This past season, the LCS region for League of Legends tried something new. Indeed, with a new format Riot Games tried to string Spring and Summer into one journey with points holding over. However, the LCS 2022 Format will be returning to old ways and reversing this new change. Read on as we cover the press release from Riot Games!
LCS 2022 Format – What Everybody Wanted
Credits: Riot Games
Indeed, below we’ve assembled some of the most essential points from the Riot Games press release:
Spring and Summer Splits – both will involve eight weeks of double round robin competition. There’ll also be Super Weeks for two weeks. More importantly, “regular season records will no longer carry over from Spring to Summer Splits”.
Academy Playoffs are no longer existing – all 10 Academy teams will immediately qualify for Proving Grounds to then compete against the top 10 amateur teams. Each split will have two Amateur tournaments each.
Scouting Ground not coming back in 2022.
Credits: Riot Games
There are also other details for the season in the press release we recommend visiting too.
Otherwise, this is massive news for the region. Indeed, this will affect how teams seed for Worlds 2021. Accordingly, teams will need to focus on their performances separately for Spring and Summer.
With many LCK teams making changes, the lower tier teams are making the largest changes. Accordingly, one such team which struggled last year is none other than the Afreeca Freecs LCK Roster. Indeed, some massive changes are being carried out so far – we have all the coverage below for you to read about!
Afreeca Freecs LCK Roster – Only Three Active Players
So, straight to the point – the roster is simply taking away the majority of the active roster from the past year. Accordingly, the following 5 players have in fact been let go:
Hello, this is Afreeca Freecs.
Today, we part ways with Coach Rigby, Coach LirA, Dread, Fly, Bang, Lehends, Keine. We’d like to thank them for their contribution, and ask for your support on the way to their future. Thank you.
This is no surprise though. For the second season in a row, Afreeca Freecs have simply failed to garner any results both internationally and locally. Take a look at the achievements from this past competitive season:
6th @ LCK Summer 2021
9th @ LCK Spring 2021
Credits: LCK
With everyone leaving, only three players are left on the active roster below:
Kim “Kiin” Gi-in
Han “Leo” Gyeo-re
Kim “MapSSi” Do-yeong
Indeed, we’ll need to wait for more news to see how this roster rebuilds for the next season.
For T1 this season, they were one again close but not close enough. Indeed, considering the competition in the LCK, they performed quite well and challenged some of the best in the world. However, with perhaps a slightly inadequate performance to end the year, a lot of changes have been announced. Accordingly, read on to learn about the T1 LCK Roster Change!
T1 LCK Roster Change – What’s Next?
Credits: T1
So, this is a pretty big change. Specifically, the following four players have in fact been let go as of this November and are still looking for their next team:
Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon
Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan
Ryu “Hoit” Ho-seong
Park “Teddy” Jin-seong
Why the change? This is evident in their performances across the season:
3-4th @ Worlds 2021
1st @ LCK 2021 Regional Finals
2nd @ LCK 2021 Summer Playoffs
4th@ LCK 2021 Summer
금일 T1 League of Legends 'Clozer' 이주현 선수가 타 팀으로 이적하게 되었습니다. T1은 'Clozer' 선수에게 진심으로 감사드리며 'Clozer' 선수의 새로운 출발을 끝까지 응원하겠습니다. 그동안의 성원과 지지에 감사드립니다. pic.twitter.com/ekGS2H99lE
Internationally, the LCS is seen as one of the inferior regions for competitive League of Legends. Regardless, one of the top teams in the region is none other than Cloud9. Indeed, we have some news regarding the Cloud9 LCS Roster change following the announcement of a major roster change!
Cloud9 LCS Roster Change – A Legend in the Scene
Cloud9 was the best org I’ve been apart of
Thank you for taking care of me
Truth is though, i’m NA I just didn’t have enough honey 😏
For those unaware, Luka “Perkz” Perkovic is a professional who has been around for quite a while. Indeed, he cemented himself as a legend in the scene as part of the legendary G2 Esports roster which dominated the LCS a few years ago.
However, the player has announced his departure from the roster. Accordingly, that leaves the following active roster:
Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami – Top
Robert “Blaber” Huang – Jungle
Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen – Bot
Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme – Support
Credits: LCS
Why the change? Well, ever since the LCS Spring 2021, the organization has been going downhill. Indeed, with a third place in the region at the LCS Summer, the team underperformed further at international events.
