With the new year drawing ever nearer, it's time to reflect upon the year that was. For League of Legends, it was a jam-packed 2015 full of thrilling games, interesting stories and, of course, memes.

So, in no particular order or ranking, here's a look back at some of the most memorable moments and stories from League of Legends throughout 2015.

Doublelift joins Team SoloMid

It was one of the most shocking roster transfers in the history of the game — Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng, who was seen as the heart of Counter Logic Gaming, was not only leaving, but joining rival Team SoloMid.

Along with the trade came a wave of drama as players and management on both sides threw accusations and stories of betrayal and broken friendships. Although most of the wounds have since been healed, NA fans will always remember the day that Doublelift threw his jersey in the trash.

The Rise (and Fall) of China

It's no secret that China has experienced an incredibly tumultuous ending to the year. Heading into the 2015 World Championship, LGD Gaming and EDward Gaming were hailed as contenders for the crown only to bomb out in spectacular fashion.

In all that however, it's easy to forget that China were successful at the start of the year — Team WE shocked everyone at IEM Katowice by not only running the lower bracket in their group, taking out Gambit and CJ Entus, but also defeating the heavily-favored Tigers (then the GE Tigers) to secure a spot in the finals.

China's international success reached another level as the Mid-Season Invitational, when EDward Gaming defeated the much-touted SK Telecom T1, snapping Faker's streak of undefeated games on Leblanc.

Domestically, China became more competitive than ever, with squads such Snake and Qiao Gu emerging as legitimate contenders and LGD Gaming shocking EDward Gaming 3-0 in the Summer LPL Semifinals to climb to the top of the pack.

All of which is to say that China's fall from grace at Worlds and IEM San Jose was made all the more dramatic by the high expectations set throughout the first half of the year. Be it overconfidence, player injury or lack of practice and motivation, China's rise and sudden fall will be a talking point for analysts for some time yet.

The League of Memes

The League community runs on memes.

No matter the circumstance, serious, dramatic, light-hearted or exciting, you could bet your bottom dollar that a new meme would be spawned. Here's a quick sampling of some of the most enduring jokes of 2015.

By Far:

When SK Gaming was riding high during the EU LCS Spring Split, AD carry Konstantinos "FROG1VEN" Tzortiou wasn't shy about extolling his own strength. When asked if he and Christoph "nRated" Seitz were the best bot lane in Europe, FORG1VEN only had two words.

Meme status achieved.

Faker’s Barrel Roll Finals Entrance:

This one needs no further explanation. It's simply priceless.

Faker Vayne confirmed #Worlds — League of Legends EU (@loleu) October 31, 2015

The Huni:

Fnatic top laner Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon became an instant sensation for his antics and soundbites, proving a near endless supply of great gifs and jokes.

I could list at least 5.5k more, but the amount of League of Legends memes is already a worrying trend. Big Sorry.

Happily EVER After

It followed in the footsteps on all the major events, but ESC Ever's performance over the past two month has been one for the ages.

A Korean Challenger team that failed to qualify for the LCK, Ever started by exploding past the competition in the KeSPA Cup, topping Samsung Galaxy, Rebels Anarchy, CJ Entus and most shockingly, a 2-0 sweep of reigning world champions, SK Telecom T1. Granted, most LCK teams were already mentally checked out for the offseason, but the fact that a group of relative unknowns triumphed at a significant domestic event was surprising enough.

However, they then went on to continue their winning ways at the recent IEM Cologne, where they triumphed over H2K-Gaming and Qiao Gu. Next up for Ever? An invitation to the IEM World Championship in Katowice.

Due to their success the members of the team, especially support Kim "KeY" Han-gi and AD carry Lee "LoKen" Dong-wook, are more likely than not going to be scooped up by other organizations, but for now the Ever train is still going strong.

If nothing else, it has been the feel good hit of the winter.

Kori and Meet Your Makers

One of the more serious and dramatic moments of 2015, but an extremely significant one, was the controversy which surrounded the organization Meet Your Makers and Marcin "Kori" Wolski.

What started as a report that Kori had been threatened in order to continue playing for the sinking ship that was MYM quickly exploded into a full-blown legal drama as it was revealed that manager Sebastian Rotterdam had used Kori's mother's house as leverage in blackmailing him into sticking with the team.

