2016 EU CS Changes

Riot·1/19/2016, 5:02:06 PM·0 votes·11,646 views

TL;DR: The regular season of the EU Challenger Series (CS) will move to a formalized Best of 2 format with a point system. EU will be broadcast on Tuesdays.

Every year, we take a close look at our amateur system to ensure that Challenger Series continues to provide the best training ground to develop new talent before they enter professional Leagues. Below is a detailed update to the EU CS format, schedule, rule changes and European Regional League changes.

What’s the EU CS format?

Schedule; dedicated match day

This year, we’re moving to a dedicated day of Challenger matches for Europe on Tuesdays. There will be three Bo2 matches per day in the EU CS regular season starting on January 26, running for 5 weeks. We’ll be broadcasting all six matches on Tuesdays.

Week 1: 1/26
Week 2: 2/2
Week 3: 2/9
Week 4: 2/16
Week 5: 2/23

Format

Starting this Spring, the regular season of the EU Challenger Series will transition to a formalized Best of 2 (Bo2) with a point system. The following points will be awarded per series:

Win = 3 points
Draw = 1 points
Loss = 0 points

We decided to adopt the formalized Bo2 to give CS teams more practice in best-of formats, as well as respond to player feedback that preferred less time between games. We want Challenger teams to be prepared for back-to-back games and a Best of 5 series for the Promotion Tournament.

Playoffs

We’re also expanding the playoffs from a BO3 to a BO5 format to better equip CS teams for the Bo5 series in LCS Promotion and beyond. All Playoff matches will now be held at the EU LCS studio.

Due to the changes to the LCS Promotion, there will no longer be a third place match. The prize for third and fourth place will become an even split to match. We’ll be introducing the revamped Promotion/Relegation System at the Promotion Tournament on March 24-27.

Spring Playoffs will take place on:

Semis: 3/8 (2nd vs. 3rd, Bo5) and 3/9 (1st vs. 4th, Bo5)
Finals: 3/15 (Bo5)

Promotion Tournament

As we announced with the LCS rules changes, we’ll be introducing the revamped Promotion/Relegation System at the Promotion Tournament on March 24-27.

What other changes are happening with CS?

In the recent LCS rules changes and Challenger Series Qualifiers update, we shared some major policy changes coming to Challenger including a revamped Promotion/Relegation System and player loans.

NA CS

More information on the NA CS changes and schedule will be released soon, keep an eye on lolesports.com

When does the EU CS start?

The regular season of the EU CS begins on January 26.

How do I catch the EU CS action?

Games will be broadcast live from 6:00PM CET on Tuesdays. All games will be available after broadcast as VODs on lolesports.com.

European Regional Leagues

Alongside our Challenger Series Qualifier update we announced the involvement of National Leagues (now officially called European Regional Leagues, or ERL) in Germany, Poland and Spain. For the Summer Challenger Series Qualifiers we are aiming to expand the number of European Regional League champions to include UK, France and the Nordic regions. This will now bring the total to 6 teams that will represent their region in the Summer CS Qualifiers taking place in May. Teams from each of the new regions are also required to be compliant with the Interregional Movement Policy. The number of slots available to Open Qualifier teams will not be affected by these additions.

We introduced European Regional Leagues as a way of exploring new competitive directions for teams united by language, culture, or geographic region in Europe and strengthening the path to pro. By identifying regional champions, we can run European tournaments in a country vs. country bracket. This gives players and teams focused on local leagues more opportunities to compete, grow local fanbases and garner exposure before potentially working their way into the EU CS or EU LCS.

ESL UK Premiership

We’ve partnered with ESL UK to award the winning team in the upcoming UK Premiership a chance to play in the CS Qualifiers going forward. Their signups have recently opened and you can check out their schedule here.

Challenge France

France is one of our most competitive regions, so while we don’t have a long-term tournament partner right now, we wanted to include France in our ERL line-up. Challenge France is one of the most competitive French League of Legends tournaments involving some of the best teams in the country. The tournament is currently at the semi-finals stage with the finals scheduled for the end of February. The winning team will be awarded a chance to represent France in the Summer CS Qualifiers.

Nordic region