League of Legends
League of Legends
Champion select reports will finally matter, says Riot Games
Nicholas James
Champion select reports were a long-requested feature by fans of League of Legends, but their initial implementation has had mixed results. According to a statement by Riot Games, new punishments and systems to address champion select reports and make them more impactful are imminent. What might these changes entail and how will they make them matter? Champion select reports have already been implemented in League of Legends, but for the …
League of Legends
Excel Markoon talks playing with Mikyx, making the LEC playoffs
Nicholas James
Excel jungler Mark “Markoon” van Woensel took time to chat with WIN.gg about the team’s playoffs hopes, mid-split changes, and Markoon’s view on the state of the game today. This interview took place after Excel’s game against G2 Esports, and Excel qualified for the LEC spring playoffs the next day. You’re fresh off a loss to G2, but you’re nearing Excel’s first playoff qualification. How does it feel to be …
League of Legends
Team Liquid vs. Cloud9: 2022 LCS Spring betting analysis
William Davis
The battle for first place is tight in the 2022 LCS Spring Split, and this match between Team Liquid and Cloud9 might settle a few things. To close out the sixth week of the split, the two top teams will face off for the second time this split. The squads are currently tied at the top of the standings with 9-2 records, but only one of them will remain at …
League of Legends
Faker calls out pro player for inting and gets them punished
Olivia Richman
Top Esports top laner Yu “Qingtian” Zi-Han has been fined one month’s salary after he was found to be purposely feeding the enemy team while solo queuing in ranked play. On March 9, iconic Leauge of Legends player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was streaming a ranked game when Qingtian began acting toxic. During the game, Qingtian was ignoring his teammates, playing poorly on purpose, and repeatedly trying to end the game …
League of Legends
Can TSM recover from last place in the 2022 LCS Spring Split?
Nicholas James
Esports titan TSM has plummeted to last place in the 2022 LCS Spring Split, but just what happened to the organization to see them fall from grace and can TSM recover? TSM is the most successful League of Legends team in the history of the LCS, taking home seven split championships over the course of the LCS’ existence. The team’s 2022 spring split has been one of its worst performances …
League of Legends
Faker wants to play vs Bjergsen and former G2 players at MSI
Nicholas James
The man widely considered to be the greatest League of Legends player of all time, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, has said he wants to face Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and former G2 players at MSI 2022. In a recent interview with Ashley Kang of KORIZON Esports, Faker was asked about which players he’d most like to face at the annual Mid-Season Invitational event, should T1 manage to qualify. Faker brought up Team …
League of Legends
Here’s all the Warwick lore we know after the hit show Arcane
Nicholas James
What little Warwick lore League of Legends players were given for a long time was ambiguous and vague, but now much more of the character’s lore and background has been unveiled following the release of hit animated series Arcane on Netflix. Here’s a recap of all the Warwick lore we know about today, and what Warwick fans can expect from his story in further developments. From his rework’s clues about …
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 …
Here’s how Team Liquid almost lost star support CoreJJ
Nicholas James
League of Legends
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 …
Immortals vs. Evil Geniuses: 2022 LCS Spring betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
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 …
Is a surprise Kassadin rework and VGU coming to League?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
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 …
Excel vs. SK Gaming: 2022 LEC Spring betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
Excel is chasing its first LEC playoff appearance in the history of the organization, and a win over SK Gaming could be a crucial step towards reach that goal. The last week of the regular 2022 LEC Spring Split is underway and will have a lot of interesting matches and storylines to keep track of. One underrated match going into this week might be Excel against SK Gaming, as it’s …
Caedrel returns to Excel as a content creator, not as coach
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, a current LEC caster and former pro player, has rejoined his old organization of Excel as a content creator. The move was announced on Twitter by Excel, bringing the popular personality on board after he once played in the LEC for the organization. Caedrel still gets plenty of jokes sent his way about failing to make playoffs with Excel, and the organization embraced the meme with the …
Kennen is getting buffed in patch 12.5 as new bee skins arrive
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Patch 12.5 has had the full change list announced, bringing League of Legends bee skins to the excitement of many fans. While PROJECT and similarly serious skin lines have plenty of success, some of the cuter options also have wide appeal. The League of Legends bee skins have been a hit among the community, and the next patch brings more of them alongside some very light balance touches. Riot Games …
New Anima Squad skins for Jinx, Riven, more have been revealed
William Davis
League of Legends
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 …
These teams have locked in playoffs spots ahead of LEC Week 8
William Davis
League of Legends
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 …
Leena claims TSM no longer sees value in having a good LCS team
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
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 …
The best TFT set 6.5 cheat sheet with all new units and traits
Nicholas James
League of Legends
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 …
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.
