With the changes from the standard ELO ranking system used by League of Legends to a tier-based league system at the beginning of Season 3, Riot Games built a system in which the top, “Challenger,” tier teams would be given an opportunity to compete on a professional level. As we move into the preseason for Season 4, we are getting to see the fruits of this system with the announcement of the Challenger tier group stage in which the top-level Challenger teams compete for a place in this Season’s League Championship Series (LCS).
The teams are split by region, with the top six teams from North America and Europe competing for their respective continental spots, sponsored by WellPlayed and Electronic Sports League (ESL) respectively. Currently four teams from each region have been established, and the fifth and sixth slots from each region will be established at a later date.
North America
- Complexity
- To Be Determined
- COGnitive Gaming
- Napkins In Disguise
Europe
- Copenhagen Wolves
- TCM Gaming
- H2K Gaming
- Salade Tomate Oignon
Riot Game’s announcement of this system earlier this year was met with great enthusiasm, and has lead to a number of team names entering the scene who likely would not have had access previously. Some names seen here are recognizable, as Copenhagen Wolves and Complexity made a solid showing in their regional LCS games for Season 3.
The exciting part of the announcement is getting to see ahead of time teams that may come out of obscurity and show what they’re capable of to the world. Who knows, maybe the Season 4 World Champion team is one of these Challenger tier teams!
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