League of Legends
League of Legends
Here’s how to get 3-star 5-cost units in Teamfight Tactics
Nicholas James
In Gadgets and Gizmos, the latest Teamfight Tactics set, 3-star 5-cost units are incredibly powerful and can win games on their own against entire nine-unit teams. How quickly can a player theoretically assemble a 3-star 5-cost piece, and what’s are some of the fastest examples of these game-ending carries? Thanks to the new set, it’s possible to assemble the most powerful units in the game faster than ever. Getting one …
League of Legends
Cloud9’s Blaber finishes LCS Lock In week 1 with a 14 KDA
William Davis
The first rounds of the 2022 LCS Lock In tournament are over and Cloud9 jungler Robert “Blaber” Huang dominated the weekend in terms of KDA. Over the course of his first three games of the tournament, Blaber ended up pulling off a KDA of 14.3. This incredible stat was gained after Blaber managed to secure 10 kills and 33 assists across the three games. What’s most impressive is that the …
League of Legends
Is Riot going to fix damage creep in League of Legends?
Nicholas James
League of Legends’ damage creep is an topic often discussed by fans, and it pertains to the steady addition of more sources of damage into the game through new items, runes, and other even new champion abilities. Developer Riot Games has discussed addressing League’s current level of damage in a developer post detailing plans for League of Legends in 2022 and beyond. But is League of Legends’ excess damage really …
League of Legends
Is Riot Games going to fix LoL’s hated Chemtech Drake?
Nicholas James
Riot Games has acknowledged that the Chemtech Drake, one of the latest additions to Summoner’s Rift, is leaving League of Legends players massively dissatisfied. Chemtech Drake was a controversial addition to League of Legends, with an incredibly powerful terrain effect and dragon soul. In a recent official blog post about the current state of the game, Riot admitted that there’s a large swath of the player base who feel incredibly …
League of Legends
Is new agent Neon just a copy of this League of Legends champion?
Nicholas James
Riot Games has recently released two very similar characters side-by-side in their two biggest games, with Neon arriving in Valorant and Zeri arriving in League of Legends. Both Zeri and Neon are hyper-quick lightning users who emit bursts of electricity from their fingers, have yellow hair, and are voiced by the same voice actress. Are these two characters actually the same person? The simple answer to this question is no, …
League of Legends
Who is casting on the LEC broadcast in 2022?
Nicholas James
The LEC, Europe’s top franchised professional League of Legends circuit, has announced its 2022 talent lineup for casters, hosts, and analysts. This year’s lineup includes the return of Marc “Caedrel” Lamont after an offseason where his return seemed uncertain, as well as Trevor “Quickshot” Henry’s return to regular appearances on the broadcast. In a video published by the LEC, the full lineup of talent across the analyst desk, casting, and …
League of Legends
Faker rages on teammate in a pro game for stealing his pentakill
Nicholas James
Even the greatest player in the history of League of Legends, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, isn’t immune to having teammates stealing his glory. And to raging at them afterwards. In a recent LCK game, Moon “Oner” Hyeon-Joon took a kill from Faker in a fight that was already a foregone victory for T1, denying Faker an assured pentakill. Faker took a moment to let Oner her didn’t appreciate the kill steal …
League of Legends
Yasuo and Yone buffs power up LoL’s mid lane menaces
Nicholas James
Two of League of Legends’ most hated solo laners are getting buffs in the next patch, with both Yasuo and Yone looking to get buffed up further. The patch 12.2 preview was published on Twitter by Riot Games’ designers ahead of a balance update next week. One of the most notable changes is buffs to both Yasuo and Yone, after the melee critical strike carries have supposedly fallen behind. League …
Team Vitality vs. MAD Lions: 2022 LEC Spring betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
The LEC is finally returning this weekend and it will feature some banger matches right off the bat. To kick off the 2022 LEC Spring Split, the newly-formed Team Vitality roster will face off against defending LEC champion MAD Lions. This match is looking to be a great way to kick off the European competitive season, with several returning stars back on Summoner’s Rift in the region. Mid laner Luka …
Is Andy Dinh’s bullying dragging down TSM?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
TSM founder Andy “Reginald” Dinh has been the subject of great criticism in recent months for alleged bullying. TSM fans are now beginning to wonder if the behavior of “Regi” could be behind some of the team’s performance issues.Dinh has become the target of an investigation by Riot Games concerning vindictive and toxic behavior unbecoming of organizational leadership. Wired released a report earlier today that detailed abuse matching the community …
