The Issue with a Pro-Only Tournament Realm in North America
North America’s performance at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship raised concerns about the region’s lack of growth. One potential solution that some fans considered was the implementation of a pro-only tournament realm client. However, former pro player Hai Du Lam outlined the various issues with this idea.
The Impact on Solo Queue
An important consequence of implementing the tournament realm client would be the decline in the quality of normal solo queue games. If professional players start training and playing exclusively on their own private server, it would further lower the quality of solo queue matches.
The Problem with NA Solo Queue
One of the major issues with the North American solo queue is that not many professional players treat these games seriously or prioritize them as much as players in other regions. As a result, the level of competition in higher ranks is significantly lower than in regions like Europe and South Korea. A more competitive solo queue benefits everyone, as it allows for improvements across the board, not just for a select few who have already turned pro.
A private server for pros would also create additional barriers for up-and-coming talent, as they would not have access to the tournament realm client. Encouraging players to pursue a professional career is already challenging due to the limited entry points into the scene, and this would only discourage aspiring players even more.
The Long-Term Impact
While a tournament realm client may enhance the quality of games for professional players in the short term, its long-term effects could hinder the growth and sustainability of the North American region. NA has struggled to nurture homegrown talent, in contrast to Europe and South Korea, where new talent frequently emerges from the solo queue scene, fueling their competitive teams.
If North America truly wants to address its talent problem, it needs to focus on reinforcing a system that motivates players to invest more effort in the solo queue environment. Hai even suggested implementing a system similar to CS:GO’s FACEIT, which rewards top players with cash prizes at the end of each month. This way, players would be incentivized to try their best and communicate effectively to secure victories.
North America, League of Legends, World Championship, solo queue, tournament realm, pro players, growth, talent problem, competition, barriers, homegrown talent, CS:GO, FACEIT