What Does L9 Mean in League of Legends? Full History and Members

L9 meaning in LoL? It stands for Low Nine. A group of four Challenger players on EUW who were cracked at the game and absolutely unhinged in chat. RatIRL, 0bsess, Ap0calypse, and Selfmademan started the club around 2016-2017. They got famous for being mechanically insane while also being the most toxic players on the server. The group fell apart around 2020, but you still see the tag everywhere in solo queue even now in 2026.

If you have ever queued up on EUW and seen someone with “L9” in their summoner name running it down mid or spamming question mark pings, now you know where that comes from. This is the full story.

L9 Quick Reference

Detail	Info
Full Name	Low Nine (L9)
Server	EU West (EUW)
Founded	~2016-2017 (Season 6-7)
Founders	RatIRL and 0bsess
Core Members	RatIRL, 0bsess, Selfmademan, Ap0calypse
Known For	Challenger-level skill, extreme toxicity, disco Nunu, elo boosting, Twitter feuds
Name Origin	Inspired by Twitch streamer Hail9
Status	Disbanded (~2020), tag still used in solo queue

How L9 Started in LoL: Two Friends and a Club Tag

Not a crazy origin story here. RatIRL and 0bsess were both Challenger junglers on EUW who knew each other from the same boosting circles. Season 6 and 7 era, everyone was on Skype. You would join group chats looking for boosting jobs, end up talking trash with other high-elo players, and friendships formed from there. At some point they decided to make a club together.

0bsess picked the name. He was looking for something available and short. The “9” came from a streamer named Hail9 whose name caught his eye. He tried “L9” on the EUW club system and it worked. That was it. No grand plan, no manifesto. Just two guys who wanted a club tag that looked cool in the loading screen.

First time I saw an “L9” tag was around Season 7 in a Plat game. Had no clue what it was. If someone asked me the L9 meaning in LoL back then, I would have guessed it was some random five-stack’s inside joke. Nope.

Selfmademan and Ap0calypse joined soon after. Both were already well-known Solo Queue monsters on the EUW Challenger ladder. Selfmademan was grinding jungle with an aggressive carry style, and Ap0calypse was terrorizing high elo on champions like Janna, Mordekaiser, and Singed. With four members who could consistently sit in Challenger, the club suddenly had real weight behind it. People in high elo noticed the L9 tag, and word spread fast through Twitter.

Timing also helped them. LoL viewership was at its peak around 2017-2018, and EUW was just a different beast compared to NA solo queue. Way more aggressive, way more flame. Riot’s ban system was also slower. You could run it down for 20 games before getting punished. L9 took full advantage of that window.

Why L9 Got Famous in LoL (and Hated)

Here is the thing about L9 that made them different from every other random toxic player group: they were actually good. Like, genuinely cracked. RatIRL could 1v9 games on Twitch (the champion, not the platform) with mechanics that made people accuse him of scripting. Ap0calypse hit Rank 1 on EUW playing Janna support. Selfmade would go on to play at Worlds for Fnatic. These were not Gold players pretending to be edgy.

This video covers the full L9 backstory and what happened to each member:

But the skill was only half the equation. The other half was pure, unfiltered toxicity.

L9 members would:

• Run “disco Nunu” (Ghost + Cleanse Nunu running it down mid) in games where they felt disrespected
• Hold champion select hostage with troll picks until someone dodged
• Spam racist and offensive messages in post-game lobbies
• Start public feuds with other streamers on Twitter (the Dekar173 beef was legendary)
• Send real-life threats to players who crossed them

And somehow, people loved it. Not everyone, obviously. Most players hated L9. But a pretty big chunk of the community thought it was the funniest thing ever. Watching a Challenger player run Ghost Cleanse Nunu down mid, get permabanned, then show up two days later on a fresh account doing the exact same thing? There is something weirdly entertaining about that level of “I do not care.” It helped that they could also hard carry games when they felt like trying.

The Video That Made L9 Explode

L9 was already known in high elo, but the group went truly viral in the summer of 2017. A YouTube channel called League Recap uploaded a video titled “Infamous League Players: RAT IRL” that compiled clips of RatIRL’s gameplay alongside clips of his toxic behavior. Pro players like G2 Perkz were shown praising his mechanics on stream. The video blew up.

That single video changed the trajectory of L9. Suddenly, people in Gold and Platinum knew who RatIRL was. The mystique of “there is a group of Challenger players who are insanely good AND insanely toxic” spread beyond the EUW high-elo bubble. RatIRL started streaming consistently after that, and his viewer counts climbed fast.