Against The Current and LEC create original song “Wildfire”
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The LEC broadcast has stepped up its musical game yet again with a new piece of original musical content made with the rock band Against The Current. Against The Current and vocalist Chrissy Costanza are no strangers to the League of Legends world, with Costanza being one of the lead vocalists on Worlds anthems “Phoenix” and “Legends Never Die.” LEC casters Daniel “Drakos” Drakos and Andrew “Vedius” Day join the …
How to vote now for which LoL champion should be updated
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has revealed the champions who are candidates for its yearly rework update to the most poorly-aged members of the League of Legends roster ahead of Season 12. The candidates for 2022’s poll are Tryndamere, Skarner, Shyvana, Kog’maw, and Nocturne. Each of these has its own issues that have developed over the years, but some are in more dire need of an update than others. Votes can be made …
What is the League of Legends player count in 2022?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
League of Legends is the world’s single largest video game title when measured by number of players. But exactly how many people are playing League of Legends each month in 2022? The player count for League of Legends in 2022 sees tens of millions of players scattered across its many geographic regions, ranging from North America to China. The Chinese player base dwarfs every other region, with exponentially more servers …
DWG KIA vs. KT Rolster: 2022 LCK Spring betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
The 2022 LCK Spring Split is starting soon and will include some great matchups in the first week. One of them will be the defending champion DWG KIA against KT Rolster. As a new season starts, it’s always extra exciting to be following the best leagues around the world. New rosters and a new meta is awaiting the players when they hit Summoner’s Rift, making most matches seem unpredictable and …
This is what all the LCK rosters look like for the 2022 spring split
William Davis
League of Legends
When the 2022 LCK Spring Split kicks off next week, it will be with new exciting rosters and rivalries that will unfold in the battle for the first domestic trophy of the year. Just like any other major region out there, the LCK teams have been through a hectic offseason where a lot has happened. Big star players have shifted teams and will play under new banners this season, while …
When does TFT: Gadgets and Gizmos end? When is Set 7 coming?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Teamfight Tactics’ latest expansion, Gizmos and Gadgets, has been an absolute hit with League of Legends fans but when does TFT set 7 arrive? The sixth expansion for TFT has been an absolute hit with players. Following the addition of Hextech Augments, branching decision trees that radically alter the way you play a given match, fans have flocked to the game in greater numbers than ever before. When can veterans …
New LoL cinematic about Pantheon, Kai’Sa drops for season 12
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has released a canon cinematic ahead of League of Legends season 12’s start called “The Call”, which depicts many champions’ in-world struggles while building hype for the new ranked season. “The Call” cinematic depicts Pantheon’s climb up Mount Targon, Sejuani and Olaf’s battle against Volibear’s followers, and Kai’Sa and Taliyah battling Rek’Sai. All of these stories have canonical implications, mostly based on stories published in the last year. …
Wild Rift Neeko leaked in background of new video
Nicholas James
League of Legends
There’s been leaks on leaks for Riot Games this week, and a slip up in a promotional video seems to have been the latest, showing off the Wild Rift edition of Neeko. In a video published earlier this week, League of Legends champion Neeko can be glimpsed in the background of the client displaying internal test footage from Riot Games’ future updates. Neeko is the latest of many champions rumored …
New champion and big changes teased for LoL in 2022
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has had its Season 2022 Opening Day stream, teasing a new champion and lots of changes coming to League of Legends coming in 2022. From updates on Udyr’s rework to hints at a brand new champion we haven’t heard about yet, Riot was dropping hints aplenty in its stream once the cinematic finished. Riot Games has lots of fantastic changes coming to League of Legends, beginning with the …
Tryndamere, Skarner among LoL champions in next VGU poll
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The candidates for the next champion to potentially receive a Visual Gameplay Update, or VGU, have been leaked. Riot Games has been building a tradition of polling fans on which champion should get a brand new look and gameplay pattern in the coming year. Images leaked earlier this week show Shyvana, Noctune, Skarner, Tryndamere, and Kog’Maw as 2022’s candidates. Three champions are making their return to the list of options …
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.
