Big Changes Coming to the LCS Format
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is making significant changes to its format. The current best-of-one system will be replaced in the Summer Split of 2016 with two different formats, one for the NA LCS and one for the EU LCS.
NA LCS: Best-of-Three Format
The NA LCS will now feature a best-of-three format, where each team will play two sets each day of matches. The Spring Split will still use the previous best-of-one format to give Riot time to hire more staff before the more demanding Summer Split schedule begins.
EU LCS: Best-of-Two Format
The EU LCS will test out a best-of-two format, where each league plays two sets each day of matches. This format is similar to Asia’s Champions league (LCK) and China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL).
Benefits of the New Formats
The change in formats is due to several reasons. The best-of-one format often did not reward the better team, and it limited North American and European teams’ experience in series play used at international tournaments. The new formats will better prepare the teams for these challenges.
Running an Experiment
Riot is using the Summer Split as an experiment to determine which format works best. The best-of-three format offers more thrilling matches and accurately identifies the better team, but it may have scheduling issues for broadcasts. The best-of-two format provides a balance between excitement and ties, but Riot Games is concerned that ties may be unsatisfying for fans.
New Challenges
The new formats present challenges in terms of scheduling and resources. Riot will need to air two streams simultaneously and play two matches at the same time for the EU LCS on Friday and Saturday. In North America, the schedule will be expanded to include Friday with two back-to-back best-of-three games, and Saturday and Sunday will feature two series played simultaneously on separate streams.
Riot plans to implement these changes in the Summer Split, as they require significant adjustments to the broadcast and schedule. Despite the delay, fans are eagerly anticipating the action-packed Summer Split.
Related League of Legends, eSports, LCS, NA LCS, EU LCS, Best-of-One, Best-of-Three, Best-of-Two, Summer Split