The League of Legends Worlds song is finally here, and it's all too one-note

Ah, Worlds. It's Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday rolled into one for League of Legends players. From a production standpoint, the anthem for each year's tournament is the most important part, setting the tone for the crowning moment of the LoL esports calendar. It's an unenviable task, and many over the past 15 years have taken to it with mixed success. Now, it's the turn of Gloria Tange Sze-wing, known as 'G.E.M.,' to leave her mark on Worlds history with 'Sacrifice.' Though the video is an instant hit, I initially can't help but feel the tune itself isn't hitting right.

This year's League of Legends Worlds anthem was initially delayed, as Riot opted to push back its release to remove Gabriël 'Bwipo' Rau from the video due to sexist remarks made by the FlyQuest toplaner. Collective anticipation hit critical mass, and now it's finally here. But has Sacrifice been worth the wait? Does it do enough to tower above the greatest songs produced for one of the best MOBA's top tournament?

Sacrifice is very much a slow burner. G.E.M.'s euphonious vocals are at a constant swell throughout, building up to a bold, albeit lacking crescendo. G.E.M.'s performance in isolation is, as Taric would say, truly outrageous (in a good way). What I'm less enthused by is the direction of the track itself, which has the singer constantly working towards a drop that lacks the punch to really cement itself among the very best Worlds songs - it's certainly no 'Gods.' It's like going to a Michelin star restaurant and eagerly munching through the appetizers, only to be disappointed by the main course. Who knows? Maybe it'll grow on me more throughout Worlds, but my preliminary response is 'meh.'

Turning to the music video, there's a lot more to love. I feel my age catching up to me as I painfully acknowledge that we're now a decade-and-a-half deep into the LoL esports lifecycle. Sacrifice beautifully recreates some of the esport's most iconic moments, including Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok's clutch Azir ult against Park 'Ruler' Jae-hyuk in last year's grand final, and Kang 'TheShy' Seung-lok's Aatrox dunk on G2 Esports from 2018.

There are plenty of little easter eggs interspersed throughout. Quick cuts of Shunsuke 'Evi' Murase's thumbs up, Hong 'Pyosik' Chang-hyeon's Kindred impression, and even GAM Esports CEO TK Nguyen punctuate the video's apex, which rounds out with a beautiful tribute to the late Season 1 champion, Maciej 'Shushei' Ratuszniak, who is seen raising the Summoner's Cup. It also puts to bed the long-running debate as to if Season 1 actually counts; it's cannon, NA friends, y'all are just going to have to win one now. No pressure.

If you've got the LoL bug again just in time for Worlds, arm yourself with our LoL tier list to keep up to date on the current meta. If you fancy treating yourself to a fancy new cosmetic, check out our list of the best LoL skins you can invest your RP into.

How do you feel about the new Worlds anthem? Where does it rank on your tier list? Come and let us know over in our community Discord server. Regardless of our thoughts and feelings, I'm sure they'll instantly be overwritten by hype when T1 and IG go head-to-head tomorrow.