The new year is here and while January has only just begun, the spring split is coming soon! The biggest professional LoL series are alll starting their games this month. Check out when and how you can follow the world’s best League teams!
With 2020 finally over, fans of professional League of Legends will soon be able to once more enjoy the best teams of the world duke it out on the Rift. The upcoming Spring split is starting soon - so we have come up with a short primer.
LCK: No rest for the champions
After once more claiming the mantle of the strongest region of the World at the 2020 World Championship, the LCK is not yet done with its 2020 program. The games for this year start with the finals for the KeSPA cup on January 2nd, where summer champions and Worlds winners DAMWON Gaming face off against Nongshim RedForce. The league has planned major announcement for January 3rd, though it is not yet clear what it is. As usual, the LCK plays a Best-of-three matches with a double round robin format. Will DAMWON defend their trophy or will one of the many rivals take it away?
You can follow the LCK games here.
LPL: Time for a celebration
The Chinese pro league begins the year with the LPL All-Star Weekend on January 2-3. After that, the teams will enjoy a rest until the regular season starts, with no starting date confirmed yet. Like their South Korean rivals, the LPL teams play best-of-three matches, but with a 16-team league the Chinese league has a single round robin format instead of the LCK’s double round robin. Summer split champions Top Esports recently took the Demacia Cup, but can they win back-to-back titles?
You can follow the LPL games on Twitch and YouTube.
LEC: New names, same game
The League of Legends European Championship will follow the same format for its 2021 spring split as it did in 2020. The games begin on January 22nd; teams play best-of-one matches with a double round robin format. Like before, games will take place on Friday from 18:00 CET and on Saturday from 17:00 CET. You can expect to see the same teams as well, with only difference from last year is that instead of using the Origen brand, Astralis will now field a team under its own name. However, there were plenty of changes "under the hood" - such as Luka "Perkz" Perković’s departure from G2 Esports and the 2020 champions attracting the Fnatic star AD Carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson for their own bot lane. Will G2’s dominance continue or will another team finally find its way to the top?
To watch the best teams in Europe, follow the LEC Twitch channel here.
LCS: The big shake-up
Finally, the North American League of Legends championship series is getting a big change this year. Its calendar begins with a new event, the LCS 2021 Lock In: a tournament that takes place between 15.01 and 30.01. The 2020 Summer Split finalists, TSM and FlyQuest, will draft the remaining 8 teams in two groups, with the top 2 teams of each groups entering a playoff bracket with a $150,000 prize on the line. The spring season proper begins on February 5th and, apart from a short Mid-Season Showdown, will carry on until the summer playoffs. Unlike previous years, the records from the spring season will carry on in the summer. With two of TSM’s iconic players retiring and multiple players like star mid laner Perkz joining the LCS, the title is up for grabs.
You can watch the LCS Lock In and regular games on the LCS Twitch channel here.
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We wish you all the best and many great moments with professional League of Legends in 2021! Meanwhile, if you want more news and analysis, make sure to check our LoL coverage on earlygame.com.