Who won League of Legends Worlds in 2017?

In 2016, SK Telecom T1 established their dynasty by winning the world championship's title for the third time after a very close final against Samsung Galaxy. A year later, the two teams faced off again in the competition, delivering one of the most iconic scenarios in the entire competitive history of League of Legends.

Format became more ambitious as it marks the apparition of Play-In. It consists of 12 teams from minor regions and lowest seeds from China, Europe, LMS and North America. Only four teams can come out on top and access to the main event. Fnatic, Cloud9, Team WE and Fenerbahçe Esports qualified in 2017.

Main Event is still the same as previous years with sixteen teams being divided into four groups of four. Only the two best teams qualify to the knockout stage where all matches become Best-Of-5. This year again, Riot Games provided an almost $5 million cashprize to the whole competition, with $1,855,114 for the champion. This year again, the prize pool managed to reach such number mainly due to 25% of sales from Championship Ashe skins & Championship ward skins that were directly implemented to the final pot.

This year, the event took place in China for the first time, in four different locations. Group Stage was held at Wuhan Gymnasium (13.000 people capacity), quarters at Guangzhou Gymnasium (10.000 people capacity), semis at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center (18.000 people capacity) and the Grand final in Beijing National Stadium. This final still holds the record of attendees to a League of Legends Worlds final ever with 80.000 people.

The 2017 Worlds Group Stage was marked by intense competition, with several unforgettable storylines emerging. SKT, the double reigning champions, continued to showcase their dominance, finishing first in their group despite a few shaky moments. The two other Korean seeds also easily made it out of their groups. Especially, the LCK Summer Split champions, Longzhu Gaming, and their new top lane prodigy, Kim "Khan" Dong-ha, made a strong impression, finishing their group undefeated with a 6-0 record.

One of the most epic storyline was Fnatic's incredible comeback. After starting 0-4 in their group, Martin "Rekkles" Larsson and his teammates miraculously won their last two games against Gygabite Marines and Immortals, and then triumphed in a three-way tiebreaker again, securing a spot for the quarterfinals against all odds. This heroic run is still remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in Worlds history. On the other side, G2 Esports, current European champions, inherited from the most stacked group and failed to qualify. Despite taking a game from Royal Never Give Up, they fell short twice to SSG. Misfits, on the other hand, managed to clutch their first ever (and only) qualification to a Worlds quarter final benefiting from Flash Wolves' under performance.

Meanwhile, the Chinese teams found success on home soil, with both RNG and Team WE performing strongly in the group stage. RNG, in particular, looked formidable, securing first place in their group and setting the stage for a deep run in the tournament. This success ignited hopes among Chinese fans that an LPL team might finally break Korea's stranglehold on the Worlds title.

North America experienced another disappointing showing. Teams like TSM and Immortals failed to advance past the group stage, continuing the region's struggles on the international stage. Only Cloud9 managed to qualify, benefiting from Chinese's first seed poor performance. Despite high expectations, NA's representatives once again fell short, leading to yet another year of frustration and soul-searching for the region.

The SKT versus MSF quarterfinal at was one of the most thrilling and unexpected series of the tournament. The three-time world champions, despite being heavy favorites, found themselves on the brink of elimination as Misfits pushed them to a decisive fifth game, taking advantage of SKT's uncharacteristically shaky early game and questionable drafts. Misfits' aggressive playstyle and innovative support picks, like Lee "IgNar" Dong-geun's Leona and Blitzcrank, caught SKT off guard, leading to intense, back-and-forth matches. Ultimately, SKT's experience and late-game composure allowed them to narrowly secure a 3-2 victory, but the series exposed vulnerabilities that would follow them throughout the rest of the tournament.

SSG was seen as an underdog against LZ, recent LCK's champions who defeated SKT 3-1 in final and only team in the tournament to be undefeated so far. They defied all expectation, planning very aggressive playstyle with precise execution in each game, revealed a surprising depth and adaptability in draft, and proved to all how unpredictable nature of high-stakes esports can be. They defeated 3-0 the Korean champions and then, won 3-1 their semi against China's third seed WE who never really existed despite playing in their homeland.

The other semi-final opposed SKT to RNG, a rematch between Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao who faced each other the year before, in quarter final. RNG never looked as strong as they were that day. Their aggressive early-game tactics and standout performances made them lead 2-1 in the series with a pivotal win in Game 3 showcasing their teamfighting prowess. They started to believe in the first-ever final with a Chinese team. However, SKT's resilience shone through as they managed to comeback with pivotal plays from Faker and a clutch Baron steal in Game 4 by Kang "Blank" Sun-gu turning the series around. In the decisive Game 5, SKT's strategic patience and superior late-game execution secured them a spot in Grand Final.

The 2017 Worlds Final was a remake of the previous year between SSG and SKT. The three-time World Champions, entered the stage in Beijing as heavy favorites, after defeating RNG is such an epic manner and proving their resilience to be the best in the tournament. But the truth is they came in this series quite exhausted after two consecutive matches going to game five and had no more tricks up their sleeve.

In Game 1, SSG set the tone with a methodical approach, slowly suffocating SKT with superior map control and objective play. Lee "Crown" Min-ho's Malzahar was pivotal, shutting down Faker's typically game-changing influence on his Cassiopeia. SKT's bot lane, usually a strong point, was outclassed by Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk and Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in, whose synergy and aggressive plays dictated the pace of the game.

Game 2 saw SKT attempting to regroup, with Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon on Yasuo trying to counter Lee "CuVee" Seong-jin's Gnar. However, SSG's team coordination and Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong's impeccable jungle control on Jarvan led to another SKT defeat, pushing them to the brink of elimination.

During game 3, SKT picked Karma and Gragas as a midlane/jungle which was highly unusual and highlighted the struggles they were facing. And despite playing a more or less even game, they eventually got swept 3-0 after a 40 minutes game that left Faker in tears.

This final remains one of the greatest upset of all time as the seed number 3 from Korea just ended the greatest dynasty in the game and denied SKT from a 4th Worlds title. The AD Carry, Ruler, earned the final's MVP and allowed Samsung to win its second Worlds championship after 2014. The series has been watched by 60 million people worldwide, breaking the previous year's record. This tournament has been praised ever since as one of the most entertaining and emotional in League of Legends history.

SSG marked history with this roster:

As for the previous years, SSG got honored by adding a new set of in-game skins to commemorate their achievement to the "SSG" skin line, featuring customized appearances for champions used by the team. These skins included SSG Gnar, SSG Ezreal, SSG Jarvan IV, SSG Taliyah, SSG Xayah and SSG Rakan.