(FACTIONS) March 1–2 Noxus v. Ionia Tournament, Shoutcasted by LoL Tourneys

STREAM: Twitch.TV/LoLTourneys

This weekend, Factions will be holding the second major tournament of the Shon-Xan storyline. We are fortunate to have top-notch shoutcasting for this event provided courtesy of LoL Tourneys.

ABBREVIATED SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 1
The tournament will begin at 12:30 p.m. Pacific (1:30 Mountain, 2:30 Central, 3:30 Eastern) with a best-of-three Howling Abyss battle. The winner of this best-of-three will gain a special ability for the remainder of the tournament (but not the full storyline): a single "real" ban per match. (Normally, there are no bans allowed in Factions, because the rosters of Champions are already limited.)

We will then move into a best-of-five on Summoner's Rift, which will decide the victor of the tournament. The first Rift match will take place on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific (4:30 Mountain, 5:30 Central, 6:30 Eastern).

Sunday, March 2
The Summoner's Rift matches will continue on Sunday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Pacific (1:30 Mountain, 2:30 Central, 3:30 Eastern).

HOW DO I WATCH?
Stream: Twitch.TV/LoLTourneys

Come by the in-client Factions Chat (Room name: "Factions") at match time, and someone will surely be able to link you.

WHAT'S FACTIONS?
Visit LeagueFactions.Net for more information, or to sign up for the current storyline.
Factions is a community-powered game mode in which Summoners declare for a faction (such as Piltover or Noxus) for the course of a storyline and fight matches using faction-specific rosters. The outcomes of these matches, which include both shoutcasted tournaments and pick-up matches that anyone can start or join, affect the balance of power between the factions and shape the story.

For an overview of past Factions storylines, visit the Previous Storylines page.

For more information on the current storyline, which this tournament will affect, visit the Current Storyline page.

WHAT'S THE STORY SO FAR?
For an overview of the entire Factions saga to date, visit the Storyline Overview page.
Noxian refugees from the devastation of the Void War have come to the Ionian island of Shon-Xan, claiming rights under humanitarian law to settle there. After the first set of refugees made it onto shore and set up a settlement, the Noxian fleet escorted a much larger refugee convoy into Ionian waters. The Ionian Navy met them in a massive battle which Noxus won. Ionia deployed its military to the port of Shon-Xan, and (realizing that a pitched battle on the port would likely destroy the very thing they were fighting over) both sides agreed to turn to the League to resolve ownership of the port. Ionia's victory in the first tournament of the Shon-Xan dispute left the Noxian settlement in dire straits and drew a new Champion to Ionia's banner. Still, Karma sought a peaceful resolution, and resisted Irelia's demands to deploy the military and wipe out the settlement.

With Noxus facing a humiliating defeat, Grand General Swain set in motion a nefarious scheme. Ninja assassins from Zed's Order of the Shadow struck without warning and killed several critical Ionian military and civilian leaders. Panic and confusion paralyzed Ionia. Karma declared that she had evidence linking Noxus to these assassinations, and ordered the military to mobilize to destroy the settlement, arguing that these treacherous acts had waived the settlers' humanitarian immunity under Council law.

Ionia braced for another naval assault. Instead, Swain used Zaunite war-zeppelins to deploy several elite Noxian legions deep within Ionian territory, fortifying the refugee settlement into a military position.

In a last bid to avoid full-scale war, Karma has called for a tournament in the League of Legends to resolve the matter. If Ionia is victorious, Noxus will be forced to withdraw every soldier and settler under threat of League intervention. If Noxus prevails, it will mean open warfare.

WHICH CHAMPIONS DOES EACH FACTION GET?
Here are the current Champion rosters for the current storyline.

CAN I PLAY?
We may have some openings in the tournament rosters, if some people are unable to make it. Come by the Factions chat and stay tuned.

Factions is not limited to tournaments. In fact, most matches are pick-ups that anyone can start or join. These matches also influence the balance of power.