LPL LoL: China League Of Legends Pro League

Speaking about the competitive League of Legends, we cannot mention the Chinese region with its LPL. The first tournaments of the series began to be held in 2013 and at first the LPL was “catching up”. As esports developed in the League of Legends, the teams from China got in shape and by the middle of the tenths they were on the same level with the LCS, LEC and LCK, subsequently overtaking the first two in terms of performance.

History of the LPL

The first major championship was held in China in 2013. Then the tournament was called Tencent LoL Pro League 2013 and was held by the parent company of Riot Games, the Chinese tech giant Tencent.

In the first season of the Tencent LoL Pro League 2013, which would later become the LPL, 8 teams played. The competition year was divided into two halves: the Spring Split and the Summer Split.

The format of the tournament was standard, although it was noticeably different from the same LCK and was more similar to the modern structure of the franchise leagues. It was closely associated with Tencent Games Arena Winter 2013, from where two teams entered the Tencent LoL Pro League 2013 group stage.

The group stage itself was held according to the Quadruple Round-Robin format (teams play each other 4 times). Four teams advanced from the group stage to the playoffs, and two more went straight to the regional finals. The latter will become a separate tournament in later years. Teams from China reached the Worlds through the regional finals.

The spring split of Tencent LoL Pro League 2013 was won by Oh My God, and the summer split by Positive Energy.

In 2014, the principle of Tencent LoL Pro League 2013 has not changed. The only innovations are new names in the professional arena. Tencent LoL Pro League 2014 was the debut for such clubs as EDward Gaming and LGD Gaming, which will later become permanent residents of the title Chinese series.

The competitive League of Legends was gaining momentum and in 2015 Tencent LoL Pro League 2015 contained 11 clubs. For the first time in the league in 2015, 8 teams advanced to the playoffs. This entailed seeding changes in the Tencent LoL Pro League Summer Split 2015:

• Top 1-2 teams went directly to the semi-finals
• Top 3-4 started the playoffs from the quarterfinals
• 5th place from the third round of the playoffs
• 6th place fell into the second round of the playoff bracket
• TOP-7-8 started from the first round

Despite a clear seeding advantage, that season LGD Gaming became the victors. As a result of the group stage, the team took 5th place, and in the final they beat Qiao Gu Reaper with a score of 3-2.

Another major innovation for 2015 is Championship Points. Thanks to the points earned during the season, teams from China could count on a direct entry into the Worlds series tournaments.

From Tencent LoL Pro League to LPL - Transition to Franchise

A full transition to the franchise league structure and the current LPL abbreviation happened in 2017. Teams that were selected to participate with Tencent LoL Pro League 2016 for the next season received a slot that now did not burn out regardless of the result

As in other regions like North America or Europe, the slot could be redeemed. The first list of partners included 12 teams, which were divided into two equal groups of 6 each.

LPL partners in 2017

• Qiao Gu Reapers
• Team W.E.
• Shake Esports
• LGD Gaming
• Energy Peacemaker.All
• Masters 3
• Royal Never Give Up
• Edward Gamng
• Vici Gaming
• Invictus Gaming
• Oh My God
• Hyper Youth Gaming

In 2018, the LPL expands: the list of participants grows to 14 teams, but the main innovation comes in 2019.

Updated LPL format

At the LPL 2019, all participating teams were placed in one group, and their number increased to 16. The LPL franchise rules continued to apply, according to which no one left the league after finishing low.

In 2019, the ball in China was ruled by FPX, which got into the LPL structure a year earlier. The team took 3rd place in the spring split, after which they moved up two lines by winning the LPL Summer 2019.

In the local league, success did not end there, and already in the same year, FPX raised the Summoners' Cup.

In 2020, another one joins the sixteen LPL teams. Now 17 teams play in the Chinese league and it remains the largest. Structural changes did not follow.

Worlds Champions from the LPL

As the LPL developed as a franchise and the League of Legends became popular in the Chinese region, the confidence of the LPL teams on the international scene grew. China saw its first League of Legends world champion in 2018.

Worlds champion teams from China

• Invictus Gaming are Worlds 2018 champions
• FunPlus Phoenix - Worlds 2019 Champions
• EDward Gaming are Wolrds 2021 Champions

During the existence of the Worlds series tournaments, teams from China have won three times. This is the second result among all regions: a record for South Korean clubs, winning 7 tournaments out of 12 held.

Top LPL Teams

The most titled LPL team is EDward Gaming. The top Chinese organization reached the TOP-3 12 times, of which they won the LPL split three times.

Royal Never Give Up is next with a total of 11 medals. RNG have become LPL champions 5 times.

JD Gaming closes the top three with a large lag. One of the youngest tags in the competitive Chinese region has been in the TOP 3 6 times, of which.