NA LCS Changes Tie Breaker Rules

When it comes to the games of the NA LCS, it’s inevitable that sometimes you will have teams that end the season with the same match record. Often it’s just a couple of teams that manage to pick up the right games at the right time to create the tie scenario, but sometimes you end up with more than two teams needing to break the deadlock.

In the European LCS, a three way tie is simply played out. All three teams will play in a round-robin style mini-tournament, and the outcome is looked at from there. The only problem with this style is the possibility that all three teams will end up 1-1 against each other, causing them to need to find another way to break the tie. In that event, the way that the EU LCS would handle a second tie is basically the same as the way the NA LCS used to handle three way ties, with the team with the shortest game time getting a bye into the “finals”, while the other two teams will play additional games.

That was the way it was decided in the past in the NA LCS, with the shortest game time meaning the most, however the system of ties is changing as of now. From now on, teams are going to be judged on their “strength of schedule” score, rather than an in-game method such as game time, or kills. Teams will be assigned points based on the victories they have accumulated over the season, with a victory over the number one ranked team being worth 5 points, and a victory over the last placed team worth only 0.5 points, with the rest of the teams scaled in between. This system will benefit teams that manage to win the tough games, while also helping to decide certain in-game decisions like side selection for the games.

Overall, Riot believes that this will allow for a more “fair” tie-breaker resolution, but have said that they will be keeping in contact with pro players and fans, in order to make sure that everyone remains happy with the ruleset.

For more LCS action, check out the Power Rankings for week 8 of the EU LCS, and to read the full blog post with the tie-breaker breakdown, check it out here.