League of Legends is quite different in 2025 so I asked Fnatic's Oscarinin Upset and Mikyx about how the game is right now.
It's not all bad news. Even though the game is in a strange spot League of Legends esports is doing well again. Whether it is Marc Caedrel Lamont’s team Los Ratones shaking things up or the new global tournament First Stand the esports scene feels more exciting than ever. During a Red Bull Media day celebrating their partnership with Fnatic. I talked to top laner Óscar Oscarinin Muñoz Jiménez bot laner Elias Upset Lipp and support Mihael Mikyx Mehle about the game’s current state and whether Riot's changes have been good for esports.
I've actually liked the changes [Riot] has been making recently which is kind of surprising says Oscarinin with a laugh. It's been a nice change Upset adds. They both agree that the new fearless draft system has been important in shaking things up benefiting both the players and the fans.
In the past esports teams would pick and ban champions before a game. Now when a player picks a champion in one game that champion can't be used again for the rest of the series. For example if I a top League of Legends player, pick Senna as support in the first game neither team can choose Senna for the remaining games.
The main aim of fearless draft is to make matches more exciting to watch by avoiding repeated picks like Corki vs Azir in every game. It also pushes players to try out different champions. Players like Simon Baus Hofverberg and Martin Rekkles Larssen have become known for their wide variety of picks. Because of this other players have had to adjust leading to more unique and interesting picks in the game.
Oscarinin thinks fans enjoy the games more because they are not seeing the same matchups every time. Upset adds that the slower format with more best-of matches has been fun for them too.
I asked about the rise of unusual picks because of fearless drafting and how they affect each player's lane. Oscarinin said, Top lane still feels a bit alone. You can't really impact the game early on and you are not always with the team. But later on top lane champions become really strong in team fights it's just always OP. With Los Ratones picks there are more champion options than before especially with lane swaps gone. People are getting more creative which is cool. I'm also working on some new picks and it's fun to have a wider range of champions to choose from.
In the bot lane Upset credits fearless for making more champions viable. He says Before the ADC meta was stuck with a few champions that I played every game. but now that's not the case. It's more snowbally now because lane swaps are gone So bot lane advantages can last longer in the game. You had more ways to avoid tough matchups before. There's not a huge change but it's more fun to see different matchups since you're now forced to play against them.
Mikyx thinks not having lane swaps has been positive. It allows for harder-to-play champions to be picked. Now champions that win lanes better are more important. With fearless players can choose any champion and play different styles. For example someone who usually plays tanks might get to try something more fun like an enchanter. Overall not much has changed in support it's just that more champions are being played making the game more fun.
You need to be more open-minded and willing to try new things Upset says. Being fearless is not a good way to draft. It takes a lot of trial and error to find what works for your team your playstyle and what you are good at. It's all about experimenting, and everyone is in the same position because everyone has to adapt.
Riot's seasonal updates bring changes to the Rift too. In Season 1 a new monster called Atakhan was introduced and it's been updated for Season 2. Also Noxus Feats of Strength will be replaced as we move to Ionia. I wonder if these sudden changes keep things exciting for Fnatic or just get in the way.
Mikyx says We will have to see how Riot changes it from one season to the next. In esports. it might feel odd to change how the game is played halfway through the year instead of waiting for the off-season.
So far it's been pretty cool he says. The Noxus theme was awesome. There have been good changes with Atakhan and the Nexus respawning. I'm So excited to see what's coming next.
Fnatic is currently playing in the LEC Spring split and is in second place. Upset says their Winter performance had some great moments but also many low points. This time they are focusing on being more consistent and improving their overall game strategy. As the competition gets tougher and with the launch of League of Legends Season 2. the future looks promising and I'm So excited to see what the team will do next.
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