My love-hate relationship with League of Legends has weighed on me for years. On one hand, it is a way to stay connected with friends I otherwise wouldn’t hear from often. On the other, getting thumped 10 times in a row by kids online has a way of making me question whether I ever truly enjoyed the game at all. Still, a new ranked season rolls around and I convince myself that this time will be different — maybe I’ll put in the effort, improve, and learn what’s changed over the past few months. That’s how a live service game gets you: constant tweaks and updates designed to keep things feeling fresh.
Of course, that freshness eventually gives way to monotony, and my attention drifts elsewhere. But this year?! Not only are we returning to shorter matches and an emphasis on frequent skirmishes, Riot Games has also announced the Americas Cup, perfectly setting up early 2026 for peak brain rot. It’s exactly the kind of thing that speaks to my pre-teen self, inevitably leading to months of frustration, LCS disappointment, and sleepless gaming sessions.
No matter how tempting it is, I try each year to resist the siren song calling me back, and here’s hoping I’ll have more luck this time around.
