The LCS spring split might only just be in the books, but the hype for the Mid-Season Showdown has already begun. On March 15th, Riot Games revealed the venue and clarified the event’s format in a blog post on the lol esports website.
The Mid-Season Showdown heads to LA, and will take place in the iconic Greek Theatre (Image via Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
The Mid-Season Showdown is the official name of the new LCS playoffs. And this year, there’ll be a touch of glamour to proceedings as the MSS Grand Finals will take place at the Los Angeles Greek Theatre. The new-look format debuted late last year and adds a twist to the previous events. In a double-elimination event, the winner of the MSS will become the first LCS champion of 2021. They’ll also punch their ticket to the Mid-Season Invitational.
But the crucial LCS event will be missing one key element: The audience. Fans will have to miss catching the action in person due to ongoing Covid protocols. Riot Games also confirmed that testing would occur for all teams before arrival on their initial blog post. Additional distancing regulations will be in force on site.
More Than Just Playoffs
The MSS will begin on March 20th. Cloud 9, 100 Thieves, Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and Dignitas will compete over three grueling rounds. Then, the final two teams will head to LA, on April 10th-11th, for the Grand Finals.
Riot Games also took the chance to announce their newest sponsor for the event. The LCS has partner with Grubhub to ‘deliver’ this brand new playoff experience. The collaboration will see Grubhub banners appear in each team’s base, while the Baron Pit will be adorned with Red Bull banners.
Branding aside, the unique scheduling and format of the MSS are what really stand out. By sticking to weekends primarily, the event will capitalize on its built-up audience who can watch the event over several weeks and not miss any action.
To catch the Mid-Season Showdown action yourself, you can tune in from March 20th at 1pm PT on the LCS’s official Twitch, YouTube channels, or on lolesports.com.
