As the official commentator Guan Zeyuan exclaimed at the end of the final game: "After more than 4000 days, once again, an all-Chinese team has reached the final of the World Championship."
11 years ago, on October 5, 2013, a team named RYL stood on the finals stage of that year's Worlds, facing an opponent named SKT, whose mid-laner was known as Faker. At that time, we still held the hope of winning the Worlds championship for the first time, but little did we know that in the next 11 years, this team, this ID, would become an inescapable shadow over the entire LPL.
"That year we comforted each other, saying it's okay, we'll come back next time, but this wait has lasted 11 years."
This article will review the final results of all-Chinese teams from the LPL in the League of Legends World Championship since the 2013 S3 season. (Only teams that reached the knockout stage are counted)
S3
Team Name: RYL
Final Result: Runner-up (0-3 loss to SKT)
Top: Godlike Jungle: Lucky Mid: Whlt3zZ; ADC: Uzi Support: Tabe
For the first time since the establishment of the LPL, a team from the LPL made it to the finals of the World Championship, which was undoubtedly a very proud and inspiring achievement at the time. (Rooted in the "unplugging incident" faced by WE during the S2 period, which remains a representative of "unfair matches" in league history)
As the number one seed from the LPL at the time, RYL directly entered the knockout stage, but in the subsequent quarterfinals, they drew another LPL team, OMG. In this domestic battle, RYL defeated OMG to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, they faced FNC, and although the process was somewhat thrilling, RYL still won the ticket to the finals with a 3-1 score.
Of course, we are already clear about the outcome of the final, a 3-0 sweep declared to the world the significant gap between Chinese and Korean teams at that time. When SKT used the most advanced 1-4 split push system and lane swaps, along with advanced draft strategies to crush the opponent's thoughts and understanding, our team didn't even have a coach.
S4
Team Name: Oh My God
Final Result: Semifinals (2-3 loss to SHR)
Top: Gogoing; Jungle: Loveling Mid: Cool ADC: San; Support: Cloud
During the S4 period, Royal Club introduced Korean imports inSec and Zero, making the dark force OMG the representative of all-Chinese teams in that year's World Championship.
In the group stage of the S3 World Championship, OMG met the champion SKT in a small match and steadily secured a victory in that match. Before the domestic battle, they were seen as the most likely hope to defeat a Korean team in a BO5. Unfortunately, in the S3 year, they were eliminated.
In the group stage of S4 this year, in the match against FNC, OMG had to win to advance, providing us with a brilliant moment in the history of Chinese League of Legends: "The Guardian Kha'Zix."
A Chinese team that might compete for the final championship has emerged. However, history often repeats itself. In the semifinals of the S10 League of Legends World Championship, TES and SN, both from the LPL, were drawn together, leading to another internal battle in the LPL region. Similarly, the all-Chinese team was eliminated by their opponent, ultimately stopping at the top four. S11 Team Name: RNG Final Result: Quarterfinals (2-3 loss to EDG) Top: Xiaohu Jungle: Wei Mid: Cryin; ADC: GALA Support: Ming A reassembled all-Chinese team filled with disappointed individuals, a team rated B+ before the spring season, considered successful if they made it to the playoffs, and a decision to switch from mid to top lane. This was the 2021 RNG, a team not favored by everyone and full of uncertainties. But an incredible chemistry quietly brewed among these five individuals, forming a golden storm that swept the world of the league. A miraculous strategy emerged: the whole team protecting the top lane early, waiting for the top lane to give back to the team mid-game, and a core ADC taking over the game late. This unexpectedly created an impossible miracle: from winning the spring championship to defeating DK at MSI to avenge their previous loss, and then dominating the group stage at Worlds. This was the 2021 RNG. From a future perspective, the quarterfinals, the fateful LPL internal battle, ended satisfactorily. EDG, carrying the hopes of the LPL, emerged victorious from the siege of the LCK and claimed the Summoner's Cup. However, such inspiring stories often only happen once. S12 Team Name: RNG Final Result: Quarterfinals (0-3 loss to T1) Top: Breathe Jungle: Wei Mid: Xiaohu; ADC: GALA Support: Ming After winning the 2022 MSI, this RNG, like in past years, was highly anticipated by countless supporters of all-Chinese teams. However, when the top laners Bin and Breathe swapped places, this glimmer of hope seemed to fade. The high-durability version created by the designers also made RNG's summer journey bumpy (RNG barely made it to the playoffs by relying on Breathe's "One Sword Opens the Heaven" in the last-minute match against LNG). Yet, all hidden issues erupted at the last moment. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 plunged RNG's state into despair. Just finishing the matches and advancing was the greatest hope at the time. After this disaster, familiar enemies, familiar team names, familiar outcomes—all seemed like a revolving cycle. The reasons for losing to T1 in the knockout stage, the final score, all felt familiar. Facing T1's ever-changing bottom lane choices and systems (the oppressive lane phase with Heimerdinger in the first game, Renata's counter-protection in the second, and Tahm Kench's protection and support in the final game), RNG struggled to cope. In the rolling snowball of waves, even RNG's renowned team-fighting phase was crushed. S13 Team Name: Bilibili Gaming Final Result: Semifinals (2-3 loss to WBG) Top: bin Jungle: Xun Mid: Yagao; ADC: Elk Support: ON The repeated battles and defeats in the internal phase made the love-hate relationship between "Prime Minister JDG" and "Meng Huo BLG" the main narrative of the 2023 LPL. However, for BLG, what was more worth celebrating was the title of "Foreign War God": in the 2023 world events, BLG achieved a triple kill against LCK teams in BO5 matches, winning all three!MSI loser's bracket first match 3-0 sweep against GEN; MSI loser's bracket second match 3-1 victory over T1; S13 League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals 3-2 triumph over GEN. Regarding this scenario, as spectators, we can jokingly say that the LPL finally has a team that makes the LCK feel afraid.
Meeting in domestic matches seems to be the fate of the LPL, and it seems "only natural" that WBG drew BLG in the semifinals draw. Theshy's resurgence secured WBG a ticket to the finals.
This BO5 loss became BLG's swan song in 2023. This "super anti-Korean team," "foreign battle hard shrimp," only won a Demacia Cup championship in 2023, but this spirit of courage and perseverance continues, and now, they have a chance to end with a perfect conclusion.
Conclusion
At the end of this article, I want to adapt the pre-match summary of the decisive BO5 final game between RNG and SKT in the semifinals of the 2017 S World Championship by LPL official commentator Remember, as the conclusion of the article:
Maybe one day, I say maybe, maybe one day we will lose faith in League of Legends esports because Korea's dominance continues to this day.
But I don't think it's today.
Moreover, maybe one day these players we love won't be able to continue on stage.
But not today either.
Today BLG fights bravely to face T1 in the decisive match! We are ready to enter Summoner's Rift!
(Yingtian)
