The main regions represented (North America, China, South Korea and Europe) almost always had a specific format. Only Westerners have had the same model for quite some time (back in the EU and NA LCS days), but even those similarities are the exception rather than the rule. The new format was unveiled in 2020 by Riot Games, the LEC’s first double qualifier. Today, this format is exported rather well, so it is impossible to imagine it reaching the Worlds or the MSI.
History of double elimination in League of Legends
For those unfamiliar with the term, double elimination means a team needs two losses to exit the tournament. The winner starts with what is called a Bracket, and each has a “life”. In case of defeat, they do not leave the competition, but run to the losing bend (Losing Tree), where they meet other formations that lost the match. If a team loses its match in a losing group, it is permanently removed from the competition. However, if he wins all of his matches, he can face the winners of the Winning Bracket in the Grand Finals. To reveal the real winner.
This format provides a safety net for teams that have performed better in the regular season, preventing them from playing a single game in the event of relegation. It also allows you to avoid random plantings. For example, a team that dominates the head and shoulders and is first in its region in the first game can face the second best team available if it has a difficult start to the season as a cannonball. It can quickly become frustrating if second or third is just then, slightly below fourth. Finally, when a group is lost, the team can no longer move on to the winning group.
This format was also not invented by Riot Games. It is heavily represented in other disciplines, for example, the default format for martial arts competitions for decades. League of Legends double elimination took place in LEC and LCS in 2020. Exported to LPL in 2021.
Why the question of integration in international tournaments?
Since the day of integration, the lost races have multiplied. In this crack alone, the Americans of Evil Genius and the Europeans of G2 Esports are, of course, regional winners, but also two teams that have a second chance to lose thanks to Bracket.EG lost to Team Liquid and G2 Fnatic in the competition. In contrast, the LPL winner and Grand Finals opponent were the same teams as the Finals winner. This shows that if the Loser Miracle Run is not systematic, it can sometimes change the whole face of the competition.
However, integrating them into international competitions is quite difficult. This definitely includes playing extra matchesAnd if the competition does not need to extend its entire duration, Players will have to do extra work to prepare for potentially more games at the end of a busy season. Although burnout is a problem late in the season, adding an extra dose of stress isn’t always a good option. It may be possible to extend the tournament to reduce this additional workload, but this will cause logistical problems and also reduce the offseason. Duet qualifiers may not be the end of the story, and the evolution of international competition formats is likely to be faster than we imagine.
Source : Millenium
