Breaking the Curse: Why the LEC and LCS Still Can’t Compete with Eastern teams
Ethan Cohen
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It’s been five long years since a Western team has made it past the quarterfinals at Worlds. While Asia — and especially China and South Korea — has long reigned supreme in international League of Legends, the gap has never looked as wide as it does today. So what went wrong for the West with the LEC and LCS (LTA in 2025), and more importantly, how can it catch up?
A Culture Built for Performance
Let’s start with the obvious: Korea and China simply take performance more seriously. Their systems are built to produce excellence — from the ground up. The difference isn’t just structural; it’s cultural. In those regions, becoming a professional player is seen as a legitimate career path from a young age. In the West, it’s still viewed as a risky dream at best.
So while Asian kids are grinding ranked as if their future depends on it, Western kids are told to “go outside” and treat gaming as a hobby. The contrast couldn’t be starker. Take JDG’s Korean ADC, Peyz — he left school early with his parents’ blessing to dedicate himself fully to League, receiving private coaching to refine his play. That level of commitment is nearly unheard of in Europe or North America.
A System Still Catching Up
In the West, systems just don’t line up with that kind of dedication. The NA academic model is messy and currently at its worst, while Europe’s infrastructure has never really been comparable to Korea’s or China’s. But things are starting to shift. Europe, in particular, is slowly waking up to the need for proper talent pipelines. More and more organizations are investing in academies, following the path carved by Karmine Corp — which now fields KCB and KCBS in the LFL and French Division 2.
Movistar KOI 🇪🇸 will look to expand their academy to have both a tier 2 and tier 3 team for 2026.
The objective of these teams will be to grow special talent, and to create competition for the #LEC players.
Spanish streamer Ibai recently announced a similar project for MKOI, and G2 is reportedly building its own academy team in the Prime League. These moves signal a new direction, and perhaps a brighter future for the region. Because right now, Europe’s talent pool is drying up fast. Apart from MKOI and G2, very few teams have managed to field fully Western rosters capable of challenging for titles.
Imports Aren’t a Magic Fix
Even Karmine Corp, under pressure from fans and hungry for results, is rumored to be importing Korean talent next year to complement its homegrown prodigy, Caliste. But history has shown that importing doesn’t always equal success. Many LEC and LCS teams tried — and failed — to turn imports into regional breakthroughs.
In truth, the West’s best recent showings often came not from brilliance, but from Eastern collapse — and especially from TES. Like their meltdown against G2 at last year’s MSI, or Karmine Corp’s surprising run to the First Stand final earlier this year. Yet at Worlds, when G2 once again hit the quarterfinals against Top Esports, they looked out of ideas — and were swiftly swept aside by the team that lost 3-0 to T1.
A Mental Block That’s Hard to Shake
And perhaps, beyond structure and talent, that’s where another major issue lies. The West seems to be trapped in a mental block. Whenever a Western team faces an Asian opponent, it often feels like the game is already lost before it even starts. For LCK or LPL players, meanwhile, those same matchups feel practically free.
Photo Credit: Yicun Liu/Riot Games
That mindset only widens the skill gap — because belief and confidence are crucial at the highest level. Someone needs to finally break that curse, to show it can be done, and to give future Western teams more hope — and less of that ever-present impostor syndrome — when it’s their turn to face the giants.
Three Short-Term Paths Forward
So what can Western teams actually do to fight back against the LCK and LPL juggernauts?
1. The KC/LYON route
According to Sheep Esports and offseason rumors, teams like KC and Lyon have already secured verbal agreements with several high-level Korean players — names like Saint, Canna, and Kyeahoo — who can’t find spots in Korea due to its sheer depth of talent. The idea is to build a superteam around these imports and pair them up with local stars like Busio, Caliste, Yike, or Inspired. It’s a pragmatic short-term solution: fill domestic gaps with foreign excellence.
2. The MKOI/G2/FLY philosophy
This approach focuses on maximizing homegrown potential — mixing experienced veterans with hungry rookies. It’s a noble effort, but it comes with limits. By the time rookies gain the confidence to perform internationally, the team’s synergy often fades, leading to another rebuild. We’ve seen this cycle repeat with G2 and now with FlyQuest.
Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
3. The creativity gamble
Finally, there’s innovation. FlyQuest nearly upset Gen.G at Worlds last year (2–3) with bold drafts and clever gameplay adaptations. Beating LCK or LPL teams by playing “standard League” rarely works — but throwing them off balance with fresh drafts, unorthodox comps, or tactical curveballs (like lane swaps) just might.
Long Road Ahead, building infrastructure for long-term results
In the long run, there’s no shortcut. The West will have to go through a long and demanding journey of talent development, meaningful project building, and steady overall improvement before it can truly reach the level of Korea and China. It might take several years, but at least the region’s frontrunners are starting to wake up to that reality.
Many organizations are now creating academies not only to push their main roster players — by giving ambitious young prospects the chance to challenge them — but also to provide a proper structure that ensures healthy, long-term growth. That mix of internal competition and solid guidance could finally set the foundations for a sustainable future.
It won’t happen overnight. But at least, for the first time in years, the West finally seems to be taking the right steps. The question is: will it be enough — and soon enough — to catch up before the gap becomes permanent?
Ethan is an esports fanatic — not a Fnatic fan, don’t get him wrong. He previously worked for a French media outlet called Eclypsia, as well as Sheep Esports, for whom he covered a variety of scenes: from FC 24, R6, and RL to CS:GO, VAL, and more. But the main reason Ethan started writing in esports was to have the opportunity to work fully on his one true love: League of Legends. And that’s precisely what he is doing at Hotspawn. Be warned, his articles can sometimes ooze a little too much of his lack of objectivity towards the French scene and players…
