Relegations and Franchises: Are we happy with what we have?

For a long time in the NA LCS, relegations were something that teams had to be wary of. Fall too low on the ladder and you would be forced to compete for your right to stay in the NA LCS. While the teams may not have enjoyed going through this experience, we can’t deny that it made for some exciting and interesting viewing. I recently reached out to some fan communities to try and gauge how people felt about the NA LCS no longer having relegations, as well as whether they were happy with the teams currently in the NA LCS.

The Pro’s

Quite a few people had good things to say about the lack of relegations. Tom O. writes that he’s “glad that I don’t have to worry about my team potentially dropping out of the LCS anymore. I know that they’re in for the long haul now”. A sentiment echoed by more than a few people who appreciate the fact that their team is no longer in danger of leaving the NA LCS, something fans of teams like Dignitas can all so easily understand. Jake D. says “I was a big fan of compLexity back in the day, and when they managed to fight their way back into the LCS I was stoked to cheer for them again, but then they got kicked out again, and since then I’ve kinda just been cheering for whoever”.

The Con’s

Not everyone had kind words for the old system however, with Luke M. stating “Relegations were great, the crappy teams that n-one liked got kicked out because they couldn’t perform”, while Ben S. writes “The only teams that are worth paying attention to are the ones on top, so having the weaker teams rotate out was great, it gave other teams a chance to do good and get fans and if they didn’t then they just got booted”. There is no denying that some teams that have competed in the NA LCS did not have what it takes to be a top contender, and performed poorly as a result.

Weighing the Balance

If you go to the League of Legends Subreddit and search for relegations, you can find any number of posts espousing the values of both sides of the argument. Some call for weaker teams to be culled more frequently, while others talk about giving the newer teams a chance to grow and find a fan base. Not every team that enters the NA LCS at a later stage through a relegation tournament is a bad team, and some go on to build fan bases that rival or even surpass those of the original teams. Cloud9, one of the most popular teams in the NA LCS, had its start from winning a spot in the LCS, Entering the NA LCS 2013 Summer Promotion as Quantic Gaming before rebranding and becoming the Cloud9 we know today.

Whether the removal of relegations is a good thing or a bad thing seems to change from person to person. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see if the increased stability afforded to the teams will allow them to grow, without having to worry about making sure they stay in the NA LCS altogether.

For more NA LCS information leading up to the games this week, check out our Players to watch in week 5 guide here, and for more information on how the teams are currently sitting on the ladder, check out the Official Standings page here.