The Dekar173 Feud

One of the most memorable L9 moments was the public beef with Dekar173, an NA Riven/Rengar player and streamer. Dekar called out L9 publicly, saying that anyone who watched RatIRL and Ap0calypse was “human filth” and that he would ban any L9 supporter from his chat. RatIRL fired back on Twitter with something along the lines of: do not trash talk when you play on one of the weakest servers and lose in low elo while streaming for 500 viewers. The whole thing turned into a spectacle that got thousands of retweets and cemented L9’s reputation as players who did not back down from anyone.

Selling Club Spots for Cash

At peak hype, L9 started selling spots in the club. Having the L9 tag next to your name in-game was seen as a status symbol, a flex that said “I am toxic AND skilled.” Spots reportedly sold for up to €50 each. When the original club filled up, they made more. And when those filled up, random copycats started creating fake L9 clubs across every server.

That is when the brand took on a life of its own. By 2018-2019, you could find “L9” tags in Silver, Bronze, even Iron games. Players who had never heard of RatIRL were rocking the tag because they thought it made them look tough. Most of them could not even tell you the L9 meaning in LoL if you asked. It just meant they were about to int your promo game.

The Original L9 LoL Members: Where Are They Now?

So what happened to these guys? The L9 meaning in LoL is tied to its members, and all four went in completely different directions after the group split. Quick rundown as of April 2026.

Member	Role	Known For	Status in 2026
RatIRL	ADC / Jungle	Best Twitch player ever, scripting allegations, disco Nunu	Full-time Twitch streamer, 847K followers
Selfmade	Jungle	LEC pro career, Worlds 2020 with Fnatic	Free agent, streaming on Twitch
0bsess	Jungle	Pro career in EU regional leagues	Active in European national leagues
Ap0calypse	Support / Mid	Rank 1 EUW, extreme toxicity, countless bans	Low profile, rarely seen online

RatIRL: From Boosting to 847K Followers

RatIRL is the face of L9, even though both he and 0bsess claim they co-founded the club. His Twitch (champion) gameplay was so clean that half the community thought he was using scripts. In 2017, a YouTube video titled “Infamous League Players: RAT IRL” from the channel League Recap blew up and put him on the map. That video changed everything for the group.

Instead of going pro, Rat leaned into streaming. Good call honestly, because his personality works way better on stream than it would in a team house. He pulls around 2,000-2,500 viewers on average and sits at over 847,000 Twitch followers right now.

The toxicity is mostly gone. Still has that edge, but it reads more like dry comedy than actual flame these days. One thing that has not changed: no facecam. Ever. He bans people from chat for even asking. That is just how Rat rolls.

Selfmade: The One Who Made It Big

Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek is the guy who actually made it out. Dropped the “man” from his tag, stopped the trolling, and turned into a legit top-tier EU jungler.

Career went: ThunderX3 Baskonia, MAD Lions, SK Gaming, then Fnatic where he made Worlds 2020 and got to quarterfinals. After that, Team Vitality picked him up from 2021 to 2024. Had a stint with Crvena zvezda too. Right now in 2026 he is a free agent, streaming on Twitch and probably waiting for the right offer.

What Selfmade showed is that having “L9” on your resume does not have to be a death sentence. Fnatic literally made a joke video titled “L9 Selfmade returns” and the community thought it was hilarious. People moved on.

0bsess: The Quiet Professional

0bsess went pro without making a big deal about it. Out of all four, he was the chill one. Never held lobbies hostage, never ran it down on stream. He just played jungle at a high level and let his gameplay do the talking. Teams he played for include Movistar Riders, Misfits Gaming, GamersOrigin, mousesports, plus a few others in EU regional leagues.

Never cracked the LEC roster, but had a steady run in tier-2 EU. He did an interview with The Shotcaller where he said something that always stuck with me: “It used to be a little thing between friends and then it got out of hand.” Probably the most accurate two-sentence summary of L9 that exists.

Ap0calypse: The Ghost

Ap0calypse was, by every account, the most toxic member of L9. He was also arguably the most mechanically talented. The guy hit Rank 1 on EUW playing Janna support in Season 10, on an account literally named “HAHHAHAHAHAHXDDD.” That is either the funniest or most tilting thing I have ever heard, depending on which side of his solo queue games you were on.

Riot permabanned this guy more times than anyone bothers counting. Never streamed regularly, never went pro. Once L9 dissolved, he just vanished. Shows up on the ladder once in a while, but he is basically a ghost at this point. If you asked me what Ap0calypse is doing in 2026, I genuinely have no answer.

