2018 NA LCS season

2018 NA LCS season
League	NA LCS
Sport	League of Legends
Duration	January 20 – April 8 (Spring); June 16 – September 9 (Summer); September 8–10 (Regional finals)
Number of teams	10
TV partner(s)	Twitch, YouTube
Spring
Champions	Team Liquid
Runners-up	100 Thieves
Top seed	100 Thieves
Season MVP	Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black[1]; (100 Thieves)
Summer
Champions	Team Liquid
Runners-up	Cloud9
Top seed	Team Liquid
Season MVP	Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng[2]; (Team Liquid)
Regional finals
Winner	Cloud9

The 2018 NA LCS season was the first year under partnership and sixth overall of the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends. It was divided into spring and summer splits, each consisting of a regular season and playoff stage. The top six teams from the regular season advanced to the playoff stage, with the top two teams receiving a bye to the semifinals.

Format

Starting in 2018, the North American LCS began franchising. There are various reasons for this. First, it changed the overall structure of the league, encouraging long-term investments from owners. This allowed the league to implement revenue sharing, leading to a better foundation for both the teams and professional players. Lastly, the professional players were given a larger voice and more protection within the league.

The buy-in price for the league was $10 million for existing League of Legends teams, who had previously participated in the League Championship Series or Challenger Series. New teams would be subject to an additional $3 million (a total $13 million), which was distributed to the teams that were replaced in the league. Interested parties were given applications in June, due on July 28, 2017. Over 100 existing esports organizations, traditional sports teams, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs reportedly applied.[3] Those applications were then narrowed down to a shortlist, nicknamed "phase two", which saw participants travel to Riot Games' Los Angeles office to interview and review their applications.[4] Riot Games and the North American League Championship Series players' association also decided that league would not expand and instead remain at 10 teams.

Buyers for the league were decided in mid-October. Several existing teams from the league — including Cloud9, Counter Logic Gaming, Echo Fox, FlyQuest, Team Liquid and Team SoloMid — were reportedly accepted back into the league.[5][6][7] Other existing teams, such as Immortals, Phoenix1, Team Dignitas and Team EnvyUs, were declined from entry into the restructured league.[8][9] The team welcomed four new teams — one endemic esports team and three NBA franchises or affiliates. Longtime esports organization OpTic Gaming was reportedly awarded a spot in the league after receiving investment from Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman.[10] The other three new spots went to Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob and his son Kirk as the Golden Guardians, the Cleveland Cavaliers and affiliated venture capital firms as 100 Thieves, and the Houston Rockets as Clutch Gaming.[11][12][13][14]

Spring

Teams and rosters

Team	Players
Team	ID	Name	Position
100 Thieves	Ssumday Meteos Ryu Cody Sun Aphromoo pr0lly	Kim Chan-ho William Hartmank Yoo Sang-wook Cody Sun Zaqueri Black Neil Hammad	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Cloud9	Licorice Svenskeren Jensen Sneaky Smoothie Reapered	Eric Ritchie Dennis Johnsen Nicolaj Jensen Zachary Scuderi Andy Ta Bok Han-gyu	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Clutch Gaming	Solo LirA Febiven Apollo Hakuho Dlim	Colin Earnest Nam Tae-yoo Fabian Diepstraten Apollo Price Nickolas Surgent David Lim	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Counter Logic Gaming	Darshan Reignover Huhi Stixxay Biofrost Ziks	Darshan Upadhyaya Kim Yeu-jin Jaehyun Choi Trever Hayes Vincent Wang Tony Gray	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Echo Fox	Huni Dardoch Fenix Altec Adrian Inero	Heo Seung-hoon Joshua Hartnett Kim Jae-hun Johnny Ru Adrian Ma Nick Smith	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
FlyQuest	Flame AnDa Fly WildTurtle Stunt RobertYip	Lee Ho-jong Andy Hoang Song Yong-jun Jason Tran William Chen Robert Yip	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Golden Guardians	Lourlo Contractz Hai Deftly Matt Akiri	Samson Jackson Juan Garcia Hai Lam Matthew Chen Matthew Elento Tyler Perron	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Team Liquid	Impact Xmithie Pobelter Doublelift Olleh Cain	Jung Eon-yeong Jake Puchero Eugene Park Yiliang Peng Kim Joo-sung Jang Nu-ri	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
OpTic Gaming	Zig Akaadian PowerOfEvil Arrow LemonNation Zabountine	Derek Shao Matthew Higginbotham Tristan Schrage Noh Dong-hyeonr Daerek Hart Thomas Si Hassan	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach
Team SoloMid	Hauntzer MikeYeung Bjergsen Zven mithy SSONG	Kevin Yarnell Mike Yeung Sǿren Bjerg Jesper Svenningsen Alfonso Aguirre Rodríguez Kim Sang-soo	Top Jungle Mid Bottom (ADC) Bottom (Support) Coach

