Winning Worlds is a nightmare. Honestly, look at the faces of the players when the Nexus finally explodes in the fifth game of a Grand Final. They don’t look like they just won a million dollars; they look like they just survived a car crash. Since Fnatic took home that first trophy in a Swedish basement back in 2011, the list of League of Legends world winners has become the most exclusive club in esports. It’s a list defined by South Korean dominance, the rise and fall of Chinese super-teams, and the crushing weight of expectation.
You’ve probably heard people argue about who the "true" greatest team is. Was it the 2014 Samsung White squad that played like they were from the future? Or the 2023 T1 roster that finally gave Faker his fourth ring? It’s not just about the trophy. It’s about how they changed the way the game is played.
The Era of Prehistoric League
Before the multi-million dollar training facilities and the legions of analysts, League was basically the Wild West. When Fnatic won in Season 1, the "meta" as we know it—ADC and Support in the bot lane—was barely a solidified concept. They beat Against All Authority in a tournament that felt more like a local LAN party than a global spectacle.
But things shifted fast.
By the time Taipei Assassins (TPA) shocked the world in 2012, the power center was already moving. TPA is still one of the most fascinating League of Legends world winners because nobody saw them coming. They were the ultimate underdogs, taking down the legendary Moscow Five and then MJS Frost. It was the last time a team from a "minor" region truly conquered the globe. After that, the door slammed shut. Korea arrived.
The SKT Dynasty and the Faker Factor
You can't talk about winners without talking about SK Telecom T1. Between 2013 and 2016, they won three out of four championships. That kind of consistency is disgusting. It shouldn't happen in a game that changes its fundamental rules every two weeks.
Faker’s first win in 2013 with Impact, Bengi, Piglet, and PoohMandu was a demolition job. They weren't just better; they were faster. They rotated across the map while other teams were still trying to figure out how to last-hit under tower. But the 2015 version of SKT? That was arguably the peak of professional League of Legends. They went 15-1 across the entire tournament. The only team to take a single game off them was KOO Tigers in the finals.
People forget how much pressure was on them. If SKT didn't win, it was a national tragedy. That’s the burden of being the gold standard.
When the Samsung Org Broke the Game
2014 was different. 2014 belonged to Samsung White. If you ask any pro player from that era who the scariest team in history was, they won't say SKT. They’ll say SSW.
Mata and Dandy basically invented modern vision control. They didn't just ward; they lived in your jungle. They made the enemy jungler feel like a guest in their own home. It was psychological warfare. The weird thing? The team disbanded almost immediately after winning because the "Exodus" to China began. All ten players from the Samsung sister teams (White and Blue) headed to the LPL for massive contracts. It changed the ecosystem forever.
China Finally Crashes the Party
For years, the LPL was the "almost" region. Royal Never Give Up and various iterations of EDG would get close, only to be dismantled by Korean macro. Then came 2018.
Invictus Gaming (iG) changed the DNA of the game. They didn't care about "perfect macro" or "safe scaling." They just wanted to fight. Everywhere. All the time. With TheShy and Rookie in their prime, iG proved that if you simply out-mechanic your opponent into the dirt, the map movements don't matter as much.
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- 2018: iG brings the first trophy to China.
- 2019: FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) does it again, but with a weird, roaming mid-lane style led by Doinb.
- 2021: EDward Gaming (EDG) wins a grueling five-game banger against DWG KIA.
The LPL wins felt different. They were louder. More chaotic. They broke the "Korean style" of slow, methodical chokes and replaced it with high-octane bloodbaths.
The Longevity Problem
Why do so many League of Legends world winners fall off a cliff the next year?
Look at Damwon Gaming (DWG) in 2020. They looked invincible. ShowMaker and Canyon were the best mid-jungle duo we had seen in years. They brought the trophy back to Korea after a long drought. But the "World Champion Curse" is a real thing.
Motivation is a fickle beast. Once you've climbed the mountain and held the Summoner's Cup, waking up at 10 AM to play 14 hours of solo queue starts to feel a lot less appealing. Burnout in this industry is rampant. Players like BeryL, who won with Damwon and then again with DRX in 2022, are absolute statistical anomalies.
The DRX Miracle Run: 2022
If you want to talk about the most "human" win in history, it’s DRX. They were the fourth seed from Korea. They shouldn't have even been at the tournament, honestly. They started in the Play-In stage against teams from Brazil and Japan.
They beat the defending champs (EDG). They beat the favorites (Gen.G). Then, in the finals, they beat T1 in what many call the greatest series ever played. Deft, the veteran who had been trying to win for a decade, finally got his moment. It was the first time a Play-In team ever won the whole thing. It proved that "peaking at the right time" is more important than being the best team on paper all year long.
Modern Dominance: T1's Resurrection
Then we have 2023. Faker, ten years after his first win, lifted the trophy again. It’s absurd. Most pros are retired and streaming by age 24. Faker won his fourth at 27.
The 2023 T1 roster (Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, Keria) became the first starting five to stay together after a heartbreaking loss (2022) and actually come back to win it all. Usually, teams blow up after a loss like that. They stayed. They practiced. They dismantled the entire LPL on their way to the title.
What Most People Get Wrong About Winning
There is a massive misconception that the team with the best players always wins. It's rarely true. The League of Legends world winners are almost always the teams that solve the "patch" fastest.
Every Worlds has a specific meta. In 2017, it was the "Ardent Censer" meta, where the entire game revolved around the Support item. Samsung Galaxy realized this better than anyone and swept SKT in the finals. If the meta doesn't suit your playstyle, you're toast, regardless of how many superstars you have.
Lessons from the Champions
If you're looking to climb the ladder or just understand the game better, look at the common threads between these winning rosters.
- Information over Kills: Every winning team, from SSW to T1, prioritizes knowing where the enemy is. You can't make a play if you're blind.
- Adaptability: The teams that refuse to play "new" champions get eliminated in the Quarterfinals. Winners embrace the weird picks.
- Resilience: Almost every winner has a moment where they were one game away from going home. Staying calm when your base is being sieged is a skill you can't teach.
How to Track the Next Generation
The landscape is shifting again. With the introduction of new regional formats and the merging of certain leagues, the path to becoming one of the League of Legends world winners is getting harder.
To stay ahead of the curve, stop watching just the highlights. Watch the "Pro View" of supports like Keria or Meiko. Watch how they move their camera. The game isn't won in the teamfights you see on the main broadcast; it's won in the thirty seconds of setup before the dragon even spawns.
Check the LCK and LPL standings weekly. Don't just look at the win/loss record—look at "Gold Differential at 15 minutes." The teams that consistently lead early are the ones that actually have the discipline to win a Bo5 on the world stage.
If you want to dive deeper, start by analyzing the 2023 T1 vs. WBG finals. Look at the draft priority given to Rumble and Yone. That’s where the winning started—not at the Nexus, but in the pick-and-ban phase. That is where legacies are actually built.