The LPL is looking to shake things up with a new format for its Summer Split.
It looks like the LPL will be introducing a format change for its Summer Split later in the year that also includes a ‘Fearless’ mode, a double-elimination bracket, as well as group divisions. This was first reported by a popular Twitter/X account LPL Fan Club, which is often known to report about leaks in Chinese media like transfer rumours.
The post has since garnered a quarter of a million views in a little over 24 hours when it talked about the new alleged format for the LPL Summer Split. First off, there will still be 17 teams competing in China, but there will no longer be a single round-robin format. Instead, all 17 teams will be divided into four groups based on its Spring Split results. It's also worth noting that teams with its own home court will be in different groups.
And all four groups will now compete in a best-of-three, double round-robin ‘Fearless’ format. The last two teams from each group will be sent to the lower bracket of the next round while the remaining nine will be in the upper bracket. And according to the LPL Fan Club, this phase will feature the more traditional pick-and-ban format with a single round-robin best-of-three series in both brackets.
From there, the top seven in the upper bracket will advance to the playoffs while the last three in the lower bracket will be eliminated. With seven teams advancing directly to the playoffs and three eliminated, this leaves the following seven mid-table teams that will play a single-loss, best-of-five series to fight for the final three spots in the playoffs.
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This is a big change from what the LPL is traditionally used to, which is the ‘King of the hill’ playoff format. 2024 has been a year of many changes for the region after it was announced a few months ago on the scheduling change for its live broadcast of the LPL Spring Split. And much like how that brought about plenty of negative publicity, this change also bore a similar trait as many fans have criticised the changes.
However, the introduction of ‘Fearless’ mode could be a game-changing factor in the LPL. This means that in the second game of a best-of-three series, teams will not be allowed to pick the same champions that were already played in the series. This will open the doors for greater creativity in draft picks as well as providing an excitement factor. Especially when some teams are known to rely on certain champions more than others.
- Read More: Mid-Season Invitational Survival Guide
In the end, it remains to be seen if these changes will be implemented in the near future. With the Mid-Season Invitational just days away from kicking off in China, most of the LPL's attention would go towards giving its support to the two representatives in Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports.