While the thrilling matches between Samsung White (SSW) and Star Horn Royal Club (SHRC) started in the late afternoon, the League of Legends 2014 World Championship celebration began bright and early on October 19. In front of the Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul, it was impossible to miss the four-story high banners of each team greeting those who traveled to see the event live. While the stage was being set inside, the air outside the stadium had a carnival’s smell of popcorn, and thousands of excited players gathered around booths filled with goodies and fun activities within. 

Fan art worthy of a museum (albeit a nerdy one) decorated the center booth, with many of the artists on site to discuss their gorgeous collections and sign prints of the beautifully intricate pieces. Wood carvings and paper crafts brought beloved champions like Fiddlesticks and Vladimir from the screen to life in new, whimsical ways. No component of any champion was spared, with different techniques used for each aspect of the detailed pieces. The star of the fan art booth was a spectacular mechanical Baron Nashor. The beastly robot moved to the movements of players thanks to a camera inside its mouth. As more people crowded around, the beast would uncoil to make spitting and hissing motions at anyone nearby. 

Meanwhile, artistry of the cosplay sort took center stage just around the corner from the center booth. While the timer continued to tick down to when the stadium gates would open for the main show to begin, these cosplayers put on a choreographed performance that would make any K-Pop group proud. Every time a new character came on stage, the audience would scream their approval, especially when Pulsefire Ezreal, Firefox Ahri, and Full Metal Jayce took the spotlight. After the performance it was time to grab a quick tattoo at Jinx’s Stylish Tattoo Parlor and some Coke with the Lady of Luminosity herself brandishing the can before heading into the stadium. 

You might think that 40,000 hyped-up fans funneling into a tight space would be horrifying. But not here. Each individual’s excitement seemed to be echoed and amplified by everyone around them, and that enthusiasm could be felt in the air. But before they even sat down, there was plenty to keep them entertained inside the stadium. Swag bags were handed out to everyone and as the temperature dropped, many donned their new Summoner’s cloaks, further adding to the community atmosphere. It wasn’t just players who enjoyed them, either. 

Merch stores peppered the stadium and the collectible Ahri Nendroid figures were so charming they seemed to be walking off the shelves of their own accord. Teemo hats were also on sale, and it’s safe to say there have definitely never been this many scouts in one place. For lovers of cute, two sickeningly adorable plush toys made their debut: a Tibbers teddy realistic enough to have you skipping like Annie and the softest, most endearing Poro, complete with a hysterically huge tongue, bushy eyebrows, and a big heart design on his bottom and paws because Poros love you. 

 Event staff kept things entertaining by throwing hundreds of squishy Poros, Teemo mushrooms, Gragas barrels, Ziggs bombs, Jinx chompers, and Lulu cupcakes into the stands. But everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but track to the giant countdown timer at center stage, slowly making its way to zero. And as the last few ticks fell from the clock, the stadium crowd thundered out in unison the final 10. The show could finally begin!

The opening ceremony started in style, as a host of drummers dressed in traditional garb pounded out a choreographed performance, accompanied by a live orchestra. The rhythm fittingly electrified the crowd, as the final beats bled seamlessly into the Worlds 2014 anthem “Warriors,” performed live by Imagine Dragons.

With the band belting out the song’s chorus, the warriors of the day — Samsung White and Star Horn Royal Club —  took the stage to a huge standing ovation that shook  the entire stadium.

With legendary amounts of enthusiasm, Korean caster Jeon Yong Jun, or hype guy as we like to call him, passionately introduced the members of each team at the foot of the prestigious Summoner’s Cup trophy. And with that, they were off to the Rift. 

What makes watching any live esports events special is being able to feel the reactions of the crowd as the competitors make huge plays or terrible mistakes. Of course, that crowd isn’t typically 40,000 screaming fans strong. When all ten competitors bunched up near the Baron pit in Game 1, the crowd collectively held its breath, waiting to see who would strike first. While Jian “Uzi” Zihao jumped in and initiated the fight, it was Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong’s clutch Death Sentence on Yoon “Zero” Kyung-sup that secured the First Blood, and the deafening eruption from the stands was magnificent. With each subsequent kill, the entire stadium responded, many smacking their red and white thunder sticks together to show support for SSW or SHRC.

As Samsung White wailed on Star Horn Royal Club through the first two games, many fans were genuinely concerned the series was going to be yet another 3-0 like the 2013 Final at the Staples Center. Fortunately, SHRC had other plans. Uzi went absolutely nuts on Tristana in Game 3, proving he is one of — if not the best — AD carries in the world. It wasn’t just the jolly captain who unloaded in this match though. Zero turned up his play a notch with an immaculate Braum performance that finally helped his team get in to a great position. 

Watching SHRC pull ahead of SSW in Game 3 was a beautiful thing. People were rabidly cheering for the Chinese team with every kill and any advantage they earned because at that moment, everyone wanted to see a Game 4 — and dare we hope, 5 — more than anything in the world. The stadium, it seemed, wasn’t ready to let go quite yet and neither was Star Horn Royal Club. When SSW called ‘GG’ at 38 minutes, everyone was on his or her feet jumping and screaming and otherwise going absolutely insane. 

The glory was ultimately short lived though, as SSW swiftly answered back in Game 4, handedly crushing SHRC at every turn. Team captain Choi “DanDy” In-kyu prowled the entire map on Rengar, leaving his paw print on every single kill of the sub-30 minute game. As the Nexus began to fall, lovable star AD carry Gu “imp” Seung-bin realized he and his team were about to win the match and his demeanor instantly changed from serious to all smiles. When Star Horn Royal Club finally threw in the towel, Mata, who ended up winning the 2014 Worlds MVP award, jumped out of his seat and ran over to give Dandy a huge celebratory bear hug.

Afterwards, though it may have been Imagine Dragons singing a stellar version of “Top of the World,” the real rockstars were Samsung White, as they held up their hard-earned trophy and drank in their victory amidst a spectacular fireworks show. It was an intensely emotional moment seeing each member of the team kiss the Summoner’s Cup. 

Closing out the night with a mini Imagine Dragons concert was the cherry on top of an already unforgettable day. The heat and smell of the smoke from the pungent, yet glorious, pyrotechnics permeated the stadium. The players in the stands were all dancing and singing to the popular songs “It’s Time” and their final performance, “Radioactive,” was especially awesome, as all the band members began beating various drums around the stage.

One of the best parts of being at the Worlds Final was getting to see so very many players from all over the globe come together to celebrate their love for League of Legends. This year, the road to Worlds was long and hard fought. But as a community, it was easy to feel like we were on top of the world as we departed from Sangam Stadium.