After Five Long Years
Banner © LoL Esports
South Korea has been the sole dominant force for the majority of League of Legends‘ eight-year history. Five out of the eight LoL World Champions have hailed from the Korean region and one team in particular has claimed three of them. It’s always been a foregone conclusion that a Korean team would top the competitive scene, but along the way of Korea’s total domination, a misstep would cause the entirety of their kingdom to crumble.
The clear power void left behind by the demise of SK Telecom T1 effectively left the countless teams in a mad dash for the peak of League of Legends. The majority of the 2018 League of Legends World Championship showcased the potential of teams from all the regions to succeed SKT and Gen.G to claim the Summoner’s Cup and the world championship title. It was a lengthy month-long campaign, but a new king has been crowned. Invictus Gaming have successfully claimed the Summoners Cup and the world championship title, along with all the responsibilities and the pressure that come with it.
Korean Monopoly
It’s difficult to downplay just how much of an impact that South Korean League of Legends teams have had on the competitive landscape of this beloved MOBA. The World Championship grand finals from 2015-2017 took place between two teams from South Korea competing for the Summoner’s Cup. The past three world championships was ultimately monopolized by South Korea as any winner would take the trophy and glory back home to the LoL Champions Korea (LCK) region. Korea also managed to take home both titles in 2013 and 2014 when they took down two Chinese teams in succession.
The lengthy Korean reign only contributed to the mythos of the immortal South Korea region. No matter the number of strong contenders, a Korean team was always expected to win the title in the end. That all began to change during the course of Worlds 2018, especially after Cloud9‘s miraculous elimination match against the defending world champions Gen.G. This crushing blow to the Korean delegation heralded the rise of teams from other regions in pursuit of the world championship title.
The western teams in C9, Fnatic and G2 Esports, all rose to the top of the competition after taking out their own share of top teams from both China and Korea. Invictus Gaming, the final eastern team still in the running for the championship during the Semifinals, was almost shunned to the sidelines because not much was expected from them. The team from China had never even won any local trophy and most of their members were competing in an international tournament for the first time in their entire careers. The cards were definitely stacked against IG, but they were out to prove that 2018 is the LoL Pro League (LPL)‘s year, and they will be taking the Summoner’s Cup home to China, after five years.
IG’s Crowning Moment
IG defied all expectations as they booked their tickets for the grand finals matchup. They were never considered the frontrunners of the tournament despite their well-fought victory over the tournament favorites KT Rolster in the Quarterfinals stage of Worlds 2018. Despite the lack of expectations for IG to take it all, they made it to Incheon, South Korea to face off against Europe’s Fnatic in the best-of-five grand finals series.
Invictus Gaming dominated Fnatic in the series all the way towards a clean 3-0 victory. FNC put up a commendable fight but they were ultimately powerless to stop the rampaging Chinese delegation from claiming their region’s first ever world championship.
Discussions have ignited across the game’s fan base as to the current state of League of Legends. The Korean region is still in disarray as the once dominant region is left scrambling for a team that will carry their region back to the top of the game. As it stands, the LPL is now the current strongest region, having wrest the top spot from Korea and the strongest teams at Worlds 2018 to claim their first ever world championship. Invictus Gaming not only achieved their dreams of becoming world champions, they now carry the entire hopes of their region and are now responsible for the proper heralding of all players into a new age of League of Legends.
All of the teams around the globe will have the chance to readjust and get their bearings straight before we welcome in the 2019 season of League of Legends, and possibly a vastly different meta. Invictus Gaming have ushered the Chinese region towards the top of League of Legends, it now rests upon all of the teams of the region to build a new Chinese dynasty in competitive LoL.