‘It’s too good for the game’: LEC players and coaches want Fearless Draft in every Split

The LEC 2025 Winter Split Playoff stage is underway, and the first few weeks of Fearless Draft have shown just how fun this format can be. With unpredictable drafts, deeper champion pools, and dynamic strategies on display, fans are simply entertained—but they’re not the only ones.

Fearless Draft is a unique drafting format in competitive League of Legends that prevents teams from selecting the same champions in consecutive games in the same match. This forces players and coaches to continuously adapt their strategies, showcasing greater flexibility and deeper champion pools. In the EMEA region, Fearless Draft was introduced this year and just for Winter Split’s Playoffs. However, players and coaches argue that its short-lived presence has not allowed it to reach its full potential in shaping the competition for both teams and fans.

In exclusive interviews with Dot Esports, Dylan Falco, head coach of G2 Esports, Fabian “Grabbz” Lohmann, head coach of Fnatic, Alex “Myrwn” Pastor Villarejo, top laner for Movistar KOI, and Martin “Yike” Sundelin, jungler for Karmine Corp, shared their thoughts on Fearless Draft. All of them expressed strong support for the format, highlighting its entertainment value for fans, added strategic depth for the teams, and an overall positive impact on the competitive scene.

For Falco, the benefits are clear and immediate, advocating for the format to stay beyond the pre-organized first few weeks and to implement it in the rest of the year. “I think it’s too good for the game and it’s too good for viewership and the health of the game,” said Falco. He argued that Fearless Draft not only makes matches more entertaining for fans, but also keeps the experience “dynamic” for players and coaching staff alike. 

Falco further explained that this format allows competitive League to truly showcase its strategic complexity—which sometimes just means picking Teemo top. By forcing teams to explore different compositions and adapt in real-time, Fearless Draft reveals the “depth and situations the game has to offer,” according to G2’s coach. For him, this is exactly what professional League should aim for—a competitive environment that challenges players and entertains viewers by highlighting the full spectrum of what the game can be.

GrabbZ shared Falco’s point of view, highlighting how the current limited implementation in the LEC undermines Fearless Draft’s true potential. He believes having Fearless Draft for only a few weeks diminishes its impact, calling it “unrewarding” when it disappears for the rest of the year. “It doesn’t really matter as much as everyone thinks because we have it for three weeks only, and then it’s gone for the entire year,” GrabbZ noted. 

Beyond the strategic entertainment Fearless Draft brings to the table, GrabbZ also highlighted the psychological challenges that this format poses for players and coaches alike. While some professionals might find the uncertainty of the format annoying—especially those who must work with a limited champion pool—he insists that adaptability is a necessary skill at this professional level. “Ultimately, as a pro player, this is something you have to adapt to as a team,” he said. Despite that, GrabbZ remains a strong advocate for its wider adoption, expressing hope that Riot will recognize the format’s value and make it a permanent feature in future Splits starting this year.

KOI’s top laner Myrwyn also made it clear that he sees Fearless Draft as “the future of competitive League.” And echoing these sentiments, KDC’s jungler Yike expressed particular enthusiasm to Dot for how Fearless Draft makes the competitive scene finally feel “fresh” again.

“It’s not going to be every game with the same boring champs,” Yike said, underlining how the format prevents teams from falling into repetitive drafts.  Other members of KC also share his sentiments, according to Yike, particularly his mid laner, Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis, who is eager to display his champion “ocean,” as the jungler described it.

With top coaches and players from some of the most competitive teams in EMEA expressing support, it’s clear that some believe Fearless Draft deserves a permanent spot in the LEC as soon as possible. 

While highly unlikely that their appeal will be heard and put in action in 2025, the overwhelmingly positive reception of Fearless Draft could lead Riot to implement the format across all tournaments next year.