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Major Regions and Worlds seeds

Ricketts·10/14/2016, 2:52:56 AM·2 votes·716 views

This year has hammered home further how far behind NA is from the other major regions in League. While Korea, China, and EU all have had top competitors most years, NA hasn't had a team make Semifinals since Season 1.

While NA might make a splash here or there in MSI or IEM, they clearly can't handle the more competitive and in depth tournament of Worlds.

It's time that year to year, a region has to perform well in Worlds to maintain a certain number of tournament entries. Korea and China each have been worthy of three squads. EU has had some ups and downs from one year to another, but should have at least two berths if not three. NA after two ugly years should not get three teams into worlds. It's time that third spot goes to a wildcard.

Sure, US teams could possibly take that wildcard spot, but they should have to earn it over LMS, Brazilian, and other teams trying to make the World stage. And if a team can take their wildcard spot and make Quarterfinals? Should mean a guaranteed entry for their region at next year's Worlds.

There needs to be more opportunities and consequences for regions representatives in the tournament, especially when one region is in free fall and the game is growing globally.

13 Comments

DestructoDave10/14/2016, 9:07:02 AM1 votes

No. They deserve 3 spots like everyone else. The only case you can make, is that some wildcard regions deserve their own, or for there to be more wild-card spots. Personally, I would like to see the wildcard teams prove themselves a bit more; INTZ went typical 1-5. Just because ANX broke the mold for a single team in all the years wildcards have been invited, isn't reason to start throwing them 2 more spots for those spots to be given to teams that are basically just dead weight free wins like most wildcard teams, and even INTZ.

DestructoDave10/14/2016, 10:10:27 AM1 votes

They just went 9-9; they had the highest group stage win-rate besides the Koreans. Yes, only 1 made it out, but they still won more games during the group stage than any other region besides Koreans. They also had to actually FACE Koreans, something H2k did not. The only 2 EU teams that faced Koreans, went 2-10.

They just had CLG place 2nd at MSI. I mean, hate on NA all you want, but they actually did perform decently this year. If anything, EU looked terrible and was ONLY salvaged by H2k on the last day, and if a Korean was in their group, or even an NA team, who knows exactly how that would have went, too. Considering they had neither in their group.

Seriously guy, EU was literally saved A TON of grief by h2k's 2nd day and the fact their group was fairly easy with no NA and no KR teams in it. (Esp. considering those 2 regions had the highest win-rates).

NA did get better this year. NA did have a good year counting MSI. They even had a decent worlds based on win-rate. I personally would rather see group stages similar to MSI so we KNOW the best teams and they arent decided by group draws. NA deserved their 3 spots this year. Far more than EU did.

DestructoDave10/14/2016, 10:46:53 AM1 votes

Lol, so you only focusing on week 2 because h2k did well in week 2. When the tournament they were 7-12, compared to 9-9.

Oh, and if you want to say Splyce was unlucky, you can't deny that H2k was incredibly lucky not facing a single korean or NA team; the 2 regions with the highest win-rate in groups; oh and those teams faced each other. The only 2 Eu teams that face NA and KR teams, went 2-10.

So please, get the hell off your high horse because H2k turned it around the 2nd week in a group without strong competition. EDG doesnt even look good. You could say NA was unlucky with the draw. CLG or TSM would have made it out of h2k's group if they were in their place.

There performance this year was strong. You can try to hate on it all you want, but it was. If anything EU's performance this year was abysmal. H2k making it out of groups doesn't change that. It didn't change it for NA with C9. In the end, 1 Eu team and 1 Na team made it out; I fail to see how EU done massively better. H2k could seriously lose to freakin ANX too and then what? Hell, they are def. going to lose to the Koreans, and then it wont even matter how good a group stage they have, since even now you cannot see how good of a group stage NA actually had. Because people don't care. And you cannot sit here with a straight face and tell me H2k would have gotten first in a group with a Korean team. There is no way you can sit here and say that.

Ricketts10/14/2016, 9:44:17 PM1 votes

The entire point you are missing is to look in context of year to year. This year EU had two bad teams and one win their group. Last year they had 2 teams in Semifinals. Year before that they all crapped out in groups. Then the year prior there was 1 EU team in semis.

This year NA had one team advance to Quarterfinals then immediately get shut out. Last year NA choked leads in groups and nobody advanced. Year before two made Quarters and were knocked out. And prior to that one team had a bye then was instantly knocked out.

EU is up and down, but have been contenders. NA is consistently a punching bag a step above wildcards. The best way to encourage worldwide pro play is to remove a seed from a regularly under performing region and give more chances for more regions.

NA is unlikely to crash on sponsorships for teams, but younger pro markets can only thrive and improve if they see more world play and sponsors. Meanwhile, the looming threat of greater loss could spur NA teams to look harder at how to improve and maybe shake their complacency and actually rise to greater heights.

I would love to see a NA champion. Fire and steel does more to sharpen a blade than just polishing off dust.

Ricketts10/15/2016, 1:03:52 AM1 votes

I would be OK with Riot adding more depth to 20 teams, but they seem to have their numbers locked in at 16. If they won't expand, then regions should be able to lose entries if they slump across a two year period.

Guest Host10/15/2016, 2:44:30 AM1 votes

If we were to be completely objective on the level of plays in the different regions, Korea should be sending at least 5 teams considereing how even their third seed SSG dominated group stages 5-1 against top teams from other regions. And of course, they dominated in the Worlds for the past three years. But if we actually did that, it wouldn't really be "Worlds" any more. The audience from all around the world would not appreciate watching the second version of LCK.

grug10/15/2016, 2:50:28 AM1 votes

maybe so

but the game was developed and created in NA

so there you have it. no matter how much NA teams will suck compared to the world, it will always have the max no. of seeds

The Lord Cookie10/15/2016, 8:04:44 AM1 votes

NA had the best performance in groups aside from Korea, lmao.

How do you even figure?