"Spring Split matters"
...which, in all honesty, it shouldn't. At least not as much. Let me explain what I mean: the Spring Split, at least in regards to NA LCS, does matter an awful lot. Good placement in Spring gives you circuit points, which can single-handedly punch you a ticket to at least the Regional Qualifier. Getting 1st gives you the chance to scope out international competition and the prestige that comes with representing your region at the Mid-Season Invitational.
So why is it, then, that people are up in arms about CLG taking the Pool 2 seed from Immortals? The answer is simple: Immortals was, at least at the time CLG qualified for Worlds, the better team. They beat them in the 3rd place match, albeit in a game 5 situation. However, CLG didn't have to win the 3rd place match; their 1st place finish 9 patches and 4 months ago (for an ever evolving game like League, these two numbers should be considered significant) had already guaranteed they would enter Worlds due to their defeating a Team__ Liquid that, let's be honest, looked far worse than their seeding belied.
I'm not arguing that Spring Split shouldn't carry importance; the reason there are two splits is because past excellence should be awarded in a fair manner. I think of the Indiana Pacers from 3 years ago, when they soared to a first seed in the Eastern Conference of the NBA through about 3 quarters of the season, and then crashed at the end. My thought is that regions should, when Worlds is so close, want to send their three strongest teams in the moment to Worlds as it's representatives.
I would propose a change to the points system for at least both LCS regions: Spring Split should carry half the point values of the Summer Split. The break down would look something like this:
1st: 90 points Summer, 45 points Spring, MSI slot 2nd: 70 points Summer, 35 points Spring 3rd: 50 points Summer, 25 points Spring 4th: 30 points Summer, 15 points Spring 5th/6th: 10 points Summer, 5 points Spring
I understand that some people will say that this needlessly confuses viewers with having to keep track of two splits with of point values in a row. However, I think that confusion is a small price to pay for major regions looking to place well at Worlds sending their absolute best in show to their international stage.
Some are going to say that this makes Spring basically useless, as a team that places 7th in Spring but then turns around and places 1st in Summer could possibly end up going to Worlds, to which I say "that's kind of the point." If a 7th place Spring Split team manages to get 2nd place in Summer, should they not be rewarded with at least a chance at the Regional Qualifier? If a 1st place team in Spring shows very clearly that they are not a top 3 team in the Summer (which, let's be honest, CLG clearly isn't), should they be able to auto-qualify on points from Spring?
I don't think so. What about you guys?
