In the MOBA League of Legends (LoL), the World Championships, the Worlds, are held in Berlin, but Europeans are not participating.
The Worlds in LoL seem to be a bit boring: The Korean machine SKTelecom T1, led by 19-year-old star player Faker, has dominated the Worlds so far, landing in the finals with a record of 12-0. The somewhat rebellious Europeans from Origen had no chance in the semifinals that took place over the weekend, also being swept 3-0. The favorite SKT dominates the Worlds, much like Bayern dominates the Bundesliga.
And the reactions to this are similar: Great to watch, but getting a bit boring. Excitement is something else.
Here, a player from Origen escapes a 2-man gank from SKT, this was the best play that Origen showed in the semifinals… but it achieved nothing.
The Europeans from Fnatic, who were actually set to be the “ideal final opponents”, went under 3-0 after a strong tournament in their semifinal against the KOO Tigers, which is also a team from Korea. Their victory is regarded more as a surprise. But wishful thinking from the West might play a part in this.
These have been tough weeks for the Western LoL scene. Here in the West, “Team Solo Mid” is seen as the fan favorite. Their players like Bjergsen or Dyrus are stars on Twitch, they are followed and cheered for. Also an economic factor: Riot Gaming is making efforts to build a cult around their young players. Stars or not: In international competition, Team Solo Mid was without a chance. They were out in the group stage.
Now a change is imminent, Dyrus will end his professional career. At 23, he feels burnt out. Two more players will leave TSM.
US star Dyrus announced his retirement during the Worlds:
But that is already water under the bridge. In the LoL finals, SKT and the KOO Tigers are now competing against each other, two Korean teams for the first time in the finals of a Worlds.
The event will take place on Saturday, October 31, in Berlin. There are parallels to the 2013 Champions League Final. Back then, the favorites from Munich and the underdogs from Dortmund both made it through and met in Wembley.
