The 2021 LCK Summer Split return date is now set

With the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational now done, fans won’t have to wait long before League of Legends’ top regional leagues to return. 

One of the most anticipated leagues to follow will be Korea’s LCK after DWG KIA lost the MSI final to Royal Never Give Up. Many people expected DWG KIA to take home another trophy, but this didn’t happen. This leaves a lot of questions surrounding DWG KIA, and opens the door for competition in the LCK.

According to a report by InvenGlobal, the split is set to kick off on June 9. 

With only a few weeks before the LCK starts, teams won’t have much more time to prepare. Most teams have had a long break and are probably already preparing for the next split, but DWG KIA isn’t so lucky. The defending world champion will only have a few days to prepare after returning from Iceland. This might show in the team’s performance early in the split, and the margin for error will be slim in the perpetually stacked region.  

As per usual, the league will have the 10 best Korean teams competing for the trophy. Furthermore, the summer split will be the last before the 2021 World Championship. This usually makes the competition even more intense, as everyone will be fighting for one of the coveted spots. This year, the LCK will be granted four spots to the World Championship based on international performances. 

Four spots will be given to both the LCK and the LPL. With this many LCK and LPL representatives at the 2021 World Championship, it’s looking to be more competitive than ever. Not only are DWG KIA and RNG expected to return to the international stage, but many other prominent teams will follow along. 

It leaves both the LEC and LCS with fewer spots at the tournament, after failing to perform at the highest level in recent events. The LEC is still the region performing the best, with MAD Lions making it to the semifinals at MSI. LCS, on the other hand, is falling further behind and will desperately look for a deep run at Worlds. 

Before more international action can happen, the four major regions will play out their respective summer splits. With the LCK starting on June 9, most leagues seem to be set to restart at around the same time. The only league missing is the LPL, whose start date is still unknown.