Hot Takes

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee, Davide, and Ethan dive into the week's LEC action, starting with the problematic chat message posted on broadcast, prompting quick denunciations from the likes of Sjokz, Laure, Medic, and Dagda. The trio also covered the games themselves, talking through Fnatic's rollercoaster form, Shifters fundamental project issues and why they should take a leaf...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Davide, and Ethan discuss the surprising news that T1 has had a profitable year for the first time in its history, despite being a leading esports organisation for decades. The trio discuss other LCK results, including KT's stunning upsets following Effort's return to pro play. As always, the group also go over the latest LEC results, including wh...

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee and Zahk discuss the staggering VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2027 changes, including new partnership agreements, Cup tournaments to replaces Stages, open-qualifiers for all events allowing anyone to compete in tier one competition, and the aim to have more roadshow LANs.

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee, Davide, and Ethan discuss the opening week of the 2026 LEC Spring split, including the perfect starts for NAVI, Karmine Corp and GIANTX, and straight defeats for strugglers Fnatic and SK Gaming. The trio also went through the 1-1 records of Team Vitality, Team Heretics, and Movistar KOI, including the minor drama of the latter following comments from head coac...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Ethan, and Davide recap First Stand, a tournament that finally saw Bilibili Gaming win internationally, while G2 Esports - with standout stars like SkewMond and Hans Sama - finally gave EU hope on the global stage with stunning upset wins over BNK FEARX and Gen. G. The trio also discussed the fortunes of JD Gaming, LYON, and LOUD, and why most regions leave...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee and Zahk analyse Nongshim RedForce's Valorant Masters Santiago success, becoming the first-ever Ascension team to win a global VCT event. The duo discuss the meta, with debates around the viewing experience, as well as the hate of BBL for cocky behaviour, and the amazing Chile crowd. The pair also talked through Sentinels roster news, including the sign...

In this episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Davide, and Ethan preview the upcoming First Stand, the first international event in the 2026 LoLEsports calendar. The trio figure out their Power Rankings, Top Players, and boldest predictions ahead of the tournament, debating whether Gen. G are nailed on favourites, could BLG be upset winners, and whether G2 or LYON have any chance at reaching playoffs. Also di...

In this episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Ethan, and Davide discuss the LEC Versus final that saw G2 Esports beat Karmine Corp 3-2, booking their spot at First Stand. The trio give their thoughts on G2, KC, and Movistar KOI as the LEC's top three, as well as the debates around crowd numbers in MKOI's roadshow at Barcelona and online viewership figures. Also on the docket is Gen. G's victor...

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee, Davide, and Ethan discuss the latest results from LEC Versus playoffs, including G2's massive win against Movistar KOI, and who between the Spanish side, Karmine Corp, and GIANTX have the best chance at challenging G2 Esports for the title. The trio also discuss the leaks surrounding ERL team participation in Esports World Cup qualifiers, opening the door...

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee and Zahk discuss the latest Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) news, particularly the shocking dismissal of head coach kaplan by Sentinels, replaced by former RRQ coach Ewok. Following kaplan's removal, SEN CEO Rob Moore went on to make bizarre public statements around the switch, including frustrations after losing zekken to MIBR, as well as hinting at benchin...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Davide, and Ethan cover the first week of LEC Versus playoffs, including Fnatic's loss to NAVI and subsequent drama after GrabbZ's interview comments on the lack of support staff and broken promises. The trio also discussed the controversial Chronobreak in the match between Team Vitality and Movistar KOI, Los Ratones' disbanding, rumours of C...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Ethan, and Davide discuss the final week of LEC Versus regular season action, which confirmed the unfortunate elimination of Los Ratones. Their exit was controversial, with claims of wintrading between Karmine Corp and Team Heretics, with the latter also eventually claiming a playoffs spot. The trio also discussed the form of G2, Fnatic, GIANTX, SK Gaming,...

In the latest Hot Takes episode, Lee, Ethan, and Davide discuss the latest action in the LEC, including Los Ratones' stunning turnaround with victories over G2 Esports and Karmine Corp, and GIANTX's surprising run so far. The trio also discuss Fnatic's strange form, as well as the trajectories of middle-pack sides like NAVI, Team Vitality, Fnatic, Team Heretics, and Movistar KOI. Fi...

