Marine biologists found a new crab species in the coral reefs of the South China Sea and decided to name it after Teemo, one of League of Legends’ most infamous champions. The crab, now officially called Gothus teemo, was given this name due to its appearance. This crab from the Xanthidae family is described as small with a “densely covered short setae” and has a brown-striped coloration.

The discovery was published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. It was made during an expedition to the coral reefs of the South China Sea by marine biologists Zi-Ming Yuan, Wei Jiang, and Zhong-Li Sha.

During scuba diving expeditions, they carefully photographed and collected a few specimens of the crab, which are now housed at the Marine Biological Museum in the city of Qingdao.

Teemo is a fluffy, brown, and white-colored champion in League of Legends, known for his small size. His cute appearance has made him popular, resulting in various plushies and figurines. However, in the game, he is often disliked due to his frustrating spells that poison other players.

The Gothus teemo crab has a small, fluffy appearance similar to the Swift Scout. Its key features include a “dense coat of short setae” and brown-striped coloration, which reminded scientists of Teemo’s furry coat and his camouflage abilities.

This is the first time an animal has been named after a League of Legends character, though it’s not the first instance of a video game inspiring a scientific name. Gothus teemo joins a list of species named after characters from popular media like video games, including names from The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, and even Pokémon.

LoL players are currently urging Riot Games to consider bringing back the long-gone game mode, Twisted Treeline. However, many fans admit that the mode would require a significant update to meet modern standards.

This call for the mode’s return has become a recurring theme among the League community since its removal in season 9. Players on social media are vocal about their desire for the mode to “come back,” especially as more community members shift away from ranked play in favor of more casual gaming experiences.

The recent discussion on July 4 was filled with nostalgia, with players sharing fond memories. Some said the memories made on Twisted Treeline were iconic, and others mentioned they used to warm up for solo queue matches with quick 3v3 games. Some fans even threatened to quit the game entirely if forced to continue playing only on Summoner’s Rift.

Not everyone is in favor of the mode’s return, though. Many pointed out Riot’s original reason for discontinuing Twisted Treeline: it wasn’t popular enough. Riot never shared the exact player numbers towards the end, but it was generally believed that only a few thousand players queued for the mode at any given time. I remember long queue times whenever I tried to play in 2019.

Hopeful League players suggest that a modern update could solve these issues. Some proposed simply closing off the top half of Summoner’s Rift, while others want Riot to give Twisted Treeline the same attention as League Arena. The success of Arena in its various reruns and the introduction of League’s new Swarm mode show that Riot is willing to experiment with new concepts.

The big question is how much time it would take for Riot to update Twisted Treeline. Riot has not addressed this yet. Additionally, the developers would need to tackle the infamous funnel metagame and work on mode-specific balance if Twisted Treeline were to return.

LoL players are hating on three ranked splits per year

On June 2, players expressed on the game’s subreddit that they are less motivated to return to the competitive mode after every split. The main issue is the constant push to grind, which is a major concern. Some players were fine with resetting once or twice a year, but now with three splits, it has become too much of a hassle.

The biggest problem is that League’s matchmaking rating (MMR) adjustment takes a long time to kick in. As a result, players spend the first half of each split grinding to reach their “actual ranks.” By the time they get there, the season ends, and the grind starts all over again.

“2 splits were fine Imo, this is a no no for me playing ranked like in past years.”

“I’ve stopped playing ranked altogether, 1 season per year was enough.”

Another player mentioned they could manage with the new 3-split calendar but wished it didn’t take so long to calibrate. They said, “Early season games are by far the worst time to play ranked, and doing that three times a year killed my motivation.”

The issue of start-of-season MMR has been frequently discussed at Riot Games, and the developers have made efforts to address concerns. However, it is clear that some players are struggling more with the extra reset.

Riot announced the change to three splits late in 2023, eliminating the preseason entirely. November and December, which used to be without competition, will now have the end of split three. Along with the major changes to League in January 2024, it seems there can be too much change at once.

For those continuing to play ranked, there are still two months left until the end of split two and the start of split three. The grind in League of Legends never seems to stop.

Riot Games’ senior engineering manager for League, Riot H28 G Evo, announced yesterday via Twitter that the PBE servers are nearing their capacity limits. As a result, the developers will be keeping an eye on the situation and may introduce queue timers for solo queue players.

This isn’t something new for players familiar with Riot’s games. The PBE often hits its maximum capacity, especially when new modes like Teamfight Tactics are introduced, particularly with the release of new sets on the testing server.

Riot is managing the situation to ensure that as many players as possible can enjoy Swarm and that the mode is ready for its scheduled release on live servers.

