EMEA Masters Final Interrupted by a Long-Standing Bug
The final match of the EMEA Masters was paused due to a bug involving Smolder, a hero whose glitches have been present since its release. Despite this, Riot Games has not taken action to fix the issue.
Recurring Issues in Professional Play
This is not the first time a chronobreak has been necessary in a professional League of Legends match, and it likely won't be the last. In-game bugs usually avoid major finals, but when they do occur, they lead to lengthy checks, extended analyst desk discussions, and frequent switching back and forth for viewers while Riot employees troubleshoot behind the scenes. Fortunately, this time, there was no need to ponder whether what was seen on screen was a bug or a hidden game mechanic, as our favorite juvenile dragon flying halfway across the map clearly indicated a glitch.
Details of the Bug
As observed, Smolder was flying along the mid lane one moment and in the next, appeared beside our own Red Buff attacking Vi and Rakan. The bug appears when Smolder flies through a wall and if at that moment the enemy Vi directs her Q towards (or directly away from) Smolder, the baby dragon gets pulled alongside her, as if hit by her.
Additional Instances
Smolder has similarly strange interactions with other characters, as evidenced by more videos from Vandiril, a popular bug investigator.
We hope that after two months, Riot will finally address these issues, so neither we nor the professional players will have their matches ruined by Vi and the fire-breathing seed.
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