League of Legends has been around for over 15 years, and a lot has changed during that time. It’s hard to imagine the game without some items, champions, or mechanics. A YouTuber shows how an old match is responsible for one of the most important items in the game.
Which item is it? The Ionian Boots of Lucidity have been in the game since January 4, 2011. As an item, they are still played by countless players today because they can be built by many champions, regardless of the role or lane they play.
The 10% cooldown reduction they provide is quite strong and affordable for many champions, especially in the early game. However, they weren’t simply added; a team earned their place in the game in a community event.
A boring match that changed League of Legends
What kind of match was it? In a YouTube video by Myth – League of Legends, the creator tells the story of an official show match that took place in 2010. However, this was not just any match; it was tied to the lore. The focus was on the invasion of Noxus into Ionia.
Riot selected 10 champions for each side, one was banned each time, and in the end, they played 5 against 5 with thematically matching champions. The match was commented on by David Turley, known as Phreak
, but always related to the lore. Compared to today’s events, it felt less professional. There were sound and stream issues, and at times, you could also see desktop notifications from Phreak.
The match itself was quite boring. Udyr, played by GuardsmanBob, secured an early kill and became an unstoppable force with the item Innervating Locket, which was removed shortly afterward and returned only in event modes. He could defeat the opposing team almost single-handedly.
Although the game was quite one-sided, it’s still worth taking a look at the match because the meta back then was very different from today.
You can still watch the entire match on YouTube:
Impact on the lore and the item pool
What impact did the match have on League of Legends? On one hand, this match solidified itself in the lore of League of Legends. The victory of Ionia was represented in the lore through the liberation of three provinces. Although it must be said that the lore changed significantly in the following years.
On the other hand, the winning team was allowed to vote between two items. The item that won made it into the game. The Ionian Boots of Lucidity were voted for and remain in the game to this day. The other item was said to be a starter item for mages that was supposed to grant spell vamp as a stat (via League of Legends Wiki).
These shoes show that some things, despite great change, are still present in the game today. However, this type of event unfortunately no longer exists. Another lasting element in LoL is Faker: LoL legend Faker needs 10 years to repeat a success, his coach is not satisfied with that
