2021 LCS season

Last updated
2021 LCS season
League LCS
Sport League of Legends
Duration
  • January 15–31 (Lock In)
  • February 5 – April 11 (Spring)
  • June 4 – August 1 (Summer)
Number of teams10
TV partner(s)English: Twitch, YouTube
Lock In
Winner Team Liquid
  Runners-up Cloud9
Spring
Winner Cloud9
  Runners-up Team Liquid
Top seedCloud9
Season MVP Robert "Blaber" Huang
Summer
Winner 100 Thieves
  Runners-up Team Liquid
Top seed Team SoloMid
Season MVPMingyi "Spica" Lu
LCS seasons

The 2021 LCS season was the ninth season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends . The season was preceded a new preseason tournament, the LCS Lock In, which ran from January 15 to 31, 2021. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on February 5 and culminated with the Mid-Season Showdown finals on April 11, 2021. The Summer Split began on June 4 and culminated with the LCS Championship Final on August 1, 2021.

Contents

In 2021, the LCS underwent significant changes. The spring split regular season became a six-week double round-robin, while the spring playoffs were renamed the Mid-Season Showdown. The summer split regular season expanded to a nine-week triple round-robin format. The spring and summer regular season records were combined to determine LCS Championship seeding. Additionally, the league rebranded as the League Championship Series and introduced a new logo and mottos.

Cloud9 won the spring split playoffs, qualifying them for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. In the LCS Championship playoffs, 100 Thieves, Team Liquid, and Cloud9 claimed the first, second, and third positions, respectively, earning qualifications to the 2021 World Championship.

Format changes

The format of the LCS underwent significant changes for the 2021 season. The season introduced the "LCS Lock In," a three-week preseason tournament. The regular season expanded to five games a day over three days a week. The spring split regular season was changed to a double round-robin played over six weeks instead of nine, while maintaining the same number of games as the previous season. Additionally, the spring playoffs were rebranded as the Mid-Season Showdown (MSS). The summer split regular season was expanded to a triple round-robin format that took place over nine weeks. Additionally, the spring and summer regular season records were merged to determine the seeding for the LCS Championship at the end of the summer. [1]

The league also rebranded from the League of Legends Championship Series into the League Championship Series ahead of the 2021 season. A new logo and two new mottos were introduced: Made by many and All for the game. [2]

Lock In

The inaugural LCS Lock In took place from January 15 to 31, 2021, as a three-week preseason tournament. The group stage team selection process began with the top-performing teams from the previous year, namely TSM from group A and FlyQuest from group B. These teams each selected squads to be placed in the opposing group. The Lock-In groups followed a round-robin format, where each team played every other team in their group once, with matches being best-of-one. The top four teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage. The quarterfinals in the knockout stage were contested in a best-of-three series, while the semifinals and final used a best-of-five format. The Lock In champion was awarded a prize of US$150,000, along with an additional $50,000 for a charity of their choice. Additionally, they gained the advantage of side selection for Game 5 of the regular season in case of tied head-to-head records. [3] [4]

Group stage

Group A
PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1100 Thieves431.750Advance to quarterfinals
2Team Liquid431.750
3Team SoloMid422.500
4Golden Guardians413.250
5Counter Logic Gaming413.250
Source: LoL Esports
Rules for classification: 1) Wins; 2) Head-to-head record
Group B
PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1Evil Geniuses431.750Advance to quarterfinals
2Cloud9431.750
3FlyQuest422.500
4Immortals413.250
5Dignitas413.250
Source: LoL Esports
Rules for classification: 1) Wins; 2) Head-to-head record

Knockout stage

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
A1100 Thieves2
B4Immortals0
A1100 Thieves2
B2Cloud93
B2Cloud92
A3Team SoloMid1
B2Cloud92
A2Team Liquid3
B1Evil Geniuses2
A4Golden Guardians0
B1Evil Geniuses0
A2Team Liquid3
A2Team Liquid2
B3FlyQuest0

Spring

The Spring Split regular season ran from February 5 to March 14, 2021. The regular season followed a standard double round-robin format, where each team faced every other team twice. The playoffs ran from April 2 to 24, 2021. The top six teams from the Spring Split advanced to the Mid-Season Showdown (MSS), a double-elimination tournament. This format was similar to the 2020 Spring Playoffs, with the fifth and sixth seeds starting in the lower bracket. One change was the requirement for the first seed to face the fourth seed, and side selection favored the team that had most recently dropped from the upper bracket. Additionally, ties were resolved based on seeding. The winner of the MSS was awarded the first LCS title of 2021 and secured a spot at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. [3]

The lower bracket final and grand final of the MSS took place at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California. [5]

Regular season

PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1 Cloud9 18135.722Advance to upper semifinals
2 Team SoloMid 18126.667
3 Team Liquid 18126.667
4 100 Thieves 18117.611
5 Dignitas 18117.611Advance to lower quarterfinals
6 Evil Geniuses 18108.556
7 Immortals 18711.389
8 FlyQuest 18612.333
9 Counter Logic Gaming 18513.278
10 Golden Guardians 18315.167
Source: LoL Esports (Archived March 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine )

Mid-Season Showdown

Bracket

Upper round 1Upper finalFinal
1Cloud93
4100 Thieves0
1Cloud93
3Team Liquid1
2Team SoloMid1
3Team Liquid3
1Cloud93
Lower round 1Lower round 2Lower final3Team Liquid2
2Team SoloMid3
3Team Liquid3
6Evil Geniuses1
2Team SoloMid32Team SoloMid1
4100 Thieves1
4100 Thieves3
5Dignitas0

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1Cloud9 2021 Mid-Season Invitational
2Team Liquid
3Team SoloMid
4100 Thieves
5–6Dignitas
Evil Geniuses

Awards

Summer

The Summer Split regular season ran from June 4 to August 1, 2021. The Summer Split regular season featured a triple round robin format, spanning nine weeks of play, where each team faced each other three times. The top eight teams with the highest combined regular season records from both spring and summer secured spots in the LCS Championship playoffs. The top two teams started in the upper bracket semifinals, the following four started in the upper bracket quarterfinals, and the remaining two started in the lower bracket. The LCS Championship playoffs, held from August 7 to 29, featured a double-elimination format. The top team from the playoffs was named the LCS champion, and the top three teams from the playoffs qualified for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. [3]

Initially, the LCS Championship lower bracket final and grand final were scheduled to be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. However, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the United States, these matches were relocated to the LCS Arena in Los Angeles, California, where they took place without a live audience. [9]

Regular season

PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1 Team SoloMid 453015.667Advance to upper semifinals
2 100 Thieves 452916.644
3 Evil Geniuses 452817.622Advance to upper quarterfinals
4 Cloud9 452817.622
5 Team Liquid 452718.600
6 Dignitas 452322.511
7 Immortals 452025.444Advance to lower round 1
8 Golden Guardians 451431.311
9 FlyQuest 451431.311
10 Counter Logic Gaming 451233.267
Source: LoL Esports (Archived October 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine )

LCS Championship playoffs

Bracket

Upper round 1Upper round 2Upper finalFinal
1Team SoloMid1
4Cloud915Team Liquid3
5Team Liquid35Team Liquid3
2100 Thieves2
2100 Thieves3
3Evil Geniuses33Evil Geniuses2
6Dignitas1
5Team Liquid0
2100 Thieves3
Lower round 1Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower final
1Team SoloMid3
6Dignitas07Immortals12100 Thieves3
7Immortals31Team SoloMid24Cloud91
4Cloud93
3Evil Geniuses0
4Cloud934Cloud93
8Golden Guardians0

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1100 Thieves 2021 League of Legends World Championship
2Team Liquid
3Cloud9
4Team SoloMid
5–6Evil Geniuses
Immortals
7–8Dignitas
Golden Guardians

Awards

Broadcast

LCS regular season games were played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with Fridays beginning at 3 pm  PT and Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm  PT. [3] A Spanish broadcast was produced by the LCS team FlyQuest. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doublelift</span> American professional esports player and streamer

