LCS scouting grounds will be held virtually in 2020

Riot has announced a format update for the 2020 Honda Scouting Grounds. 

Honda Scouting Grounds was announced in June as a way to celebrate competitive League of Legends. The tournament will begin Satuday, November 14. Players participating in the competition have the chance to be scouted by esports organizations in the LCS. 

The event’s selection period was June 24 through September 30, with invites sent to the top players and some back-up options in October. Competitors qualified for the Honda Scouting Grounds through the FACEIT Scouting Grounds Circuit or through solo queue play. You can check out the rules and qualification outline on the official LoL Esports site. 

Riot has now revealed some format changes from last year’s popular event. 

2020 Scouting Grounds tournament format changes

According to a press release from Riot, the format will mirror 2019’s event for the most part, with a few different eligibility requirements now in play. The adjustments are meant to “create as much opportunity as possible for new players,” the announcement stated. The priority of the event is to develop the amateur scene in North America, meaning they are hoping to see a lot of new and promising faces. 

The Honda Scouting Grounds event has become completely virtual for this year. While the tournament’s format will remain the same, there are some extra requirements to “ensure competitive integrity” with the online format. The competitors must play on the same Tournament Realm server and all players must be on a webcam they are provided with. A Riot-hosted system will facilitate player comms, which will be monitored by referees. 

2020 Scouting Grounds drafting information

The draft will take place shortly after the finals on Saturday, November 14. 

Each LCS team is granted one pick, although teams are allowed to trade and sell picks. When a team chooses a player, Riot explained that the organization is “drafting exclusive negotiating rights” with that competitor. The rights will last for 10 days, which is November 15 through November 24. Riot noted that players are not required to sign with the teams that draft them. 

Riot announced that the draft pick order is the LCS standings from the 2020 LCS Summer Split in reverse. That means teams who had more disappointing performances will have the first opportunity to pick up a fresh and promising League of Legends player. 

The order is: 

• • 1st pick – Immortals
  • 2nd pick – Counter Logic Gaming
  • 3rd pick – Dignitas
  • 4th pick – 100 Thieves
  • 5th pick – Evil Geniuses
  • 6th pick – Golden Guardians
  • 7th pick – Cloud9
  • 8th pick – Team Liquid
  • 9th pick – FlyQuest
  • 10th pick – TSM

Check out the Scouting Grounds tournament on Saturday, November 14 at 3 PM PST on twitch.tv/LCS.