The ninth competitive League of Legends season has recently ended after 10 long months. Across many regional leagues and a few international events, there was something for every fan to enjoy. The good and the bad times are now behind us, though, and we’re ready for the new season.
But that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy this season because there was a lot to love about it. There was drama, laughs and celebrations, tears, and hiccups.
Here are some of the best moments we’ll remember when we look back on League’s 2019 season.
Team Liquid win the 2019 LCS Summer Finals
Team Liquid lifted the LCS trophy for the fourth time in a row this summer. In the finals, Liquid were matched against Cloud9. It was a set to remember, with both teams standing strong and pushing it to five games. But a dominant performance by Nicolaj Jensen and Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng in the last game allowed Liquid to defend their throne.
Clutch Gaming making it to Worlds
Clutch were the true underdogs of the 2019 LCS. The team seemed hopeless during the spring season and finished in ninth place. But a lot changed when Dignitas acquired the team during the Summer Split. Clutch made it to Worlds 2019 through the LCS regional finals and surprised everyone, even though their run ended in the group stage.
G2 win MSI
G2 Esports, one of the best League teams in 2019, won Europe’s first major international title since 2011 at MSI in May—and they did so in convincing fashion. G2 beat Liquid in one of the fastest best-of-five finals in League history.
This was just one of G2’s many accomplishments in 2019. The European juggernaut also won both the LEC Spring and Summer Splits and came in second at Worlds 2019.
The Worlds final opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the final day of the World Championship is highly anticipated every year and it’s becoming a standard for Riot to make it a show to remember. This year didn’t disappoint, either. From the countdown, live performances, and holographic production to the Summoner’s Cup coming out of a Louis Vuitton case, the opening ceremony was 10 minutes of pure hype.
Rick Fox’s charity stream
During the 2019 All-Star event, Rick Fox ran a 24-hour stream to raise money for the Bahamas Relief Fund. He was joined by a few League personalities, including Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp. The stream served as a great example of how the League community can come together when it’s all about helping others.
Lwx burns G2 in the post-final interview
In an interview after winning Worlds 2019, FunPlus Phoenix’s bot laner Lin “Lwx” Wei-Xiang didn’t have many nice things to say about the other finalist’s performance. Lwx thinks his team won Worlds because G2 underperformed in the final set, not because FPX played incredibly well. Combined with an unlucky phrasing of the translation, the audience had a loud reaction to Lwx’s answer.
FPX win Worlds
Finals are finals, and even when the games don’t turn out to be amazing, it’s the most important and anticipated set of games during the year. This year, China and Europe met on the Paris stage. But as is becoming a tradition in League, G2 failed to take the crown on home soil. FPX swept G2 and flew the cup back to China.
Related: When are FPX’s Worlds skins coming to League of Legends?
League’s 10-year anniversary
This year was a special one for League since the game celebrated its 10th birthday. Fans from all around the world joined Riot on an emotional ride through the past 10 years. Seeing how far both the game and its competitive scene progressed in that time left many fans feeling nostalgic and happy, making it a celebration to remember.
Riot got its fans excited about the future as well. The developer announced a number of upcoming games, including a digital card game, an FPS, and a fighting game.
