Main League of Legends Events of 2019 to Watch and Bet on
League of Legends is a video game developed and supported by Riot Games. Being a descendant of the first Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games as Heroes of Neverth (HoN) and Defense of the Ancients (DotA), LoL became probably the most popular game of this genre.
The history of the League of Legends as a game began in the end of 2005. Some active members of the DotA community decided that the gameplay offered by the original Defense of the Ancients was so funny and innovative it potentially created a new gaming genre worth becoming a separate professional esports discipline.
They released League of Legends on October 27, 2009.
Since then, the audience of the game has been growing rapidly throughout years. Nowadays, LoL has more than 100 million monthly players logging in to fight on the Fields of Justice. And probably even more people watch professional LoL competitions.
League of Legends Betting Popularity
League of Legends betting is also a very popular and profitable entertainment for gamers and viewers. Gamblers like LoL matches because of their drive, excitement and interest: every map is unique here. You won’t ever watch two similar games. In addition, it’s interesting and challenging to try predicting results because of numerous details and minor factors potentially influencing the final outcomes of every match.
Here is the list of main League of Legends professional tournaments and events in 2019. Some of them are already over for now, but they’ll definitely return in 2020.
Tier 1 League of Legends Tournaments (Pro Gaming)
These are top LoL professional competitions of local levels: the best teams of each region compete for the title of the league champion. Local leagues have big enough prize pools. They also are prestigious and famous among the public of LoL players and fans.
In 2019, there are 13 pro leagues on the planet.
League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS)
It is the North American esports league run by Riot Games and existing since 2013. The NA LCS competition includes ten teams competing in two splits: the Spring, and the Summer Split. The split event is concluded in playoff series between six strongest teams of the league table. The team which earned the most points and the winner of the Gauntlet event qualify for the LoL World Championship (described below).
Twitch.tv and YouTube live streams of the NA LCS games regularly attract more than 300 thousand unique viewers.
A recent winner: Team Liquid.
League of Legends European Championship (EU LCS or LEC)
Previously known as the EU LCS founded in 2013, the League of Legends European Championship is identical to that of North America: ten teams, two splits, six crews in playoffs, World Championship qualification.
The most skilled professional esports gamers of Europe play on the LEC level. 300 000 and more viewers watch LEC games regularly on Azubu, Twitch.tv and YouTube.
A recent winner: G2 Esports.
League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK)
The LoL Champions Korea is the South Korean professional league existing since 2012. Here, 10 teams fight in 2 seasons per year for qualifications to Rift Rivals, Mid-Season Invitational slots, World Championship qualifications. Unlike in European and North American leagues, there are only 5 crews getting into playoffs.
LCK is frequently called the strongest LoL esports league in the world. Statistically, the statement is correct: South Korean teams won World Championship titles from 2013 through 2017. The only season where an LCK team did not become the world’s best crew was 2018.
In 2017, more than 8 million concurrent viewers watched the LCK finals.
A recent winner: SKT Telecom T1.
League of Legends Pro League (LPL)
The LPL is a Chinese LoL competition also existing since 2013 and owned by Tencent. It is significantly bigger compared to all the leagues mentioned previously: here, 16 top tier teams enter two splits, and then eight best crews proceed to single elimination playoffs. Top three teams of the annual season playoffs get automatic bids to the World Championship.
Probably, the LPL league is the most viewed LoL esports competition of all, as the game itself is among the most popular online projects in the country. In addition, Riot Games have been providing English LPL broadcasts since 2014.
A recent winner: Invictus Gaming.
League of Legends Masters Series (LMS)
It is the professional esports league for teams from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan owned by Garena. The organization was founded in 2014 and debuted as a promotion company during the 2015 Spring split.
The LMS includes eight best teams with four top crews getting into playoffs after two seasons annually. Winners get the World Championship qualification.
A recent winner: Flash Wolves.
Vietnam Championship Series (VCS)
It is the Vietnamese professional tournament series founded in 2013. Previously (2013-2017), it was a part of a lower tier league below the GPL. Then, organizers broke away from the Garena Pro League (now LPL), and formed a new tier 1 competition in 2018. Here are 8 best teams from Vietnam playing 2 rounds. 4 strongest teams proceed to the round knockout stage in a ladder mode.
A recent winner: Phong Vu Buffalo.
League of Legends Continental League (LCL)
The LoL Continental League existing since 2015 is the local promotion tournament for teams from the CIS region. The format is quite standard and similar to the EU and NA championships: 8 teams, 2 annual splits, 4 playoff crews. Winners promote to the Mid-Season Invitational after the Spring Split and to the World Championship after the Summer Split.
