The pick-and-ban phase of the 2024 Worlds of League of Legends was rather dull for many fans. The same champions and bans were seen in almost every match. In 2025, this is set to change with an innovation, which also presents a new challenge for balancing.
The draft phase of this year’s Worlds in LoL was quite boring for many viewers, as few champions dominated the tournament. Yone and Aurora were constantly buffed, and champions like Skarner, Rell, Kai’Sa, or Jax were among the most frequently played heroes.
This is rather tedious for viewers in the long run. They want to see a diverse champion pool, which could only be seen in weaker teams before. A new draft format is supposed to change this and make the games significantly more exciting.
What is the Fearless Draft? The Fearless Draft ensures that champions can only be played once by a team in a Best-of-3 or Best-of-5. There are different variations to this. In the Legends Pro League (LPL) in China, for example, a team is still allowed to choose champions that the opposing team has chosen.
This means teams have to deal with more options, and the draft strategy must be developed for the entire match, not just for a single game. This has many advantages for viewers, but it is also a challenge for the balancing team.
Difficulties for the Teams and the Balancing
What are the implications of the Fearless Draft? Esports will be much more exciting for the viewers. You won’t see the same champions anymore, as the system no longer allows it. The pick-and-ban phase will again become an exciting moment before the actual game.
However, significant changes and possibly difficulties are ahead for the top teams and the balancing team.
The teams now have to analyze much more extensively. They no longer plan for a few champions that they must play or counter, but for a much larger pool. This creates new strategies, but also dangers, because preparation becomes more challenging. At the same time, teams also no longer have to strictly ban the same champions.
A new challenge also arises for the balancing team. While balance between casual players and professional esports still exists, the esports scene was manageable due to a fixed meta.
With the Fearless Draft, the team must monitor and potentially balance more data from champions. At the same time, they do not need to heavily nerf “problematic” champions immediately, as they can only be played once. Lead Gameplay Designer Matthew Leung-Harrison states:
For example, let’s assume Ryze was only played in the first game and not in the second game. This reduces the stress for balance, but it also increases stress in other areas, which I think is a good thing, right?
Matthew Leung-Harrison on the Fearless Draft (via Dexerto)
However, it must also be said that a fixed meta could still develop that favors certain champions. The teams just have to consider more data and tactics.
How the Fearless Draft will impact the competitive scene of LoL will be seen in 2025. One of the first events will be the First Stand Tournament, taking place in March in South Korea. However, only one team per region will be allowed to participate. Whether T1 will make it there remains to be seen. Currently, they are the top team of the hour: Faker becomes World Champion in LoL for the 5th time, deciding the final with a strong ultimate
