It might not have been for $5 million but that doesn’t make any less sweeter for the champions. Korean team Samsung White capped off a spectacular run through the 2014 League of Legends World Championship with a dominant 3-1 victory over Chinese team Star Horn Royal Club to win the championship and a $1 million prize.

While I’m sure that many would have hoped for a competitive series, the first game didn’t offer much hope. Royal Club gave up first blood in the second minute and watched SSW was able to snowball that early lead. Not helping matters was that their junlger Dendy had a 5/0/9 K/D/A in the first match and starred for Samsung White. By the time the Korean side took their first tower inside ten minutes, they already had a 2K gold lead and just wouldn’t be denied. They were so strong that their only death came during a 3-1 exchange in their favour. That they won that first map wasn’t a surprise. That it took them 25 minutes may have been.

The second map looked a lot stronger for SHRC as they were able to keep it close for the first nine minutes and even had a small gold lead. However, a five-to-four team fight in favour of SSW at ten minutes and a 3-1 at twelve minutes swung the game in Samsung’s favour. A failed attempt at the Dragon in the 18th minute saw what would have been a second Royal Club Dragon turn into another 1-3 lost exchange and a dragon for SSW that sealed the game for them.

The third map probably should have cemented the championship for Samsung White but Royal Club was determined not to be swept in consecutive world finals. Despite giving up first blood, they were able to take back the kill and gold lead thanks to an early Dragon and taking down some towers. From that first dragon, they were only able to maintain a 2K gold lead until a hotly contested Baron 15 minutes later. A big 4-0 team fight went in the Chinese team’s favour and allowed them to take an uncontested Baron. SHRC was able to parlay that into their first win in the series.

Map four started out just as close as the previous two. SHRC was able to keep it close early and even picked up first blood with a pair of fourth-minute kills. However, a lost 3-1 team fight swung momentum back to the Koreans. The game was cemented in the 15th minute when Samsung White scored a 5-0 ace at the Dragon which jumped their lead by nearly 3K gold. Keeping with SSW’s strengths, they snowballed that and it was less than eight minutes from ace to win as they claimed the 2014 World Championship.

And while the prize was “just” $1 million for Samsung White’s championship win, you could argue that it was still a bigger tournament than The International 2014. Over 40,000 people filled the Seoul World Cup Stadium which is a soccer stadium and also saw in excess of three million live viewers outside of Korea.

For Star Horn Royal Club, it was bitter disappointment for the second year in a row. The 2014 World Championship was the second consecutive year that Royal Club was runner-up in the World Championship. At least they were able to win a map in this year’s final. They also avoid the winner’s curse that has seen a world champion miss the following year’s World Champion.

Sources: GosuGamers, League of Legends (Map 1), League of Legends (Map 2), League of Legends (Map 3), League of Legends (Map 4)