Challengers and Contenders: NA LCS Promotion Tournament

Riot·Aug 3, 2016·0 votes·19,387 views

With the 2016 Summer Split regular season done, teams are preparing for NA LCS Summer Split Playoffs and the NA Promotion Tournament.

Who will rise to the challenge and secure their spots in the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split at the Promotion Tournament? Let's breakdown all the action happening during the NA Promotion Tournament:

Who is participating?

The top two Challenger teams - Cloud9 Challenger and Team Liquid Academy - will battle for NA LCS spots against the three lowest ranked LCS teams: Echo Fox, NRG Esports, and Phoenix1. They’ll compete in four Best of 5 matchups, broadcast on August 4, 6 and 7 on Lolesports.

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Winners of Saturday and Sunday matches will join the NA LCS.

Thursday, August 4 - 12:00 PM PT

Match 1: Echo Fox (LCS #10) vs. Team Liquid Academy (CS #2) - NALCS1

Saturday, August 6 - 12:00 PM PT - Dual Streams

Match 2: NRG Esports (LCS #9) vs. Cloud9 Challenger (CS #1) - NALCS1
Match 3: Phoenix1 (LCS #8) vs. Match 1 Winner - EULCS2

Sunday August 7 - 12:00 PM PT

Match 4: Match 2 Loser vs. Match 3 Loser - NALCS1

What’s on the line?

Winners of Match 2, Match 3, and Match 4 will each earn a spot in the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split. The eliminated teams from the Promotion Tournament will earn spots in the 2017 NA Spring Challenger Series.

How do I catch the action?

The NA Promotion Tournament begins with Echo Fox vs. Team Liquid Academy on Thursday, August 4 on Lolesports. After Thursday’s matches, one team will join the 2017 Challenger Series while the other will continue its journey toward earning an NA LCS spot.

The EU Promotion Tournament will take place on August 4, 5, and 7. Learn more about the EU Promotion Tournament here.

28 Comments

OtastaAug 3, 20163 votes

I feel like the fact that teams like C9 and TLA can just dominate challenger and then sell LCS spots for cash diminishes challenger a lot. It is basically, can these teams save their spot or will we have a bidding war for an LCS spot.

DarkFeonixAug 3, 20162 votes

If they recycle the same players to make the teams I agree, but hopefully the players on the challenger teams can continue into the LCS (assuming they wish to). That would mean that talent is developing, regardless of what organization the team is under.

Meanie40Aug 4, 20162 votes

Balls, Hai, Altec, and Lemonnation ... "continue into the LCS." OK.

OlinserAug 5, 20162 votes

The teams are filled with bottom tier pros and would be bottom-tier LCS teams if the roster went to the pros. If challenger teams can't beat them they don't deserve to be in the LCS.

ShadowatomAug 5, 20162 votes

Technically C9C isn't made up of bottom tier pros considering they were pros from the LCS who were put into a team to stomp the CS and sell the spot if/when they make it into the LCS.

LintheAug 3, 20163 votes

Yup. Pretty interesting.

I think it very unlikely that EchoFox gets back in or that C9-C doesn't.

Which means that TLA, NRF, P1 are fighting over 2 spots.

AND that there will be some nice drama over C9-C's spot... that is actually my favorite part- to see how that all shakes out.

TrollFan01Aug 4, 20161 votes

C9C, TLA, and P1 will make it to the LCS. C9C and TLA over wins, and P1 over NRG.

Miror BAug 4, 20162 votes

Gonna be an interesting promo tourny compared to the last one (in which it was so blatantly obvious that none of the challenger teams were "ready" ). Assuming NRG and P1 retain their spots (which won't be too surprising due to both of those teams being far and away the best ones in this thing), and TLA not making it past echo fox tomorrow (due to them being the 2nd best team in what was a mostly weak NACS this split), it'll ultimately come down to whether C9C can overcome the power of ~~Froggen~~ EF. Unless echo fox can pull out new stuff and get around all of hai's off-meta picks (like kennen), then I could very well see this being a 3-0 for c9c with them then immediately selling their spot back to echo fox, unless some other gaming franchise (NIP, please let it happen) decide to expand into LoL.