A recent winner: Vega Squadron.
Turkish Championship League (TCL)
TCL is the tier 1 top-level LoL competition in Turkey. This tournament exists since 2014, and its first season consisted of three splits for 8 teams: in winter, spring and summer. Winners of these splits then fought each other to get the International Wildcard 2014 quote. Since 2015, there are 2 TCL championships (Winter and Summer Splits) per one World Championship cycle.
A recent winner: 1907 Fenerbahce Esports.
Brazilian Championship of League of Legends (CBLOL)
It is the tier 1 pro tournament for Brazilian teams, existing since 2014. CBLOL has standard rules, and allows best teams from Brazil taking part in Mid-Season Invitational events and World Championships.
A recent winner: INTZ e-Sports.
Less popular, but still important LoL events are:
- Latin America League (LLA)
- League of Legends Japan League (LJL)
- Oceanic Pro League (OPL)
- League of Legends SEA Tour (LST)
Regional LoL events are well-known and liked all over the planet: for instance, many fans from Western Europe and CIS frequently follow Korean, Chinese and North American competitions. Still, there are events of a much higher level: more expected, more prestigious and more exciting ones – international tournaments
International Tournaments
International League of Legends events were created to gather best of the best: only teams which were most successful in their regions during regular seasons can participate in competitions listed below.
Mid-Season Invitational
The Mid-Season Invitational (aka MSI) is the international LoL competition played since 2015. Originally, the MSI tournament was for 5 teams which won their regional Spring Splits, and for 1 winner of the IWCI (International Wildcard Invitational).
In 2017, Riot Games reformatted the MSI event: the International Wildcard stopped its existence, and they expanded the quantity of teams to 13.
MSI Winners:
- 2015 – Edward Gaming
- 2016 – SKT Telecom T1
- 2017 – SKT Telecom T1
- 2018 – Royal Never Give Up
- 2019 – G2 Esports
Rift Rivals
League of Legends Rift Rivals is a chain of minor inter-regional tournaments since 2017. Best teams from nearest LoL “clusters” fight each other. Each cluster is represented by their top teams: those taking first places of the last Opening Season/Spring Split/Split 1.
- Blue Rift: Europe – North America
- Red Rift: China – South Korea – LMS (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao)
- Green Rift: CIS – Turkey – Vietnam (since 2018)
- Yellow Rift: Brazil – Latin America North – Latin America South
- Purple Rift: Japan – Oceania – Southeast Asia
All-Star
This is the entertainment show from Riot Games. There participate nearly 64 players. Among them are:
- Two professional players from each region chosen in the fan voting.
- Two-three LoL partnership program participants (streamers, famous community members, etc).
- 4 “Invited Stars” – pro players chosen by Riot according to additional fan voting results.
The format of the event may change from year to year. The most recent All-Star 2018 event parts were:
- 1v1 tournament (for all 32 players)
- 2v2 tournament
- Spectacular games between region representatives (each team consists of professionals and partners from their region)
- East versus West (Best of 3 series of East players versus West players, team roasters change in every game)
- Special game modes for mixed teams
League of Legends World Championship
For the whole LoL community, the World Championship event (aka Worlds) is probably the most expected and exciting annual competition. The best teams from all regions fight for the Summoner’s Cup and a big money prize pool. In 2017, 60 million viewers watched the finals. In 2018, the number exceeded 200 million people.
The first Worlds tournament took place in 2011. It was the beginning, only 8 teams competed for the Cup. In 2012, there were 12 crews, in 2013 – the number grew to 14. In 2014, 16 best crews fought for the championship title. And since 2017, there are 24 slots for greatest teams from 13 regional Split events.
Here is the list of all LoL World Champions:
- 2011 – Fnatic
- 2012 – Taipei Assassins
- 2013 – SK Telecom T1
- 2014 – Samsung Galaxy White
- 2015 – SK Telecom T1
- 2016 – SK Telecom T1
- 2017 – Samsung Galaxy
- 2018 – Invictus Gaming
The future of the League of Legends events seems to be pretty cool. Riot Games continue developing their game, adding new characters, and supporting esports events directly.
League of Legends is interesting to play and exciting to watch. This esports discipline can potentially bring you lots of money, no matter if you are a player or a gambler.
For players, there always is the way to become the best and enter the pro scene.
For gamblers, there are multiple websites to bet on LoL winners.
Have a good luck, and never miss your chance to win big!