The Pro Leagues Have Changed
Riot·1/21/2015, 2:01:18 AM·0 votes·6,507 views
We've made it to our fifth season of seeing professional League of Legends teams compete at the highest level. For a young sport, iteration is the key to survival. Each year, the regions with pro leagues must reevaluate their existing competitive structure, and adapt to everything they have learned the previous year. This season, each of the major regions has undergone sweeping changes that would make anyone's head spin. In order to parse these changes, we have prepared a small primer on what new things you can expect from the top regions in 2015.
You’ve Gotten So Big!
The 2015 LCS season starts January 22 and significant changes have hit both the North American and European leagues. Each league has expanded from 8 to 10 teams, welcoming Gravity and Team Coast in NA, and H2K and Giants Gaming in EU. In addition to teams, the official rosters of each organization have changed as well.
The LCS now recognizes the importance of head coaches, and has officially made them part of an LCS team’s roster. This means that coaches will be allowed to be on stage communicating with their team during picks and bans.
Introducing Championship Points
There has been a major overhaul to the structure of each split, but at the core of these changes is the addition of Championship Points. In the Spring Split, teams will earn points based on their final standing, which will then carry over into the Summer Split. The winner of the summer split will still automatically qualify for the World Championship, but these points will significantly affect the other two spots.
Get Outta My League
The new LCS structure will also affect the way in which teams are relegated. At the end of a split, the 8th and 9th place teams will battle the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the Challenger Series. As for the last-place LCS squad, they will be automatically relegated, while the winner of the Challenger Series will likewise be promoted to the LCS in the next split.
Read about all the changes coming to the LCS, including Championship Points, relegation structure, and more here. You can find the updated LCS ruleset here.
The EU LCS airs every Thursday and Friday at 9:00am PST/18:00 CET
The NA LCS airs every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm PST/21:00 CET
The full Spring Split schedule and tickets for the beginning of the regular season are now available.
It’s Getting Bigger
Popularity of the League of Legends Pro League has grown over the past few years. To give the people more of what they want, the LPL has expanded from 8 to 12 teams. A promotion series was held, and after a tough battle, Energy Pacemaker, Vici Gaming, Master3, and Gamtee emerged victorious. The league also implemented a rule that allows only one team per organization to compete in the LPL. After the regular season, the top eight teams head to the playoffs.
You can watch regular season matches of LPL live on Lolesports! See this post for more information on the LPL broadcast.
Thursdays: 9:00pm PST / Fridays 6:00 CET/ Fridays 13:00 CST
Fridays: 9:00pm PST / Saturdays 6:00 CET/ Saturdays 13:00 CST
Saturdays: 9:00pm PST / Sundays 6:00 CET/ Sundays 13:00 CST
New Name, New Format
The OGN, current king of the world’s professional leagues, has had a major overhaul this season. Firstly, the league has been renamed League of Legends Champions Korea. The LCK is also moving from its traditional tournament structure into a league format similar to the LCS.
The season, eight of Korea's best will be competing. Six of the eight spots were given to veteran organizations Samsung, KT, Najin, CJ Entus, SKT, and Jin Air. A qualifier tournament was held to fill the remaining two spots, which were claimed by the GE Tigers and Incredible Miracle.
You can watch all regular season matches of the LCK live on Lolesports!
Wednesdays: 1:00am PST / 10:00 CET / 18:00 KST
Fridays: 12:00am PST / 9:00 CET / 17:00 KST
Saturdays: 12:00am PST / 9:00 CET/ 17:00 KST
Moving On Up
When the Garena Premier League was still in its infancy, the Taipei Assassins rose through the ranks and shocked the globe by winning the Season Two World Championship. Since then, popularity of the GPL has exploded and the league has expanded to 16 teams. With such a large league, and more teams clamoring for entry, Garena made the decision to split the GPL into two entirely separate entities.
The GPL will continue to operate as a completely unique entity, but the teams from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau have all been moved to the new League of Legends Master Series. All four pre-existing GPL teams from these regions automatically qualified for the LMS, and a qualification series was held to fill out the remaining four spots. Instead of the traditional GPL three-season format, the LMS will feature a two-split league system.
