The state of streaming League of Legends has changed recently and while playing games I noticed more unique picks and build paths that go against what is considered conventional. Streamers have always had an influence on the meta and other players' play styles and champion choices. Back when I used to watch streamers more consistently, I was inspired to try to play the same champions like Bjergsen’s Syndra, Dyrus’ Darius, and Imaqtpie’s Vayne. Watching them play was not only informative for me to learn how professionals play, but also enabled me to learn about different builds, map awareness, and what professionals think about while playing.

Streamers continue to have an impact on the meta. Since the state of streaming has always been evolving, the most popular streamers for League of Legends have now grown to include a wide variety. Most recently with this past NA LCS Summer Split but also with World’s 2021, Sneaky’s viewership rose from its already high number when he would do co-streams with Doublelift and Meteos. All three of these former pro-players are already extremely popular, but the star power of having the three of them on Twitch streams and YouTube videos also created a wider interest in the games they would cover.

Personally, although I still watched some of the LoL Esports VODs and videos on their website, I always looked forward to watching Sneaky and Meteos’ co-streams during the World’s 2021 coverage. Their commentary, high energy, and joking around all made for a very fun experience watching them but also watching the professional games.

As one of the biggest names in League of Legends, Sneaky has always been a big-name player and eventual streamer, but I believe he really helped players, myself included, pay more attention to the World’s games. They helped me with their opinions and advice about how to handle situations compared to the pros playing in-game while also being able to crack jokes and make me laugh. They helped change the meta and how people became more invested in Worlds and other VODs because of Sneaky’s streams.

Many big personalities for steaming have also emerged and become very popular in recent years as well as influencing the meta. One of the biggest streamers is Tyler Steinkamp, also known as tyler1. After being banned for almost three years after his initial debut, tyler1 made a comeback in 2018 when his ban from League of Legends was lifted after he was supposedly reformed. The viewership on his first stream after being unbanned reached a height of 382,000 people which broke Faker’s Twitch record set earlier in 2017. After his self-proclaimed reformed personality, tyler1 became a staple to the League community and has continued to be extremely popular. He currently has 4.7 million followers on Twitch and also has been featured in numerous memes earning himself quite a reputation.

As one of the biggest names in the community, he has created a name with his iconic personality and the way people are drawn into his streams. Not only has he become a staple personality for the community, but his iconic pick of Draven has inspired many of his watchers to pick up the champion and shows tyler1 can have a wider effect on the meta and how people perceive League of Legends.

Although these types of big personality streamers like Sneaky, Meteos, and tyler1 are some of the most popular streamers, it’s not just big personalities that have had an influence on the meta: iconic personalities and unique champion picks have enabled the following streamers to rise to fame. One player is Simon "Thebausffs" Hofverberghas who has inspired players in every ELO to try out Sion Mid and Top Lane. He currently has 474k followers on Twitch and was previously a professional player but now mainly is just a streamer and is now known for his Sion games and builds. After his popularity increased, I would often find my friends start to play Sion Mid Lane more and more during our games. Here is the link to his Sion guide on Youtube if you’d like to check his channel out!

Another influence on the meta can be found with RATIRL and how people began to notice how good he is at playing Twitch (the champion not the streaming platform). He currently has 669k followers on Twitch (this time the streaming platform and not the champion), and people who watch these streams and YouTube video edits have begun to copy his builds for Bot Lane AD and AP Twitch. It’s not to say people haven’t played AP Twitch before, but RATIRL’s influence has caused it to become more well-known to the point that when you lock in Twitch for Bot Lane, your teammates might ask: “Are you going AD or AP?”

Another streaming personality and someone who has had an influence on the meta is TobiasFate. Known for his iconic Gankplank and pirate-themed streams, he has made Gankplank a unique meta pick for players in lower ELO. Normally Gankplank is typically found in the Top Lane but after Tobias’ popularity, I found myself facing more and more Gankplanks in the Mid Lane. Similar to RATIRL, TobiasFate popularizes going AP rather than AD on his champion and although not all of his games are successful, he has made a name for himself in the streamer community and has become quite popular in the League Community with over 870k followers on Twitch.

Although the types of streamers and personalities have evolved, the game is no less entertaining. Whether you’re watching ex-pros play like Sneaky or Imaqtpie or other streamers like Bausffs or RATIRL, you’re always in for a good time watching them play unique champions and use interesting builds. What is or isn’t in the meta will always change for the future but at least in the last few years, it has been very fun and entertaining to watch the state of the meta adjust and evolve to where it’s currently at.

As always, thanks for reading, and good luck on the Rift!