Preface: The S15 season’s matches are all finished, and the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent offseason period. A new cycle of competition is about to start, with regions successively revealing their new season formats. True to its reputation as the world’s number one region, LCK has implemented forward-thinking changes in this update, such as experimenting with coach voice communication and introducing BO5 showdowns during Super Week. After examining the Super Week rules carefully, it’s clear there’s plenty of excitement, allowing strong teams to face off—demonstrating the region’s innovative strength. Additionally, LCK officially announced the rosters of participating teams.

Major Overhaul of LCK’s First Stage Format

Most players are quite familiar with the LCK region. Recognized as the world’s top competitive region, it has seen rapid development and increasingly consistent results over recent years. No other region can match them head-to-head. In fact, the S15 World Championship finals featured two LCK teams battling it out once again. During this offseason, many fans have been discussing the format changes. Adjustments have been made almost every year recently to attract viewer attention because the league’s popularity is declining. Continuous innovation is the only way to retain players.

Recently, the LCK officially revealed the schedule for the first stage. This time, the region made significant changes to the entertainment aspect of the competition, adding BO5 matches during Super Week and trialing coach voice comms. The schedule runs from January 14 to March 1. Although this is an LCK cup, it parallels the LPL’s first stage, with the top two teams advancing to the global Pioneers event. The coach voice comms feature is somewhat familiar, having been tested in previous Demacia and KeSPA Cups, though overall effectiveness has been mixed. While it can help when a team is ahead, frequent interruptions when behind can negatively impact players’ mentality.

The key highlight this time is the newly added Super Week BO5 matches. During the third week of group play, Super Week will take place, where teams seeded equally within their groups face each other. Winners of these BO5s earn two match points, while other BO3 wins grant only one point. Fans are eagerly anticipating this Super Week showdown, praising the first region’s ability to innovate. Actually, the LPL is no slouch either—global draft strategies likely originated there. It’s just that after losing matches, any move is often criticized.

The opening match features KT versus DNS, suggesting the LCK may not be overly focused on the first day’s schedule. The most anticipated clash is on the 16th between HLE and T1. These two teams share a deep rivalry—the previous KeSPA Cup final was theirs. This first stage encounter promises to be intense. Both teams will field their full main rosters, so it depends on how aggressively Faker plays. If he continues to dominate easily, the LCK might truly become T1’s domain. There’s also excitement around the global Pioneers event to see which LPL team will emerge as the top contender.

Goodbye thoughts

The introduction of Super Week by LCK is quite interesting. Their first stage leans more towards entertainment, unlike the LPL where the first, second, and third stages maintain relatively similar intensity, with the first stage points even increased. This undoubtedly puts more pressure on competing players. That’s not to say the LPL format is bad—just that the LCK’s system feels a bit more refined.

What do all of you viewers think about this matter?