Here is what we are watching this week to get over the post-Worlds blues.
The League of Legends World Championship is officially over after as T1emerged as the champions once again, seven years on from their last world title. T1 defeated Weibo Gamingin the grand finals 3-0 to solidify itself as the premier esports organisation in League of Legends with four Summoner's Cups in its trophy cabinet.
And as Worlds 2023 is finally concluded, there will be a two-month break when the off-season transfer market will begin. While there wouldn't be much to watch in the next couple of months, there is still plenty one can do to try to get over the post-Worlds blues.
NewJeans on Repeat
Riot Games always comes up with a banger anthem for its yearly world championship and this year was no different. K-pop girl group NewJeans was announced as the opening act for the grand finals with the live performance debut of its official anthem for Worlds 2023. And much like past Worlds anthems, the song titled ‘GODS' has been on repeat for the entire tournament, so there is nothing wrong with keeping it that way for a few days more.
HEARTSTEEL or Stealing Hearts?
The latest virtual boy band from Riot Records is none other than HEARTSTEEL, which features some of the biggest names in music. This includes musical artists like SuperM and EXO's Baekhyun alongside American rapper Tobi Lou as well as Taiwanese-American musician, ØZI. HEARTSTEEL also made its live action debut during the Worlds 2023 opening ceremony, which featured the real-life artists performing on stage its first-ever song, PARANOIA.
Make Way for Hwei
The latest champion to release onto the Summoner's Rift is none other than Hwei, an artistic artillery mage that is capable of up to 10 unique spells to use. Being the 166th champion to join the ever-growing roster, Hwei will bring a new level of complexity and experimentation to get right as he puts colour to canvas to go with his three spell books. These spells can reign destruction, provide heals and shields, as well as superior crowd control — all in one playstyle.
T1's incredible run
There is always a storyline that captivates an audience's hearts with every world championship. DRX's fairytale run last year comes to mind but this year, it was all about T1 and its journey to the promised land. T1 did not have the best of runs leading up to Worlds but against all odds, the team lifted its fourth Summoner's Cup as they bulldozed their way through all four LPL teams. Of the four LPL teams T1 faced, they only dropped a single map. And in the grand finals against Weibo, it wasn't even Faker who was the most consistent across three games but the finals MVP, Choi “Zeus” Woo-jewho kept his team ticking with his toplane gap over Kang “TheShy” Seung-Iok.
Watch the games here: Weibo GamingvsT1