Swarm is set to be released in less than three weeks, on July 17, alongside Patch 14.14 and the new League champion Aurora. Riot wants to ensure that Swarm is in the best possible condition to avoid any delays, and several crucial bug fixes are being applied to the PBE server.

Swarm is a PvE mode in League of Legends that plunges players into a chaotic bullet-hell survival adventure. Players must fight off waves of Primordians, sea creatures from the Anima skin line.

While Swarm can be played solo, it is recommended that players team up with a party to explore the various maps and complete several challenges as they strive to protect the world.

Faker’s Concerns towards the LoL Esports

On June 25, T1, Faker’s team, released a video where various players discussed important topics. In this video, Faker emphasized the persistent issues of online DDoS attacks and personal harassment, which he feels Riot Games must address promptly.

In the video, he explained how online DDoS attacks and personal harassment continue to plague the esports scene. A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming the target with a flood of internet traffic.

In the context of esports, these attacks are intended to disconnect players from their ongoing games, causing significant disruptions. Faker stated, “Online streams and personal attacks still remain, and it’s crucial for these concerns to be addressed. If left unresolved, it could gradually undermine the value of esports.”

He did not go into extensive detail, but his comments suggest a broader implication: if these issues persist, professional players will find it increasingly difficult to test and refine their skills outside of official practice sessions.

Faker’s experiences with these issues are not unique. DDoS attacks have been a recurring problem since the early days of League of Legends’ esports scene, which began in earnest in 2011. These cyberattacks are often launched by individuals seeking entertainment or harboring grudges against professional players.

The T1 video quickly made its way to Reddit, where fans expressed their dismay over the ongoing issues. Many fans acknowledged the difficulty of completely eliminating online attacks with current technology, highlighting the need for more robust solutions.

Aurora is the next champion to be introduced in League of Legends. This Vastayan mage from the Freljord is described as a mid-range solo lane mage with the unique ability to see things that others might miss.

The champion has already generated considerable excitement among players with numerous teasers both within the game and externally. Initially showcased through a new emote, she has sparked curiosity about what her abilities might entail.

In addition to these teasers, more lore about her has been revealed through a comic featured in the game client. This comic narrates the story of Aurora assisting Ornn at his forge, establishing a connection between the two characters. Now, we’ve received an even more tangible Easter egg in the form of a new item being added to the MOBA.

The new item, called “Witch’s Hat,” is exclusive to the Vastayan mage. It appears to be an Ornn-upgraded version of Rabadon’s Deathcap and includes a humorous description that hints at Aurora’s relationship with him.

The item’s description reads, “‘Friend.’ Yes, it is a funny word. Yet perhaps this likely refers to Ornn developing a friendship with Aurora, which is an unusual occurrence for the typically solitary Freljordian blacksmith.

As of now, the details of Aurora’s abilities remain unknown, but her friendship with Ornn might offer some clues about her gameplay. It is probable that Aurora will have close ties to Ornn and feature interactions reflecting their strong bond in the lore.

This upcoming champion is expected to be released in late June or mid-July 2024.

League of Legends is notoriously complex, filled with an almost endless champion-specific mechanics that often interact with each other in intricate ways.

Recently, the League community collectively stumbled upon a new mechanic on the game’s official subreddit. A large number of players discovered that Kalista gains credit for minion kills whenever the champion she is tethered to with The Black Spear lands the last hit on a minion.

The discussion emerged from the Reddit thread where users were questioning why there aren’t more useful loading screen tips. The original poster, a user named Bebeebap, provided several examples of what they considered to be helpful tips, including:

• “Kalista’s bound teammate gives minion last hits to Kalista!”

The revelation about this mechanic, in particular, sparked a significant reaction from the community. Many players in the comments expressed their surprise, admitting they had no idea this feature existed.

“She only gets the last hit if both she and her support auto for her W passive damage, last hitting by her bound target doesn’t go to her automatically unless her W passive is being procced.”

This interaction is only vaguely hinted at in the passive effect description of her Sentinel (W) ability, which notes that both Kalista and her bound ally deal bonus damage and execute targets when they are below 125 HP.

For this mechanic to work, both Kalista and her partner must attack the same target, meaning you can’t just tether to a solo laner and receive credit for minion kills across the map while playing as Kalista.

However, this mechanic can be highly beneficial for well-coordinated lane teammate who are aware of it, allowing them to maximize the effectiveness of Kalista’s kit now that more players are informed about its existence.

As the community continues to unearth hidden mechanics and share valuable tips, League of Legends players can expect to see new strategies and synergies develop, making the game even richer and more engaging.

