2021 LoL Championship Series Spring

04 February, 2021 - 13 March, 2021 United States

The League of Legends Championship Series is the premier circuit in North America, with the competition featuring some of the most recognized brands within western esports.

Each season comes with a separate prize pool as well as qualifying spots for international events including the Mid Season Invitational and Worlds.

Preview

After a fairly long drought, the 2021 LCS Spring Split is finally here, albeit in a somewhat different format than the one we’re all used to. Needless to say, if things pan out as expected, we should be in for one heck of a ride! Of course, the LCS will still be home to nerve-wracking brawls and the most exciting fiestas, so in that regard, very little will change. Which is for the better, frankly speaking. Not all regions need to contain the most nuanced macro or a metric ton of strategic depth — entertainment is more than enough, especially in these trying pandemic times.

And when it comes to entertainment, the LCS stands out the most. North America is where the most drama happens, along with the most alluring narratives and fan-favorite storylines. And we’re getting a couple of really good ones this year, but more on that below!

The point of this preview, as always, is to provide you with a better understanding of all ten teams, their presumed power levels, and whether or not they have what it takes to leave a mark in the grand scheme of things. This information should, then, influence your betting decisions and, hopefully, result in correct predictions and therefore bigger payouts. 

It might seem a bit complicated at first glance, but perish the thought! There’s usually a bit of chaos early on, but things always stabilize in a couple of weeks’ time. This split should be no different in that regard. Once we reach that oh-so-important moment, it becomes incredibly easy to predict what’ll happen and when. 

So, without any further ado, let’s begin with our 2021 LCS Spring Split preview!

Format Changes

2021 will usher in a slew of exciting new changes pertaining to the LCS format. First of all, the Spring Split, in a way, will remain the same, even though Riot decided to switch things up a bit. To start things off, they’ve introduced a brand-new tournament called the LCS Lock-In. All ten permanent partners have been divided into two groups of five, and they’ll compete for $150k along with an additional $50 that’ll be donated to a charity of their choice. 

The point of this tournament, simply put, is entertainment. It doesn’t carry any other significance whatsoever. Teams will be able to experiment and test things out to their heart’s content, before ultimately entering the regular portion of the Spring Split that’s scheduled to begin on February 5th. Simple stuff, really. So, if you’re looking to bet on the LCS Lock-In, just have in mind that it’s not exactly a “tryhard” kind of tournament. Instead, it’s all about limit testing which should, in turn, result in some pretty darn memorable fiestas. 

This time around, the Spring Split will last for six weeks (instead of the regular nine) with five games played each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (talk about a packed schedule!) After that’s over, we’ll move on to the Mid-Season Showdown that’s scheduled to begin on March 21 and will last up until April 11. What’s the Mid-Season Showdown you might ask? Simply put, it’s the Spring Split playoffs. Nothing more, nothing less. 

The team that ultimately emerges victorious will hoist the first LCS trophy of 2021, earn a sizable sack of cash for their efforts, and eventually represent North America at the 2021 Mid-Season International. 

The biggest difference, however, is that Spring Split standings will carry over into the Summer Split. So, if a team finished fifth in Spring, they’ll enter Summer with the exact same ranking. This means that each and every single game going forward matters immensely — there are no soft or hard resets whatsoever. This also means that teams and players won’t have as big of a luxury to experiment unlike in years past. 

The pressure is mounting.

2021 LCS Format

Preliminary Power Rankings

As always, this part of the preview serves a very simple purpose: to provide you with an early look into each of the ten permanent partners and their presumed power level. There’s a metric ton of nuance here and it’s always somewhat of a wild stab in the dark, but we nonetheless have a very good grasp on who’s good and why. Still, as is always the case, have a bit of reserve as we can only predict so much this early on into the season. Unexpected twists tend to happen fairly regularly, and teams and players often implode and regress without any apparent reason. By the halfway point of the split, the dust will surely settle, but until that happens, expect a pretty wild, bumpy ride! 

Also, these power rankings aim to decipher and predict what the standings will look like by the end of the split. The start, however, is nearly impossible to forecast as it’s always bafflingly chaotic and there’s very little rhyme or reason behind it all. 

So, with that out of the way, let’s begin! 

Two-Way Tie for 1st: Cloud9 & Team Liquid

C9 and TL are currently two of the best and most stacked teams in North America. Heck, this might even be an understatement. They’re bona fide superteams, and watching them play and evolve as five-man units will be nothing short of mesmerizing. With some of the best players in the history of competitive League, it’s easy to see either of them hoisting the LCS trophy at least once over the coming months.

Still, one could argue that they occupy two different ends of the spectrum. On the one side we have Team Liquid, a team that is exceptional in nearly every conceivable way but has generally been pretty darn one-dimensional over the years. That holds true for 2020 as well. Are Alphari and Santorin upgrades over Impact and Broxah? Well, in many ways they are, but one could argue that neither player will push Team Liquid to grow and diversify its arsenal of weapons. They’ll just be even more dangerous on an individual level, and that’s pretty much it. You always know what TL will draft, and how they want to play the game out. While that’s perfectly fine overall, it’s just not enough against world-class teams that can play nearly any strategy or team comp. TL, on the other hand, is much akin to the LCK giants of old — they’re all about nuanced strats and the most layered macro. That’s great and all, but it’s far from the best and most optimal way of playing League right now. In today’s meta, unrelenting aggression and mechanical prowess are the name of the game. The sooner you can create a lead the better, the faster you can snowball it out of control, the faster you’ll be knocking on your opponent’s Nexus. And it’s been like this for the last three seasons.

2021 should be no different in that regard, which means Team Liquid — from a stylistic standpoint — needs to grow and evolve if they intend on leaving a mark internationally. 

Cloud9, on the other hand, has more than just a couple of question marks. They can play a wide range of strategies and team comps, but that means very little if they don’t get on the same page and come up with a coherent identity. This incarnation of Cloud9 isn’t all that different to the one from 2020 — they’ve downgraded in top (by a lot), and made up for it in mid by bringing over Perkz. Overall, they should definitely be stronger than they were last year, but it’s not just about sheer talent or mechanical prowess — they had that in spades months ago as well but it didn’t matter much as they imploded without any apparent reason. 

Their bottom lane, while undeniably talented, looked like a random solo queue duo, and their jungler — the 2020 Spring Split MVP? Dreadfully mediocre, at best. It was a complete U-turn and it seemingly came out of nowhere. We know for a fact that these players are endlessly more capable than what they’d shown, but again — they need to deliver. Bringing Perkz over won’t magically fix their inherent flaws, nor is promoting a rookie a surefire recipe for success. And yes, Cloud9 succeeded in regards to talent development over the years far more than any other North American organization, but they’re not infallible and a single mistake in that sense could cost them dearly going forward. Will Fudge be able to compete at the highest of levels? Cloud9 obviously believes so, but we need to temper our expectations and wait things out with a bit of reserve. He’s an LCS rookie, after all, and the top tale talent pool in North America is pretty much stacked beyond reason these days. 

So whether they’ll find as much success as we’re anticipating heavily relies on the speed at which they’ll synergize and whether or not their investment (top lane-wise) pans out. In that sense, they’re not as safe of a bet when compared to Team Liquid who, frankly speaking, consist of proven performers and players who’ve been competing at the highest of levels for years. 

If we were to judge right now, we’d argue that Cloud9 has more long-term potential in the sense that their highs might be a lot higher and more pronounced than TL’s. But there are numerous obstacles in their way, and there’s no telling whether they’ll overcome them in time to challenge for the LCS throne. 

Either way, both organizations will field exceptional line-ups, and both will no doubt find a ton of success in 2021. 

3. 100 Thieves

Coming in at third place we have the ultimate dark horse — a team that’s four-fifths Golden Guardians and one-fifth 100 Thieves. And, frankly, it’s a match made in heaven. There are no glaring weaknesses, no horrendous holes in their game, and no weak links to speak of. Is this the perfect team? Not exactly. Will they become the LCS champions any time soon? Probably not. But they’ll come darn close, and if there’s one team that has the tools to compete with C9 and TL on equal footing, to rub shoulders, therefore, with the best and most stacked teams North America ever assembled, it has to be 100 Thieves. 

