Fearless Draft mode is fully promoted, and League of Legends e-sports ushered in new changes

According to Sheep Esports, the Fearless Draft selection system will be fully implemented in major regions such as LEC, LTA, LPL, LCK, LCP, and will be officially launched at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the Global Finals.

The 2025 Spring Split, as a pilot phase for the system, has significantly increased the popularity of the games in the LEC and LCK regions, with the LEC peaking at over 800,000 viewers and the LCK Cup reaching 1.9 million viewers on the second day of the playoffs.

The introduction of the new system means that teams cannot repeatedly choose the same hero in Bo3 and Bo5 formats, greatly improving the diversity and viewing experience of the competition.

Take Azir as an example. This hero's selection rate dropped significantly in the 2024 and 2025 LEC Winter Playoffs. In 2024, Azir was picked 23 times, while in 2025 under the Fearless Draft system, this number dropped to 13 times, which fully demonstrates the impact of the new mode on hero diversity.

The launch of Fearless Draft is undoubtedly an important step for Riot Games to optimize the e-sports event experience. In February this year, Riot Games withdrew its decision to remove Hextech chests from MOBA games due to community feedback. It can be seen that the company is always willing to listen to the opinions of players and viewers.

In the past few seasons, the same heroes and lineups have frequently appeared in professional competitions, resulting in a lack of novelty in the competition. The addition of Fearless Draft has forced professional players to expand their hero pools, and teams must also develop new tactics and strategies to deal with different situations.