With 2021 set to shake up the League of Legends competitive scene and the LCS Lock In, there is a slew of changes coming in that will affect the way the league proceeds in the future.
As the LCS Lock In edges closer, Misfits Gaming’s Maurice ‘Amazing’ Stückenschneider discusses the new look of the league ahead of its grand unveiling. What does the new format spell for the season ahead, and who does Amazing see as the teams and players we should look out for during the Lock In?
Following on from its western counterpart, the rebrand brought in a new slogan, alongside a brand new logo. They aren’t the only changes, though. We’re seeing a brand new format to the LCS, with plenty of new players joining the fray.
In past years, January typically marked the start of the LCS Spring Split, but its replacement with the Lock In pits 10 teams head to head in a season warm-up, where they’ll play solely for bragging rights. Without Bjergsen and Doublelift, though, who have always been paramount in helping the growth of LCS, it’s undoubtedly the end of an era.
Misfits Gaming’s Amazing highlights players and teams such as Huni, Perkz, and 100 Thieves as the dark horse to watch during the event, due to them signing most of the Golden Guardians roster.
The LCS has kicked off 2021 not with the Spring Split, but with a new tournament called Lock In. Similar to the KeSPA Cup or Demacia Cup, NA’s top teams will duke it out in a pre-season event right before the main season. Here’s what you need to know.
LCS Lock In 2021 is a new pre-season tournament for all 10 teams.
100 Thieves smash TSM to open up their 2021 campaign.
CLG face Liquid next at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.
LCS Lock In: Stream
The LCS Lock In tournament is the 2021 starter for League of Legends in North America. All 10 LCS teams will take part in the two-week competition that gives fans a taster of the year to come.
They’re not playing for pittance either. The winning team will take home $150,000 USD, and a lot of confidence heading into the start of Spring 2021 in February.
LCS Lock In 2021: Teams & groups
As we mentioned earlier, all 10 of the LCS teams will be taking part in the Lock In tournament. Some teams may choose to field their academy rosters instead of their main rosters, but with $150,000 on the line, there’ll definitely be some teams gunning for the flag.
Among them, Summer 2020 champions TSM would be favorites. Having made a number of moves in the off-season, only keeping jungler Mingyi ‘Spica’ Lu, the new squad will have a hard task in front of them. Team Liquid, CLG, and Cloud9 also made some big moves in the off-season to catch back up.