They have synergy, ample mechanical prowess, and more than enough vigor to compete at the highest of levels. Still, other than Ssumday, there are no proven superstars, and that, frankly, is why we’re hesitant to put them on the same level as Cloud9 or Team Liquid. That doesn’t mean they won’t be able to get a win or two over the perennial LCS titans, but in the end, once those oh-so-important Best of 5s come around, they’ll probably fumble and fail. “Probably” being the operative word here. 

That said, they’ll definitely give both teams a run for their money and perhaps even win out more often than not in the early stages of the season seeing how they won’t have to go through any growing pains whatsoever. That, in short, is an immense benefit, and they’ll surely harness it from day one.

4. Team SoloMid

Coming in at fourth place we have none other than the defending LCS champions Team SoloMid. Frankly speaking, no one’s quite sure how high to rank them. On the one hand, a team with PowerOfEvil and SwordArt simply cannot be bad. That’s pretty much a fact. On the other hand, two exceptional players (with no prior synergy between them) can’t carry a team towards success all by themselves. They’re exceptional in every sense of the word, but they’re just not enough. Huni, Spica, and Lost are all question marks in one way or another. Is Huni past his prime? The answer is almost surely a resounding “yes” but how severe of a case are we talking about? Is Spica mature enough as a player to compete at the highest of levels? He sure did impress throughout the second half of 2020, but he was far from perfect. Once pressured by his more seasoned peers, he often crumbled under the pressure. Finally, Lost is as young and inexperienced as they come. Is he talented? Almost certainly. But will it be enough in the grand scheme of things?

There are so many ways for things to go awry, and TSM definitely doesn’t have all that good of a record when it comes to player management, roster decisions, talent development, and everything in between. The odds certainly aren’t on their side, but at least they have talent in spades. Will it be enough to crack Top 3? Probably not, given the fact that the gap between SwordArt and the best LCS supports isn’t as large as some people might think. Still, this is TSM we’re talking about, and they’ll still be guided by the one, the only Bjergsen (albeit from a coaching position). 

If there’s one key takeaway that you need to focus on the most, it is the fact that this version of TSM will probably need a lot more time than most people expect. They have no synergy to speak of, these players have only just met in a professional sense, and they probably have differing ideas on how the game should be played which, in turn, could result in a bit of headbutting. By the end of the season, they’ll almost surely become a top-tier team (and an actual contender), but the road towards that point will probably be mighty challenging (and filled with unexpected losses).  

Two-way Tie for 5th — Evil Geniuses & FlyQuest 

Next up, we have a two-way tie between Evil Geniuses and FlyQuest. Again, this an early prediction of the way things could ultimately unfold — not the way the standings will look like from the start of the season. FlyQuest, in particular, have a ton of potential, but they’ll need a ton of time to actually synergize and come up with an identity to call their own. And by “a ton” we really do mean it — months, if not even an entire split. In the meantime, they’ll probably drop games against the unlikeliest of opponents, and perhaps even upset when you’d least expect them to. In other words, volatility is all but guaranteed. Still, once the dust settles (i.e. in a couple of months’ time), they’ll almost certainly become a solid, well-rounded contender. Nothing overly spectacular, mind you, but pretty darn good overall. 

Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, have a much better starting position. They already have synergy between their jungler and mid laner, and they’ve brought over two exceptional players in Impact and IgNar, both of which are amongst the best players in their respective roles. Deftly isn’t exactly what you’d call a premier marksman, but he’s serviceable. Still, with the exception of Impact (who does have noticeable dips in performance), we’re talking four players who are all severely flawed in one way or another. Jiizuke can both win you the game but also single-handedly lose it — and the latter has been a lot more frequent a sight. He’s as far from consistent as you can get. The same goes for Svenskeren, who’s inherently volatile and bafflingly aggressive. It’s like he doesn’t care much for the odds or whom he’s up against — he goes in with caution thrown out the window, and it often ends up backfiring. You can’t just stroll into the other half of the jungle and expect no resistance. He’s also a coin-flip player much like his Italian ally; Svenskeren is much more impactful when there’s a stable presence in mid to guide him and, when the need arises, subdue his innate urge to engage. 

