Top highlights from the 2025 League of Legends World Championship

The recent 2025 League of Legends World Championship was an event for the ages, culminating in the historic telecom wars between T1 and KT Rolster. This Grand Final encounter between the two LCK rivals peaked at a massive 6.7 million viewers, making it the second most popular esports tournament ever.

Also read: Worlds 2025 secures spot as second most popular esports event in history

After over three gruelling hours of high-quality action, T1 mounted a comeback to edge the series 3:2 and claim its third straight title and sixth overall, an unmatched record in the competitive history of League of Legends. However, that was not the only highlight from a nearly month-long competition filled with tons of surprise results and unbelievable plays.

Top highlights from the 2025 LoL World Championship

Oner's miracle dragon steal (Grand Final, Game 4)

T1 was down 1:2 in the Grand Final and was one loss away from losing its world title to its old rival in Game 4 (match point). Trailing on gold accrued, KT Rolster was looking to regain the advantage with objective fights as it looked to close out the game and the series. However, during the fourth dragon fight, T1's jungler, Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun (playing Nocturne), secured the dragon soul with a steal, allowing Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung's Kalista to finish the fight and shatter KT Rolster's front line.

The steal completely denied KT Rolster's gold and tempo boost, allowing T1 to survive the siege, reset its map pressure, and decisively win the game. The sheer clutch factor and mechanical precision under the highest pressure made this the play of this coveted LoL tournament, enabling the reigning champion's reverse sweep.

Faker's game-turning Anivia wall (Grand Final, Game 4)

Following Oner's steal, T1 needed to convert the momentum. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok had unexpectedly locked in Anivia, a champion built entirely for zone control. During a crucial mid-to-late-game team fight in the river or around the next objective, Faker used his Crystallize (W) to split KT Rolster's formation, trapping their high-damage carries (likely Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil's Caitlyn and Gwak "bdd" Bo-sung's Cassiopeia) on the wrong side of the wall.

This perfect wall placement isolated key targets, allowing T1 to burst them down immediately. The subsequent 4-for-0 and team ace led directly to a major objective, cementing the Grand Final, Game 4 win, and proving the power of the unique pick.

KT Rolster's dominant early-game team fight (Grand Final, Game 3)

KT Rolster was riding high after tying the series 1-1. T1 had taken the first Dragon, but KT Rolster was looking to re-establish its mid-game control. Led by Mun "Cuzz" U-chan's incredibly tanky and aggressive Dr. Mundo, KT contested the second Dragon. While the commentators expected T1 to win the skirmish, Cuzz not only landed the Smite steal on the Dragon but proceeded to tank the entirety of T1's damage, enabling his teammates (anchored by a strong performance from bdd's champion, Syndra) to land a massive multi-kill (landing four kills in the fight).

This fight was the ultimate power spike for KT Rolster, giving them a monumental gold lead in Game 3 of the Grand Final. It eventually allowed Cuzz's Dr. Mundo to become virtually unkillable, snowballing them to a series lead of 2-1.

Gumayusi's game 5 Miss Fortune barrage (Grand Final, Game 5)

In the all-important Game 5, T1 had a decisive composition (Galio/Pantheon/Camille setup) designed for early aggression and team fighting. The defending world champion successfully initiated a crucial fight in the mid-game. As T1's engaging front line (Choi "Doran" Hyeon-jun's Camille and Mun"Oner" Hyeon-jun's Pantheon) locked down KT's backline, Gumayusi unleashed a perfectly angled and timed Bullet Time (R) on Miss Fortune.

This clean, uninterrupted ultimate shredded KT Rolster's health bars, leading to a quick wipe and securing a massive gold advantage in the Grand Final's deciding game. This play, demonstrating the ADC's clean mechanics and positioning under ultimate pressure, was a key factor in Gumayusi's selection as the Finals MVP.

Doran's redemption teleport flank (Quarterfinal, Game 5)

T1 was severely pressured throughout the Quarterfinal series against Anyone's Legend, with its top laner, Doran, receiving intense criticism. In a late-game fight of a crucial, long game, the LCK powerhouse was struggling to break its LPL opponent's defense. Doran (playing Renekton) executed a deep flank teleport into the enemy's backline, bypassing the main team fight. He instantly assassinated a key carry and disrupted the team formation with a multi-person ultimate.

This single, clutch play turned a tense, losing siege into an immediate ace and a game-winning objective, silencing critics and validating Doran's place on the World Champion roster, proving his capability to deliver under pressure.

The 2025 LoL Worlds was another massively successful edition of perhaps the most legendary esports tournaments today. T1's historic three-peat cemented the side and Faker as undisputed goats, and even as the dust settles on a historic event in Chengdu, Esports Charts will share more insights on this year's edition of the LoL Worlds in the coming days.

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