League of Legends
League of Legends
Everything you need to know about LoL champion Sett’s lore
Nicholas James
Sett, also known as The Boss, is one of Ionia’s unique champions. Here’s everything you need to know on the subject of Sett lore. Ionia is often depicted as an ancient and magical land with traditions as old as its people, depicted through champions like Akali, Shen, Xayah, and others. The Sett lore we have so far gives a different look at the region, with the juggernaut acting at the …
League of Legends
Here’s how Team Liquid almost lost star support CoreJJ
Nicholas James
A recent statement by a member of Team Liquid’s staff revealed how TL almost lost star support Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-In. Jun “Dodo” Kang took to Twitter after CoreJJ’s green card acquisition was confirmed to tell the truth behind the near disaster that was CoreJJ’s attempt to achieve residency in the LCS. According to Dodo, it was very likely that Core not receiving his green card would have meant Team Liquid …
League of Legends
Immortals vs. Evil Geniuses: 2022 LCS Spring betting analysis
William Davis
As teams enter the second half of the 2022 LCS Spring Split, both Immortals and Evil Geniuses will be looking to climb the standings and make a run for the playoffs. The second round robin of this LCS regular split will start with a rematch between Immortals and EG, a match that Immortals surprisingly won when the two faced off during week 3. Despite EG making it all the way …
League of Legends
Is a surprise Kassadin rework and VGU coming to League?
Nicholas James
New splash art for Kassadin has hit League of Legends’ PBE, and it has fans and players alike asking if there is a new Kassadin rework coming as a result. Riot Games has gotten into the pattern of releasing two champion reworks each year, one voted on by fans and players, and the other chosen internally by Riot. New splash art on the PBE might indicate a Kassadin rework is …
League of Legends
New Anima Squad skins for Jinx, Riven, more have been revealed
William Davis
League of Legends fans should be keeping an eye out in the coming weeks, as the Anima Squad will soon be hitting the live servers. The newest round of LoL skins was recently revealed by Riot Games, as the new skin line Anima Squad has hit the Public Beta Environment (PBE) for testing. These new skins include the likes of Riven, Vayne, Miss Fortune, Jinx, and Sylas. For this rotation’s …
League of Legends
These teams have locked in playoffs spots ahead of LEC Week 8
William Davis
The 2022 LEC Spring Split is entering its final week of the regular split this weekend, where the league’s playoff teams and their seeds will be determined. Going into the week, a total of four teams have already secured their spots in the playoffs while two teams are completely out of contention. The first team to secure a playoff spot was Rogue, who has been leading the charge for most …
League of Legends
Leena claims TSM no longer sees value in having a good LCS team
Olivia Richman
TSM is currently having a terrible LCS run. The organization benched new support Wei “Shenyi” Zije after running out to a 0-4 record, but fans are angry with the decision and wondering why the organization was so quick to do so after hyping Shenyi’s signing. Behind the scenes, the esports organization is dealing with investigations after Riot Games was informed that TSM may play host to a toxic workplace. It’s …
League of Legends
The best TFT set 6.5 cheat sheet with all new units and traits
Nicholas James
To help you best adapt to new Teamfight Tactics set Neon Nights, we’ve got the best TFT set 6.5 cheat sheet with all the new traits and units included. Teamfight Tactics mid-set updates always bring tons of change, and it’s easy to get lost in all of the new units and traits. Here’s a breakdown of it all as well as a TFT set 6.5 cheat sheet for you to …
LCO team PEACE owes its players thousands of dollars
Nicholas James
League of Legends
According to a statement made by Ryan “Aladoric” Gregory Richardson, LCO team PEACE still owes its previous players thousands of dollars. PEACE is an Australian esports organization that recently became involved in the LCO, or League of Legends Circuit Oceania. Recently, James “Tally” Shute claimed that PEACE owed him thousands of dollars in unpaid wages. Now, Aladoric has posted a TwitLonger with similar allegations. Both Tallywhacka and Aladoric played for …
This is why Riot added comeback mechanics to League of Legends
Nicholas James
League of Legends
League of Legends has had issues with its bounty systems being abused recently, so Riot Games explained its reasoning behind adding comeback mechanics in LoL. Developer Riot Phroxzon took to Riot’s regular Quick Gameplay Thoughts series to explain why bounties exist and why Riot Games added them. Riot’s ideal use of comeback mechanics in LoL encourages smart play and rewards conscious play. Riot’s approach to the implementation and addition of …
Gwen is finally getting nerfed, as is split-pushing Hullbreaker
