I was just watching the 2013 Worlds intro video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tshT8ccEpvY

It was inspiring. You could feel the determination of those teams to win the championship, to give it their all. Look at the players, all legends.

Look at all the champs represented: , all in a 3 minute video.

When I watch the 2015 video, it seems so... sterile in comparison. There is no more emphasis on the champions or the iconic players that have mastered them. It is all focused on the esports production aspect, with the arena cheering background instead of epic music. It just doesn't have the same feeling as 2013.

Alot of this, IMO, has to do with the overall balancing direction of the game. Back in s3 and s4, things were alot less refined. Dedicated strategies and highly specialized champions had a place, because they were extremely powerful in their small niche yet mediocre outside of them. Hard counters mattered. Games were won and lost on a pinpoint. Now? It's all about overwhelming steamrolls by extremely safe generalists with no weaknesses.