Evolution of the NA LCS

With an increase in collegiate participation in League and Esports, why not host a draft each year in reverse order of records? This can help ensure the talent is better divided among various franchises so the same team is not continually winning every split or acquiring the latest and greatest talent due to their brand name and the ability to pay players higher wages.Use the Challenger series as a developmental league for these players to practice and better their skills until they're ready to be brought up into the LCS. Again, it doesn't necessarily need to be a collegiate draft, but at least a draft of some sort so that player talent is more evenly divided among LCS Franchises.

Too bad about removing relegation. I see the point about encouraging long-term investment, but from the standpoint of a player and fan, it feels less merit-based and like more of an insiders' game.

I was always on the fence about the idea of permanent spots within the NA LCS. After reading this and seeing that Riot is working on steps to prevent teams just staying in last place. Big props to right for helping the players kick start a PA. Overall these are steps in the right direction for the longevity of NA LCS. Looking forward to the rest of 2017 season and the new format in 2018. Do we have any word on EU LCS?

Does the Paying 10 million for a spot help in you evaluation process?

i don't like the new way to get into the lcs.... do teams even have to play anymore to earn their spot???? or just fill out a application and be in the lcs and prove that they can pay their players and make league more money. this also favors people who already have money rather then starting from the ground up... is there certain times when teams can fill out the application? or can applications only be filled out when a team gets kicked out when they get placed in 9th and 10th place for 5 splits in a row over an 8-split span, also how do you even know if the team that submits the application is even good? you didn't even ask on the application that you had to be a certain division in ranked wtf lol... i hope you guys give out more info because as it stands the new system is really bad and puts new teams at a really big disadvantage.... as a league player who likes to watch the NA LCS i like to watch the challenger series and see new underdog teams try to earn their spot in the NA LCS by competing... not filling out applications.... also the new challenger series means nothing to the viewer its more for pro teams now... why would the common league esports viewer want to watch an Academy League that does not even have rewards such as going into the relegations for a spot into the lcs.

I think each LCS team should have 2-3 academy teams, kinda like A, B, and C. I'm not sure how big this academy league will be or how easy non-affiliated LCS teams can enter, but if it's just one academy team per LCS team, it seems limiting to people trying to enter the scene. Then orgs will have more flexibility shuffling players between squads, the good academy players will stand out more, and 1 year 'prove it' contacts will be more applicable to the newcomers. There's no need for an MSI-esque academy level tourney, so the normal 2 splits can be reduced to 1, and just increase the length of the split to accommodate the higher number of teams.

First of all I highly appreciate the changes Riot has planned for the future. But perhaps someone could clear up a few points for me:

1. Once this system kicks in the only ways to drop out of LCS are withdrawal on behalf of the team itself with whatever penalties included or placing in the bottom two ranks five times over eight splits. Let's assume that there is a team that indeed places very low every split. There are two splits a year, so does this mean this hypothetical team is locked into the LCS for at least 2.5 years?
2. In a similar vein and by extension challenger scene, what about other teams that have a bunch of promising players and may or may not be on the level of lower LCS teams, are they just locked out for extended periods of time?

I am just worried that removing relegation creates a stale environment since you need to try really hard to drop out of LCS by results.

this is awful. rip riot, i've had so much respect for you, you were the only company to put the love of a fair and balanced game over profits, you were truly my hero. sadly everything comes to an end i guess, i hope you come back or make another game with those principles of a level-playing field where everyone has the chace to win, not just the guy with the biggest checkbook. riot has finally completely sold-out, no longer can you come up from nothing( silver 2) with 4 of your friends and make your e-sports dreams come true. now you have to be rich and buy a spot. really disgraceful riot and you didn't even do a good job making it look like anything other than that. the emperor is naked

This is exciting to see. It looks like Riot is modeling the new LCS system after other successful sports, like the NFL. I hope this attracts the best talent in the world to want to play in NA. Look forward to seeing where LoL grows in the future.

I'm fine with everything other than during the video. 0:52 "now that the NA LCS is generating revenue". So they were operating at a loss before that just seems so unlikely to me.

