The pick-and-ban phase of League of Legends Worlds 2024 was quite dull for many fans. You saw the same champions and bans, basically in every match. This is set to change in 2025 with an innovation that will also pose a new challenge for balancing.
The draft phase of this year’s Worlds in LoL was pretty boring for many viewers, as a few champions dominated the tournament. Yone and Aurora were constantly buffed and champions like Skarner, Rell, Kai’Sa and Jax were by far among the most frequently played heroes.
This is pretty boring for viewers in the long run. You want to see a diverse champion pool that you would otherwise only see on weaker teams. But a new draft format should change that and make the games much more exciting.
What is the Fearless Draft? The Fearless Draft ensures that champions can only be played once by a team in a best-of-3 or best-of-5. But there are different variations. In the Legends Pro League (LPL) in China, for example, you as a team can still choose champions that the opposing team has chosen.
This means that teams have to deal with more options and the draft strategy has to be developed for the whole match, rather than for a single game. This has many benefits for viewers, but it is also a challenge for the balancing team.
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Difficulties for the teams and balancing
What are the effects of Fearless Draft? E-sports are becoming much more exciting for spectators. You no longer see just the same champions because the system no longer allows it. The picking and banning phase becomes an exciting moment before the actual game.
But big changes and possibly difficulties are coming for the top teams and the balancing team.
The teams now have to analyze much more extensively. You no longer plan for a few champions that you have to play or counter, but for a much larger pool. This creates new strategies, but also dangers because it is more difficult to prepare. At the same time, teams no longer have to strictly ban the same champions.
A new challenge also arises for the balancing team. There is still a balance between normal players and e-sports, but a fixed meta made e-sports manageable.
With the Fearless Draft, the team has to monitor more data from champions and balance them if necessary. At the same time, you don’t have to directly nerf problematic champions because they can only be played once. Lead Gameplay Designer Matthew Leung-Harrison says the following:
For example, let’s say Ryze was only played in the first game and not in the second game. This reduces stress on balance, but it also increases stress elsewhere, which I think is a good thing, right?
Matthew Leung-Harrison on the Fearless Draft (via Dexerto)
But it must also be said that a fixed meta could still develop that favors certain champions. Teams just need to consider more data and tactics.
How the Fearless Draft will impact LoL’s competitive scene will be seen in 2025. One of the first events will be the First Stand Tournament, which will take place in South Korea in March. However, only one team per region will be able to take part. Time will tell whether T1 makes it there. But they are currently the top team of the moment: Faker becomes world champion in LoL for the 5th time and decides the final with a strong ultimate