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The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), a project organized by Electronic Sports League (ESL) and sponsored by Intel. IEM, is a series of "Global Challenge" tournaments all around the world ending at the World Championship. The first season to incorporate League of Legends was Season V at Hanover Invitational. myRevenge (xPeke, LamiaZealot, WetDreaM, Shushei and Mellisan) won the tournament, and due to its success, it was picked up again for Season VI, Season VII and now for Season VIII. Most of the tournaments welcome competitors across the globe, but some events, like IEM Sao Paulo in Season VI, showcase regional competition. The rest of Season VI marked the strength of Moscow Five, as the team showed their domination by winning the stop in Kiev, and the most important event in cycle - World Championship. Conversely, Season VII was all about Korean teams, as three of the five events of the season saw Korean teams take first, losing only at Singapore, where the Korean team had to withdraw due to OLYMPUS Champions Winter 2012-2013, and at Katowice where the aforementioned Russians stopped them. Ultimately, during the finals of the seventh season, participating teams had to kneel before the two rosters representing the colors of the organization CJ Entus: CJ Entus Blaze and CJ Entus Frost. Who will be the best in the eighth season and raise the trophy in Katowice (where the finals were relocated, no longer at CeBIT like past events)? We'll find out soon.
Season VIII and Shanghai[]
In the eighth season, IEM announced five events around the world in Shanghai, Sao Paulo, New York, Singapore, and Katowice for the World Finals. The eighth season also brings changes to the accumulation of circuit points. Details concerning the changes to the system and how teams will qualify for the world finals are currently unknown, but one can be sure that the best teams on the planet will fight for the leading positions and World Champion title. IEM Season VIII - Shanghai is the first tournament of the new cycle and it will be held from 25 to 28 July in Shanghai during the ChinaJoy Expo 2013, the leading digital entertainment expo in its ten years running. The tournament will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center(SNIEC) in Hall N1-N5. The event marks the second time IEM has hosted a tournament in Shanghai, and the fourth time in China (including Guanghzhou or Chengdu).The Chinese tournament will be attended by four teams who qualified through the IEM Season VII Shanghai Qualifiers, organized by ESL China. Eight invited teams from the elite Tencent LoL Pro League Summer Season and thirty-two teams from the open bracket battled it out for the four open spots. There were no surprises, and, at IEM Shanghai, we will see four of the "Great Chinese Five" teams; unfortunately Positive Energy had to acknowledge the superiority of Royal Club, as there was not enough room for all “Five.”Will Team WE repeat their success of the IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Guangzhou where, in the grand finals, they defeated Counter Logic Gaming and ended their winning streak? We'll find out in twenty-four hours.
When we mention the Chinese League of Legends scene in 2013, one word comes to mind: "development.” For many months, the Chinese scene was driven only by two teams – Team WE and Invictus Gaming. Both represented China at the Season 2 World Championship and didn't leave the top of the podium for many months. Team WE was one of the strongest teams of the period and a lot of people thought they were serious contenders in the fight for the world title. It was not a silly assumption; Team WE (then World Elite) won five major tournaments in a row, finding themselves victorious at IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Guangzhou, Tencent Games Carnival 2011, World GameMaster Tournament 2012, NVIDIA Game Festival 2012, and Tencent Game Arena Grand Prix 2012. Unfortunately, Team WE faced the same problems of many pro Starcraft players—a trip to Korea. At Azubu The Champions Summer 2012 they finished 5th-8th after losing to the European giant, CLG Europe. Many people interested in the Chinese scene thought it was only a slight slip, but just two weeks later, Team WE lost two matches at the IPL Face Off: San Francisco Showdown versus Team Legion and Team Curse, throwing them out of the competition. The organization tried to remedy the situation by replacing YJTM and if for ClearLove and FZZF respectively, but unfortunately, it was too late to change anything. Despite a triumphant showing on local ground (Ultimate Game Tournament ), their World Finals performance didn’t compare as they ended up in the 5th-8th spot. After the tournament, the players didn't take a break and decided to train harder. This decision proved successful as they won nine tournaments in a row, including IGN ProLeague Season 5 where they defeated teams from three continents and beat their arch-rivals, CLG Europe, enjoying world domination for a few months. In November 2012, however, serious competitors began to appear in the fight for the top in China. Every tale comes to an end, and such was the case for Team WE. Invictus Gaming were on their heels, inching closer and closer to the top spot. Their domination ended at GIGABYTE StarsWar League Season 2, where despite going 2:0 (one match being the winners bracket advantage), they lost in the finals, 3-2. A true show of young blood force came after the start of the 2013 LPL Spring. At the beginning the top was held by veterans, but the new teams quickly adapted and learned their play style focused around late game team fights. Oh My God adapted faster than the rest of the new teams, and with fresh strategies, took first place, only losing the rank in the last week of the season. Next, Positive Energy demonstrated China’s power to the world. They barely managed to qualify for the playoffs, but they came well-prepared for the most important matches, securing a victory over Invictus Gaming in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, it was not enough to defeat OMG, as the grand final ended with a 3:1 result. The fifth and final giant that rose in China to form the “Great Chinese Five” was Royal Club. Royal took great advantage of free time between seasons and prepared well to fight for the top spots. What they lack in good team play compared to Team WE and Invictus Gaming or tactical solutions compared to OMG, Royal makes up in strong individual skill.
Five teams are now at the same level, where any given day one can take a game off the other.
Last games (Match 1 is latest, Match 5 is oldest)[]
myRevenge (xPeke, LamiaZealot, WetDreaM, Shushei and Mellisan) won the tournament, and due to its success, it was picked up again for Season VI, Season VII and now for Season VIII. Most of the tournaments welcome competitors across the globe, but some events, like IEM Sao Paulo in Season VI, showcase regional competition. The rest of Season VI marked the strength of 
Moscow Five, as the team showed their domination by winning the stop in Kiev, and the most important event in cycle - World Championship. Conversely, Season VII was all about Korean teams, as three of the five events of the season saw Korean teams take first, losing only at Singapore, where the Korean team had to withdraw due to OLYMPUS Champions Winter 2012-2013, and at Katowice where the aforementioned Russians stopped them. Ultimately, during the finals of the seventh season, participating teams had to kneel before the two rosters representing the colors of the organization CJ Entus: 
CJ Entus Blaze and 
