Many professional League of Legends teams have tried their hands at chasing greatness through the game, but which teams over the years have truly showcased that they’re the very best of the best?
League of Legends esports competitions have been around for well over a decade now and the game has grown beyond any other in competitive gaming. Dozens of teams teams consisting of passionate pro players compete for glory each and every year, but only a few ever succeed, and only a handful of those can be considered among the best LoL teams of all time.
These are the eight best League of Legends teams throughout the years, ranked based on their peak dominance, lasting legacy, and crowning achievements.
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It wouldn’t be far-fetched to call 2015’s SK Telecom T1 the single best pro League of Legends team of all time. The roster was stronger than any other squad at the time, resulting in T1 dominating the game’s esports scene with an iron fist. Not only did the team decimate its opposition at that year’s LCK and Worlds events without ever being closely contested, much of that influence and power also bled forward into 2016.
MaRin, Bangi, and Faker were the biggest reasons for this team’s success. MaRin was the most reliable top laner in the world at that time. Bengi’s objective acquisition and Faker’s aggressively versatile playing style ensured that every enemy team struggled, and ultimately failed, to find a way around T1. For all of these reasons, this T1 roster belongs at the top of any ranking of the best LoL teams.
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Prior to 2014, most the support role was sometimes an afterthought at the game’s top level. Because support players don’t usually make carry plays late in games, many fans thought a support player’s job was to just set up plays for their team and take a backseat. 2014’s Samsung White changed this sentiment thanks to the team’s captain, Mata. With his exceptional play and shot-calling, the player won his team that year’s Worlds event while earning himself the MVP title in the process.
Speaking of Worlds, Samsung White’s 2014 Worlds run was memorable for all the right reasons. The team only lost two games in the entire tournament, and practically ran victory laps around Star Horn Royal Club in the grand final. With such a dominant run, it’s no surprise that 2014’s Samsung White is still considered one of the best LoL teams, even more than a decade later.
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Prior to 2018, the LCK had been largely dominating the competitive League of Legends scene. That changed in 2018 when Invictus Gaming appeared to prove that the Chinese LPL could not only compete, but was capable of a dominating performance on the international stage against other powerhouse teams.
The team’s roster consisted of iconic players. TheShy was arguably the best top laner in the world at that time, dominating every laning phase with his mechanical skills. JackeyLove became the youngest player ever to win a Worlds title when Invictus Gaming breezed through the grand final against Fnatic with a 3-0 score, cementing iG’s place in our ranking of the best LoL teams.
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The 2013 League of Legends season is still talked about for multiple reasons, but the biggest may be the rise of Faker as an icon in the competitive gaming and esports space. 2013’s T1 raised the bar for how well a team can play against other top players by showcasing its blend of innovation and aggressive mechanics that ensured enemy teams never had a meaningful response.
Despite being a relatively new team at the time, T1 comfortably crushed any team that stood in its way in 2013. The squad defeated Royal Club with a decisive 3-0 score in the grand final at Worlds that year to cement its spot in League of Legends history. While most other players on this historic squad have retired or moved to different teams, 2013 is still remembered for being the year Faker made his presence known.
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While Invictus Gaming’s dominance coincided with an LCK slump in international play, 2020’s DAMWON Gaming was the team to get the top Korean competition back on top. The team quickly became the new face of Korean League of Legends when it stormed through that year’s Worlds event in a way that reminded many of T1’s 2015 run.
Canyon and ShowMaker brought unique synergy to the scene that had rarely been seen before. Pair that with Nuguri opting for unconventional picks that the enemy didn’t have an answer for, and 2020’s DAMWON Gaming is still considered one of the best LoL teams we’ve seen.
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The most memorable and iconic League of Legends teams are usually remembered for bringing innovation to the game’s professional scene. That certainly applies to FunPlus Phoenix’s 2019 run. FPX shocked many fans when it initially utilized doinb’s strategy of being a heavily roaming mid laner. Picking champions like Nautilus and Malphite so that he could roam around and help his teammates rather than focusing as heavily on laning as would most of his opponents, many observers who thought his strategy wouldn’t get the team far were left shocked when FPX won that year’s Worlds.
While unusual, this team’s strategy was effective. doinb would roam constantly to support his team so that he could free up his jungler, Tian, who would then prioritize objectives. FunPlus Phoenix may not have been the most mechanically gifted team, but its innovative playing style influenced future teams to play beyond the traditional textbook style of League of Legends.
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2012 was a strange time for League of Legends, as the game’s professional scene was still being established. Looking at the tournaments prior to the 2012 World Championship, most assumed a squad from China, Korea, or Europe would establish dominance, but 2012’s Taipei Assassins proved that wouldn’t be the case.
Being perhaps the most iconic dark horse winner in League of Legends history, Taipei Assassins proved that other regions also had what it took to win on the big stage. Hailing from Taiwan, Toyz decimated enemies with his Orianna, while Stanley’s versatile top laning and BeBe’s late-game carry potential became thorns for any enemy team in this side’s path.
Because the game and its competitive scene were in such different states at the time, it can be difficult to compare the accomplishments of a team like TPA to those that would come later. But that shouldn’t take away from what Taipei Assassins accomplished and its lasting legacy.
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Edward Gaming’s history was full of excellent domestic performances in China, but EDG frequently faltered on the international stage. The team’s 2021 roster put an end to that narrative and etched EDG’s name in LoL esports history as one of the game’s best teams.
Viper stood as the best ADC in the world at the time, instantly catching the attention of fans. Scout was finally able to stand on his own two feet after being in Faker’s long shadow for so long, and the entire team put it all on the line in a thrilling and memorable five-game grand final victory against defending champion DAMWON Kia.
Feature image credit: Riot Games
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