Ever notice tiny bags in the hands of your favorite "League of Legends" teams? Look closely.
This is what we're talking about:
Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider
That's a hand warmer bag. You know hand warmers, right? That thing you take with you to climb K1, or maybe have in your car's glove compartment? You were standing in a gas station line one time and said, "Yeah. I'm feeling wild. Hand warmers it is."
These guys:
Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider
These are the air-activated type, which Wikipedia says, "contain cellulose, iron, water, activated carbon (evenly distributes heat), vermiculite (water reservoir) and salt (catalyst) and produce heat from the exothermic oxidation of iron when exposed to air." Okay!
They were in heavy use in Team Liquid's prep room ahead of Saturday's "League of Legends" Championship Series North American finals. Both Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin and Kim "FeniX" Jae-hun were rubbing them on their hands in the minutes leading up to their five game series on Saturday night.
Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider
We're told by "League of Legends" developer Riot Games that the hand warmers are used to help with blood circulation. A player's hands are crucial during competitive "League of Legends" play, where top players need to execute moves precisely and deliberately; no one wants to blame a case of cold hands on hurting the team during professional games.
There could be something to it - ever try typing quickly after coming inside from a particularly cold day? It's frustrating!
Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider
Perhaps there's some logic to using them pre-game, as Team Liquid went on to win their best of five games set against Team Impulse on Saturday night. The aforementioned Piglet performed particularly well.
You might even say he had... hot hands.