After suffering community scorn and outrage, MYM was forced to remove Rotterdam and was penalized by Riot. The team was eventually relegated from the LCS and Kori has since moved on, but it was one of the most extreme example so far of abuse by an organization in the still nascent eSports scene.

Mark Cuban and the Birth of "eGamers"

IEM San Jose was a bit of a let down, but that doesn't mean that there weren't a few moments from the event that will live on in the League of Legends community.

At first it was the birth of a new meme, as one of the first words out of Fox Sports 1's Kristine Leahy's mouth was "eGamers."

And then it was two simple words that turned billionaire Mark Cuban from eSports newcomer to an instant legend.

Note - profanity ahead.

Not only did he trash talk like a seasoned pro, but he launched himself into god status within the eSports (sorry, eGamers) community. Well played, Mr. Cuban. Well played.

Fnatic's Rebuild and the Perfect Season

When it was announced that all of Fnatic's members, save Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim, were either retiring or leaving the organization, fans mourned the loss of a legendary European powerhouse and feared for the future. The speculation and doubt reached new heights when it was announced that Fnatic would be picking up two Korean players. Plus their four new additions were almost entirely untested in competitive play — though veteran Martin "Rekkles" Larsson would return for the Summer Split.

Which made it all the more surprising when Fnatic's near-total rebuild was not only successful, but eventually became one of the most dominant European LCS teams in history, going on to complete a perfect 18-0 regular season in Summer 2015.

The fact that Fnatic rose to the top of Europe and reclaimed the hearts of fans with a group of relative unknowns will be remembered as one of the greatest feats of management and leadership in the League scene, as well as one of the best stories of 2015.

Dyrus' Retirement Speech

Even though it was known ahead of time, the retirement of Marcus "Dyrus" Hill was nonetheless an emotional and powerful moment.

Bidding farewell to all his fans in a teary-eyed interview just after Team SoloMid's final game at the World Championship, Dyrus' sendoff was met with an outpouring of support for the legendary top laner. It hits you right in the feels. BibleThump.

The CBLOL 2015 Intro

Imagine Dragons, eat your heart out.

Riot Games Brazil went above and beyond, opening the CBLOL 2015 Summer Finals with an epic League of Legends themed metal show. It was wholly unexpected and completely awesome.

Guy dressed like Pentakill Karthus? Check.

Norwegian metal singer Jorn Lande? Check.

Full pyro and lights? Check.

What more could you possibly ask for? The games that came after were thrilling nail-biters, but it was the musical intro that stole the show.

SK Telecom T1 Reclaim the Throne

The 2015 World Championship was full of surprises and upsets, but one result that was expected was that SK Telecom T1 emerged victorious at the end.

Becoming the only organization to repeat as World Champions, SK Telecom T1 put the capstone on one of the most dominant years in history: two domestic LCK titles, second place at MSI and a world title. Not bad work for a year.

The story itself is less thrilling than meaningful, as Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Bae "bengi" Seong-woong and Co. have stamped their spots in the history books. When speaking of the legacy of League of Legends eSports, it was already difficult to leave out SKT.

Now, it's impossible.

The Tigers Take the Stage

Well that's one way to forge your own identity. Created mostly from ex-NaJin players, the Tigers took Korea by storm, quickly becoming one of its best teams. However, while their play was impressive, it was their showmanship and dedication to spectacle that made them instant sensations with fans across the globe. Partly a reflection of the team's goofy personalities, partly a branding PR move, the Tigers' antics have since become iconic.

If you're ever feeling sad, just remember that the Tigers played an actual LCK match dressed in matching pink sweater vests and cat ears.

The Offseason

It's not over yet, but especially in Europe and North America the 2015 offseason has been one of the most significant in terms of both money entering the scene and roster transfers. The arrival of organizations such as Immortals, NRG eSports and Echo Fox, has brought outside investor attention to North America, and the roster transfers have included some of the biggest names from across the globe. Notable moves include Team SoloMid's star-studded rebuild, the EU super teams of Vitality and H2K, Immortals' acquisition of Huni and Kim "Reignover" Yeu-jin and more.

That's not to say that Korea and China haven't experienced their fair share of notable moves as well. Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan and Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon both left the champion SK Telecom T1 in favor of China, the assembling of the Longzhu IM super team and the dismantling of NaJin e-mFire, among others.

Yeah, the ending of 2015 has been pretty insane.

Nic Doucet is a News Editor for theScore eSports. His memory fails him, so he probably missed something. You can follow him on Twitter.