The Ontario Tech Student Union League of Legends Varsity team has finished an incredible season with a championship win in the NECC Division 3 East Playoffs. After wrapping up the regular season with a strong 6-1 record, the team carried their momentum into the playoffs, winning the division title.

This is the squad’s second trophy this year (they won the Winter 2024 title too, if you can believe it!), and it really showcases the team’s progress and their dedication to being the best they can be. With this win, the team has earned a spot at NECC Nationals, where they’ll go up against the top teams from the West.

“We made Nationals again this year, and I hope our players can end up winning the whole thing.” — Leo

Preparation played a big role in the team’s success. Team coach Cheng (Leo) Liang explained that the team studied their opponents using screenshots, previous drafts, and Twitch VODs to scout strategies and get ahead in the draft phase. He said, “It helps if we can think of a few champs to play into the opponents ahead of time, because the 30 seconds we get for drafting runs down quickly.”

Beyond gameplay, Ivan emphasized the importance of building chemistry outside of matches: “LANs helped mainly as a team bonding experience.” That connection shined in-game as well, as the team’s ability to stay composed and rely on the skill of mechanical players became one of their biggest strengths. “Even if we fall behind, as long as we can drag the game out to late game, we can clutch out and win the team fights,” said Leo.

Now, as the team heads to Nationals, they look ahead to the next challenge, competing against the top Division 3 teams from the West. “We’ll probably do the same as last week and just look at previous drafts and streams,” Ivan said about preparing for Nationals. With exams behind them, Leo also hopes to get in more scrims and refine their ideal drafts.

As the team gets ready for Nationals, they’re focused on staying sharp, building on their strengths, and pushing further than they did last year.