If you’ve played enough ranked League of Legends, especially on EUW, you’ve probably seen the infamous LOL L9 tag floating around.
Maybe it was in someone’s summoner name or spammed in all-chat while they were feeding on purpose. That’s how I first encountered L9. Someone in champ select typed “L9 diff,” picked Teemo jungle, and ran it down from minute five. I was tilted, confused, and curious all at once.
What is L9 in League of Legends, and why did it seem like some twisted badge of honor? Turns out, there’s a whole history behind those two characters that is still remembered even in 2025. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with this L9 blog.
What Does LOL L9 Mean?
LOL L9 is a group in League of Legends, and L9 stands for Low Nine, a strange name that started as a tongue-in-cheek reference to a streamer named Hail9.
At its core, L9 starts with a group of high-elo players who came together around Season 5. Back then, Skype was the hub for account boosting, scripting, and custom service deals. But from this professional playground, something unexpected emerged.
- Skype chats became hangout spots for elite players.
- Business talks turned into jokes, memes, and eventually friendship.
- Out of this closeness, core names like Rad IRL, Obsess, Selfmademan, and Apocalypse began to stand out.
Think Challenger-level plays combined with Challenger-level trolling. Over time, the tag became a symbol for chaos, flexing, and unfortunately, griefing.
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The Original L9 Crew
At its core, LOL L9 wasn’t a massive organization. It was a tight group of four elite players, each with their own brand of madness.
- RatIRL – The Twitch main with godlike mechanics. I’ve seen this guy literally 1v9 games as an ADC. He was toxic back in the day, but he’s mellowed out over time and now focuses on streaming with an oddly entertaining and chill vibe.
- Obsess – A jungler with incredible pathing and decision-making. He wasn’t as wild in personality as the others and eventually went pro. I always found him to be the most “normal” of the group.
- Ap0calypse – This dude was the walking definition of “too far.” Beyond toxic, unfiltered in chat, and yet somehow managed to hit Rank 1 EUW in Season 10. Watching his gameplay felt like watching a genius who forgot empathy existed.
- Selfmademan (now Selfmade) – Maybe the most successful of the crew. He transitioned from memeing with L9 to becoming one of the top pro junglers in EU, with stints on teams like Fnatic and Vitality. His evolution is probably the most inspiring one.
Each of these guys brought something unique, but they all shared the same goal: dominate the ladder and leave a trail of madness behind.
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LOL L9 Culture
To me, what set L9 apart wasn’t just the trash talk or the emote spam. It was that they actually backed it up with gameplay. That’s what made them so dangerous and frankly, what made their story so compelling.
Some trademark L9 behaviors in LOL included:
- Intentionally feeding while being mechanically perfect the rest of the time.
- Typing “gg open” three minutes into the match.
- Spamming emotes or dance moves mid-fight.
- Playing off-meta champs in high elo games just to tilt others.
If you saw someone dancing mid-lane with 0/6 stats but perfectly dodging skillshots and landing skill combos? That was probably a LOL L9 moment.
It wasn’t just trolling for the sake of it, it was performance art with an audience of nine miserable teammates.
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What Happened to L9?
Eventually, the original L9 group disbanded. Whether it was due to bans, growing up, or moving on to professional play, the members all went in different directions.
- RatIRL turned into a popular streamer, still toxic in-game sometimes, but way more self-aware and funny.
- Obsess went fully professional and dropped the L9 persona altogether.
- Selfmade became a staple in the pro scene, proving that you could escape the troll rep if you had real talent.
- Ap0calypse… well, he kind of disappeared after multiple bans and account nukes.
Despite the disbandment, the L9 tag lived on, passed down like a cursed heirloom.
The Modern “L9” Player
Nowadays, when someone puts “L9” in their summoner name, it’s usually one of three things:
- A wannabe trying to act edgy by flaming and trolling.
- A mechanically gifted smurf playing solo queue like a playground.
- Or sometimes, someone just using the tag for the meme.
Here’s the reality: 99% of current L9-tagged players aren’t connected to the original group. They’re usually silver or gold players who flame every missed cannon and type “open mid” at first blood. It’s honestly more cringe an toxic than cool and funny at this point.
Still, every now and then, you run into someone who channels the true spirit of L9: wild, unfiltered, unhinged… and undeniably cracked.
Why L9 Still Matters
Even with its decline, L9 left a permanent mark on League’s culture. It sparked conversations about toxicity, skill expression, and what it means to be a “legend” in a game that thrives on drama.
Here’s why it’s still talked about:
- It blurred the line between performance and griefing.
- It showed how reputation could become more powerful than ranks or LP.
- It was one of the first groups to truly weaponize memes and branding inside the game client.
As weird as it sounds, L9 was almost like a protest movement inside League. A messy, problematic, and at times unacceptable protest, but one that made people stop and look.
Conclusion
Looking back, my first L9 encounter was more than just a crazy match, it was an entry point into one of League’s most infamous legends. L9 was messy, brilliant, and unforgettable. And even though the original group is long gone, their impact on the game, and the culture around it, is still felt today.
So next time you see someone with “L9” in their name? Take a deep breath, lock in your champ, and pray. You’re either in for a masterclass… or a nightmar
