If you haven’t realised yet, competitive League of Legends is on our radar. With many of the regions aimed to kick off later this month or in February, we couldn’t be more excited. Indeed, after covering the LPL, we’re now moving on to the LCK 2021 Spring Season. Read on for all of the necessary details you’ll need to know how to watch!
Event Background
While this isn’t the first year of LoL competition, 2021 is a massive step forward for the Korean region. Accordingly, the LCK has finally made the push towards franchising. By partnering with sponsors and establishing a stronger framework, the only way is up for the most popular esports league of 2020. Bearing this in mind, here are the 10 teams confirmed for the LCK 2021 Spring Season:
- Afreeca Freecs
- DMW KIA
- DRX
- Fredit BRION
- Gen.G
- Hanwha Life
- KT Rolster
- Liiv SANDBOX
- NS RedForce
- T1
For the Spring season, the entirety of the matches will be held online. However, it is quite likely that the Playoffs stage will be held offline. Until then, an exciting league stage should keep us more than entertained from the 13th January to the 28th of March.
Format
Due to lower number of teams compared to the LPL, for example, the format is slightly different. Accordingly, with less teams there’s the opening for more repeated match-ups – a double round robin will involve teams playing one another twice across the next two months. Such a format really helps build suspense and allows teams to adapt to one another.
Each match will be BO3, with two maps needed to win. What’s on the line? The main prize lies in the Spring Playoffs, where only the top 6 from the Spring season will qualify for the event. Furthermore, the top two teams from the league stage earn a direct pass to the semifinals.
Schedule for the LCK 2021 Spring Season (CET)
10 exciting weeks look to fill up the next two months. Across each week, an average of 10 games helps spread out the action nicely. We’ll be giving you a taster by providing the first week of the LCK 2020 Spring Season here:
Week 1
Wednesday 13th January
- Gen.G vs KT Rolster (09:00)
- T1 vs Hanwha Life (12:00)
Thursday 14th January
- Nongshim RedForce vs Liiv SANDBOX (09:00)
- DRX vs Afreeca Freecs (12:00)
Friday 15th January
- Fredit BRION vs Gen.G (09:00)
- DMW vs T1 (12:00)
Saturday 16th January
- Liiv SANDBOX vs KT Rolster (09:00)
- Hanhwa Life Esports vs DRX (12:00)
Sunday 17th January
- Nongshin RedForce vs DMW (09:00)
- Afreeca Freecs vs Fredit BRION (12:00)
Watch the LCK 2021 Spring stream on esportsguide.com
You can also watch the LCK 2021 Spring 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.
Predictions
At Worlds 2020 this year, the LCK region came back after years of falling short. Accordingly, by dominating the group stage and with Damwon Gaming coming out on top, expectations are high for the next season.
However, competitive League of Legends changes every year. Indeed, the LCK 2021 Spring teams have undergone multiple roster changes.
Bearing this in mind – are DWG Kia still on top? Personally, yes, I would still consider them on top for now, though it’s unsure how patches after Worlds have shifted the meta of the game
Otherwise, it’s very difficult to call, especially with new names in the scene. What’s for certain is that we’ll be providing weekly updates to help our readers shape their understanding of the leaderboard. With a double round robin, adapting to teams’ playstyle will be critical to a strong placing.
New branding and a new league – this is the LCK’s year!
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