Yiliang "Peter" Peng, better known as Doublelift, is an American content creator, streamer, and retired professional League of Legends player. He previously played for Counter Logic Gaming, Team Liquid, Team SoloMid, and 100 Thieves. Peng is generally considered as the greatest North American League of Legends Championship Series player of all time. He is known for being a fierce competitor and trash-talking his opponents. One of his most famous statements came in 2013 at the League of Legends All-Star tournament when he claimed that, "Everyone else is trash."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bjergsen</span> Danish League of Legends player

Søren Bjerg, better known as Bjergsen, is a Danish former professional League of Legends player. He is best known for his 7 years from 2014 to 2020 as the starting mid laner for the Team SoloMid League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) team. He followed that with shorter stints as a head coach for TSM, and again as a mid laner for Team Liquid and 100 Thieves. Internationally, he won IEM Katowice 2015 and qualified to the League of Legends World Championship 5 times, but only advanced past the group stage once. He is best known as the greatest North American player for his individual prowess as a mid laner, where he was a perennial MVP and 1st Team All Pro candidate; he won 4 MVP titles, 3 playoff MVP titles, and 6 1st Team All Pro titles. He has never finished below 4th in All Pro voting, and is the current all-time LCS kills leader. He retired from competitive eSports in April of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">100 Thieves</span> American lifestyle brand and gaming organization

100 Thieves, LLC is an American lifestyle brand and gaming organization based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2017 by Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag. The organization competes in several video games, including Call of Duty, League of Legends and Valorant. They currently operate three franchise teams, in the League Championship Series (LCS), Valorant Americas League and Call of Duty League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huni (gamer)</span> South Korean League of Legends player

Heo Seung-hoon, better known as Huni, is a South Korean former professional League of Legends player. He is currently an analyst for Riot Games in LCK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact (gamer)</span> South Korean League of Legends player

Jeong Eon-yeong, better known as Impact, is a South Korean League of Legends player for Team Liquid of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Impact won the Season 3 League of Legends World Championship as a member of SK Telecom T1 K. He played for both Team Impulse and NRG Esports in the LCS, before transferring to Cloud9 in May 2016. Impact left Cloud9 after the 2017 season and joined Team Liquid, where he won four LCS titles before departing the team for Evil Geniuses after the end of the 2020 season.

The 2017 NA LCS season was the sixth season of the North American League of Legends Championship Series, a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 20 and culminated with the playoff finals on April 23, 2017. The Summer Split began on June 2 and culminated with the Spring Split finals on September 3, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Guardians</span> American esports organization

The Golden Guardians (GG) were an American esports organization owned by the Golden State Warriors. The organization was one of four that joined the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in 2018 after the league began franchising, the others being 100 Thieves, Clutch Gaming and OpTic Gaming. On December 18, 2019, the Golden Guardians announced their expansion into the professional scenes of Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics and World of Warcraft.

The 2018 NA LCS season was the seventh season of the North American League of Legends Championship Series, a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 20 and culminated with the playoff finals on April 8, 2018. The Summer Split began on June 16 and culminated with the Spring Split finals on September 9, 2018.

The 2020 LCS season was the eighth season of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 25 and culminated playoff finals on April 19, 2020. The Summer Split began on June 12 and culminated with the Spring Split finals on September 6, 2020. Most matches were played online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 LCS season was the seventh season of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 26 and culminated with the playoff finals on April 13, 2019. The Summer Split began on June 1 and culminated with the Spring Split finals on August 25, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldenglue</span> American League of Legends player and coach

Greyson Gregory Gilmer, better known by his in-game name Goldenglue, is an American League of Legends coach and former professional player. He is currently the head coach of 100 Thieves.

Cloud9 <i>League of Legends</i> League Championship Series team

The League of Legends division of Cloud9 (C9) is a gaming team based in Los Angeles, California, and competes in the League Championship Series (LCS), the top-level professional league for video game League of Legends in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaber (gamer)</span> American professional esports player

Robert Huang, better known as Blaber, is an American professional League of Legends player for Cloud9. Blaber is considered by many to be one of the best League of Legends players from North America. Huang was voted to both the League of Legends Championship Series Best Junglers and Best Players of All Time by a panel of experts as part of the LCS10 anniversary campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 LCS season</span> Sports season

