League of Legends’ 2018 All-Star Event: Memes and Competitive Fun
League of Legends’ All-Star event in 2018 was a breath of fresh air, combining memes and competition. This was a welcome change from the previous year’s disappointment.
The game’s esports scene has been a leader in the industry for almost a decade. Tournaments like the World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and Rift Rivals showcase the top teams from around the world, competing against each other or in regional contests.
However, All-Stars has always had a different purpose. It provides a break from the seriousness and intense competition of the League of Legends season. It’s filled with memes, jokes, and less serious competitions compared to other tournaments. Last year was an exception.
In 2017, Riot tried to make All-Stars more competitive. It was less silly and focused on grudge matches between regional rivals instead of fan interaction and jokes. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet expectations.
The event left fans unsatisfied for several reasons. Despite being marketed as more serious and meaningful, there was no prize pool. Additionally, pro players had barely any time to rest after the Worlds tournament. This created confusion for players and resulted in longer, less exciting games.
Thankfully, this year’s All-Star event was the complete opposite. We hope Riot continues this trend in 2019 because it was amazing. Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp conducted player interviews, the analyst desk was placed among the fans, and streamers and other personalities played alongside prestigious players. It was everything the event should have always been.
Our favorite event was the two-on-two tournament, where the winners could donate a large sum of money to a charity of their choice. It’s not just our favorite because a North American team won for the first time. Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng and Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani were impressive, but there were many reasons to love this tournament. Players embraced the silliness, like when Doublelift convinced Faker to play against them using Thresh and Alistar in the finals, but they still competed to win and donate to charity. It was a multi-layered experience.
The event felt vibrant and much more enjoyable than the previous year’s. It didn’t have to rely on intense competition to be entertaining. Witnessing three-time world champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok playing Nexus Blitz was magical, and Riot should strive to replicate this magic in future events.
League of Legends, All-Star event, esports, competition, memes, tournament, teams, World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, Rift Rivals, serious, silly, grudge matches, fan interaction, jokes, unsatisfactory, prize pool, pro players, Tyler1, Tyler Steinkamp, analyst desk, streamers, personalities, prestigious players, two-on-two tournament, charity, North American team, Doublelift, Voyboy, Faker, Thresh, Alistar, vibrant, enjoyable, Nexus Blitz.