The metagame we have as Worlds begins should be fairly balanced and well-understood – no champion reworks to contend with. Instead of throwing the game into disarray with a giant patch right before the big tournament, Riot has been scaling down their patches as Worlds 2017 draws closer. With respect to patch frequency, go figure that Riot is doing things a little differently this year. (Click the image to be transferred to the full patch notes.) Worlds eventually played out on patch 5.18, and the group-stage metagame was pretty wide-open until the best teams started dictating pick/ban priorities by the time the knockout stage rolled around. If anyone remembers the patch 5.16, or the Juggernaut patch of late August 2015, it was a huge patch that included a bevy of new items and champion reworks. There’s a “Goldilocks Zone” between too many and too few patches, and I think Riot is still looking for it. Constant patching allows players to find new cheese strats and OP combinations, but it also inhibits a metagame’s ability to reach equilibrium due to the constant flux. I would argue that constant patching pressures pros to adapt and improvise new strategies, whereas fewer updates challenges pros to polish. Pro players were complaining that they didn’t have enough time to learn the metagame, and that when they finally did adjust to a patch, a new update was already imminent. At the behest of pro players, Riot decided to tone down the constant patching this year and put limits on patch frequency leading up to major tournaments. While I can’t complain about more high-level League, I have a feeling Riot will revamp the format again next year. While the play-in stage begins on September 23, the tournament won’t conclude until November 4. Now that the World Championships has three distinct stages, I worry that the tournament is becoming slightly bloated. Also, a brand new EU LCS format every half-season–four EU regions are slated for next split, has Riot gone insane? If Riot doesn’t like a feature or thinks a feature can be improved upon, rest assured it will be overhauled very soon. This philosophy is evident in all aspects of their product: constant game re-balancing, endless new features, champions and skins. The play-in stage precedes the group and knockout stages, and is a new addition to this year’s Worlds format. The play-in groups include the #3 seed from the four major regions: China, EU, NA, LMS, as well as 8 teams from smaller regions, including Russia and Japan. Essentially, the play-in stage is a tournament before the the tournament–a last chance qualifier for 12 teams from 12 different regions to earn a slot at the group stage. The World Championship’s play-in stage begins in just eight days.
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