Riot Games has started the process to induct a second professional player into the League of Legends Hall of Legends, with voting expected to begin soon. Although the celebrations for Faker’s induction have not officially started yet, Riot is already selecting the experts who will form the next jury panel.

“We are choosing our next 50 panelists for the 2024 Hall of Legends voting process as we speak,” Riot Games said. They added that the formal voting process should commence “soon.”

These panelists will comprise the final group that decides on the Hall of Legends inductees, after regional experts propose a list of 20 players for them to consider.

However, this statement does not necessarily mean that Riot already has a list of nominees. Instead, it confirms that Riot has begun the process of selecting the panel that will ultimately decide the next inductee. This decision has already sparked conversations throughout the League of Legends esports community.

While Faker being the first inductee was expected, choosing the second pro to enter the Hall of Legends might not be as straightforward, with fans advocating for their favorite players.

Faker was chosen for his unmatched achievements and influence, fulfilling the criteria for this honorable recognition perfectly. His accomplishments include 4 World Championship titles, 10 LCK trophies, and significant contributions both on and off the Rift.

As the community gears up to celebrate Faker’s induction with a special in-game event, speculation about the next inductee is already widespread.

Fans are discussing potential candidates across social media, but the official announcement likely won’t be made until a year from now, as Riot plans to induct one player into the Hall of Legends each year. The third inductee will then be revealed in 2026.

This annual process ensures that the Hall of Legends will continue to honor the extraordinary contributions of League of Legends professionals to the esports scene. It preserves their legacies and inspires future generations of fans and new talents.

This news follows the implementation of Vanguard, an anti-cheat system that has significantly increased the number of bans in higher ranked play.

The development team commented on this step, saying, “Now that Vanguard has had a bit of time to roll out, we’re starting to target more cheats that we weren’t able to action on in the past,” the dev team stated. “

This new wave of actions includes the first-ever Hardware ID bans in League, which will significantly enhance the anti-cheating measures.

Phillip Koskinas, Riot Games’ head of anti-cheat, provided statistics indicating that hardware bans now represent the second-largest category of bans. These hardware ID bans mean that offenders are prevented from playing the game on the same computer, forcing cheaters to replace their hardware if they want to return to the game. This is expected to deter many due to the high cost involved.

According to the data, these hardware bans started around May 15 and primarily targeted cheaters in the higher ranks, especially Masters and above. This crackdown occurred just one month after Vanguard’s introduction to League of Legends, demonstrating Riot’s commitment to tackling cheating.

However, Vanguard has had its share of problems. Originating from Riot’s tactical shooter Valorant, some League players reported that Vanguard was causing significant issues with their PCs. The developers responded by stating they found no confirmed cases of Vanguard causing such problems.

Overall, the introduction of hardware bans marks a significant and interesting development in Riot’s strategy against cheaters in League of Legends. This move is part of their broader, ongoing efforts to ensure fair play in their games.

Why do players hate the new Champion Mastery system?

Firstly, the Sage Challenge, which measures mastery with various champions, has become significantly more difficult. Previously, reaching Champion Mastery 7 was hard, but now players must achieve Mastery 10 with each champion. This means a considerable increase in the time and effort required to max out mastery levels, with calculations suggesting it could take nearly 14.5 million Mastery Points to reach this new pinnacle.

Moreover, associated challenges linked to Champion Mastery, such as Maven of Strings and Master Mage, have also been affected, demanding Mastery 10 with specific champions for completion. This adjustment has left many players disappointed, especially if they were aiming for completionist achievements.

Secondly, there has been confusion surrounding the conversion of old Mastery scores to the new system. While Riot’s Champion Mastery Guide indicated that previous scores would convert into experience and Marks of Mastery, the process has not been straightforward.

Some champions remained at Mastery 7 after the update, while others were upgraded to Mastery 10, leading to uncertainty and frustration among players. The lack of clear communication from Riot has exacerbated the confusion, particularly regarding expectations about the conversion process.

Thirdly, changes to Mastery crests and emotes have been met with criticism, with many players finding them unappealing and uninspired. The redesigned emotes have been described as lacking visual appeal, diminishing the satisfaction of achieving high mastery levels.

Lastly, the increased difficulty in reaching Mastery 10 has shifted perceptions of champion mastery from a reflection of skill to a mere grind for rewards. This has left many players feeling demoralized, especially those who take pride in achieving mastery milestones as a measure of skill and dedication.

Overall, while Patch 14.10 introduced numerous changes to League of Legends, the adjustments to Champion Mastery, Mastery Points, and associated challenges have been met with widespread discontent, marking one of the most criticized updates in recent memory.