Most iconic moments in League of Legends esports history

Rituraj Halder Published August 4, 2026

League of Legends esports has evolved massively over the years. While it started as a small tournament at DreamHack, League of Legends has grown into a massive world-class sporting phenomenon, filling stadiums and pulling in millions of fans all around the globe.

The League esports scene has been around for a decade now, witnessing all kinds of unforgettable triumphs, rivalries, and more. In the list below, we have shared some of the most iconic moments in League of Legends esports history.

1) “Faker, What Was That?” (OGN Champions Summer 2013)

No list of iconic League of Legends moments can begin anywhere else. In the final game of the OGN Champions Summer 2013 grand finals, SK Telecom T1 faced off against the KT Rolster Bullets. Back then, Korean tournament rules dictated that Game 5 of a playoff series was played in a “Blind Pick” format. This allowed both teams to draft the same champions without seeing the other team’s selections.

Both mid-laners, a young rising prodigy named Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and the established star Ryu “Ryu” Sang-wook, picked Zed. Under the shadow of KT’s mid lane turret, Faker’s Zed was caught at less than a third of his health, while Ryu’s Zed was completely healthy.

What followed was one of the greatest moments in the game’s history. Using a brilliant combination of Quicksilver Sash (QSS), perfectly timed Flash, and shadow teleports, Faker managed to dodge every single piece of Ryu’s incoming damage.

He turned the fight completely on its head, killing Ryu while escaping with a microscopic sliver of his own life.

The commentator Erik “DoA” Lonnquist cried on the mic, “Faker, what was that?!”

The phrase quickly became an icon in LoL history and tag line for Faker’s online presence.

2) The xPeke Backdoor (IEM Katowice 2013)

xPeke (center) alongside his Fnatic teammates during the legendary 2013 IEM tournament. Image credit: Fnatic

Before League of Legends esports tournaments filled massive arenas every single weekend, Fnatic and SK Gaming clashed in a legendary group stage match at IEM Katowice 2013. The game had stretched past the 50-minute mark, and SK Gaming had firmly taken control of the map, pushing directly into Fnatic’s base to close out what looked like a sure-shot victory.

Recognizing that his team could not win a conventional five-on-five teamfight in what is today’s League Classic mode, Fnatic’s mid laner Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez made a desperate play on Kassadin.

While the rest of his team attempted to delay SK Gaming’s advance, xPeke used his Riftwalk ability to bypass the minion waves and slip into the enemy base completely unnoticed.

With the nexus entirely exposed, xPeke began attacking the structure alone. As SK Gaming realized what was happening, Kevin “Kev1n” Rubiszewski’s Olaf recalled to defend.

What followed was a beautifully coordinated game of cat-and-mouse. xPeke continuously blinked around the nexus, dodging Olaf’s axes while weaving in auto-attacks on the structure. With only one hit left on his own health bar, xPeke landed the final blow to shatter the nexus, creating a new term, the “xPeke backdoor,” that is still used today across multiple genres.

3) G2 Esports Speedrun (MSI 2019)

G2 Esports setting records at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational grand finals. Image credit: Riot Games

The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2019 grand finals in Taipei will forever live on as the peak of Western League of Legends dominance. G2 Esports, featuring a legendary European lineup that included the audacious role-swap of Luka “Perkz” Perković to the bot lane and Rasmus “Caps” Winther in the mid lane, faced off against North America’s Team Liquid.

Before the opening match even began, G2’s top laner Martin “Wunder” Hansen said that they would treat the audience to the fastest international best-of-five series in the history of the game. G2 backed up the trash talk with absolute dominance in the series.

Using an incredibly fast, aggressive, and flexible playstyle, G2 dismantled Team Liquid in a swift 3-0 sweep. The entire series concluded in an astonishing 70 minutes and 41 seconds, setting a world record that remains unbroken.

4) DRX Completes the Ultimate Underdog “Cinderella Run” (Worlds 2022)

Deft and the DRX roster ahead of completing their historic underdog championship run. Image credit: Riot Games

The 2022 World Championship grand finals in San Francisco delivered what is widely recognized as the greatest narrative arc in esports history. DRX, entering the tournament as Korea’s lowest-seeded team, had survived a tough path just to make it to the main tournament.

Led by veteran bot laner Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu, who was playing in what was heavily rumored to be his final competitive season before mandatory military service, the squad faced the giants of T1.

The grand finals pushed all the way to a dramatic Game 5, turning into a battle of attrition. Every single play was clip-worthy, like T1’s Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong pulling off a miracle Baron steal using Varus’s Piercing Arrow to keep T1 alive.

Despite the devastating psychological blow of losing the objective, DRX stayed completely composed. In the final chaotic teamfight around the Elder Dragon, DRX managed to outmaneuver T1, marching down the mid lane to shatter the nexus.

The victory completed the most improbable championship run in history, proving in League of Legends that every underdog has a chance to lift the big prize.

5) Faker’s Game-Changing “Shuffle” Against JDG (Worlds 2023)

Faker under intense pressure during T1’s legendary Worlds 2023 run. Image credit: Riot Games

We are ending the list just as we began. Here’s another Faker masterclass. By 2023, China’s JD Gaming (JDG) looked entirely unstoppable. They had already captured both LPL domestic trophies and the MSI title, placing them just one tournament victory away from completing the legendary, never-before-accomplished “Golden Road”.

Standing in their path during the Worlds semifinals in South Korea was T1, who carried the immense weight of being the final remaining Korean team in the tournament.

In Game 3 of the intense series, the match was balanced on a knife-edge. JDG had established a solid gold lead and was aggressively marching down the mid lane, spearheaded by Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk’s incredibly fed Varus.

As JDG looked to secure a decisive teamfight, Faker, playing Azir, saw a micro-window of opportunity. As one of the best LoL players of all time, he initiated a flawless “Emperor’s Divide” shuffle, flashing directly behind Ruler and sweeping the star ADC forward into the waiting arms of T1.

The split-second play caught JDG completely off guard, leading to an immediate clean ace for T1. The play broke JDG’s momentum, shattered their historic Golden Road dream, and propelled T1 toward lifting their fourth world championship trophy.

If you enjoyed reading this list, check out our article on the biggest upsets in League of Legends esports history.

Featured image credit: Riot Games