ShadowatomAug 4, 20161 votes

Echo fox wouldn't be allowed to buy their spot back into the LCS even if C9 offered it to them iirc. I think Lemondogs from the EU LCS attempted to pull that off and was promptly shut down by Riot and forced them to make a rule to keep it from happening, so if/when EF loses, they'll be in the challenger series (unless Rick decides to bail and sells the Challenger spot).

Miror BAug 4, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Echo fox wouldn't be allowed to buy their spot back into the LCS even if C9 offered it to them iirc. I think Lemondogs from the EU LCS attempted to pull that off and was promptly shut down by Riot and forced them to make a rule to keep it from happening, so if/when EF loses, they'll be in the challenger series (unless Rick decides to bail and sells the Challenger spot).

Sorta. While I doubt riot would approve, C9 could also "theoretically" sell their main roster spot (the one with jensen/sneaky on it) then move their active roster onto the one acquired by challenger, whilst renaming the "c9c team" back to "cloud 9" or "Cloud9 Originals" if riot wanted them to change their name as well. In either case, I'm highly doubtful c9 will get offers for the "echo fox spot" due to overwatch being the new fad that teams are hurrying to acquire rosters for.

GraceGreenAug 3, 20161 votes

summoner 6

What happens if C9 Challenger wins?

Two C9 teams in NALCS -or- An NALCS spot sale ?

iggyvolzAug 3, 20162 votes

If you qualify for the LCS you have to sell the team. Happened a few times before - it's a great way to make extra cash by churning out LCS spots.

The 610Aug 3, 20161 votes

I had the same question because i think either C9C or TLA will def win a game

Sonic1013Aug 3, 20161 votes

They made a ruling after Season 4 that you cant have multiple LCS teams of the same brand. This was due to Samsung White and Samsung Blue being the 2 teams to compete in the World Finals, which wasnt very exciting to watch. It also prevents large monopolies from forming, which offers new teams to form from the non-lack of players

Hardstuck G4Aug 3, 20164 votes

SSW and SSB weren't in the finals, it was SSW and SHR

Kaiten7Aug 6, 20162 votes

The real final was ssb vs ssw, it just happened to take place in the semi's and whoever won that won worlds.

BootyyyAug 6, 20161 votes

SSW vs SSB was one of the best series to watch.

coeurloyalAug 5, 20161 votes

The spot goes for sale. The team that purchases the spot isn't required to use the winning roster for more than one game, however; this happened to both Cris and Shrimp who won NRG's spot before promptly being subbed out for other players. I'm sure Jack will only sell to a team that's going to use the roster, but there is that possibility. The buying team could use C9C as subs and play one game with them before putting in a roster of their own and sending Hai & Co. back to challenger.

The 610Aug 3, 20161 votes

what would happen if C9C and TLA win like that would be an issue right

SlytherusAug 3, 20161 votes

The exact some thing that happened the last time an LCS team's Challenger team made it into LCS. They would have to sell one of the teams.

The 610Aug 3, 20161 votes

so then liquid would need to make a new challenger team then if TLA moves on?

Meanie40Aug 4, 20164 votes

That's what you'll see from now on in Challenger Series until they move to franchising the LCS spots. Easy money for the parent teams.

TrollFan01Aug 3, 20161 votes

I think only Phoenix1 will make it back in. Everything seems to be stacked against EF and NRG.

Neo The SwagsterAug 3, 20161 votes

Agreed Urgot

IfurAug 4, 20161 votes

lol would like to see TLA vs P1. after piglet's comments about how disgraceful of a team P1 is, now I'd like to see him fight against the more organized P1