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Events & Standings
2021 Summer LCS Academy & Amateur Updates
Here's how things will change for the upcoming summer season of LCS Academy & Amateur leagues
For the 2021 Summer Split, the Academy teams will be participating in a regular season double round-robin best of 2 format. Each Academy team will play 36 regular-season games. The top 6 teams will automatically qualify for Proving Grounds while the bottom 4 teams will play in the Proving Grounds Qualifier. Academy Playoffs are returning and will conclude alongside the Proving Grounds Qualifier.
**Academy Schedule**
Matches for Academy teams will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
*Regular Season*
- June 2 - July 29
*Playoffs*
The top 6 Academy teams at the conclusion of the regular season based on standings will participate in Academy Playoffs. Those playoff results will be used for seeding in Proving Grounds.
- August 5 - August 19
*Tier 1 Tournament - Proving Grounds Qualifier*
Matches for Proving Grounds Qualifier will be played Monday through Thursday. The bottom 4 Academy teams at the conclusion of the regular season based on standings will participate in the Proving Grounds Qualifier in an attempt to qualify for the event. The Top 6 teams in this tournament will automatically qualify for Proving Grounds.
- August 9 - August 19th
Amateur Updates
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The LCS is excited about the first split of the new amateur system and as with any new system, there is always room to make improvements. Below are some upcoming changes to the amateur system for the Summer Split based on the feedback received from the amateur teams, players and tournament operators.
- Create more incentives for each T2 tournament and develop a simpler competitive system for fans to follow.
*We want to reward teams immediately for strong performances rather than delayed incentives that minimize each tournament.*
- Develop a better cadence of tournaments to allow for teams to practice, make roster changes, and integrate with their LCS affiliates.
*Teams and players reported not having enough time to practice due to the competitive schedule. This made practicing on new patches difficult, inability to make roster changes, and tapping into LCS affiliates resources were minimal.*
- Expand roster limit from 5 to 6.
*Throughout the split we ran into difficulties with players being unavailable to compete or emergency situations.*
- Utilize the 2021 North American Amateur Rule Set for all amateur tournaments.
*While varied tournament rules made each event unique, teams reported that it also created additional confusion. We're moving to a singular rule set across all events to minimize these issues*
**Amateur Schedule**
**Overview**
- Amateur teams will play through a series of Tier 2 tournaments to qualify for Proving Grounds.
- The champion of the first two Tier 2 tournaments will automatically qualify for Proving Grounds
- The two teams participating in the Grand Finals of the third Tier 2 will automatically qualify for Proving Grounds
- Teams who do not automatically qualify will be awarded points for their performance in each Tier 2 tournament. The top 12 teams based on points will participate in the Proving Grounds Qualifier. The top 6 teams from the Proving Grounds Qualifier will qualify for Proving Grounds
*Note*: Teams who automatically qualify for Proving Grounds are eligible to continue to compete in Tier 2 tournaments. These teams are ineligible to qualify multiple times through Tier 2 tournaments and their second qualification is to be passed to the next eligible team. Teams who automatically qualify in a Tier 2 tournament are not eligible to participate in the Proving Ground Qualifier.
**Schedule**
*Tier 2 Tournaments*
Matches for Tier 2 Amateur Tournaments will be played on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- May 24 - June 8
6 competitive days
Tournament Champion automatically qualifies for Proving Grounds
- June 21 - July 6
6 competitive days
Tournament Champion automatically qualifies for Proving Grounds
- July 12 - July 27
6 competitive days
Tournament Grand Finalists automatically qualify for Proving Grounds
*Tier 1 Tournament - Proving Grounds Qualifier*
Matches for Proving Grounds Qualifier will be played Monday - Thursday
- August 9 - August 19th
8 competitive days
The top 6 teams of this tournament automatically qualify for Proving Grounds
*Proving Grounds*
- September 2 - 26
The top 16 qualified teams between Academy and Amateur compete to be the Proving Grounds Champion.
Please follow the LCS [on Twitter][1] for updates on our tournament operators, tournament formats, and more!
[1]: https://twitter.com/lcsofficial
