Updated on September 26, 2:29 p.m. (GMT+8): Added two additional highlights from Worlds 2020 and Worlds 2021.
The League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) stage has showcased some of the best, out-of-this-world plays in the MOBA scene.
Yes, we’re talking about legendary moments, jaw-dropping shots, and the best wombo combos of all-time.
ONE Esports lists down five of the best gameplay moments from 11 great years of competitive LoL action — with unforgettable performances from icons like Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez to three-time champions SK Telecom T1 (SKT T1).
This is what peak LoL looks like, all from Worlds!
7. DWG KIA Canyon’s golden kick (Worlds 2021)6. Suning’s Bin scores the first-ever pentakill in Worlds final history (Worlds 2020)5. Origen xPeke’s Orianna 4-man shockwave (Worlds 2015)4. ROX Tigers Smeb’s Kennen ultimate (Worlds 2016)3. KT Rolster and Invictus Gaming base race (Worlds 2018)2. ROX Tigers PraY’s iconic arrow (Worlds 2016)1. SKT T1’s Wombo Combo was the best gameplay moment in Worlds history (Worlds 2017)
It’s a trap!
To help his teammates secure the Baron Nashor and the game, DWG KIA star player Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu performed an impressive Lee Sin kick during game three of their best-of-five series against Edward Gaming in the Worlds 2021 final.
In one swift motion, he had cast Sonic Wave and then Tempest onto Li “Flandre” Xuan-Jun’s Jayce and instantly activated his Stopwatch. This great set up gave the rest of the LCK team a massive opportunity to take down EDG, resume the Baron Nashor fight, and win game three to take the lead in the series, which we know did not last.
Suning top laner Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin popped off during Worlds 2020 by breaking records and scoring the first-ever pentakill in tournament history.
During game two of their best-of-five series against DAMWON Gaming, Bin’s Fiora took down the LCK representatives one by one. The clash forced DAMWON to slowly retreat back to their base, where Bin achieved a pentakill.
Finishing second that year, Bin’s pentakill was a memorable moment in the team’s unforgettable Worlds debut run.
The oldest entry on this list dates back to World Championship 2015, when Summoners witnessed the rise of Spanish player Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez.
During Origen’s match against LGD Gaming, xPeke landed a 4-man Shockwave using one of his favorite champions, Orianna. This was set up with the help of Jesper “Niels” Svenningsen’s (now known as Zven) Kalista ultimate, which knocked up three of LGD’s members.
The Shockwave greatly assisted xPeke and even resulted in a Quadrakill, leaving Choi “Acorn” Cheon-ju all alone to defend.
With power players like Smeb, ROX Tigers climbed their way through World Championship and became the underdog favorites.
In this gameplay moment, Smeb’s Kennen delivered the most beautiful four-man Slicing Maelstrom we have ever seen, which deleted G2 Esports‘ Kim “Trick” Gang-yun, Luka “Perkz” Perković, and Alfonso “Mithy” Aguirre Rodríguez in one blow. PraY picked off the remaining G2 members and scored an Ace.
Who could ever forget this exhilarating base race from KT Rolster and Invictus Gaming during the Worlds 2018 Quarterfinals?
Spectators practically held their breaths for nearly 40 seconds as Invictus Gaming and KT Rolster defended their respective Nexus. For KT Rolster, this gameplay moment was everything since Invictus Gaming was already ahead with two wins in this best-of-five series. Another loss would conclude their Worlds run.
Just when Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok’s Fiora was about to deliver the final blow and end the game, KT Rolster and their three remaining members Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho’s Irelia, Go “Score” Dong-bin’s Gragas, and Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon’s Azir pulled off the impossible and crossed the finish line first in this base race.
They may have suffered a minor setback, but Invictus Gaming would still advance from this series and later on be crowned as the Worlds 2018 champions over Fnatic.
In a play that would officially be known as “The Longshot,” ROX Tigers’ Kim “PraY” Jong-in landed the arrow of his lifetime against SKT T1 in their matchup in Worlds 2016.
From SKT T1’s base, PraY cast Ashe’s ultimate ability Enchanted Crystal Arrow in the direction of Lee “Duke” Ho-seong’s Ekko who was performing a teleport at the time. After a thrilling seven seconds from the moment the arrow took off, it precisely hit Duke which delayed him from getting back to the base. This bought ROX precious time to deal damage to the rest of the SKT T1 members and eventually destroy their Nexus and win the game.
“He (PraY) received a roaring cheer,” said Korean caster Kim Dong-jun. “Fans described it as a godly shot.”
Five years seem just like yesterday, especially when you reminisce about this insane play pulled off by three-time Worlds champions SKT T1.
They caught Edward Gaming off-guard on Day 2 of the Group Stage matches when Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan’s Rakan and Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon’s Cho’Gath simultaneously flashed towards EDG to cast The Quickness and Rupture and Feral Scream.
With SKT T1 getting enough crowd control over the Chinese team, Bae “Bang” Jun-sik’s Twitch followed up with his poisonous abilities Venom Cask and Spray and Pray, as well as Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s Command: Shockwave. Han “Peanut” Wang-ho ensured that EDG had a hard time escaping by activating his Cataclysm to finish the wombo combo.