5-8th @ 2021 World Championship
3rd @ LCS Summer 2021
5th @ Mid-Season Invitational 2021
1st @ LCS Spring 2021
Shortly they’ll need a replacement. Accordingly, we’ll be sure to keep up to date with this.
Accordingly, at Worlds 2021 we witnessed the LPL overthrow the LCK as the dominant region. Indeed, as you’d expect following this event, we have some roster changes to discuss. Indeed, read on as we discuss the Liiv SANDBOX Roster Change below. Read on for the full scoop.
Liiv SANDBOX Roster Change – Future Prospects?
Indeed, it was a tough season last year for Liiv SANDBOX. Specifically, the franchised organization was simply stuck in 4-6th positions for the entire season, not nearing the top or the bottom of the table.
Today, with many of their players having their contracts expiring today, two players have officially been released:
Park “Summit” Woo-tae (Top Laner)
Kim “OnFleek” Jang-gyeom (Sub/Jun)
Furthermore, a few more players have had their contracts expire, but they haven’t departed yet so it’s likely they’ll be resigning. So far, here is the official roster:
In addition, there are also some rumours over potential names joining. Specifically, T1’s mid-laner “Clozer” might be on the roster, though we’ll need to wait for more official news before anything can be discussed.
Not every region had their fun at Worlds. Accordingly, Vietnamese teams were left out due to travel restrictions. However, to make up for it, Riot Games is organizing an exclusive event for the region – VCS Winter 2021. Read on for all of your essential viewership details in this episode of ‘How to Watch’!
Event Background
Credits: LoL Esports Flickr
As I’ll reiterate, this event is a part of the VCS circuit and it’s unlike any other region out there. Indeed, back in September, Vietnamese teams received the news that due to health reasons, they wouldn’t be allowed to travel to the Worlds 2021 venue this team.
Accordingly, it’s great to see Riot Games attempt to compensate by offering an additional event with more prize pool and points to earn for this upcoming season.
Running from 16th November all the way to the 31st December, it should fill up the next months with some exciting competition. Taking place online, Riot Games is inviting the top 8 teams in the region to fight for the majority of the $50,000 prize pool.
Specifically, here are your 8 teams below:
Burst The Sky Esports
CERBERUS Esports
GAM Esports
Luxury Esports
Saigon Buffalo
SBTC Esports
Team Flash
Team Secret
Time to dive into the format below.
Format
Credits: Riot Games
In terms of format, Riot Games isn’t taking any huge risks here.
To start things off, we have a Group Stage. Here, all 8 teams will be thrown into a group, where a double round robin will take place. This means that each team plays one another twice – 14 matches each. With BO3 matches across the board, only the top 4 will progress to the Playoffs stage.
These top 4 teams will then compete in a classic Single Elimination bracket. Yes, Riot Games continues to opt for Single-Elimination over Double-Elimination brackets, which is entirely respectable. Across the bracket, we’ll see some epic BO5 matches as the final 4 try to claim regional dominance.
Schedule for the VCS Winter 2021
With regards to the schedule for this month-long event, we highly recommend visiting the official League of Legends Esports Schedule page for the best chance to stay up to date with times in your specific region.
Watch the VCS Winter 2021 on esportsguide
You can also watch VCS Winter 2021 live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
In terms of predictions, our best bet at making reliable guesses is to take a look at the most recent event. Although we’d usually use a summer event, VCS Summer 2021 was in fact cancelled this year.
Anyways, we still have VCS Spring 2021 to consult. It’s at this event that the competitors stacked up in the following manner:
GAM Esports
Saigon Buffalo
Team Secret
CERBERUS Esports
SBTC Esports
Team Flash
Burst The Sky Esports
Luxury Esports
Although GAM Esports are your favourites, it’s been a while since we’ve seen some competition in the region. Indeed, anything can change following a few months of practice for all of these teams. Accordingly, we’ll be curious to see how this event concludes at the end of this year.
Although many are discussing rostermania across mainstream League of Legends, there’s more than that going on. Indeed, the Academy side of the scene is also seeing a lot of activity. Accordingly, that brings us to the topic of the Golden Guardians Academy Roster. Read on beloiw for a quick summary on some recent changes!