Head to the LMS website for more details on the new structure.
While each league may look different this season, every player, coach, and team is still fighting for the same thing: a shot at the Summoner’s Cup.
NA/EU LCS
You’ve Gotten So Big!
The 2015 LCS season starts January 22 and significant changes have hit both the North American and European leagues. Each league has expanded from 8 to 10 teams, welcoming Gravity and Team Coast in NA, and H2K and Giants Gaming in EU. In addition to teams, the official rosters of each organization have changed as well.
The LCS now recognizes the importance of head coaches, and has officially made them part of an LCS team’s roster. This means that coaches will be allowed to be on stage communicating with their team during picks and bans.
Introducing Championship Points
There has been a major overhaul to the structure of each split, but at the core of these changes is the addition of Championship Points. In the Spring Split, teams will earn points based on their final standing, which will then carry over into the Summer Split. The winner of the summer split will still automatically qualify for the World Championship, but these points will significantly affect the other two spots.
Get Outta My League
The new LCS structure will also affect the way in which teams are relegated. At the end of a split, the 8th and 9th place teams will battle the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the Challenger Series. As for the last-place LCS squad, they will be automatically relegated, while the winner of the Challenger Series will likewise be promoted to the LCS in the next split.
Read about all the changes coming to the LCS, including Championship Points, relegation structure, and more here. You can find the updated LCS ruleset here.
The EU LCS airs every Thursday and Friday at 9:00am PST/18:00 CET
The NA LCS airs every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm PST/21:00 CET
The full Spring Split schedule and tickets for the beginning of the regular season are now available.
LPL
It’s Getting Bigger
Popularity of the League of Legends Pro League has grown over the past few years. To give the people more of what they want, the LPL has expanded from 8 to 12 teams. A promotion series was held, and after a tough battle, Energy Pacemaker, Vici Gaming, Master3, and Gamtee emerged victorious. The league also implemented a rule that allows only one team per organization to compete in the LPL. After the regular season, the top eight teams head to the playoffs.
You can watch regular season matches of LPL live on Lolesports! See this post for more information on the LPL broadcast.
Thursdays: 9:00pm PST / Fridays 6:00 CET/ Fridays 13:00 CST
Fridays: 9:00pm PST / Saturdays 6:00 CET/ Saturdays 13:00 CST
Saturdays: 9:00pm PST / Sundays 6:00 CET/ Sundays 13:00 CST
LCK
New Name, New Format
The OGN, current king of the world’s professional leagues, has had a major overhaul this season. Firstly, the league has been renamed League of Legends Champions Korea. The LCK is also moving from its traditional tournament structure into a league format similar to the LCS.
The season, eight of Korea's best will be competing. Six of the eight spots were given to veteran organizations Samsung, KT, Najin, CJ Entus, SKT, and Jin Air. A qualifier tournament was held to fill the remaining two spots, which were claimed by the GE Tigers and Incredible Miracle.
You can watch all regular season matches of the LCK live on Lolesports!
Wednesdays: 1:00am PST / 10:00 CET / 18:00 KST
Fridays: 12:00am PST / 9:00 CET / 17:00 KST
Saturdays: 12:00am PST / 9:00 CET/ 17:00 KST
LMS
Moving On Up
When the Garena Premier League was still in its infancy, the Taipei Assassins rose through the ranks and shocked the globe by winning the Season Two World Championship. Since then, popularity of the GPL has exploded and the league has expanded to 16 teams. With such a large league, and more teams clamoring for entry, Garena made the decision to split the GPL into two entirely separate entities.
The GPL will continue to operate as a completely unique entity, but the teams from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau have all been moved to the new League of Legends Master Series. All four pre-existing GPL teams from these regions automatically qualified for the LMS, and a qualification series was held to fill out the remaining four spots. Instead of the traditional GPL three-season format, the LMS will feature a two-split league system.
Head to the LMS website for more details on the new structure.
While each league may look different this season, every player, coach, and team is still fighting for the same thing: a shot at the Summoner’s Cup.
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