IgNar, by the same token, always did incredibly well when he had teammates who could follow him into danger. He’ll have that in abundance with this Evil Geniuses line-up (stylistically speaking), but having too many bravado-fuelled individuals under one roof isn’t always a recipe for success. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. 

In the short term, this incarnation of Evil Geniuses will no doubt surprise a lot of people. They’ve brought over two exceptional threats for both top and support, so there’s no reason why they’d do any worse than last year. As far as the bigger picture is concerned, they’re still lacking consistency and controlled, efficient aggression, both of which are necessary to actually challenge for a spot in the LCS pantheon.

7. Counter Logic Gaming

We’re about to see two different shades of CLG over the next couple of months. The first one is undeniably weaker and less potent (with Solo and Griffin in top and jungle). The second, however, should be far more capable and dangerous. Unfortunately, CLG is still waiting on Finn (formerly of Rogue) and Broxah (of Fnatic and Team Liquid fame) to get their visas approved, and it’s a process that might take a while. Neither European import will be able to compete under the CLG banner during the first-ever Lock-In tournament, but they should be able to land in Los Angeles by the start of the Spring Split. 

For the sake of this preview, we’re ranking CLG seventh based solely on their upcoming roster (the originally intended five-man line-up). Now, frankly speaking, they won’t be challenging for the LCS throne any time soon, but with so many veterans aboard, it’ll be nigh impossible for them to whittle down into a bottom-tier dweller. Again, they won’t blow anyone’s mind but they’ll compete on even footing with the vast majority of the LCS and even win out from time to time. 

We’re basically banking on their vast experience and the fact that all five players have something to prove. They’ve either been rejected by their former teams or have been flamed beyond reason by the community. Either way, they’re hungry for redemption and will surely fight their hearts out to prove everyone wrong. Whether or not they’ll eventually succeed still remains to be seen, but at least there’s some potential, and that’s a scarce luxury so seldom seen with Counter Logic Gaming.

Still, without their intended top laner and jungler, don’t expect CLG to do much early on. In fact, don’t expect anything at all as they’ll probably fumble and fail in nearly every possible way. 

Two-Way Tie for 8th: Dignitas & Immortals

Next up, we have Immortals, a team that is pretty much impossible to evaluate before seeing them in action. One thing, however, is for certain: they won’t impress all that much. It’s just one of those age-old player mishmashes, the kind orgs opt for when they don’t have a lot of money to work with, so they sign a veteran or two and pair them with unproven rookie talent, hoping for the best. Sometimes it works out, but more often than not it fails in every which way. Immortals, historically speaking, did very little to warrant our trust. As an organization, they have accomplished next to nothing ever since that legendary IMT line-up with Huni and Reignover back in 2016. 

There’s just nothing to hold onto, no concrete, tangible hope regarding their 2021 line-up. They’re not exactly the worst in the region, but they’re not far off either. This team, as things stand right now, just doesn’t have much going for it. Xerxe is fantastic overall, but he’s coming to Immortals after a very unsuccessful season in Europe. Destiny, a former OPL champion, is pretty much in the same boat, although his transfer over to NA — unlike Xerxe’s — is void of any hype. He never proved his worth and was consistently one of the worst supports in the LEC. Raes is talented, there’s no doubt about that, but he’ll face an uphill battle going forward, not just because of his lackluster support but also because there’s a bevy of exceptional marksmen in North America (both imported and native).

Overall, they’re pretty okay for a team that is showing all the hallmarks of a bottom-tier dweller. They might perform a bit better than expected once there’s some synergy between the players, but it still won’t be enough to warrant a spot any higher in the standings.  

Dignitas is pretty much in the same boat as Immortals, although they might eventually find a wee bit more success, depending on how well Dardoch and Aphromoo end up molding their less experienced teammates. There’s a lot of aggression packed within this incarnation of Dignitas, and while most of it lies unrefined, it’ll still come in handy, especially early on in the split. FakeGod, while far from a spectacular top laner, is pretty much a known quantity, unlike Immortals’ Revenge who looked downright abysmal throughout his Academy tenure. So, in that sense, Dignitas will have a lot more to work with going forward, especially if their young marksman Neo (formerly known as Asta) can deliver on the LCs stage.

