Photo: Colin Young-Wolff
Disclaimer: This is an editorial article written by the biggest League of Legends fanboy in the world Tipsalewo.
Finally ! After experiencing the Worlds of League of Legends remotely in 2020 and 2021, the media and the public are finally back in 2022! Damn coronavirus, you will have deprived us of strong emotions and I think I will blame you all my life... While MGG made the trip to San Francisco to attend the final between DRX and T1 at the Chase Center, home usual Golden States (NBA), we were amazed during the opening ceremony. It's our own, but LoL really is the best esport in the world. In terms of production and emotion , difficult to compete... we almost had tears in our eyes. Long live esports and long live League of Legends!
The return to face-to-face, it really makes the difference
Since the start of the competition, we have been talking about declining audiences. It must be said that by organizing the Worlds in North America, the world suffers from its time zone which is not very welcoming for European and Asian fans. In France, you had to turn on your stream at one o'clock in the morning to not miss anything... The absent are always wrong, but you can't really blame those who didn't manage to wake up. But in the end, what can numbers do in the face of emotion ? The opening ceremony made everyone agree and we have rarely seen such a joyful stadium. There was perhaps a little less noise than at the KCX 2 in Bercy, but there are still things that are unmistakable. All the spectators, young and old, new or experienced, had a smile on their face. The production was a delight for the eyes, the music, the colors, the timings... Everything was meticulous and perfectly well thought out. Star Walkin wasn't unanimous when it was released, but in the stadium, the vibe touched the hearts of all the fans. Lil Nas X was great and even if we loved the ceremony in Paris in 2019, the one in San Francisco was a cut above.
But what impressed even more was the hype video played against a backdrop of classical music. Deft against Faker , the writers have done a crazy job hyping up the final. Regardless of the outcome of the final, League of Legends has already won! What about the introduction of the players as well. DRX gave itself to set the mood and Pyosik 's small boxing steps set the stadium on fire. But as often, Faker does better than the others. At first stoic during his preparation, he then made a hush. Of course, no one was silent and everyone went crazy. Not the GOAT of League of Legends wants.
Stories from all sides
What makes this finale so special this year are the story arcs that grow from all sides. On paper, a final that pits two teams from the same region against each other is less hype. But with Faker and T1 around, it just doesn't make sense!
- Faker, prophecy ; we could talk about it for hours, but Faker is truly a living legend. Winning League of Legends Worlds is already complicated, but imagine winning three, or even four! The midlaner is back in the final after long years of absence and after a long career as an arm, he is still hungry.
- Deft, the last dance : Deft has won everything in his life (LPL, LCK, MSI ...), finally he still lacks a trophy ... The Worlds! While his career may be coming to an end, this opportunity may well be the last of his life. Engaged in his last dance, this last lasts to the delight of the fans.
- Keria vs Deft, the battle of former teammates : the two players played together at DRX in 2020. More than just teammates, they shared the botlane together! The support had at the time promised to the ADC to bring him back the title, without success. They didn't win together, but now that they're against each other, there's bound to be a winner... but also a loser!
Genshin Impact embodies the lucrative gatcha game par excellence, which with each character release manages to fill its community with hype. This craze for ultra-charismatic heroes translates into spending sprees among some players. Also called "whales" by their peers.