What L9 Meant for LoL Culture

Whether you think L9 were entertaining rebels or just toxic players ruining games, they left a permanent mark on League of Legends. Understanding the L9 meaning in LoL helps explain a lot of the toxicity culture that still exists on EUW. A few things they influenced:

Disco Nunu became a meme. Before L9, running it down mid was just griefing. After L9, it had a name and a visual identity: Ghost + Cleanse Nunu dancing down lane. Riot eventually reworked Nunu partly because the champion had become synonymous with inting.

The L9 tag became universal shorthand. Saying someone is “L9” in solo queue means they are either trolling, being toxic, or both. It crossed server boundaries. You will see it in NA, KR, everywhere. The tag transcended the original group.

They proved skill and toxicity can coexist. This sounds obvious, but before L9, the stereotype was that toxic players were bad players coping with their own mistakes. L9 shattered that because these guys were genuinely Challenger. It forced a conversation about whether Riot should treat high-elo toxicity differently (spoiler: they should not, and they did not).

Account buying and elo boosting entered mainstream discussion. L9 members openly ran boosting operations. They bought fresh accounts, ranked them to Challenger, and sold them or boosted clients. This pushed Riot to crack down harder on account buying and boosting, though the practice obviously still exists.

If you are looking for a fresh EUW LoL account to start ranked on, there are legitimate options that do not involve buying someone’s boosted account with a questionable ban history.

What Does L9 Mean in LoL If You See It in 2026?

Here is the honest truth about the L9 meaning in LoL as it stands today: if someone has “L9” in their summoner name, there is a 99% chance they have zero connection to the original group. They are one of three things:

1. A player copying the edgy aesthetic because they think toxicity is cool
2. A smurf who genuinely plays aggressive and wants the tag for style points
3. Someone who just likes the way “L9” looks and does not even know the history

The real L9 is done. RatIRL still rocks the tag on his Twitch channel, but that is branding at this point. The other three moved on. Most people in the community either meme about it or have forgotten. Seeing “L9” in a loading screen in 2026 hits the same way as seeing an “xD” clan tag. You know the era it came from.

How “L9” Became a Verb

Something funny happened over the years. The L9 meaning in LoL evolved way beyond what the founders intended. “L9” stopped being just a club name and turned into actual slang. On EUW (and eventually other servers), people started using it as a verb or adjective. You will hear things like:

• “He is going full L9 this game” (meaning someone is trolling or inting on purpose)
• “That play was so L9” (meaning a high-risk, aggressive, borderline troll play that somehow worked)
• “L9 diff” (typed in all chat when someone on either team is griefing)

Urban Dictionary even has entries for L9, defining it as a term for doing something against the norm or toxic in League of Legends. It crossed into other games too. I have seen “L9” referenced in Valorant lobbies by players who probably have never watched a single RatIRL stream. The meme outgrew the source material.

Common Misconceptions About L9 in LoL

A few things people get wrong about the group:

“L9 had nine members.” Nope. The “9” came from Hail9’s name, not a member count. The core group was always four players. Other people joined the broader Discord and community around them, but the real L9 was RatIRL, 0bsess, Selfmademan, and Ap0calypse.

“L9 was an official esports organization.” It was never official, never registered, never endorsed by Riot. It was an in-game club and a social media presence, nothing more. Riot actually disliked L9 for obvious reasons.

“All L9 members were equally toxic.” Not true. 0bsess was notably less toxic than the others. He never held lobbies hostage or ran it down. Selfmade cleaned up his act early enough to build a pro career. The toxicity levels varied a lot between members.

“L9 boosting websites are run by the original members.” Most are not. After the name got big, random companies slapped “L9” on their boosting websites to attract customers. RatIRL has been loosely associated with some boosting services, but the vast majority of “L9” branded sites have zero connection to the original group.

L9 in LoL and the Elo Boosting Connection

One thing worth mentioning because it comes up a lot: L9 was heavily connected to elo boosting. RatIRL and several other members ran boosting services for years. They would take fresh level 30 accounts, climb them to Master or Challenger with 90%+ win rates, and sell them to players who wanted high-ranked accounts without putting in the grind.

RatIRL was famous for his boosting efficiency. In Season 4 and 5, any account on EUW with an 80%+ win rate playing Twitch jungle was almost certainly his. The old client had a spectate feature for high-elo games, so people could watch him demolish lobbies in real time. His MMR on boosted accounts was absurdly inflated because he rarely lost.

This is against Riot’s Terms of Service, and it is one reason so many L9 accounts got banned. If you are thinking about buying a LoL account, make sure you are getting a clean, hand-leveled account from a reputable source, not a boosted throwaway that could get flagged.