Of course, they lack the strength and long-term potential to actually warrant a spot higher up the standings, but that doesn’t mean they’ll just roll over and surrender. On the contrary! They’ll no doubt fight for every inch of the Summoner’s Rift, even though success will mostly elude them. One could even argue that they’re slightly better than their current presumed ranking would indicate, but the gap between them and the top of the region is so large that it’s impossible to treat them as anything other than a mid-tier gatekeeper. By the end, if the stars align, Dignitas might end up higher than Immortals or, perhaps, even Counter Logic Gaming, but that’s about as high as they’ll climb. (barring any unexpected implosion from FlyQuest’s side)

10. Golden Guardians

There’s really not a lot you can say about the Golden Guardians and their 2021 starting line-up. It’s okay, overall, but it’s impossible to get excited about them coming into the 2021 LCS Spring Split. Are they the worst team in the region? Well, the answer is ambivalent: both a resounding “yes” and a more cautious “no.” It is a “yes” because, frankly speaking, there’s no superstar within their lines, no seasoned (well-performing) veteran to guide them into battle, and next to no experience to speak of as well. 

There’s Stixxay, but he hasn’t been performing all that well (or well at all) for years, so take that as you will. Four rookies (some of which are more experienced than others) aren’t enough to warrant a spot any higher than, say, eighth place. Will GGS eventually end up as tenth? Who knows, but it doesn’t really matter if they’re tenth, ninth, eighth, or perhaps even seventh. These are nuanced differences because they all amount to the same exact thing: nothing. They won’t reach the playoffs, of that you can be certain. They lack the tools to do so, which doesn’t mean they won’t try their hardest.

As for why it’s a “no” — we’ve been burned far too many times in the past for doubting the Golden Guardians. Ever since they’ve brought over coach Inero, GGS have fielded numerous feisty, hard-working teams, all of which were undervalued and underappreciated by both media and fans alike. Their efforts weren’t always visible as they didn’t always translate into tangible success, but they still found ample success nonetheless. They’re the ultimate underdog, and that won’t change in 2021.

On paper, this is undeniably the worst team in North America, but don’t be surprised if they overtake Dignitas or Immortals. The odds of it happening are extremely slim, but at least they exist, and that’s mostly because head coach Inero and the entire GGS coaching staff have earned our benefit of the doubt. 

The Start Is Always Chaotic

The most important thing you need to keep in mind, and it doesn’t pertain only to this season but to competitive League in general, is the fact that there’s very little rhyme or reason behind what’s going on at the very start of the season. Predictions, no matter how educated or rooted in fact and history, can only get us so far. In other words, unexpected upsets and mind-boggling twists that make no sense whatsoever tend to happen fairly regularly up until the halfway point of the split.

That’s just the nature of competitive esports. Synergy is always lacking at the start of the season, which is often the main culprit behind those aforementioned upsets and seemingly impossible twists. Favorites will lose to presumed bottom-tier dwellers, gatekeepers will go on huge win streaks, bona fide superteams will struggle with the most basic things, and so on; these are all frequent sights at the start of the year. 

So, if you’re looking to bet on the 2021 LCS Spring Split, just have that in mind. Eventually, however, teams will become a lot less volatile, and from that point onwards, you’ll be able to predict nearly any outcome with ease! 

The 2021 LCS Spring Split is scheduled to start on February 5th, but the LCS Lock-In is probably underway by the time you’re reading these lines. You can catch all the action online — Twitch, YouTube, LoL Esports Website! And, of course, good luck with your betting endeavors! 

Tournament Format

Group Stage:

Double round robin with Best-of-One matches. The top six teams qualify for the seasons playoffs.

Playoffs:

Double elimination bracket with Best-of-Five matches. The top two teams of the season are seeded directly into the upper bracket finals. The third seed chooses whether they play either the fifth or sixth seed, with the fourth seed facing the leftover seed.

Winner qualifies for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational.