Cloud9’s LCS AD carry player, Kim “Berserker” Min-Cheol appears to have leaked changes to the LCS import rule that could change the league forever.
Currently, the North American professional League of Legends circuit has had a restriction on how many non-resident players were able to play on one roster. Right now, that limit is set to two players from other regions, with some exceptions for players from developing leagues.
According to a recent stream from Berserker, the number of legal non-NA players may be increasing from two to three.
Berserker says LCS import rule will allow three players
In a recent Twitch stream, Berserker was asked about his teammate Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami leaking that Riot Games was planning to move to three international tournaments a year compared to its current two. In response, Berserker dropped his own previously-unknown information.
When musing about Fudge’s leak, Berserker earnestly declared: “Also, Riot said that LCS can be three [Korean players] or three [Chinese players]. I’m not sure about that, but I heard about that.”
Unsure if he was using the correct terminology, Berserker took to a Korean-to-English translator to put to rest any confusion.
“Like [you could play] three,” he paused, searching for the right word, “mercenary, hired soldier.”
https://youtu.be/Oo4UqvqPkC8
While it’s an imperfect translation, it’s clear Berserker is talking about imports, or players from non NA-regions playing on NA teams. Riot Games has tried to limit the number of non-resident players in a regional team to foster more local talent, but that philosophy has had mixed results.
Adding an entirely new slot for another import would radically alter teams’ makeup, allowing for more non-resident than resident players. If Berserker and Fudge’s rumors are both true, the professional League of Legends scene will look radically different in 2024 than it does right now.
The upside is that this could finally allow North American organizations to compete on the international stage.
Nicholas James
About Nicholas James
Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.
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