LCS is set to change their format in 2022. Here are the adjustments they made going into their second year of the rebranding.
With the LCS rebranding last year, it brought in a lot of format changes. However, there were some issues that popped up that are being amended going into LCS 2022. A fair bit of the format from last year remains the same while some small significant changes were done for the upcoming season.
LCS 2022 Format
As mentioned earlier, the format stays the same for the most part. Let’s start with what has changed for LCS 2022.
Changes To The Format
The changes for the LCS 2022 are as follows:
- Changes to both Spring Split and Summer Split Format and Starting Dates
- Playoff names and starting dates
- Scheduling Changes
The logistics of the LCS 2022 has changed with a lot of scheduling and starting date changes. Spring Split will start at the same time as it did last year but the split formats for both Summer and Spring are changing. Both splits will be a double round-robin that will be completed in 8 weeks which includes two Super Weeks. There will be five games a day for Saturday and Sunday while the Super Weeks will add Friday to the mix. Just like the LEC, Super Weeks will have five additional games on another day. The records for the teams will not be carried over to the next split unlike last year.
Playoff names have been changed to the LCS Spring Playoffs and the LCS Playoffs after the Summer Split. There will be a week break after each Split ends before the playoffs start and an additional week of break will be added after MSI 2022 ends before the Summer Split.
LCS Lock-In will be played in the LCS Studios while the LCS Spring Playoffs Lower Bracket Finals and Grand Finals will be held in the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas with fans in attendance, hopefully. LCS Playoffs venue will be announced later.
The starting game times for the weeks are also being changed to 12 pm PT on Sundays, 1 pm PT for Saturdays, 2 pm PT for Fridays when applicable.
What Remains The Same
- LCS Lock-In Format
- Playoff Formats for respective Playoff tournaments
Other Changes
Academy and Amateur scenes are changing with the LCS tinkering with the system to bring in more NA talent.
Academy Splits will contain a double round-robin format with best of 2’s for each match. The games will be held on Thursday and Friday for the most part except for Super Weeks for which it will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Academy Splits will not have any playoffs and that will be merged into the Proving Grounds to save time as all the teams from the Academy will be seeded in Proving Grounds based on the split performances.
The Amateur Circuit will have 4 tournaments, two during each split, in an open Swiss qualifier. 16 teams will qualify through that and will be sorted into 4 GSL Groups of 4 teams. The top eight will qualify for the playoffs and will be given points based on performance. The top 10 teams across two tournaments will be qualified for Proving Grounds.
Proving Grounds will occur at the end of each Split. The bottom 4 teams Academy teams will face the bottom 4 Amateur teams right off the bat. That will give 16 teams who will participate in the main event of Proving Grounds. The format remains the same as last year, double elimination best of threes with finals on LAN. With the changes to Proving Grounds, Scouting Grounds will not continue in 2022.
There will also be a Champions Queue for the pro players and high ELO players dedicated to improve in response to the criticism of solo queue in NA. Many players like CoreJJ and others have voiced their opinions and ideas and that is bearing fruit. Details of that will be announced later.
Our Verdict On The Changes
LCS went about the right way to update their format for 2022. Streamlining the splits and not having cumulative records is one of the best decisions that has been made in terms of changes. The breaks are extra helpful for players and with the new format, the burnout aspect should be reduced significantly. With an improved format, LCS should be better to watch for the fans. It still has the one problem which is 8 teams in the Summer Playoffs which should have been removed as it promotes teams doing poorly but being rewarded for it in the Playoffs.
Champions Queue is an incredible addition if done right as many pro players, prominently CoreJJ were working on getting this done. It’s a credit to them and also the LCS working with the players to make it a better environment for players to improve. The Academy and Amateur scene should also improve with the changes as we have seen some players like Danny be good in the LCS. More local talent is better for the LCS as a whole.
What’s Next For The LCS?
LCS Lock-In is set to start in January 14th with the offseason going on in full force. Many of the teams are yet to confirm their roster for 2022. It will be an interesting year of LCS to watch as many of the rumors floating will make some teams strong for the upcoming year.
