The LCK 2020 Spring Split event held by Riot Games for League of Legends was already underway when the ongoing pandemic sprung out of nowhere, forcing the organizers to delay Round 2 from the 19th to the 25th of March onto a newly forged online format, as expected. This news is certainly a joy for the League of Legends after being told the LCK will be postponed indefinitely.
Indeed, LCK 2020 is back – and you can expect it to kick off right where it left off. After Riot Games (Korea) ensured that each team had access to a sufficiently powerful internet and PC system, everything has been considered before moving forward with online play. Recently, on Wednesday the 18th, test matches were successful and gave the green light.
Schedule and Format
In order to make up for the lost time and matches, a few changes had to made and a newly furnished schedule has been released. The competition still remains a Double Round Robin, and matches are still best-of-three, it’s just now, more games will be played on a weekly basis.
While in Round 1, (Weeks 1-5) 4 days a week were filled with roughly two games per day, with some having three and others, one. Now, games will be held five times a week and for the most part, with three games per day.
Due to this, days will be kicking off earlier and there’s the unfortunate result in that certain teams will be playing 2 matches in a single day, which is rather rough – this is the sacrifice to be made to avoid cancelling the entire LCK. In order to reduce any complaints within the competitive community, each individual team offered consent for the matches scheduled to be potentially redrawn if this should take place.
The following is the schedule for the first week of Round 2, running from the 25th to the 29th of March:
March 25th
- Griffin vs Gen.G
- KT Rolster vs DAMWON Gaming
- Hanhwa Life Esports vs DragonX
March 26th
- Afreeca Freecs vs SANDBOX Gaming
- T1 vs APK Prince
- Gen.G vs DAMWON Gaming
March 27th
- Hanhwa Life Esports vs KT Rolster
- SANDBOX Gaming vs Griffin
- T1 vs DragonX
March 28th
- DAMWON Gaming vs APK Prince
- Afreeca Freecs vs Gen.G
- Griffin vs DragonX
March 29th
- T1 vs Hanhwa Life Esports
- APK Prince vs SANDBOX Gaming
- KT Rolster vs Afreeca Freecs
On each day, the first game will be held at 3pm (KST) whenever there are three games. At whatever time the first game ends, the second will play out – so no exact schedule can be provided. If only two games will be played on a certain day, one can tune in at 5pm (KST) as per usual.
Beyond the week above, three more weeks of the competition remain; all to conclude on April 16th. To view the schedule of the remainder of Round 2, you can visit here: https://www.esportspedia.com/lol/LCK_2020_Spring_Split.
Current Standings
Below are the current standings for the LCK 2020 Spring Split from the first round:
- Gen.G (8-1)
- Dragons (7-2)
- T1 (7-2)
- Afreeca Freecs (6-3)
- DAMWON Gaming (4-5)
- KT Rolster (4-5)
- Hanhwa Life Esports (3-6)
- SANDBOX Gaming (2-7)
- APK Prince (2-7)
- Griffin (2-7)
Predictions
Is it settled? Will Gen.G stay strong?
Not entirely – their only loss went to the hands of T1, who are hot on their heels while DragonX also has a solid case, though their losses pertain to those above them. T1 and DragonX matching up on the 27th will have an incredible amount of stress on it; so be sure to watch!
Former LCK players of Wolf, Ambition and PraY have all spoken out with their own predictions, backing up the ones they stated at the beginning – it’s a three-horse race between Gen.G, T1 and DragonX, with Gen.G being the strongest of the three. The match-ups between these goliaths will determine the outcome of the entire event.
In the end, only the top 5 teams will be able to qualify for the LCK 2020 Spring Playoffs – so while the top three may be at each other’s throats, keep a close eye on the 3-6th placements as they battle for a spot.
Stay on track at http://www.esportsguide.com.stg.rake.pw for more esports news!