The 2022 LCS season was the tenth season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. As 2022 was the tenth anniversary of the League Championship Series, Riot announced a new LCS logo alongside "year-long celebrations planned" for the league. The season was preceded with the LCS Lock In, a preseason tournament that ran from January 14 to 30, 2022. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on February 5 and culminated with the Spring playoff finals on April 24, 2022. The Summer Split began on June 18 and culminated with the LCS Championship Final on September 11, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Licorice (gamer)</span> Canadian League of Legends player

Eric Ritchie, better known as Licorice, is a Canadian professional League of Legends player, and is currently a free agent. He most recently played for Golden Guardians of the League Championship Series (LCS). Prior to competing in the LCS, Ritchie played for LCS Challenger teams, such as Cloud9 Challenger and Team eUnited. Ritchie signed with Cloud9 ahead of the 2018 NA LCS season; in his rookie season, he was won the league's Rookie of the Split award and reached the semifinals at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship. He made his second World Championship appearance in 2019, and in 2020, he won the LCS championship. After six splits with the team, ahead of the 2021 season, Ritchie was traded to FlyQuest. He was transferred to the Golden Guardians in the middle of the 2021 Summer split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulcan (gamer)</span> Canadian League of Legends player

Philippe Laflamme, better known as Vulcan, is a Canadian professional League of Legends support for Cloud9, in the League Championship Series (LCS). Previously, Vulcan has played for Clutch Gaming, the team that drafted him, Evil Geniuses, and FlyQuest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Sama</span> French League of Legends player

Steven Liv, better known as Hans Sama, is a French professional League of Legends player for G2 Esports. Liv has previously played for Team Liquid in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), as well as Rogue and Misfits in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

The 2023 LCS season was the 11th season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a North American professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 26, 2023, and culminated with the Spring Split Finals on April 9, 2023. The Summer Split began on June 14, 2023, and culminated with the LCS Championship Final on August 20, 2023.

TSM <i>League of Legends</i> division League of Legends esports team

The League of Legends division of TSM was a gaming team based in Los Angeles, California, that competed in the League Championship Series (LCS), the top-level professional league for video game League of Legends in the United States and Canada, from 2013 to 2023. The organization sold their LCS franchise slot in 2023.

The 2024 LCS season will be the 12th season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a North American professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season is divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split will run from January 20 to March 31, 2024. For the first time since 2014, the league will have eight teams competing instead of 10.

References

  1. ↑ Soba, Carolynn (January 9, 2021). "All there is to know about the 2021 LCS format change". Upcomer . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ Suárez, Pablo (January 5, 2021). "Riot presents complete revamp of LCS' brand identity". Dot Esports . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "2021 LCS Season Updates". League of Legends Esports. December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Çakır, Gökhan (January 12, 2021). "How to watch the LCS 2021 Lock In: Format, schedule, and more". Dot Esports . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ Beresford, Trilby (April 7, 2021). "L.A.'s Greek Theatre to Host 'League of Legends' Esports Event". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Esguerra, Tyler (March 19, 2021). "Team Liquid, Cloud9 players make up 2021 LCS Spring Split All-Pro team". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  7. ↑ Esguerra, Tyler (April 9, 2021). "Blaber wins 2021 LCS Spring Split MVP award". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ Esguerra, Tyler (March 26, 2021). "Cloud9 win coaching staff of the split award for 2021 LCS Spring Split". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ Peters, Jay (August 7, 2021). "Riot moves League of Legends' US championship from Prudential Center due to COVID-19". The Verge . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "2021 LCS Summer Split Awards". LoL Esports. August 6, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  11. ↑ Kelly, Michael (August 27, 2021). "2023 LCS Summer Split Awards". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ Esguerra, Tyler (August 11, 2021). "Evil Geniuses ADC Danny wins 2021 LCS Rookie of the Year award". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ Esguerra, Tyler (August 17, 2021). "Fudge wins 2021 LCS Most Improved Player award". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ Kelly, Michael (August 6, 2021). "Evil Geniuses wins 2021 LCS Coaching Staff of the Year award". Dot Esports . Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  15. ↑ Geracie, Nick (4 February 2021). "FlyQuest to produce Spanish co-stream for 2021 LCS season". www.invenglobal.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.