Since the beginning of the League of Legends competitive leagues, Riot Games have always sought to innovate when it comes to choosing a format.
A brand new tournament tree for the playoffs, the end of the regional qualifiers, and an update of the championship points required for any qualification for the Worlds — this year again, they have decided to change the rules.
Don't worry, the regular season doesn't undergo any changes. Matches will still be played in double-round-robin best of one and, as in previous years, only the top six teams will participate in the playoffs.
The difference this year is largely due to the accession to Worlds. In order to qualify, it will all come down to the Summer playoffs during which the six best teams on the European scene will compete for their place in the world. It means there will be no more Regional Qualifier: championship points will now define the placement of the teams in the playoffs tree.
Playoffs themselves will evolve into a form of double elimination bracket.
- Spring Split: Teams will still earn championship points based on their performance in the playoffs — just like in 2019.
- Summer Split: Championship points will be awarded based on the result in the regular season. These points will then be used to rank the top 6 teams in the regular season in the summer Playoffs tree.
In terms of the format itself, a losers' bracket has been introduced, an element that is rarely used in the top-level League of Legends competitions, but is common in esports such as Dota 2.
Here is what this year's playoffs will look like:
Week 1
- Match 1: the team ranked first chooses its opponent between the teams ranked 3rd and 4th.
- Match 2: the team ranked second plays the team ranked third or fourth, the one not selected in match 1.
- Match 3: The teams ranked 5th and 6th play each other.
Week 2
- Match 4: The lowest losing team (regular season) between matches 1 and 2 plays the winner of match 3.
- Match 5: The winners of match 1 and 2 play each other; the winner qualifies for the grand final.
- Match 6: The winner of match 4 plays the strongest losing team (regular season) between the losers of matches 1 and 2.
Week 3
- Match 7: The winner of match 6 plays the loser of match 5.
- Match 8: The winner of match 7 moves on to the grand final to face the winner of match 5.
And if you're having a little trouble understanding how this brand new format works, here's something that might help.
See you on Friday at 9 AM PT for the kick-off of the LEC 2020 season with G2 Esports vs MAD Lions game in the opening game!
The return of the LEC is fast approaching and the window transfer, as every year, brought its share of changes. Is G2 Esports still the dominant force on the Old Continent?
