Team BDS revives controversial bait ping as emote, sparking debate over League’s community guidelines
The Controversial Comeback
A Team BDS emote has reintroduced the contentious bait ping feature back into League of Legends, directly countering Riot Games’ deliberate decision to eliminate it from the game’s communication system.
League’s professional team emote program enables esports organizations to design custom emotes where revenue shares support the teams financially. Team BDS specifically opted to resurrect the bait ping functionality through their emote creation, deliberately reviving a feature the developers had intentionally purged from the game’s ping wheel.
What made a simple strategic ping so problematic? During its initial implementation, players consistently exploited its visual similarity to a hanging noose to transmit harassing messages and toxic communications toward teammates and opponents alike.
Why the Bait Ping Was Removed
Riot developer Auberaun explicitly condemned the abusive utilization patterns surrounding the bait ping as “completely unacceptable,” leading to its systematic removal from League’s communication toolkit shortly after these issues surfaced.
Nearly twelve months following the original removal, Team BDS has resurrected the infamous in-game bait ping as a purchasable emote, featuring an accompanying penguin mascot wearing the organization’s branded headwear.
Bait ping returns through BDS sponsorship pic.twitter.com/QblXquln2l
Visual Changes and Community Reaction
Comparative analysis between the new emote and the original removed ping reveals deliberate design alterations to enhance its resemblance to an authentic fishing hook while reducing the closed-loop appearance that previously caused controversy.
Despite these visual modifications, League players immediately recognized the symbolic connection and actively seek to acquire the emote, with motivations extending beyond simple team fandom or organizational support.
Compounding the association, Team BDS’s official promotional material for the emote featured the original banned bait ping design rather than the revised version, strengthening the controversial connection since the organization itself reinforced this linkage.
Esports Emote Strategy Analysis
While certain organizations design emotes that directly symbolize their brand identity, numerous teams create cosmetic items primarily for entertainment value and broader market appeal beyond their competitive fanbase.
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Team Liquid’s selection of Teemo surrendering with a white flag exemplifies this approach—creating universally appealing content that attracts purchasers regardless of esports knowledge, significantly expanding potential market reach beyond competitive viewers.
When dominating your lane and requesting surrender without toxicity 👀 pic.twitter.com/M9P2SPjVNa
Despite the original bait ping’s removal rationale, it fundamentally represents a fishing hook symbol. The community remains divided whether this reintroduction will prove less problematic, with many expressing concern about potential consequences given the feature’s previous misuse history.
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