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The latest patch preview for League of Legends showcases Gwen and Hullbreaker nerfs alongside other balance changes. Professional play has seen tons of split-push specialists pick up the powerful legendary Hullbreaker item in order to pad their stats while pressuring alone, and Riot Games wants to change that. But rather than punish every champion, Riot has been very careful with how it targets the upcoming Hullbreaker nerfs. The patch 12.5 …
Faker is given his Flash back in an LCK game and drama ensues
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Recently, pro player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok paused an LCK game, blew his flash in the process, and the game was rewound. Why? The Korean league issued a statement explaining the strange happenings in one of T1’s recent matches, here’s the full breakdown of the Faker pause controversy. Why didn’t judges let Faker pause, and why was did the game have to be Chronobreaked? On February 23, LCK titans T1 played …
Will League of Legends fans see LS coaching again in the future?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
After the sudden departure of Nick “LS” DeCesare from his position as head coach of Cloud9’s LCS roster, many fans wonder if they’ll see LS coaching again. After mere weeks of being stateside to coach the new roster, LS was released from Cloud9 during the third week of LCS play. Many fans were disappointed to see the prominent community figure depart so quickly, but is there any chance of LS …
Why Doublelift thinks Champions Queue is crucial for NA
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Professional player Peng “Doublelift” Yilang recently spoke out on the new matchmaking experience in North America, explaining that Champions Queue is “crucial.” One of the biggest problems that professional players have raised with Riot Games about North American solo queue is the high ping for players on the west coast as well as the wildly inconsistent player skill matching in high Elo. Here’s why Doublelift thinks Champions Queue could solve …
Raz and Jatt react to Cloud9 announcement of LS departure
Nicholas James
League of Legends
On a recent episode of the Josh Leesman Experience podcast, caster Barento “Razleplasm” Mohammed and analyst Joshua “Jatt” Leesman reacted to the sudden departure of Cloud9’s famed coach. Coach Nick “LS” DeCesare was suddenly released from his position as the Cloud9 LCS head coach, and Cloud9’s official statements have done little to illuminate the specifics. The two casters mused on the sudden collapse of Cloud9’s exciting new look in a …
Arcane Vi unleashes her kung fun in a new mod for Sifu
Nicholas James
League of Legends
A League of Legends fan has created a mod for a new 3D brawling game that lets you play as Arcane’s version of Vi. Sifu is a fighting game with a unique mechanic that focuses on the protagonist getting older each time they are foced to replay a level, changing their durability and damage output. To one League of Legends fan, it was the perfect fit for Piltover’s best hand-to-hand …
Riot Games sends Tyler1 medals to celebrate Challenger climb
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Streamer Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp managed to achieve Challenger in all five roles in League of Legends, and Riot Games sent Tyler 1 custom medals to congratulate him on the achievement. The League of Legends developer sent an enormous package to the streamer’s residence which he unpacked on stream. Inside a sturdy black carrying case came five custom medals with the date of his most recent ventures in each role sewn …
T1 CEO makes fun of Cloud9 for releasing LS
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The T1 CEO Joe Marsh recently made light of Cloud9’s explanation for the release of Nick “LS” DeCesare. After returning to Korea mere weeks after arriving in North America to coach Cloud9’s LCS roster, LS streamed the LCK and was joined for part of it by Joe Marsh. During the stream, the T1 CEO took the time to toss a joking jab at the esports organization for its choice. During …
Fans unsatisfied by Cloud9 LS statement after sudden departure
Nicholas James
League of Legends
After the sudden departure of Nick “LS” DeCesare from his position as Cloud9’s coach last weekend, many fans felt the Cloud9 LS statement lacked details. After several days of radio silence, outside of contextual clues from Cloud9 players and the speculation of community figures, Cloud9 explained LS’ sudden release in a video. Many fans come out of the other side of the Cloud9 LS statement without much more context than …
How to get Yordle Lord in TFT, secret trait explained
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Teamfight Tactics set 6 and 6.5 have included a unit with a unique trait that can’t ever be acquired from the shop. So how can players get the Yordle Lord in TFT? Fans who have been playing either of the latest Teamfight Tactics sets might have noticed a unique five-cost champion that doesn’t even appear in the shop. Veigar is a five-cost champion with the unique trait labeled “Yordle Lord,” …
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.
