How to watch the Oceanic Pro League

The best League of Legends talent in or around Australia compete in the Oceanic Pro League, which features some of the biggest and most popular esports organizations in the region.

The OPL’s second split of the 2018 season is well underway, and Dire Wolves, who walked away victorious in the first split, will look to defend their title against the likes of Chiefs Esports Club and ORDER. With pride, cash, and 2018 League of Legends World Championship implications on the line, the OPL is surely something to watch.

Some of you may not be too familar with the OPL and its competitors, though, and that’s why we’ve compiled a guide that explains all of it to you. Here is the viewer’s guide to the Oceanic Pro League.

Stream

OPL matches are livestreamed on the league’s Twitch channel and the official League of Legends Oceania YouTube channel. If you can’t catch the games live, VODs for each match are available on YouTube.

Teams

The Oceanic Pro League pits eight of the best teams in the Asia-Pacific region against each other. The league does have relegation and promotion, but it does not occur during the season. Following the second split’s conclusion, the bottom three teams from the OPL’s second split and the top two from the Oceanic Challenger Series compete to decide the three teams that will make it into the next season.

Here are the teams currently in the Oceanic Pro League.

• Avant Garde
• Bombers
• Chiefs Esports Club
• Dire Wolves
• Legacy Esports
• Mammoth Esports
• ORDER
• Tectonic

Schedule

Starting with the second split of 2018, OPL matches are played on Fridays and Saturdays. For the local talent and fans, they compete in the evening with a 5pm AEST start time. For most Europeans and North Americans, however, the OPL’s broadcast begins pretty early in the morning.

Friday, July 13

2am CT: ORDER vs. Bombers

5am CT: Chiefs Esports Club vs. Dire Wolves

Saturday, July 14

2am CT: Mammoth Esports vs. Tectonic

5am CT: Legacy Esports vs. Avant Garde

Friday, July 20

2am CT: Tectonic vs. Legacy Esports

5am CT: Avant Garde vs. Mammoth Esports

Saturday, July 21

2am CT: Bombers vs. Dire Wolves

5am CT: ORDER vs. Chiefs Esports Club

Friday, July 27

2am CT: Dire Wolves vs. Mammoth Esports

5am CT: Legacy Esports vs. ORDER

Saturday, July 28

2am CT: Bombers vs. Tectonic

5am CT: Chiefs Esports Club vs. Avant Garde

Friday, Aug. 3

2am CT: Tectonic vs. Dire Wolves

5am CT: Bombers vs. Legacy Esports

Saturday, Aug. 4

2am CT: Mammoth Esports vs. Chiefs Esports Club

5am CT: ORDER vs. Avant Garde

Friday, Aug. 10

2am CT: Dire Wolves vs. Avant Garde

5am CT: Legacy Esports vs. Chiefs Esports Club

Saturday, Aug. 11

2am CT: Tectonic vs. ORDER

5am CT: Bombers vs. Mammoth Esports

Friday, Aug. 17

2am CT: Avant Garde vs. Tectonic

5am CT: Mammoth Esports vs. Legacy Esports

Saturday, Aug. 18

2am CT: Bombers vs. Chiefs Esports Club

5am CT: ORDER vs. Dire Wolves

System

The OPL’s eight teams are split into two groups of four. Teams within the same group play each other twice in a single split while opposite group teams only collide once in the regular season for a total of 10 matches.

Each match is played in a best-of-three format, with teams receiving three points for a 2-0 win, two points for 2-1 win, one point for a 2-1 loss, and zero points for a 2-0 loss. Standings do not take into account the teams’ respective groups, meaning each team is placed in the same eight-team table.

At the end of the regular season, the top five teams will advance to the playoffs. Unlike the NA and EU LCS, which have a more traditional bracket structure where the top regular season teams receive first-round byes, the OPL gives an even greater advantage to the best regular season team.

As a reward for a great split, the top regular season team in the OPL automatically advances to the postseason finals. The fourth-seeded and fifth-seeded teams play first in the best-of-five format, with the winner advancing to play the third-seeded team. The winner of that match plays the second-seeded team to decide who will go against the top regular season team in the finals.

The surviving team of the gauntlet is not only crowned the split champions, but they prove to everyone—even outside the region—that they are the strongest force in the Oceanic Pro League.