I am happy to hear many of these changes happening. Sure, there can be adjustments, but it really sounds like a major improvement.

I guess fans of real competition have been relegated. I absolutely will not watch the closed ecosystem competition in 2018.

I'm quite sad that Riot is removing relegation from the NA LCS. I feel that is a healthly way to bring fresh talent into the league and it keeps things seasons exciting. I love watching the end of season relegation tournaments. It's awesome to see people that have risen up the rankings to play in the LCS. Many people feels that they can get into the LCS via that route. If we remove relegation, this will remove a lot of people's ability to see their path to the LCS. Not seeing a clear path will reduce their motive to get into the LCS and fewer good players will go that route. There will still be plenty of good people playing, but the pool they pick from will be smaller. I love the revenue sharing idea and am not sure about what sounds like a players union, but I'm glad to see there are thoughts for the future.

so there are 10 team spots

Is this going to allow lcs subs to move up and down without contract breaches? If so so much NA talent bound to the bench might see quicker development

How do teams apply?

Interesting. Always good to see more stability for pro teams/players.

Anyone else find it stupid that some teams are going to get "partnered" while others don't. How objective can you expect a company like Riot Game to be when it comes to significant matters like this. Which teams do they currently have grudges against that they are going to work toward getting relegated and never "partnering" with.

This is a great step for League of Legends and eSports as a whole! The only thing I don't get is that it seems that the application process is a little vague.... Any one know where the application is or if it is available to the public?

i feel as there is a bunch of empty space, and too much 12 point text. other than that mild inconvenience, the article is good

All in all, great changes. I like how the structure is starting to resemble the structure of athletic sports, which have hundreds of years (cumulatively) of development behind them leading to what they are now. The Academy series is fantastic. When Baseball created the minor league farm system, the overall quality of the game went up exponentially. The only real problem I see is the revenue sharing. I know its beneficial to do that so the lower level teams have a competitive balance, but as shown in Basketball, it can encourage tanking. If your revenue is guaranteed, what's to stop you from filling your roster with cheap players and laughing all the way to the bank? Just need to keep an eye on that and have penalties if caught doing it. Other wise, keep it up Riot, you're doing great.

Bye bye future cool team names.

If this were implemented in EU a few years back...no more Unicorns of Love. And they're basically like #1/#2 in the fan vote. Despite not always having the best players.

I both like and dislike this. Might give some freedom to 'not so well' off teams to goof off during a spring split and try some interesting picks though, kind of like how we sub out all the stars when a pro team no longer has a chance.

What do you think about having Worlds less often? Like every 3 years or something. I feel like it might hype it up more, as well as make regional success feel more rewarding. Additionally, it could also help regional fan base health. I think fan bases would diversify since each region's fans wouldn't be funneled into the 3 teams that made it to worlds every year. Fun mid season international tourneys would still be fine every year, like MSI, and rift rivals, and IEM, but I feel that Worlds every single year is too often. Maybe that's just me though?

I see the positive and negative sides of this system. On a positive side we have protections for both the companies investing and the players to help expand the league, the talent of an individual, and financial security of the NALCS. The Negative is we we won't be seeing the C9's of 3 years ago, or the Immortals of last year again, which takes some of the excitement out of the game since those players will have to be farmed to the NALCS teams instead of being recruited by a new organization and placed into a "break-out" team. As for the "closed league," it always has been a closed league. When teams are punished and forced to give up ownership, the sell price is 1 million dollars. That is before player salaries, coaches, houses, analysts, transportation, and anything else a is needed to be competitive. The days of having 5 friends and making the NA LCS died season by the end of Season 1. In the words of Elsa, Let it go.

All in all these changes offer some things that I was hoping to see for a while. A Players Association, Educational help for the players, and a salary that makes working 7 days a week in extreme stress nearly worth it. It would be nice to see 2 leagues that are connected via relegation that are created equal and both get air time, but I don't think the base of LoL is big enough for that and the lesser known teams would have a difficult time fielding fans, so that may be in the hopes for the future, but right now, it is not financially viable.