He did it again.
Honestly, if you watched the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, you probably spent the last ten minutes of the grand finals holding your breath. I know I did. Seeing Faker lift that trophy for the fifth time wasn't just another esports milestone; it felt like watching someone defy the laws of aging in real-time.
T1 beat Bilibili Gaming (BLG) 3-2 in a series that was, quite frankly, a heart-attack-inducing rollercoaster. London’s O2 Arena was shaking. And while the dust has settled, the way that tournament unfolded tells us a lot about where League is heading.
The Narrative Nobody Expected: T1’s "Cinderella" Defense
Entering the tournament, T1 looked... shaky. That’s being generous. They barely clawed their way through the LCK Regional Qualifiers as the fourth seed. Most analysts were betting on Gen.G or the LPL heavyweights like BLG to take it all.
But Worlds is different. There’s this "T1 buff" that people joke about, but after 2024, it’s hard to call it a joke. They didn't just win; they defended their 2023 title with the exact same roster—Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, and Keria (ZOFGK).
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What Actually Happened in the Finals
The match was a brutal back-and-forth. BLG took Game 1 in a stomp, making T1 look uncharacteristically slow. T1 answered in Game 2. Then BLG pushed them to the brink in Game 3.
Down 1-2, T1 was one game away from losing the crown.
Then Faker happened. His performance on Sylas in Game 4 and Galio in Game 5 was a masterclass. In Game 5, there was this specific moment in the top lane—a 4v1 collapse by BLG on Zeus. Most teams would have lost the member and the map pressure. Instead, Faker’s Galio ultimate turned a certain death into a counter-ace.
It was surgical.
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2024 League of Legends World Championship: The Meta Shift
The tournament was played on Patch 14.18, which Riot specifically tuned to kill the stale "lane swap" meta and the boring AD-mid dominance. They buffed mages. They made towers harder to dive early. Basically, they paved the way for playmakers.
- Most Banned: Aurora and Yone were the absolute nightmares of the draft. If you didn't ban them, you were asking for trouble.
- The Ziggs Problem: For a while, Ziggs bot lane was everywhere because he could just delete towers, but teams eventually figured out how to punish his lack of mobility.
- Faker’s Comfort: Riot’s buffs to mages like Sylas and Ryze (and the lack of massive nerfs to Azir) basically handed the keys of the kingdom back to the veteran mid-laners.
Record-Breaking Numbers
If you think esports is shrinking, the 2024 League of Legends World Championship stats say otherwise. This event peaked at 6.94 million concurrent viewers (not even counting the massive Chinese platforms). That’s a world record.
People didn't just watch for the gameplay. They watched for the story. You had the "LPL vs LCK" rivalry at its peak, with BLG trying to bring the trophy back to China for the first time since 2021.
Why This Win Matters More Than 2023
Last year felt like a redemption arc. This year felt like a statement of permanence. Faker is 28. In "pro gamer years," that’s ancient. Most of his peers from the 2013-2016 era are retired or coaching.
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Yet, he was named the Finals MVP.
It’s also worth noting the heartbreak for BLG. Knight and Bin played out of their minds. Bin’s Jax is still probably the scariest thing in the top lane globally, but they couldn't close the gap in team cohesion when it mattered most. T1’s ability to stay calm under a 5k gold deficit is something you can't teach.
Actionable Insights for the 2025 Season
If you're looking to climb the ladder or just understand the game better based on what we saw at Worlds:
- Adaptability beats "The Plan": BLG had a clear identity of aggression, but T1 won because they could pivot their playstyle mid-series. In your own games, stop sticking to one build if it’s clearly failing.
- Mid-Jungle Synergy is King: Oner and Faker’s coordination in the final two games won them the tournament. If you’re a mid or jungle main, find a duo. The "2v2" is more important than the "1v1."
- Respect the "Global" Ults: Champions like Galio, Nocturne, and Poppy (as a flex) dominated the later stages. Map presence is currently more valuable than raw lane power.
T1 has confirmed they are staying together for at least another run. Whether they can three-peat in 2025 is the big question now, but for now, the king stays on the throne.
Keep an eye on the upcoming patch cycles. Riot usually learns from Worlds and tweaks the game to prevent the same champions from dominating the next spring split. If you’re a Sylas or Galio fan, enjoy the power while it lasts; nerfs are almost certainly coming.