Riot Games Tightens Residency Rules for League Championship Series
Riot Games has made it more difficult for players to move between different regions in its League Championship Series. To ensure player region residency, the time imported players need to spend in a region has been doubled to four years. Additionally, future imports will have to attain legal citizenship in the region.
New Restrictions for LCS Teams
LCS teams are now limited to a maximum of two players from other regions. The other three players must either be residents of the region or have qualified for residency under LCS rules. Previously, players were considered residents after just two years in the region.
Effect on Current and Future Players
The new rules would immediately impact several players who were due to reach residency status next year. This includes midlaners Kim “Fenix” Jae-hoon of Team Liquid, Yoo “Ryu” Sang-ook of H2k-Gaming, and Cloud9 top laner Eon-yeong “Impact” Jung.
Grandfathered Players and Riot’s Statement
When the original two-year rule was introduced in 2014, some players were grandfathered into residency status. This includes Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen, and Shin “Helios” Dong-jin. Riot stated that without this change, the majority of starting players on many teams would be imported players, and lengthening the time requirement for non-residents to become residents will prevent this from happening.
Riot acknowledges that the change will be disruptive for teams and players who had made plans under the existing rules.
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