With the introduction of mythic items into the game, radical roster changes, seasonal split changes, and the retirement of two of the most renown and accomplished North American players from the LCS, this season is already shaping up to be one of the most unique and revolutionary seasons, both competitively and generally, in all of League of Legends history.
Many fans and even those directly involved in the League of Legends competitive scene have dubbed these new developments as “the end of an era” for the North American LCS, directly referring to the retirement of star players Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Peter “Doublelift” Peng. However, at the same time, fans and experts are also dubbing this time as “the beginning of an era” due to the introduction of new talent to already established teams such as; Cloud9, TSM, and the Golden Guardians. The definition of a “new era” is also reinforced by Bjerg becoming TSM’s new head coach. As old stars retire and new talent comes in, there is a definite sense of a passing of the torch.
A lot of North American LCS fans, as well as myself, are excited by these changes. NA fans had become grudgingly accustomed to the cycle of importing and swapping veteran pro players between already extremely popular teams. However, this season, teams have decided to give the young new rookies a shot at greatness. To me, this is exciting because after years of seeing the same old names in the LCS and the spotlight being constantly focused onto imports, it’s refreshing to see some new faces. It also gives me hope. Especially considering that half of the LCS’ players in last year’s Spring Split were imports.
Maybe teams turning to local players could be the first step towards properly fostering the amateur competitive scene in North America. I am a definite believer in the potential of local talent. In C9’s 2018 Spring Split, I felt the fresh blood players, Tristan “Zayzal” Stidam and Eric “Licorice” Ritchie, had shown tremendous talent and potential, reinvigorating my hope for North American success. As much as I am a realist, I still want the LCS to go far, further than they’ve ever gone before.
However, after C9 and TSMs’ first loss of the season, it became strikingly clear that they still have a couple of kinks to work through in order to become a top-tier team in the standings. Thankfully, the season has just begun, which gives these rookies, and their respective teams, enough time to figure out what needs to be done in order to reach that goal.
Although off to a rocky start, perhaps these changes could be the first step towards improving North American standings internationally and finally becoming a region fit to compete with the likes of the professional European Leagues (LEC) and the professional league in China (LPL). Although, to be honest, it’s still far-fetched and way too early to commit to such a statement.
Regardless, let’s hope all the early radical changes, might produce radical changes in results for the LCS.
The Beat @APU 