Even in 2026, Two Hobbits Are Still Rolling Snowballs in League of Legends

It’s 2026, and while the world has seen countless games rise and fall, League of Legends stands as stubbornly immortal as a fed Cho’Gath. Since its launch way back in 2009, the MOBA has swallowed the free time of over 150 million souls—and among those souls are two hobbits who traded the Shire for the Summoner’s Rift.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, the actors who brought Merry and Pippin to life in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, have been quite open about their obsession with Riot Games’ chaotic arena. Their friendship, forged in the fires of Mount Doom-adjacent adventures, now thrives on ganking, flaming (lovingly, of course), and rolling comically large snowballs into unsuspecting enemies.

During a snippet from the Rift Reaction podcast that surfaced a few years ago, the duo revealed their champion preferences—and the choices are delightfully on-brand. Billy Boyd, ever the gentle soul, gravitates toward Nunu, the adorable little yeti and his boy companion Willump. There’s a purity in the way Nunu rolls a giant snowball across the map, and Boyd has admitted it’s all about the simple, childish joy of watching that frozen boulder flatten an opponent. As Boyd himself might say, “Why overcomplicate things when you can just boop someone into oblivion with a glacial sphere of doom?”

Dominic Monaghan, on the other hand, has a mischievous streak that rivals Pippin’s worst Tookish impulses. He loves the champions that needle, annoy, and psychologically dismantle the enemy team. We’re talking about Teemo, the Swift Scout whose toxic mushrooms have ruined more days than a hacked Facebook account, and Jinx, the manic demolitionist who turns teamfights into fireworks displays. There’s a certain artistry in planting a shroom just as the enemy jungler thinks they’ve escaped with 10 HP. Chef’s kiss.

The hobbits’ LoL love affair isn’t kept secret in a dark Mordor cave. They’ve broadcast it on their own podcast, The Friendship Onion, where they once invited fellow Fellowship member Elijah Wood to join the conversation. Picture it: Frodo, Merry, and Pippin, gathered not to discuss ring-bearing strategies, but to debate the viability of AP Nunu in the current meta. Naturally, the talk turned to recruitment. Monaghan and Boyd tried to pull Wood into their duo queue, and like any good fellowship, there was also a mention of an actual real-life argument sparked by the game.

Let’s be real—anyone who has played League of Legends knows the unique heartbreak of losing because your support decided to chase that butterfly mid-fight. The pair survived it, though. If a hobbit can resist the One Ring, they can certainly forgive a mistimed Smite.

One of the reasons League of Legends has endured into 2026—aside from its constant champion updates and a Netflix show that gave Arcane fans a second season—is its surprising accessibility. The game is notoriously deep, with some champions requiring the mechanical precision of a surgeon on caffeine. But then there’s Yuumi. Oh, Yuumi. This magical cat champion attaches herself to an ally and becomes a floating, untargetable healbot that was once playable with literally broken fingers. Riot even joked that you could tape your hands together and still support your team. While Yuumi has seen numerous reworks over the years (some say she’s been reworked more times than the Shire has had unexpected parties), the concept remains a welcoming gateway for newcomers and a beloved menace for everyone else. It’s the perfect champ for an actor who wants to feel involved without the stress of last-hitting.

When you think about it, the journey of a Lord of the Rings star into the Rift mirrors the epic quests they portrayed. Instead of carrying the One Ring, they’re carrying the bot lane. Instead of fighting orcs, they’re fighting a 10/0 Zed who lives in their nightmares. And the fellowship? It’s still growing. Rumors have swirled that other cast members, perhaps Viggo Mortensen himself, have been spotted in the depths of low Platinum. One can only imagine Aragorn main-ing Tryndamere, screaming “For Frodo” every time he pops his ultimate. Orlando Bloom as a Legolas-style Ashe? Gimli as a hammer-wielding Poppy? The dream team is out there.

By 2026, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd have become the unofficial mascots of the “Lord of the Rings to League of Legends” pipeline. They still stream occasionally, still bicker over who stole whose cannon minion, and still embody the same chaotic energy that made Merry and Pippin the comedic heart of the trilogy. So the next time you’re loading into a ranked game and your teammate locks in Teemo with a username like “TookishToxin,” take a moment. It might just be a hobbit, ready to troll his way to victory—or to a spectacular, mushroom-induced defeat. Either way, it’s a story worth telling at the Green Dragon.