League of Legends LEC's lenient playoffs format might affect quality of region in long run

The playoffs format of the League of Legends LEC has been a point of debate for quite a long time now. Several community members feel it is way too lenient and allows teams to obtain Worlds Championship qualifications without much hassle.

In fact, this flawed playoffs format of the LEC has come to prominence even more after LEC got four slots at the Worlds 2022 and MAD Lions qualified without even winning a single best-of-five game. While this might not seem that big of an issue, for the time being, the overall quality of Europe might eventually degrade if this continues.

This is because other regions like China (LPL) and South Korea (LCK) continuously enhance the competition by making it harder for teams to qualify for the World Championships. In fact, even North America has a much better playoffs format when compared to Europe.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.

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Oversimplified playoffs format at League of Legends LEC slowly reducing level of competition within Europe

League of Legends' LEC is arguably one of the most famous tournaments in the entire world. In terms of viewership and fan following, it is probably the largest when compared to other regions.

Teams like G2 Esports and Fnatic have worldwide recognition, which is something that helps the region financially. However, the way LEC conducts its playoffs is something that is ultimately affecting the level of competition and quality of games in the region.

Europe has four slots this year in the League of Legends World Championships. Normally, the top four teams from the playoffs of the LEC would qualify for the mega event.

However, as it happens, G2 Esports qualified for the Worlds 2022 even before a single game of the playoffs was conducted. They went through simply because the team had won League of Legends' LEC 2022 Spring Split and because it came first in the regular season of the Summer Split.

The problem does not end here, as MAD Lions qualified for the Worlds 2022 without winning a single best-of-five match in the playoffs. While many might argue that the teams are getting the benefit of performing well in best-of-one games, it is undoubtedly and ultimately putting these sides behind in terms of quality.

This fact can be understood better by comparing it to League of Legends LPL, the regional competition in China. Royal Never Give Up is the current winner of MSI 2022 and was also the champion team during the LPL 2022 Spring Split.

Nevertheless, the side did not qualify for the Worlds 2022 until they won a gauntlet match against LNG after getting knocked out of the playoffs. It is also vital to remember that, unlike the LEC, the LPL has 17 teams, and each regular season game is a best-of-three match, making qualifying for playoffs a lot more complicated.

LNG, for instance, had to play seven best-of-five games in the LPL 2022 Summer Split playoffs, out of which they won five and still did not qualify for the Worlds 2022. This is much more difficult and a lot more competitive.

It is crucial to remember that competition will always lead to quality. The more teams are made to sweat, the better they will become. It is often at the brink of defeat when League of Legends teams showcase their best gameplay.

Unfortunately, the playoffs format of the League of Legends LEC does not allow this. If a team finishes first in the regular season, the lowest position it can obtain in the playoffs is fourth.

This means that as long as the World Championship allows four spots to the LEC, the team finishing first in the regular season is guaranteed a spot.

This, in turn, makes the top teams complacent as they know a World Championship spot is more or less guaranteed. Apart from that, best-of-one games often do not showcase a team's true potential, which is why the playoffs are so crucial.

Even the LCS 2022 Spring Split winner, Evil Geniuses, did not qualify for the worlds until very late in the playoffs. While many fans might not like to hear it, even North America's playoffs system seems better than Europe's.

The problem with this system is that Europe will eventually lose its edge as time passes. The lack of competition and this oversimplified playoffs format will never push teams to put in the extra effort since the worlds qualification does not feel that hard.

The effect is quite prominent as the level of play in Europe has not been that good this year. Teams are making mistakes at all levels, which is quite visible even to a layman.

The situation, however, gets even worse as, apart from G2 Esports, Fnatic, MAD Lions, and Rogue, the rest of the teams are way below in quality, further reducing competition in the region. Therefore, finishing in the top four is not as difficult in the LEC as in the LPL or LCK.

This, in turn, increases the quality gap between the League of Legends LEC and LPL teams even further with every passing year.