Golden Guardians Academy Roster – Rebuilding For Next Year
Competing across the LCS Academy League, the Golden Guardians Academy roster finds similar results to the parent organization.
Indeed, inconsistent and disappointing at times, the Academy roster has shown some great potential. However, the following players are being let go heading into the upcoming competitive season:
Kim “RoseThorn” Tae-ho
Choi “Yunbee” Jong-yun
Leandro “Newbie” Marcos
All of whom are young and hungry, Golden Guardians simply don’t seem to think more of them. Accordingly, here are some of their highlight performances this past year:
To one of the hardest working individuals we’ve seen play under our banner, we hope your unmatched work ethic leads you to the heights we’re sure you can reach. 💛 pic.twitter.com/JkR7hOIkNV
Currently, the roster consists of Aiden “Niles” Tidwell and Jacob “Prismal” Feinstein. We’ll be keeping our eyes out to hear about any further developments.
Over these past few weeks, we’ve been discussing Barcelona and their likely move into competitive League of Legends. Indeed, Barcelona LoL Esports is officially real thanks to some incredible news which hit the Twitter timeline a few hours ago. Accordingly, read on to learn everything you need to know!
Barcelona LoL Esports – What to Expect
Indeed, let’s take a look at the official announcement below:
Also, apart from this, they also offered a press release. Indeed, the following is an excerpt:
The commitment to developing Barça’s new esports division forms part of the Club’s digital strategy and is motivated by the same on-field desire of FC Barcelona. To become a main player in the digital esports sector worldwide in the next few years, building a leading division to help connect the Club and its philosophy to new audiences, particularly among emerging markets for football fandom, and to take the Barça brand to countries such as the United States of America or China.
Although we have no roster to discuss, it seems that this will try to match their success in Rocket League and Hearthstone too. Indeed, we’ll be keeping up to date.
As the dust settles on Worlds 2021, multiple teams simply aren’t happy with their performance. Accordingly, this is what sets off a kind of rostermania. Indeed, that brings us to the Gen.G LCK Roster Change with their head coach leaving the team in a mutual fashion. Read on to learn more!
Indeed, 2021 Worlds saw Gen.G placing 3rd-4th with a very close loss to EDward Gaming in 3-2 fashion. Apart from that, the squad has regularly sat within the top 3 teams over the past year. Specifically, here is a short summary:
2nd @ LCK Spring 2021
3rd @ LCK Summer 2021
3-4th @ 2021 World Championship 2021
Yet, it looks like they’re looking to add a fresh look to the roster by changing up the coaching staff – take a look at the following statement:
“Head Coach oDin has been with the Gen.G LoL team through many highs and lows and we thank him for the commitment he has shown, as well as the sacrifices he has made for this team.
From player to coach to head coach, oDin has dedicated his professional career to our journery and so it is with heavy hearts that we part ways today. We wish him all the best as he moves on to the next chapter of his career.“
Indeed, it’s been incredible for League of Legends over the past month. Accordingly, after our event recap, it’s time to discuss the viewership for this exciting event. So, let’s go dive into the Worlds 2021 Viewership which has simply rocked the entire esports industry!
Worlds 2021 Viewership – A Record for Non-Mobile Esports
Yes, you read that title correct. Overall, the past month of competition has offered record-breaking viewership. Accordingly, the Worlds 2021 event is now officially the most watched esports event for non-mobile esports out there.
Credits: Riot Games
Indeed, take a look at these statistics below:
Peak Viewers – 4,018,728
Average Viewers – 1,298,219
Hours Watched – 174,826,794
As you can imagine, this is the most watched Worlds event yet. Overtaking the former leader in 2019 Worlds Championship, the event finally hit a peak viewership of 4,000,000 to cement the incredible state of competitive League of Legends.
🔥 4M Peak Viewers on #Worlds2021. @EDG_Edward vs @DWGKIA is the most popular match of the event & all-time record for #LoL. Stats excl. Chinese platfoms.
Bearing this in mind, the peak for this event took place int he most epic match – the grand final between EDward Gaming and DWG KIA.
Specifically, it was here that EDward Gaming managed to climb on top and offer the return of the LPL to the top of the scene. We can’t wait to see how the scene continues.
