Riot Games presents the set of changes for the 2021 season of the North American League, the LCS.
ALWAYS TWO SPLITS, BUT NO RESET
It is now confirmed, North American League officials have made some important changes for the 2021 LCS season, to develop the NA scene and make it more competitive, especially at the international level. On the main lines :
- Riot Games presents LCS Lock In, a three-week tournament with a $ 150,000 winner-takes-all cash prize that will determine which team to beat in 2021
- For the regular season, there will be 5 games per day, 3 days per week (Friday / Saturday / Sunday)
- There will always be a Spring and a Summer Split, but the results of the spring segment will be combined with those of the summer season.
- The regular season begins with a condensed Spring Split, which consists of a double Round Robin over six weeks, instead of the usual nine weeks. This shortened season still has a major impact, as teams will play the same number of games as last year.
- The spring playoffs and finals will turn into a “LCS Mid-Season Showdown”. The winner of the MSS will win the first LCS Championship title of the year and will be the only team to represent NA at the first global competition of 2021 (the Mid-Season Invitational)
- The new Summer Split regular season will consist of a triple Round Robin over nine weeks, giving teams one more chance to climb to the top of the NA league and onto the world stage.
- The 2021 LCS league season will close with the LCS Championship, a tournament that brings together the best teams from Spring and Summer splits. The winner takes the second LCS Championship title of the year and the top three teams advance to the 2021 World Championship.
THE LCS LOCK IN (JANUARY 15 – 31)
The 2021 LCS season kicks off with the LCS Lock In, a three-week tournament. Lock In will begin with a group stage, where the top two teams from the previous year choose their group opponents (for 2021 those teams will be TSM and FlyQuest). Each group will play in a four-day round-robin tournament.
The top four from each group will be divided into an eight-team single-elimination tree to determine the Lock In champion. The winner will pocket $ 150,000 (plus an additional $ 50,000 for a charity of their choice).
SPRING SPLIT REGULAR SEASON (FEBRUARY 5 – MARCH 14)
LCS teams have six weeks to bounce back from their LCS Lock In performance or stay at their peak. The goal: to win the first LCS championship title of the year and represent the NA region in the first world competition of the year. The new Spring Split will be extended to five games a day, three days a week: the Friday night league at midnight (French time) (Friday night to Saturday); Saturday and Sunday from 10 p.m. (French time).
LCS MID-SEASON SHOWDOWN (MARCH 20 – APRIL 11)
Halfway through, it’s time to determine who will represent the NA region at the Mid-Season Invitational. The MSS will feature the top six teams from Spring Split in a double elimination tree (similar to the 2020 Spring Split playoffs), with the 5th and 6th place finishers going to start in the Loser’s Bracket. But in 2021, seed # 1 must play seed # 4. The winner will be crowned with the first 2021 LCS Championship title and will qualify for the MSI.
REGULAR SEASON SUMMER SPLIT (JUNE 4 TO AUGUST 1)
During the Summer Split, teams will be challenged with a triple Round Robin over nine weeks of play, which will determine who deserves a chance for the second LCS Championship title of the year and who will represent the NA at the World Championship.
LCS CHAMPIONSHIP (AUGUST 7 – 29)
The LCS year will end with a final battle to determine who is the best team in the LCS and which three teams will advance to the World Championship. Teams will be ranked based on their combined Spring and Summer Split results in this ultimate showdown, a double-elimination tree, with several format adjustments from that of the Summer Split 2020 playoffs. These adjustments include: reverse format ensuring that teams that meet again will do so later in the tournament.