In this Hot Takes episode, Lee and Zahk discuss the latest VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) results across each VCT Kickoff league.  In VCT Americas, they go through FURIA's remarkable run and discuss their upcoming matchup with MIBR's aspas, as well as the slow start of G2, Sentinels' massive issues, and NRG's decent form. For VCT EMEA, the duo discuss the unlikely success of bot...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee and Davide discuss the latest LEC Versus action, including Karmine Corp going top of the league and Los Ratones finally getting their first wins. They also give their thoughts on G2's struggles, Fnatic's decent form, Team Vitality's fan displeasure, and Movistar KOI and NAVI's current levels.

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee and Davide discuss Ethan's abrupt exit from Hotspawn during the LEC Versus Week 1 chat. They go through the opening weekend and give thoughts on each team, including Los Ratones' worrying 0-3 start, G2's struggles, and the raft of 2-1 teams who start well with results despite not showing the most convincing gameplay. 00:00:00 - Ethan left Hots...

READ: A power outage abruptly ended the recording of this episode, leading to the sudden end. Our apologies! In this episode, Lee and Zahk give predictions for the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season. The duo guess each region's Kickoff winners, Masters Santiago representatives, overachievers and underachievers, best signings, players to watch, and which teams will reach VALORANT Champi...

In this episode, Lee, Davide, and Ethan decide their LEC team rankings, from first to twelth, while also ranking every individual role in a Hot Takes first. The trio discuss Los Ratones' chances of competing with tier one sides, as well as why early SK rankings may be underselling their strength. The trio also discuss the latest ecosystem updates, including the addition of First Selection, an...

In the latest episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Ethan, and Davide figure out their power rankings for all of the top LCK, LPL, and LCS teams.  Storied discussed: https://www.hotspawn.com/league-of-legends/news/fnatic-to-sell-club-for-100-million https://www.hotspawn.com/league-of-legends/news/karsa-announces-retirement

Hotspawn's "BIG FOUR" sits down to reflect on 2025. We ran a year in review and, go over key moments from past events, and the biggest W's and L's of the year. We sneak in some merch discussions, reminiscing on our big interviews and big events & looking forward to 2026.

In this episode, Lee, Davide, and Ethan discuss the latest League of Legends esports news, including T1's KeSPA Cup triumph and difficulties with the Disney+ exclusive broadcasting deal. The trio also discussed the French community's reaction to Bwipo's replacement on French Flair, Shad0w joining CFO, Daeny joining BLG as head coach, and a range of LPL roster updates. Articles discu...

In this episode, Lee and Zahk discuss the latest VALORANT esports news, including the revelation that teams made more than $100m this year through revenue sharing, and looking at 2026 updates. The pair also give their thoughts on the controversial regional VCT awards, VARREL's surprising takeover of SLT Seongnam's Ascension-winning roster, and the VALORANT EMEA Clash - a new event mixing...

In this episode of Hot Takes, Lee and Davide rate each rumoured LEC 2026 roster, looking at the best and worst signings and likely costs of each lineup. The duo also discussed the new Team BDS rebrand, now to be named Shifters, as well as the immediate community reaction. 00:00:00 - BDS to Shifters 00:14:31 - LEC roster reviews 01:18:41 - Los Ratones' future 01:29:00 - Bwipo can't play L...

In this episode of Hot Takes, Lee and Zahk catch up after the culmination of the Game Changers Championship 2025 in Seoul, which saw Team Liquid Brazil the victors. The pair also discussed the G2 Amy racism allegations that put a black mark on the tournament, as well as the latest off season changes such as PatMen's kicking from Paper Rex (replace by Invy), Lakia's re-signing at Gen. G,...

In this episode of Hot Takes, Lee, Ethan, and Quest preview the upcoming KeSPA Cup and discuss the shocking news that it will be broadcast exclusively on Disney+, including why broadcasting rights deals are a necessity in esports. The trio also go through the League of Legends Season 16 changes, the news of Coach Comms in the LCK and LCP, and the state of online harassment following DonJake's...