The coming 2021 [LCS](http://stacked.gg/lol/league/lcs/stats) season is bringing a format overhaul with it. A brief overview of the changes entail a new preseason tournament, a rebranded Spring finals (now known as the LCS Mid- Season Showdown), and a more extravagant LCS Championship that will conclude the single LCS season in the Summer. The amount of regular season games has also been extended, as the Summer split will now be a triple round robin with Friday being a new, permanent gameday.  

# LCS Lock-In

The new preseason tournament will kick-off the LCS, starting on January 15th and concluding on January 31st with the grand finale. The event will begin with a group stage featuring all ten LCS teams, drafted into two different groups by the last split’s first and second place finishers, [TSM](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) and [FlyQuest](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/fly/stats). From here, eight teams will advance to a single elimination knockout stage with quarterfinals being a best of 3 series and the following matches a best of 5. The champion of the LCS 2021 Lock-In will receive the prize pool of $150,000 and an additional $50,000 donated by Riot to the winner’s charity of choice.  

The LCS Lock-In mimics other preseason tournaments like the [KeSPA Cup](https://stacked.gg/article/kespa-cup-2020-damwon-legacy) and [Demacia Cup](https://stacked.gg/article/demacia-cup-2020-top) of the LCK and LPL. The tournament will have no effect on regular season standings, but it will potentially provide some insight into the LCS’s strongest teams and give a glimpse into what the new meta will look like. With massive changes to items, the addition of new champions, and the 11.1 patch, getting an early read on the meta will be imperative to a successful season.  

![](https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_7_asset.jpeg)

# The Effect on LCS Teams

The changes coming this season have the potential to change the domestic landscape and ripple into the international play of North American teams. The increase in regular season games and the LCS Lock-In may promote better in-league play as teams will now have more time to develop their style of play and identity. The inclusion of lower brackets in the double elimination style for the Mid-Season Showdown and LCS Championship ensures that only the most recent, best performing teams are allowed to represent North America at MSI and Worlds.  

Eliminating the win/loss record reset that has normally occurred at the end of the Spring split may have a negative effect on some organizations. Teams resurging in Summer will have to overcome the deficit they may have accrued during the Spring. Accounting for this, Riot has included the 7th-8th place teams in the LCS Finals similar to the structure of the 2020 Summer finals, putting the two lowest placing teams automatically in the loser’s bracket. This mitigating factor means that only two teams in the LCS will miss the playoffs entirely, but those who barely make it in will have an incredibly slim margin for error.

One issue that has persisted throughout the expansion of LoL Esports is that of player burnout, as players of top performing teams have historically had to juggle regular season play and high stakes international competition with little downtime in between. Increasing the amount of gamedays and adding a tournament that cuts into preseason time could further contribute to player fatigue. Adversely, the increase in games could promote the rise of roster swaps and rotating rosters that teams like [Cloud9](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/c9/stats) infamously used to varying levels of success. Ultimately, 2021 will see some of the most changes in the LCS since its inception in 2013, carrying with it the promise of bettering the North American LoL Esports scene and its perception abroad.

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The New LCS Format: Lock-In and Beyond

blainepolhamus

@blainepolhamus

6:32AM on Jan 12, 2021

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