As a Marksman who wants to use his abilities often and has empowered basic attacks, Essence Reaver and Runaan's Hurricane are core items on Aphelios. Infinity Edge is usually the strongest third item, but the rest of the build depends on the enemy team and how the game is going. Phantom Dancer and Guardian Angel provide defensive capabilities from Assassins and burst damage, Bloodthirster provides sustainability and damage in long teamfights, and Mortal Reminder counters an enemy team with a lot of healing. As for his unique stat leveling, maxing his Attack Speed or Armor Penetration is generally the best bet. Max Attack Speed first against a squishier team, and max Armor Penetration first against an armor stacking team. The Attack Damage Aphelios gains from leveling that stat does not scale well into the late g
Many champions contribute to the items on this list, but few deserve their own entry. Aurelion Sol does both. Aurelion Sol is described in his backstory as a creator of stars, traveling the vast emptiness and creating what seems to be countless solar systems before he was ultimately tricked into servitude by a group known as the Targoni
Imagine an esports equivalent of ESPN. ESPN works because coverage of most traditional sports is basically the same. You point a camera at the field and watch what happens while two "experts" talk about what’s going on. Esports won’t and can’t work like this. Every game is drastically different from the next, with its own graphics, mechanics, and strategies to be emplo
With Aphelios' 5 weapons, two teamfights will never play out the same. The way he wants to approach a full 5v5 or a small skirmish will depend on his current main and off-hand weapons. The Calibrum, Infernum, and Crescendum Moonlight Vigils are very strong during developing teamfights, especially in small areas. The AOE damage and healing can win fights single-handedly. He can also use the AOE crowd control from his Gravitum Moonlight Vigil to initiate or disengage a fi
In fact, the way that mana is handled in Legends of Runeterra is distinct from most other games. Up to three unspent mana in a turn is carried over as spell mana in the next turn, allowing for the potential to make complex plays. Normally other card games do not allow for this kind of mana banking and players want to be as efficient as possible with their tempo plays, and not spending all or most of one’s resources in a turn is often problematic. By allowing a portion of that unspent mana to be banked each turn, strategies around tempo shift considera
There is perhaps one main reason that Starcraft II failed to reach the same monuments levels of popularity. First, there was conflict from the beginning in regards to the ownership of Intellectual Property Rights with the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), retro Gaming showdown and the corresponding ability to broadcast the g
It’s unclear whether universal control over games that operate under the catch-all domain of esports will ever exist. Escalating conflict between streaming platforms that compete for viewer attention certainly isn’t helping the case for unified growth. It’s also worth questioning whether universal control is even needed. Larger titles seem to be doing just fine supporting their own leagues. A 16-year-old just took home $3 million at the first-ever _ Fortnite _ World Cup, after
Most game modes could canonically be explained away through various means. Modes such as Ultra Rapid Fire need the simple explanation of saying that the mages who manage the league would simply scale champion abilities to allow them to use multiple abilities in rapid succession. But what of othe
Aphelios casts a lunar spotlight that stops when it hits an enemy champion. Centered around the hit enemy, Aphelios deals damage and locks on to each enemy hit. A volley of basic attacks rain from the sky on top of each locked on enemy with global range based on Aphelios's main wea
Though OG didn’t find consistent Dota 2 success throughout 2019, one player among their ranks powered them to victory at the biggest tournament of the year. Then-19-year-old Anathan "ana" Pham returned to OG in March after an extended hiatus. With ana back on the roster, OG began their climb back to peak form. They qualified for the MDL Disneyland Paris Major, and placed 5-6th at the main event. They then competed in ESL One Birmingham and the EPICENTER Major, placing 7-8th at both tournaments. The International 2019 arrived, and OG immediately exerted their dominance over their group stage opponents. To much surprise, ana played Io, traditionally a support hero, in the carry position. With that out-of-the-box pick, OG were able to top the group stage and secure a play-offs upper bracket berth. OG then took down Evil Geniuses, PSG.LGD, and Team Liquid to become the first team to ever win The International tw
Still, esports is often treated like one entity. In reality, individual games play out more like anthologies—unconnected by the umbrella term that defines them. Like a thin layer of algae on the surface of an abandoned pool, esports as a title masks the diverse ecosystem that exists beneath the surface, suffocating its variety and preventing outsiders from getting in the water. Even if you are a huge fan of one title, other games remain largely uninteresting and impossible to watch. As a result, can anyone really call themselves a fan of espo
