For six years, the World Championship has shaped the story of legends. Born from simple origins—a love for the Rift—Worlds has brought to life unforgettable moments, inspirational champions, and a legacy of passion and competition. When this year's tournament begins, the world will witness League's greatest players forging their own legends in a story still being written.

The 2015 World Championship was defined by a king reclaiming his crown. With a half-dozen domestic and international titles under his belt—including two World Championships—Faker solidified his legend. As the season that saw him struggle to be worthy of his reputation came to an end, Faker again stood at the pinnacle.

In the end, it was Korea versus Europe in the Semifinals, and then it was Korea versus Korea. The Tigers persevered through many challenges, from their ragtag origins to ownership changes during the year. Although they easily matched the best teams the international community could field, they managed only to take one game off the indomitable SKTelecom.

As Worlds wound its way through Europe, Fnatic and Origen ignited the home crowds. Fnatic rode high into Worlds after a record-setting 18-0 run during the EU LCS regular season. Origen, led by 2011 World Champion xPeke, entered the tournament as Europe’s third seed, but they took the competition by surprise. Both teams finished as Semifinalists.

Europe played host to the 2015 tournament, beginning with Group Stage in Paris. Early on, North America and China posted disappointing performances as three NA LCS and two LPL teams bowed out in Group Stage. EDG was the only Chinese team to advance to Quarterfinals, where they fell to Fnatic. The LMS region started strong as both of their teams—Flash Wolves and ahq e-Sports club—prevailed in Group Stage before being eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Origen and SKTelecom.

KOO Tigers top laner Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho was dubbed the worst top laner in the Korean competitive scene by many analysts when he made his debut in 2013. By 2015, he was holding his own against such heavyweights as SKT's Marin and KT Rolster's Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho.

Early in the season, a colorful Korean powerhouse emerged: the KOO Tigers (now known as the ROX Tigers). Full of players cast aside by other organizations, they dominated Korea's 2015 Spring Split by performing exceptionally as a cohesive unit. After stumbling in the Summer Split, the Tigers entered the 2015 Worlds tournament as the region's second seed.

Undeniably, Faker had his lows in 2015. With playtime split in the mid lane thanks to in-match strategic substitutions with teammate Lee “Easyhoon” Ji-hoon, Faker lost the Mid-Season Invitational when SKT fell to EDG in the Final. But the former champions would not be kept down for long. The combined efforts of rising star Jang “MaRin” Geyong-Hwan and Faker’s resurgence as the best midlaner around thrust SKT into a dominant Summer Split that saw them enter Worlds in Europe as heavy favorites.

The 2015 season kicked off with a mass migration of talent from Korea. China was the destination for many Korean players, including most of the Samsung Blue and White teams that had dominated the previous year. With former Samsung stars Heo "PawN" Won-seok and Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu anchoring the mid and AD carry roles, China’s Edward Gaming secured their first international win at the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, besting SKTelecom in a close 3-2 series. Against this backdrop, a former champion from two years past set out to reclaim his throne.

KOREA WELCOMES THE WORLD

In 2014, the top League of Legends teams from around the globe set their eyes on Korea as the World Championship arrived at the epicenter of esports. While the previous year brought back an emphasis on individual outplays and mechanical skill, team-based strategies matured in 2014 and the game changed again. Korean teams led the evolving competitive scene as the rest of the world prepared to challenge them for the throne.

The 2014 World Championship Final was held in front of a 40,000-strong crowd at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea. Famed Korean hype-master Caster Jun amped up millions of fans watching in person and online.

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'Warriors' was created in collaboration with Imagine Dragons to capture the spirit of the League of Legends World Championship. The band performed the song live at the Final.

In the first major surprise of the 2014 World Championship, the defending champion SKTelecom failed to qualify for the tournament. In its place rose the Samsung organization, and its two sister teams—Blue and White—who charged forward with a powerful team-centric style of play that relied on creating map pressure through a heavy emphasis on vision control. Samsung Blue and White were the top two seeds from Korea and major favorites to win the title. Blue eliminated White from the LCK Spring and LCK Summer playoffs that year, leaving them poised to do them same at Worlds.

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STARTING ONLY A FEW MINUTES INTO THE GAME, WHITE’S JUNGLER AND SUPPORT WOULD ROAM TOGETHER AND CONTROL THE MAP BY PUTTING DOWN VISION AND INVADING THE ENEMY JUNGLE. IF YOU DIDN'T MIRROR OR COUNTERPLAY THIS, IT WAS VERY EASY TO INSTANTLY LOSE THE GAME. ERIK "TABZZ" VAN HELVERT

Though few would argue that the seat of power resided anywhere other than Korea, other regions proved they shared the warrior’s spirit. North America stood out as a region growing in promise, after Cloud9 and TSM logged the region’s best performance since 2011, surviving Group Stage and advancing to the Quarterfinals (where they fell to the dual-wrecking ball that was Samsung Blue and White).

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Perhaps the surest sign of international growth came with one of the greatest upsets in Worlds history. Brazilian International Wildcard qualifier KaBum! e-Sports shocked Alliance and the world watching when they took down Europe's first seed. The defeat, which came late in the Group Stage, prevented Alliance from advancing to the Knockout Stage and at the same time put the major regions on notice: The IWC was here to play.

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China was viewed as a contender to disrupt Korea’s dominance. At the forefront of that conversation was Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao. Widely regarded as the best AD carry in a region known for having the best AD carries, Uzi was the sole remaining member of the second-place Royal Club squad from 2013. On his shoulders he carried the hopes of his nation.

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Ultimately, it was Samsung’s tournament to win. The Semifinals matchup between the two sister teams had the talent and atmosphere to be expected of a Final, especially in front of the Korean crowd. This time, White would not be stopped as they swept Blue in a 3-0 victory. In an emotional moment on stage, the two teams bowed to their home crowd, a move typically reserved for the winner.

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In the Final, Royal Club matched up against Samsung White. For the second time, China’s dominant team proved to be outmatched, as Samsung White dispatched them 3-1. For Samsung White, it was a moment of ascendence—they’d reached the apex of League of Legends esports, and as they kissed the cup, they did so to the adulation of a massive home crowd in South Korea.

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