There are also various websites that use the “L9” name for their boosting services. These have no connection to the original group. They just hijacked the brand for marketing. If you see a website called “L9 Boost” or similar, do not assume the original members are behind it.

Should You Copy the L9 Playstyle in LoL?

No. But you can steal the good parts.

RatIRL’s Twitch gameplay is genuinely educational if you want to improve at the champion. His positioning in team fights and his ability to find flanks as an ADC are things you can study from his stream VODs. Selfmade’s jungle pathing in his pro games is textbook aggression. Both are worth watching if you play those roles.

The specific things worth learning from L9 players:

• Limit testing in solo queue (pushing the boundaries of what your champion can do, without inting)
• One-tricking to Challenger (all four members had signature champions they knew inside out)
• Aggressive early game plays that snowball leads before the enemy team can react
• Reading the map for elo boosting-style efficiency (getting the most LP gain per game)

But the toxic side? Running it down, flaming, holding lobbies hostage? Riot does not care if you are Challenger. Toxicity gets you banned. And unlike 2017 when enforcement was looser, Riot’s automated detection in 2026 catches inting and hate speech much faster. You will lose your account, and if you have skins or a ranked border you care about, that is all gone.

Play aggressive, yes. One-trick a carry champion, sure. But keep the L9 energy in your gameplay, not in all chat. If you get banned and need to start over, you can always create a new LoL account, but losing years of skins and rank history hurts.

L9 vs Other Notorious LoL Groups

L9 was not the only controversial group in League history, but they were by far the most famous. If you search “L9 meaning in LoL” on Reddit, the responses always circle back to these four players. Here is how they compare to others that came up around the same era:

Group	Server	Known For	Still Active?
L9	EUW	Challenger toxicity, elo boosting, inting	No (disbanded ~2020)
PSZ (Pornstar Zilean)	EUW	Draven one-trick, extreme toxicity, associated with L9	No
ScrubNoob	NA	Rengar one-trick, int lists, streamer griefing	Streams occasionally

L9 stood out because they had the best players and the biggest platform. Twitter gave them reach, and the EUW server (which is known for being more toxic than NA or KR) gave them the perfect environment to thrive. No other group managed to combine all those elements, which is why “L9 meaning in LoL” is still a common search query years after the group stopped existing.

Got Banned for Going L9? How to Check Your LoL Account Status

If you have been inspired by L9 in the wrong way and ended up with account restrictions, you can check your League of Legends ban status to see where things stand. Riot usually sends an email when they hand out punishments, but the support page has a direct lookup tool too.

And if your account is gone for good, well, you might want to create a new LoL account and start fresh. Maybe this time without the L9 tag. Now that you know the full L9 meaning in LoL, you can appreciate the history without repeating the mistakes.

FAQ: L9 Meaning in LoL

What does L9 mean in League of Legends?

L9 stands for Low Nine. It was a group of high-elo EUW League of Legends players founded by RatIRL and 0bsess around 2016-2017. The group became famous for combining Challenger-level mechanical skill with extreme toxicity in solo queue.

Who were the original L9 members in LoL?

The four original L9 members were RatIRL (Twitch one-trick and streamer), 0bsess (jungler who went pro), Selfmademan (now Selfmade, pro jungler for teams like Fnatic and Vitality), and Ap0calypse (support/mid player known for hitting Rank 1 EUW).

Is L9 still active in League of Legends?

No. L9 effectively disbanded around 2020. The original members went separate ways, with some pursuing streaming and others going into professional play. Players still use the L9 tag in solo queue, but they have no connection to the original group.

Why was L9 banned so many times in LoL?

L9 members received countless account bans from Riot Games for extreme toxicity. This included intentional feeding (disco Nunu), racist language in chat, holding champion select hostage, and real-life threats directed at other players and streamers.

Where did the L9 name in LoL come from?

The name L9 stands for Low Nine. The “9” was inspired by a Twitch streamer named Hail9. 0bsess picked the name when searching for an available club tag on the EUW server, and it stuck.

What is L9 founder RatIRL doing now in 2026?

RatIRL is a full-time Twitch streamer with over 847,000 followers. He primarily streams League of Legends gameplay on the EUW server. He no longer engages in the toxic behavior associated with his L9 days and does not use a facecam.

Did any L9 member go pro in League of Legends?

Yes. Selfmade became one of Europe’s top professional junglers, playing for SK Gaming, Fnatic (reaching Worlds 2020 quarterfinals), Team Vitality, and Crvena zvezda Esports. 0bsess also played professionally for teams like Movistar Riders, Misfits Gaming, and mousesports in European regional leagues.

Last updated: April 2026

External source: Selfmade on Leaguepedia