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The Way LCS Works Is Almost As Stupid As Eliminating Solo Queue

LaughingStapler··10 votes·718 views

Just like DQ tells you nothing about a player's queue configuration (despite how different the skills can be) for what was achieved (solo or only 5-mans etc.), the LCS standings are pretty meaningless. Let's take Immortals for example, they go nearly undefeated in the regular season but lose a B05 and are eliminated from going to MSI. Streaks are not uncommon in LoL because the game has a lot of unpredictable factors (RNG, someone escaping by just a few HP, a ward giving critical info. or allowing a surprising pick, etc.).

One B05 shouldn't be more important than the regular season's performance. It's just as stupid as promo games and isn't an accurate reflection of which teams are best. Every time a team beats another in a B05, the casters act like it's some conclusive proof of which team is best. That's just nonsense and I'm sure they're not dumb enough to believe it so it's probably just for show/hype. It should work a lot like in tennis or chess with something akin to an ELO system. Every win/loss should matter to the placement beyond just seeding. It's such a stupid system atm and so unrepresentative. 3 games shouldn't matter more than something like 20 games in the regular season and shows that Riot cares more about artificial excitement than an accurate representation of which teams are strongest (just like I guess they don't care about their in-game ranking system's validity since they clump every queue configuration into a single rank).

I don't even care about Immortals, TSM or CLG. I'm more of a C9 fan but I think Immortals was clearly the best team overall this season in NA regardless of losing to TSM (that Lucian top OP). CLG's an excellent team but there's no way it makes sense to judge them or TSM as better just because Immortals lose 3 games in a row. Hell, SKT just lost 4 games in a row at MSI and I doubt we now all think SKT is worse than Flash Wolves or CLG overall.

16 Comments

Randomonium8 votes

You do realize that nearly every single sport is the same way right? The only purpose of the regular season is to get you to the playoffs. Once the regular season is over it doesn't matter how you got there, it only matters how you perform in the playoffs. It doesn't matter who is the better team, it matters who is the better team ON THAT DAY. That's what makes the playoffs so interesting, seeing who will rise to the challenge and who will crack under the pressure.

Using your example from tennis, you can dominate every match all the way to the finals while you opponent struggles in 5 set match after 5 set match but if you can't beat him in those last 5 sets in the finals then you don't get the championship. That's the way it should be.

SirPurrr4 votes

{quoted}

You do realize that nearly every single sport is the same way right? The only purpose of the regular season is to get you to the playoffs. Once the regular season is over it doesn't matter how you got there, it only matters how you perform in the playoffs. It doesn't matter who is the better team, it matters who is the better team ON THAT DAY. That's what makes the playoffs so interesting, seeing who will rise to the challenge and who will crack under the pressure.

Using your example from tennis, you can dominate every match all the way to the finals while you opponent struggles in 5 set match after 5 set match but if you can't beat him in those last 5 sets in the finals then you don't get the championship. That's the way it should be.

Sure, but there's still a separate ranking system which ranks each individual tennis player based on his season's performance. Tournaments award points and Grand Slams are of course very important but they're separate from the player rankings so your point isn't really accurate. If you want to know who the best tennis player is that season, you look at the rankings and the Grand Slams together, not just one.

ModWulf Helhammer3 votes

So then how about a game like Soccer? You can have a team go undefeated the entire season (first seed), and another team that barely made it into playoffs (last seed). Those two teams face each other in the first game, and the lower team wins the game by playing better. Objectively, they are the better team.

exigentomic3 votes

{quoted}

So then how about a game like Soccer? You can have a team go undefeated the entire season (first seed), and another team that barely made it into playoffs (last seed). Those two teams face each other in the first game, and the lower team wins the game by playing better. Objectively, they are the better team.

Even if it's done similarly in other spots, that doesn't make it a good example or a well-thought out system. Most things are that way due to tradition.

ModWulf Helhammer2 votes

So you think that just because a team does well in the past, if they lose a game they need to win, they should still get by or something?

Good lord, what is this generation. Do the concepts of competition and winning actually mean anything?

