Things we learned in 2015 and at All-Star

As the sun sets on the 2015 All-Star Event, we also say goodbye to the 2015 Season and all of its ups and downs. Over the year, we've seen the rise and fall of many metagames and eras.

We can never forget the Cinderhulk meta (though we'd certainly like to), when even assassins like Fizz became top lane bruisers. We remember the Xerath vs. Ziggs meta game, in all its 50-minute-long-game horror. We remember the top lane carry era, where suddenly the Solo Queue dream of Riven vs. Fiora was just another day in the office. And we bemoan the day that the Kench became unbenched. Seriously, why won't their ADC die!?

There are too many fascinating this season to look at them all, but we can sure try to take something with us as we close the curtain on 2015. Let's take a moment to reflect on all the things we've learned from the 2015 as we move into a brave new world... where marksman really hurt.

When 10 Blitzcranks walk onto the Rift, everyone wins

Seriously, was there anything that happened this weekend that was more fun than watching hook after hook land in the One For All?

Every moment of the game left us all holding our breath, wondering what crazy ping-ponging of Blitzcranks would occur next. And who can forget the clown fiesta that transpired every time they decided to YOLO mid lane?

No matter what happens, everyone wins when this level of buffoonery takes place on the Rift. GG WP to the players who decided to bless us with such a match. We surely won't forget it.

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Teamwork is still really important

Last year, Samsung White's teamwork and superstar roster showed the world what was possible when you combine synergy with talent: the perfect team. But in 2014, and early on in 2015, the game looked much more about individual performances than premier teamwork.  "I played in 2014 Worlds," Origen jungler Amazing said, "and it felt like the game was still on such an individual level. It didn't feel like playing with a team, but individuals trying to get synergy with each other."

Bjergsen and Lustboy played a major role in TSM's championship wins at IEM Katowice and the NA LCS Finals. Huni and Febiven helped lead Fnatic to an EU LCS championship, on a team that lacked other significant carries. And in the LPL, Pawn and Deft's huge, clutch performances led them to clinch China in dramatic fashion. Teams earned their success largely on the merits of their star power, and many of the teamwork-oriented squads, such as Cloud9 and Unicorns of Love, came up just short.

This winning formula of dominant individual performance continued at MSI -- where Edward Gaming upset what many thought was a superior team in SKTelecom T1. And it looked like, finally, the LPL's star power could prove to dominate international competition. But the LPL's individual based playstyle did not hold up to the scrutiny of the 2015 World Championship.

"The Worlds meta was so much about how you play as five rather than you playing as one," Fnatic's AD carry Rekkles said. "So I think the Chinese teams struggled playing together compared to others."

At Worlds, the superstar studded rosters of the LPL teams, all of which had two Korean players, failed to advance two of its three teams out of the Group Stage, with the third (EDG), falling 3-0 to the more teamplay-oriented Fnatic in the Quarterfinals.

"At Worlds this year, for the first time in the history of the game, it felt actually like a team game," Amazing said. "Everything felt so natural and flowing. It was more about communication, more about trying to find things you want to work on as a team, rather than things you had to work on as an individual.

"I was way worse individually this year than I was last year, but approached the game really differently," he continued. "The different approach actually helped me way more than my individual skill level last year. I was pretty happy about that."

Every one of the final four teams at Worlds emphasized strong teamwork over individual skill. For teams to replicate their success in 2016, they'll probably need to change their way of thinking to one that emphasizes team play over individual performance.

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The Korean Exodus did not work out for China

The teamwork metagame wasn't the only hard lesson China learned this year. During the Korean Exodus, after Samsung White won the 2014 World Championship, over 25 Korean starters left their LCK teams to go to Chinese LPL and LSPL teams -- many of the player moves were explicitly financially motivated, with China paying much higher salaries. After MSI, it looked like all of that work (and cold hard cash) had paid dividends for Chinese teams and fans.

But as the World Championship rolled on, it became clear that the LPL teams suffered by having mixed language teams. Without clear communication, they were unable to compete in a meta that emphasized global map movement and superior teamplay.

"LMS teams speak the same language, Korea does as well," Rekkles said. "When I see the Chinese teams, no one speaks English, so how do they actually communicate? It was a different story at MSI when the meta was 'play as one,' but when it was 'play as five,' they couldn't do that much, even though they had the best players."

But poor team communication hasn't slowed China's acquisition of Korean players this offseason. Worlds 2015 MVP and former SKT top laner MaRin has signed with LGD Gaming, joining Korean superstar Imp, while former SKT mid laner Easyhoon has joined Vici Gaming alongside Korean jungler DanDy.

Unless the meta changes back to a more single-playmaker based game, the communication issues between LPL teammates will continue to be a problem. It will be key for either Korean players to learn Chinese, or for the teams to find another shared language, to resolve their communication issues next season.

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Europe is a world power

Wind the clock back to Worlds 2014 -- it was a dark time for the EU LCS. Not a single European team made it out of Groups at Worlds, and Alliance suffered an infamous loss to KaBum! esports to get eliminated from the tournament.

Fast forward to Worlds 2015, where Europe had a complete turnaround. Throughout the Season, we saw steady improvements, and increasingly great performances, from many of the top European teams. Fnatic nearly upset SKT at MSI, and then both Fnatic and Origen made the Semifinals of Worlds after outperforming LMS, NA LCS, and LPL teams. 

However, this offseason is hitting Europe hard, particularly reigning EU LCS champions Fnatic. Several of the marquee pros have left, in part for better salaries in North America. It's hard to tell how much the loss of several key stars will affect Europe. Can they replace the talent that is going overseas to the NA LCS? And can they continue their great teamwork through a myriad of different metagames?

