MarkZ explains why the LCS is sticking to best-of-one matches
YouTube: LCSNewly elected League of Legends Championship Series commissioner MarkZ explained why the league is sticking to best-of-ones for the foreseeable future.
Multiple changes were made to the LCS during the off-season, from shrinking the league from 10 to 8 teams to adding former caster and analyst MarkZ as the new commissioner.
With a familiar face at the head of the league, MarkZ took to YouTube to break down the barrier between the LCS and fans. In an hour-long livestreamed LCS AMA, MarkZ took questions from the community and does his best to address them.
One of the questions was directed towards the current format of the LCS. With the LCK and LPL having best-of-three sets, having regular sets instead of individual matches has been something LCS fans have been clamoring for. MarkZ didn’t shoot down the idea entirely, but he did explain why the League has stuck to BO1s.
Robert Paul/Riot GamesMarkZ on why LCS uses best-of-ones
The older best-of-three format allowed for more games and a more extended fan-watching experience. However, the LCS has changed dramatically since 2018, when the format was still in use. This includes the introduction of the Valorant Champions Tour, which now shares a studio with the LCS.
This was one of the reasons why the best-of-one format was kept. According to MarkZ, the team used that information to determine what dates and times were best suited for matches. But this format could potentially change based on what feedback the league receives.
“Because we had this best-of-one structure in place, we could very quickly identify, ‘Hey, we got to slide back an hour,’ which is what we did,” said MarkZ in relation to the recent decision to change the LCS start times. “That is being able to showcase one of the positives for why we kept best-of-one. Moving forward, though, we will always look for what fans want, what teams want, and what we can do.”
The 2024 LCS Spring Split is still underway, which means there won’t be a format change for the remainder of the Split. However, future seasons could bring change if the benefits outweigh the downsides.