Other sports aren't that way because of tradition, they are that way because: one, they work, and two, they showcase skill. A team that wins is rewarded, while a team that loses isn't. It just so happens that not all games have the same stakes for winning and losing attached to them.

ofart2 votes

{quoted}

So you think that just because a team does well in the past, if they lose a game they need to win, they should still get by or something?

Good lord, what is this generation. Do the concepts of competition and winning actually mean anything?

Other sports aren't that way because of tradition, they are that way because: one, they work, and two, they showcase skill. A team that wins is rewarded, while a team that loses isn't. It just so happens that not all games have the same stakes for winning and losing attached to them.

How does the OP advocating that all games should matter translate to what you're arguing? Would it make sense if you played 500 games (not a lot for a dedicated player) of ranked and at the end of the season your rank is determined by 5 games while basically ignoring all the others?

ModWulf Helhammer1 votes

Except that is an entirely different thing. They have the whole season to play, and if they do well, they get rewarded by getting a higher seed in playoffs, having a first round by, etc. However, when it comes time for their game, they better do their damn best, because this game matter just as much as every other game in the season.

ofart2 votes

{quoted}

Except that is an entirely different thing. They have the whole season to play, and if they do well, they get rewarded by getting a higher seed in playoffs, having a first round by, etc. However, when it comes time for their game, they better do their damn best, because this game matter just as much as every other game in the season.

Seeding means almost nothing. The whole season result for a team is decided by a B05 and the past games don't matter at all. The analogy makes perfect sense if you are open enough to admit it. This game has a lot of variance and 5 games really isn't significant to determine which team is better, just like it wouldn't for solo play.

PDE5 Inhib1 votes

Point being if you lose in the first round of the US Open, you don't get to advance because "muh regular season".

ofart1 votes

[{quoted}](name=PDE5 Inhib,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=8uN4lOp5,comment-id=000100000001,timestamp=2016-05-06T13:15:10.436+0000)

Point being if you lose in the first round of the US Open, you don't get to advance because "muh regular season".

Except that the player rankings take the whole season into account and not only a Grand Slam.

PDE5 Inhib1 votes

? And?

Sure, your immortals team could still be ranked high after losing...doesn't mean they get to advance. I'm not even sure what the hell you're trying to say here? That because they played well during the season they should get a free pass after losing playoffs? They did well in the regular season. That earned them a seed. They lost. Game over. Want to advance? Win.

If Nadal goes undefeated during the season and loses the first round of the French Open (lel), he is still out. Immortals lost. They are out.

Randomonium1 votes

That's how the LCS works too. Teams get championship points based on how they perform in each of the splits. This determines which teams get to automatically go to worlds and which teams need to fight for it.

I honestly don't know of a better way to do the system, it's about as fair as you can get. The better teams do get an advantage but there is a chance for the underdog to upset them (like Cloud9's miraculous run last year which allowed them to go to worlds.) That's exactly what you want to see in a competitive sport.

ModWulf Helhammer4 votes

I'm going to take a guess and say, with your comparison to real sports, you have neither played nor watched a sport before if you think they work any differently in playoffs.

EDIT: and I take it from downvotes not many other people have.

Prozzak2 votes

Good lord how the hell did this get anything but downvotes? Really people? You want handouts to people just because they did well in one regular season? What's next? "Immortals did really well the one season it isn't fair that they have to start off with 0 wins like the rest of the teams this season" lmao. Best of 5 is the best way to determine who should move on, show up and play or don't but it isn't the formats fault if you fail to advance, it is your own. You get the advantage of playing the weaker teams if you do well in the regular season.

nujumkey1 votes

The thing to understand is, people need a big day to tune in. The LCS is a big competition, one with big matches every week, but you want one day out of the rest that's super important.

This creates a big event to really get excited about League as a sport, and gives people who don't have time to watch all the games two big weeks where all the important stuff happens.

Tyrone Lannister1 votes

Immortals didnt deserve to win. They got cocky and didnt "have a good read on the meta" im glad tsm smacked them up and down the rift

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