Origen will be the most likely candidate to succeed Fnatic at the top of Europe, but there are a number of other contenders that will vie for the EU LCS crown.

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LMS is on the rise

Oh hey there, LMS! You do exist!

We were starting to forget the region that produced the Season 2 World Champions. Following the Taipei Assassins hoisting of the Summoner's Cup at the Galen Center, it had been two years of Worlds Group Stage failure for teams from Taiwan. Some fans even questioned whether the LMS should lose one, or both, of its Worlds auto-qualification spots.

But after decent IEM Katowice and MSI performances, the stage was set for the LMS to prove that it is still an elite region in the world -- and it didn't miss its opportunity. At Worlds, the Flash Wolves swept the eventual runner-up KOO Tigers to win Group A, and ahq e-Sports Club narrowly lost out the 1st seed in Group B to Fnatic.

While both teams eventually lost in the Quarterfinals, they outperformed both the LPL and NA LCS teams, and reasserted themselves as an elite region in League of Legends.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows for the LMS however. The region is still weak when it comes to depth of talent, and there has been rumor of LPL teams attempting to recruit some of the LMS's premier talent. But still, the building blocks are there. If the infrastructure in the region improves, and they can continue to cultivate their own talent, they could be a force to be reckoned with internationally for years to come.

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Bjergsen and Doublelift can both 1 vs. 1 you

The 2015 All-Star 1 vs. 1 tournament looked to be the ultimate arena to reveal the most mechanically-skilled player in the world. There were a number of favorites going into the event: Uzi, Froggen, Faker, among others, but the two that were left standing at the end were the Team SoloMid carry duo of Bjergsen and Doublelift.

Throughout the event, they displayed superior mechanics in most of their matches -- and also a flair for the dramatic. Both players greatly preferred to win with kills instead of CS or turret kills, and with mirror matchups rather than cheese picks. Doublelift even forwent an easy CS victory (while at 99 CS) to blow up Froggen in the pivotal moment of their final game.

In the end there was little doubt as to who the best duelists were at the tournament. That doesn't mean that Bjergsen and Doublelift are the two best players in the world, because the 1 vs. 1 tournament is based on peculiar rules and strategies. But it does fulfill the fantasy of a metaphorical battle royale between all the best players.

And now we know who won it.

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North America is tired of losing

2014 was a good year for North America, with two teams advancing to the Quarterfinals of the World Championship. But the weaknesses of the North American rosters really showed in 2015. After the first week of competition at Worlds, things looked pretty good for NA -- Cloud9 led their Group at 3-0, Counter Logic Gaming was tied for first in their Group at 2-1, and Team SoloMid (and everyone else…) had even managed to beat LGD.

But then the wheels came off.

North America did not win a single game for the rest of the World Championship, and each team failed to advance from Groups. The NA teams' failures and frustration is perhaps best exemplified by the enormous roster turnover in 2015 compared to 2014. In the 2015 offseason, TSM changed its entire roster except for Bjergsen, Cloud9 brought in the reigning league MVP (Rush), and across NA LCS, there are entirely new rosters on multiple teams.

"People are changing teams because they're getting more serious," former TSM top laner Dyrus said. "And they're sick of losing."

There are still multiple teams in the NA LCS without fully announced rosters, and it's clear that the arms race is only going to get more deadly moving forward, as each of the teams tries to outplay the other not only in game, but on the free agent market as well.

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"Friendship teams" aren't dead

As teams get more serious about professional leagues and rosters, and player salaries rise, it doesn't mean that the traditional esports model of "get five friends into the LCS" is dead. It's just evolved.

Cloud9, Unicorns of Love, H2K, and Origen. There are a number of teams who have climbed through Challenger, entered the LCS, and had immediate success in their respective leagues. The million dollar question has been how to keep things that way. Teams are quick to replace weak aspects of their roster (now more than ever), but pro players are discovering that it's just as important to synergize with their teammates off the Rift as it is on it.

"When you can't get along in the team, it makes for a lot of problems," Origen jungler Amazing said. "For example, as a jungler, if you don't get along with a certain lane, the way you communicate will be different. There will be less synergy, less warding, less ganking, whatever it is. So for us, having such camaraderie with each other, and feeling responsible for one another, helped us a ton."

"If things came up, issues came up, we struggled in scrims, etc., it didn't feel like we were working against one another, but always with one another -- and always towards a goal," Amazing continued. "I think camaraderie and teamwork is something that was really important."

Rekkles also reiterated that when he rejoined Fnatic in the Summer Split, it was very important for him to get along with his teammates on both a personal and professional level.

Success in esports is often dependent on more than just skillful players. The pro teams who are shaking up their rosters would do well to remember that most successful teams emphasize friendship in addition to individual skill.

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Korea is still the best

You knew this one was coming.

All-Star 2015 was not meant to be a serious event, but even though the EU LCS showed us some hope in beating Korea the first time they faced off, and even though Team Ice beat a primarily Korean Team Fire roster in All-Star All-Stars, Korea still felt the need to show us exactly why they are the best.

Faker and MaRin stepped up when it mattered, the team played incredibly well together, reacted to the game intelligently, played the map properly, and figured out every edge they needed to win.

Where the League meta takes us in 2016, no one knows. But we do know two things: in a meta where one player can carry, Korea is very good. In a meta where it's a team game, Korea is still significantly ahead of everyone else.

The gap between Korea and everyone else may be closing, but it's still a gap.

What were your favorite moments from All-Star and the 2015 Season? What are you looking forward to in 2016? Let us know in the comments below, or @Lolesports on Twitter.

Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games and Lolesports. Talk to him on Twitter about ordered lists, mid lane assassins, and where in the world Froggen is playing. You can also find him in Solo Queue in the Diamond 5 retirement home.