OGN is the Korea of creating intros. The Korean gaming network has been making these types of hype videos for the past decade, most notably for Starcraft: Brood War, and they've continued that legacy with the League of Legends pro scene. Sure, they're sometimes nonsensical. And yes, occasionally a little melodramatic. But they're also certain to leave you enthused for what these players can do on the Rift. In honor of the new Champions season starting up, we thought we'd break down the best OGN has to offer.
#10 - OGN Champions Spring 2012 Final
While the cinematography and special effects are below what OGN is producing today, their first Champions intro still holds its own charm. With CGI towers falling behind the two MiG teams as they cross paths, ominous music plays in the background. Blaze members are engulfed by red particles of fire, and Frost players are surrounded by blue particles of...fire? It seems they didn't think Locodoco giving a death stare into the camera with blue icicles on his face would be as scary enough. Oh, but it is.
#9 - OGN Champions Spring 2013 Season
From the first finals intro to the first season intro, we see old faces like Reapered, Hiro, and Maknoon. Sure, the players here are almost entirely cut outs, but the effect is one of an incredibly potent Champions fighting game. Not only is it the first time we see OGN's love for Flame and Watch starring into the camera, but you have Madlife set up as the final boss at the end. This wasn't one of the best openings, but it set the groundwork for what was about to come next.
#8 - OGN Champions 2013 Summer Final
Lights! More lights! Face the light! NOW DROP THE BASS! Whenever you think of Korean League of Legends, the first thing that pops into your head is most certainly dubstep. The Summer Final itself would go down as one of the best in League's history--Faker out-dueling Ryu in a Zed mirror to win the series 3-2 -- but don't forget the dubstep opening. Oh, and don't forget to face the light.
#7 - OGN Champions Summer 2014 Season
The most recently released opener, the OGN Champions Summer 2014 Season intro really highlights how far OGN has come from the MiG video that kicked things off. The effects are crisp, the CGI looks great, and they learned how to make icicles! After a few seasons of trying to include a player from every team, OGN basically said “Screw it, let’s show ‘em the highlights.” Instead of seeing players from Incredible Miracle or Jin Air, we got the usuals: Watch and Flame starring, Faker doing something with his hand, and Madlife looking cool. As one appreciated wrinkle, reigning champions Samsung Blue gain the power of flight.
#6 - OGN Champions Spring 2014 Season
There are two sides to this polarizing intro. One side thinks this opening is fun, imaginative, and more than just Flame and Watch starring intensely. The other side thinks it's too dark, and that it's difficult to tell what, actually, is going on. Either way you cut it, the intro has style... and KaKAO jumping like Lee Sin... and Faker's hand turning into Zed's blade. Man, they really love Faker's hands.
#5 - OGN Champions Winter 2013-14 Season
Watch and Flame staring? Check.
Dropping the Bass? Check.
Something with Faker's hand? Che - wait, no? The camera pans out right as they're about to show his hands? Talk about breaking the meta.
While this won't win any awards for being the most innovative opening, it is one of the better-looking intros. Instead of black or white, pink is the main color here - and it works. The best moment in the opening comes in the form of Longpanda writing in his Panda Note, presumably cursing every player that he writes down.
#4 - OGN Champions Spring 2013 Final
What this opening lacks in special effects and Faker's hands, it makes up for in straight hype. The heavy underdogs Ozone bathed with blue behind them, and the unstoppable Blaze colored in blood red. We see all the players giving their best cocky or evil look into the camera, culminating with a climactic shot of Flame doing what he does best in these videos -- look brooding.
The best shot of the intro comes in the form of CptJack and Imp having a staredown. Unfortunately Jack is one of the tallest players and Imp one of the shortest, so it looks more like an NBA player looking down at a little kid. This small scene encompassed the entire series with Blaze as the big favorites, overlooking the tiny Ozone team. In the end, Imp kicked Jack in the shins over and over, helping his team take a 3-0 win over Blaze.
#3 - OGN Masters 2014 Final
Stepping away from the dubstep and rock music, we get this hip-hop Masters opening. Upset that neither Watch or Flame made the final, the OGN cast Acorn as the pretty boy of the intro. He walks inside the arena in deep thought, meeting up with his teammates and getting ready for the final. Samsung players give secret handshakes, pat each other on the back, and head to the stage where they will play SKT T1 K.
Faker, doing what he does best, lifts up his hand and magically turns on the lights. The fans cheer but quickly realize there are no computers in sight, so the two teams just start waving flags. Some will argue this intro is cheesy and takes itself too seriously, but how can you hate the continued spotlight on Faker's hand and extreme flag-waving? It's one of the only intros that isn't dominated by a green screen, and you'll either think its incredibly cool or get a laugh at how over the top it is.
#2 - OGN Champions Winter 2013-14 Final
Welcome to OGN Champions: The Art Film. Our film opens on a black box in a land of white nothingness. Everyone looks solemn since it appears as if some kind of explosion is imminent. Faker, SKT T1 K's indomitable mid laner, awaits this explosion from his throne. Homme blinks hard, and Piglet, well, breaks into a run. We cut back to -- what else -- Faker's hand, and Mata checking his watch casually to see how the explosion is coming along.
Things suddenly turn serious. Imp, also running, is on a collision course with Piglet! Homme screams, but the collision is unavoidable. They collide at a blistering 3 MPH and combust on impact. Mata, still cool in the face of all explosions, turns his back on his bot lane partner, who is still awaiting his respawn. Bengi walks through some smoke, and PoohMandu -- unlike Mata -- looks sad that his partner exploded. Faker finally stands. A distinct falling apart of...something...occurs. The teams magically reunite and we have the obligatory face-off ending.
#1 - OGN Champions Summer 2013 Season
This opening pretty much has everything. Want to see logos tattooed on random body parts? It has that. You only watch League of Legends to see Flame leering at you? Got that. Even coming full circle, we see OGN master fire and ice graphics by having the two elements burst behind Flame and Madlife.
Also, in what is the greatest moment in Incredible Miracle's League history, we see Midking slickly turn into Lilac. From KaKAO's collar popping to the inclusion of players from even the lower teams, this is an intro that has a little something for everyone.
In the final seconds of the video, we see Faker. We then see his hand, gripping an incredible power and transitioning to the cast of Champions with the logo in the background. What other way could the best opening of OGN end than Faker's hand?
Now that I've counted down my favorite openings, what do you have to say? Which do you like the best?
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