NACC Spotlight - The West

From Vancouver, Canada, all the way to San Diego in Southern California, the West Coast's concentration of excellence is staggering. All four teams that participated in last year's North American Collegiate Championship Finals came from the West, and all four of those teams are back for more. But it's not just their talent pool that makes them so dominant. The West Coast has also given rise to a thriving inter-collegiate community that every player, Bronze or Challenger, can enjoy being a part of. It’s the support from these communities that keeps these teams on top of the region. Writer Cameron Gilbert (@shirokaisen) explains why the West is special in this first article of a four-part series focusing on the NACC regions.

Last year's top four teams all came from the West Coast: the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington, San Jose State University, and the University of California - Irvine. All four of these teams are among the top once again, but this year only one of them will make it to the NACC finals due to a new tournament format. UBC and SJSU qualified for this year's NACC through IvyLoL, and UC Irvine was right behind both times before finally qualifying through TeSPA. Seniors retire and rosters change, but for these schools, their legacy continues to endure.

But they're not the only ones aiming for the top. There are plenty of other schools right at their heels. There's UC Los Angeles, better known as Call Gaming: a squad whose prowess in Ranked 5s got them a spot in the LCS Expansion Tournament. There's also the University of Alberta, who rose from a respectable CSL showing to take second place in the TeSPA qualifier. You could also look at UC San Diego, a team with so many League of Legends players they were able to hold a students-only League tournament at their annual Winter Gamefest.

But there's more to schools like UC Irvine or UBC than just a top team, and it's no coincidence that these schools consistently attract the top esports talent. Nearly every single one of the top schools has a thriving esports organization, full of players ranging from Challengers dreaming of the LCS stage, to newbies looking to have some fun. These communities are so strong that they themselves attract new players to the school, and are the petri dish upon which top teams are cultured every year. One look at the photos taken at any of the SoCal Worlds viewing parties and you'll understand: gaming on the West Coast is a way of life.

After all, collegiate competition isn't like the pros. As both a player and a student, your practice schedule and availability are entirely dictated by your studies. And of course, once your time in school is up, you've got no choice but to retire. It's impossible to maintain a school's strength throughout the years without a strong foundation to rebuild from. But when you've got hundreds of members and a flood of new players every year, there's no shortage of talent to choose from, and when everyone's having fun together, that talent will stick around. The more you care about your club, the more you'll want to bring them home the victory!

Of course, there are plenty of schools all across the other NA regions with rich gaming organizations. What really makes the West Coast stand out is the way the individual schools come together to form a real intercollegiate community, fostering competition and cooperation in equal measure. Nowhere is that spirit stronger than the birthplace of League itself, Southern California. With so many top tier universities clustered together in one area, a sizable event held at any one of them quickly becomes a much bigger affair. Regular inter-school competition, like the HSL Newegg invitational last Winter, or the annual USC vs UCLA rivalry LAN, provide that essential match experience that helps take teams to the next level. When these schools pool their resources to put together something truly special, the results speak for themselves.

Last fall, three schools – UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and the University of Southern California – got together with one goal in mind: to put together the best Worlds viewing experience possible. Together with the organization SoCal eSports, they pooled their resources and their know-how to throw three simultaneous parties in Los Angeles, Irvine, and San Diego. The “SoCal 3 Shows” had a total attendance of over 3,200 people and featured the full Finals experience, League-themed events, games, prizes, pro player appearances, and even a bar. This is a community overflowing with passion, and one willing to work hard to keep those experiences flowing.

Three of the West's four representatives are set in stone, and the WellPlayed qualifier is currently in progress. The University of Washington, last year's NACC champion, currently sits in the semifinals against Simon Fraser University. If they can win two more matches, all four Western representatives will be from the same four schools that dominated last year's event -- and if one of them is defeated, you can bet that the school that takes their place will be every bit as tough.

The NACC Finals will take place in Los Angeles, the West's home turf. The level of competition is even higher this year, with RMU bursting onto the scene and teams like McMaster looking stronger than ever, but the West won't go down so easily. Whoever challenges the West in the finals won’t just be facing some of the best teams in NA, but a rabid fan base and supportive communities as well. Not only that, but they will have to take the title in the West’s backyard.