Regular season standings

Pos	Team	W–L	Points	Qualification
1.	100 Thieves	12–6	+6	Advance to semifinals
2.	Echo Fox	12–6	+6	Advance to semifinals
3.	Team SoloMid	11–7	+4	Advance to quarterfinals
4.	Team Liquid	11–7	+4
5.	Cloud9	11–7	+4
6.	Clutch Gaming	11–7	+4
7.	Counter Logic Gaming	7–11	-4	No qualification for Playoffs
8.	FlyQuest	6–12	-6
9.	OpTic Gaming	5–13	-7
10.	Golden Guardians	4–14	-10

Prize pool and championship points

Pos	Prize Pool	Qualification Points	Team
	$100,000	90	Team Liquid
	$50,000	70	100 Thieves
	$30,000	50	Echo Fox
4th	$20,000	30	Clutch Gaming
5th/6th	-	10	Cloud9
5th/6th	-	10	Team SoloMid
7th	-	-	Counter Logic Gaming
8th	-	-	FlyQuest
9th	-	-	OpTic Gaming
10th	-	-	Golden Guardians

Awards

Award	Player	Team
MVP	Zaqueri Aphromoo Black	100 Thieves
Rookie of the Split	Eric Licorice Ritchie	Cloud9
Coach of the Split	Neil pr0lly Hammad	100 Thieves
1st Team All-Pro	Heo Huni Seung-hoon	Echo Fox
	Joshua Dardoch Hartnett	Echo Fox
	Sǿren Bjergsen Bjerg	Team SoloMid
	Cody Cody Sun Sun	100 Thieves
	Zaqueri Aphromoo Black	100 Thieves

First place

	1st Place Tiebreaker

	100 Thieves		1
	Echo Fox		0

Third through sixth place

First Round		Third Place Tiebreaker

Team Liquid	1
Cloud9	0
		Team Liquid	0
		Team SoloMid	1
Team SoloMid	1
Clutch Gaming	0	Fifth Place Tiebreaker

		Cloud9	1
		Clutch Gaming	0

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals			Semifinals			Final

3	Team SoloMid	1	1	100 Thieves	3
6	Clutch Gaming	3	6	Clutch Gaming	2
						1	100 Thieves	0
						4	Team Liquid	3
4	Team Liquid	3	2	Echo Fox	1
5	Cloud9	0	4	Team Liquid	3	Third Place

						2	Echo Fox	3
						6	Clutch Gaming	0

References

Goslin, Austen (7 April 2018). "Aphromoo named NA LCS 2018 Spring Split MVP". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
Chang, Brian (8 September 2018). "Doublelift takes home the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split MVP". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
"Overwatch League, North American LCS head in different directions". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
Greeley, Chris (2017-09-22). "Mid-Flight Update on Our Selection Process for NA LCS 2018". LoL Esports.
"Sources: Team SoloMid, Cloud9, Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming to rejoin NA LCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Immortals out, Echo Fox in for the NA LCS, sources say". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"FlyQuest accepted as NA LCS franchise". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Sources: Dignitas' League of Legends Championship Series franchising application declined". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Sources: Phoenix1 and Team Envy declined entry into newly-franchised LCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Sources: OpTic Gaming to join North American League Championship Series". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Sources: Warriors co-owner lands League of Legends franchise spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Sources: NA LCS team roster finalized with Rockets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"Cavs added as League of Legends franchise". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
"NA LCS Team Announcement". Riot Games. Retrieved November 21, 2017.

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[1] Goslin, Austen (7 April 2018). "Aphromoo named NA LCS 2018 Spring Split MVP". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

[2] Chang, Brian (8 September 2018). "Doublelift takes home the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split MVP". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

[3] "Overwatch League, North American LCS head in different directions". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[4] Greeley, Chris (2017-09-22). "Mid-Flight Update on Our Selection Process for NA LCS 2018". LoL Esports.

[5] "Sources: Team SoloMid, Cloud9, Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming to rejoin NA LCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[6] "Immortals out, Echo Fox in for the NA LCS, sources say". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[7] "FlyQuest accepted as NA LCS franchise". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[8] "Sources: Dignitas' League of Legends Championship Series franchising application declined". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[9] "Sources: Phoenix1 and Team Envy declined entry into newly-franchised LCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[10] "Sources: OpTic Gaming to join North American League Championship Series". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[11] "Sources: Warriors co-owner lands League of Legends franchise spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[12] "Sources: NA LCS team roster finalized with Rockets". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[13] "Cavs added as League of Legends franchise". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.

[14] "NA LCS Team Announcement". Riot Games. Retrieved November 21, 2017.

League of Legends Championship Series
Teams	100 Thieves Cloud9 Counter Logic Gaming Dignitas Evil Geniuses FlyQuest Golden Guardians Immortals Team Liquid Team SoloMid
Seasons	2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Spring 2018 in Professional League of Legends competition
Mid-Season Invitational
Regional leagues	Europe North America Vietnam