Timing is everything: Why the new League of Legends Summoner’s Cup design is too much too soon

The League of Legends World Championship is less than 24 hours out. Of the 24 teams invited, only one will claim the title of world champion and lift the new Summoner’s Cup.

Since 2012, the Summoner’s Cup has served as the symbol of the World Championship, fitting right into League’s epic branding and the game’s original lore. Ten years later, Riot Games has transitioned the trophy’s design into something more modern, pure, and forward-looking. 

At first glance, the design of the 2022 Summoner’s Cup can be tough to put into words. Let’s be honest, most of us looked at the latest iteration of the Summoner’s Cup and were unpleasantly surprised at how much the new design failed to live up to the most sought-after trophy of the League esports scene. 

The iconic original design of the World Championship trophy helped shape the epic greatness of every World Championship event. The imposing size and weight, detailed Summoners figures, and eye-catching blue jewels drew the attention of everyone in the room, even when that room was a 90,000-seat stadium. That trophy represented the culmination of a team’s story, and every roster of players that lifted the Cup over the years added their names to the trophy’s weighted history. 

The original Summoner’s Cup told a story, but it was a story of the past that connected the trophy to the original lore of the game. Riot is looking toward the future this year, as is evident with the trophy’s new look. 

But the new World Championship Summoner’s Cup doesn’t feel like a League of Legends trophy— not yet, at least.

Forged and sculpted in collaboration with Tiffany & Co, the new trophy contains only a few key elements, including the five handles with the in-game roles engraved at the top of each bar. The new design draws the eye and allows the viewer to experience a simple yet powerful narrative of expression through minimalist sculpture.

By stripping down the cup of all the rich details, what remains are basic features representing the core values of the tournament. And what Riot seems to value most are the players, evident by the addition of all the past winners’ names on the trophy. 

The minimalist choice for the new design of the Summoner’s Cup is a bold one. Historically, minimalism stands at odds with the artistic canon or the standard ideals of beauty of an era. By tearing apart the most basic components of high and epic visuals, minimalism challenges the decades-old traditions of looking for beauty in the fine details embedded in the minds of the majority of people. And that’s exactly what happened with the new Summoner’s Cup design; you either love it, hate it, or don’t comprehend it.

But the new Summoner’s Cup is only one note in the new visionary symphony Riot is playing that will reshape the core of the League esports scene in the next decade.

Ill-received by many League fans, this new design is part of a new, futuristic look Riot has begun creating for League’s esport scene, to which the community has yet to become accustomed. Riot is establishing a new era, and the change was first set in motion with Worlds 2020 and MSI 2021. Just compare the events’ artstyles:

But this change, this modern and futuristic view of the League esport scene, has not settled in with the fans yet, leaving them dissatisfied when looking at the new World Championship trophy.

“In which world you look to that trophy and think ‘yeah, that represents well league of legends world’,” one League fan on Twitter wrote.  

“It’s very elegant and clean, but it’s very uninspiring,” another fan said following Riot’s announcement of the new design. Many others rallied behind a remark from G2 Esports graphic designer Eric Alvarez, who kept the message simple but blatantly clear: “Reject modernity. Embrace tradition.”

While every year Riot works to make the event unique, there was always a sense of raw magnificence viewers could feel down to their bones. From the heroic music, to the grandiose stage settings, the unforgettable entrance of the players, and, finally, the coveted trophy, everything was tailored to make the audience appreciate the immense power of that moment. But the sentiment of epicness, the visions of marble and gold, the choruses that urged us to “rise” and “rise” up again will become a thing of the past.

Knowing the old Summoner’s Cup might not be lifted anymore is sad, but all eras come to an end, and it’s time for the grand and epic era of League esports to sunset.

The original Summoner’s Cup was legendary, and like all legends, it will never die.