bested a TSM squad that is still trying to find its …
Deadly Elder Dragon bug may have returned to ruin Zac and Karthus William Davis League of Legends A deadly Elder Dragon bug that disables the post-death passive of several champions may have returned. The Elder Dragon has become one of the most impactful buffs in League of Legends following the massive preseason update late last year. The drake’s new buff will execute any enemy champion who drops below 20 percent of their maximum health. When the new buff hit live servers, several bugs occurred. The most significant …
TSM disappoints in 2020 LCS Spring debut against Immortals William Davis League of Legends Team SoloMid made its 2020 LCS Spring debut with a loss, as the team was taken down by Immortals. The clash between Immortals and TSM was an intense game that went over the 60-minute mark. Immortals was coming off a defeat on Saturday against FlyQuest. Immortals jumped into the Rift with a chip on its shoulder and something to prove to those that underestimated them. The community had high expectations …
Svenskeren on EG roster: “Jiizuke is able to play like a maniac” Olivia Richman League of Legends Evil Geniuses’ first match of the Spring Split wasn’t too great. Despite fans expecting them to easily defeat Dignitas, the new squad wasn’t able to live up to expectations. But the Spring Split has only just begun. Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen sat down with WIN.gg after Evil Geniuses’ unfortunate debut in the LCS since 2014  to discuss the EG brand and his new teammates. How were you feeling coming into the …
Aphromoo on leaving 100T: “Not being in a gaming house is a plus” Olivia Richman League of Legends Dignitas came back and dominated in their second match of the 2020 LCS Spring Split, easily beating Evil Geniuses. That advanced the team to 2-0 on the season and established Dignitas as a squad to watch out for.  Veteran support  Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black was quick to point out how much cleaner their play has gotten since their previous game, and noted that it’s only getting better from here.  How do you …

League of Legends is among the most popular widely-played video games in the world. It has been a consistent trendsetter in the gaming industry, whether as a model for other free-to-play titles looking to monetize their players or as a guiding light for how professional esports can be both successful and sustainable.

It hasn’t always been so though. League of Legends was released in 2009 as an uncertain new project, a game with large aspirations but little proven. In the years since, it has developed into the dominant title that it is today, and one of the biggest games on the planet.

League of Legends drives success of MOBA genre

League of Legends stands out in part because it may arguably be the very first original game released to truly fit into what we now understand to be the increasingly popular MOBA genre. Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas are a very particular type of game genre that carry out competition between two opposing teams of players on a map. These games test a mix of competition, tactics, and quick reactions, a potent combination that has proven equal parts popular and durable over the years.

While League of Legends was certainly among the first full releases to focus on the genre and its new ideas, it wasn’t actually the origin point for any of it. That distinction belongs to Blizzard release WarCraft 3, and more specifically a modified game mode titled Defense of the Ancients.

WarCraft 3 was a real-time strategy game that featured prominent hero units who could gain in power as they accrued experience points to level up their abilities, and gold to purchase powerful items. Defense of the Ancients was a user-made game mode which emphasized these heroes by giving each player control over one such character and teaming them up against an opposing squad of players. It was a dynamite success, inspiring myriad clones and, eventually, an entire genre of games.

But while League of Legends wasn’t the first to bring about these concepts, it was certainly effective in executing on them. Early developers at publisher Riot Games had a clear idea of what they wanted to accomplish with the creation of League of Legends, and it would be hard to argue against their success given the runaway popularity achieved by their iteration on the MOBA formula.

LoL incorporates esports sustainably

Just as impressive as the long-term success of League of Legends as a game is the continued success of the title’s esports scene. While esports has known multiple peaks and valleys over the years, Riot Games has consistently managed to maintain the prominence of LoL esports. This has been accomplished through an emphasis on regular regional play and sustainability.

Most esports and competitive games at the time used a circuits system, scattering major tournaments for the best teams across the year. Instead, Riot divided the world into separate playing regions. Each region has its own competitive league in which the best professional teams play weekly. The best teams in each league are then brought together for an annual World Championship event at the end of the competitive year. This allowed for domestic fan followings to develop across such regions as Korea, China, Europe, and North and South America. Fans would closely follow the teams in their region, and from that familiarity would feel invested in cheering them on when they clashed with teams from other regions at the game’s biggest international event.

This basic blueprint has continued to prove successful for Riot Games over the years, though it has expanded and been modified with time. In response to the success of the World Championship, Riot introduced a second international tournament in 2015, the prestigious Mid-Season Invitational. In 2025, First Stand was added to bring LoL esports to three international events per year. Once again the scene was enhanced and this indirectly expanded the opportunities for League of Legends esports betting. In the meantime, the regional leagues have spread out to include more regions and lower levels, solidifying their identity.

The basic formula remains the same, however. Encourage fan support on a domestic level, and then carry that support and interest over to the global stage. It’s a formula that continues to power League of Legends esports, and looks set to enable it for many years yet to come.

At Win.gg, our coverage of LoL esports spans from the broader competitive updates and their impact on the scene to in-depth high-profile match previews with team analysis, head-to-head analysis, LoL betting odds sense-makers and predictions. All of these based on the insights of our experienced esports journalists.