Here's How LoL Esports is Changing in 2023
Riot Games has officially announced changes to the LoL esports season in 2023. With the Season 2023 Kickoff event scheduled to get underway later today, Riot has dropped a slew of announcements regarding that event as well as Worlds and MSI. Let's break it down.
Season 2023 Kickoff
Professional League of Legends gets underway today with the Kickoff event. This won't be your usual competitive League, however, instead functioning as more of an all-star game. Every pro team in all 9 regions will send players to compete, who will then organize into teams with their fellow regional players. Teams will then play in a best of 3 format on Summoner's Rift. Check out all the action at lolesports.com and at twitch.tv/riotgames.
- No champions will be banned; everyone is fair play.
- No repeated champions; once a champion has been used, they're unavailable.
- Each pro team represented on the winning team will be able to create an emote with Riot to be added into League of Legends
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
- 1-5 am PT: LCK
- 5-8 am PT: VCS
- 8-11 am PT: CBLOL
- 11 am-2 pm PT: LCS
- 2-9 pm PT: Select Rebroadcasts
- 11 pm-2 am PT: LJL
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
- 2-5 am PT: LPL
- 5-8 am PT: PCS
- 8-11 am PT: LEC
- 11 am-2 pm PT: LLA
- 2-8 pm PT: Select Rebroadcasts
MSI 2023
The Mid-Season Invitational will be held in London in 2023. This year, the tournament will be expanded to 13 teams, allowing the four major regions to send their top two teams instead of just their spring split winners. The tournament is also shifting to using a double elimination bracket in both the Play-in stage and the Bracket stage.
MSI 2023 Format Explainer
Image courtesy of Riot Games
In the Play-In stage, eight teams will compete, including the runners up in the LEC, LCS, and LPL, as well as the winners of the LLA, CBLOL, PCS, VCS, and LJL regions. In 2023, the LCK second seed will go straight to the bracket stage as a reward for winning Worlds 2022.
2023 MSI Play-In Bracket
Image courtesy of Riot Games
In the Bracket stage, the three survivors of the play-ins will advance to meet the top teams in the four major regions and the two seed in the LCK.
2023 MSI Bracket Stage Format
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
Worlds 2023
Fresh off their win at Worlds in 2022, DRX will be playing much closer to home in 2023. Worlds returns to South Korea for the first time in five years. Much like Worlds, there will also be a brand new format this year.
Worlds Qualifying Series
Both the LEC and the LCS will get to send their top three teams again this year, although they will have the unique opportunity to send a fourth team in 2023. The Worlds Qualifying Series will be a best of 5 match between the 4th seed from both the LEC and the LCS. The winner of the match goes to Worlds, and Riot will be keeping an eye on how it goes with the hopes of expanding this concept to other regions in future years. There's a Rift Rivals joke in this somewhere.
Play In Stage
DRX ran the gauntlet last year from the play-In Stage all the way to winning Worlds. Now it is a feat that is unlikely to ever be matched, as the major regions will no longer compete in the Play Ins. Now there will be eight teams in the play-in stage, featuring the top two teams from the VCS and PCS regions, as well as the top teams in the LLA, CBLOL, LJL, and the winner of the Worlds Qualifying Series.
Image courtesy of Riot Games
Much like MSI, the format has changed to a double elimination bracket from which two teams will survive and qualify for the Swiss Stage.
Swiss Stage
The two survivors of the play-in stage will advance to join the 14 teams that directly qualified in a Swiss format that will see teams racing to either three wins or three losses. The rules are simple. You play teams with the same record as you in every round. If you get to three wins, you advance. If you lose three, you're out.
Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage Format
Image courtesy of Riot Games
The top 8 teams will advance to the bracket stage.
Bracket Stage
The Bracket Stage is largely unchanged and mostly what we've seen in years past. The remaining eight teams will compete in a single elimination bracket, with winners advancing and losers going home. There will be a best of 5 Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Grand Finals. The winner is the Worlds 2023 Champion.
Overall, these are some very exciting changes for LoL esports. People have been clamoring for a double elimination bracket for years, and it's nice to see Riot experimenting with some of those changes. Some people may be sad to see the end of the crazy what-if playoff scenarios that come out of the Round Robin format, but this seems like a much simpler and stronger way to go. No more qualifier matches that don't matter!
Have a great 2023 LoL esports, fans!
