The LCS is sorely lacking on-stage play in 2024, and fans believe it could cost them

As we approach the end of February, all of the competitive League of Legends regions are in full swing, with only a couple of weeks left in the season to lock down a spot as their respective league’s best squad.

There is, however, a large discrepancy that has caught the attention of fans between the four major regions in the world, with North American LCS teams having only played about nine games throughout the year. As a result, supporters believe that this lack of competitive on-stage play could be disastrous for the scene when international events roll around.

In comparison, the LEC has already zipped through the playoffs, with top teams playing best-of-threes and best-of-fives in a bid for the regional championship. Due to best-of-three rules, LPL teams have played a minimum of 13 games, and LCK teams have played a minimum of 20 games, and both regions are only halfway through the regular season.

Overall, every other regional team has played more than their LCS counterparts by a staggering amount, and it has many North American followers worried. On the League subreddit, for example, fans think that although more games don’t grant a magical advantage for teams, it still provides a much more diverse and challenging atmosphere for teams to improve and adapt to.

“At the end of the day, there is no substitute for practicing this type of gameplay,” one user said on Reddit. “The strongest regions never play best-of-ones. They are grinding set play all year round, and they build a ton of strategic depth and versatility that LCS teams are not incentivized to build, since all they need to do is throw one strat at the wall per match.”

With more games and best-of-threes and best-of-fives, teams are forced to adapt their strategies and team compositions instead of being able to rely on one lucky game to decide their fate. This is also great for playoff preparation since you’ll need to adapt to any adjustments your opponent makes mid-series.

Since the LCS teams have barely touched stage play in 2024, they could be coming into the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational at a disadvantage. It also doesn’t help that the LCS’ momentum was also stifled my a three-week break due to a new league format, causing fans to scratch their head as their favorite teams sit on the sidelines.