The 2018 NA LCS season was the first year under partnership and sixth overall of the North American ''League of Legends'' Championship Series (NA LCS), a professional

esports Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...

league for the MOBA

PC game A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

'' League of Legends''. It was divided into spring and summer splits, each consisting of a regular season and playoff stage. The top six teams from the regular season advanced to the playoff stage, with the top two teams receiving a bye to the semifinals. The three teams that qualified for the

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2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

were

Team Liquid Team Liquid is a multi-regional professional esports organization based in the Netherlands that was founded in 2000. With the release of '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'', Team Liquid signed their first professional players. In 2012, Team Liq ...

100 Thieves 100 Thieves, LLC is an American lifestyle brand and gaming organization based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2017 by Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and Dan Gilbert. The organization competes in several video games, including ''Apex Legends'', ...

, and Cloud9.

Format

Starting in 2018, the North American LCS announced that it would continue under partnership using a franchised model, rather than promotion and regulation. This changed the overall structure of the league, and encouraged long-term investments from owners, which allowed the league to implement revenue sharing, leading to a better foundation for both the teams and professional players. Professional players were also given a larger voice and more protection within the league. The buy-in price for the league was $10 million for existing League of Legends teams, who had previously participated in the League Championship Series or Challenger Series. New teams would be subject to an additional $3 million ($13 million total), which was to be distributed to the teams that were replaced in the league as compensation. Interested parties were given applications in June, due on July 28, 2017. Over 100 existing esports organizations, traditional sports teams, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs reportedly applied. Those applications were then narrowed down to a shortlist, nicknamed "phase two", which saw participants travel to Riot Games' Los Angeles office to interview and review their applications. Riot Games and the North American League Championship Series players' association also decided that league would not expand and instead remain at 10 teams. Buyers for the league were decided in mid-October. Six existing teams from the league, Cloud9,

Counter Logic Gaming Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) is an American esports organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in April 2010 by George "HotshotGG" Georgallidis and Alexander "Vodoo" Beutel as a ''League of Legends'' team, and has sin ...

, Echo Fox,

FlyQuest FlyQuest is a professional esports organization based in the United States that was founded on January 6, 2017. It is owned by the Viola family, owners of the Florida Panthers. FlyQuest was originally founded after the acquisition of the ''Leagu ...

and Team SoloMid, were accepted back into the league. The other four existing teams,

Immortals Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...

, Phoenix1, Team Dignitas and Team EnvyUs, were declined entry into the restructured league. Due to their departure, four new organizations were added to the NA LCS, one endemic esports team, and three

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

affiliates. Longtime esports organization OpTic Gaming was reportedly awarded a spot in the league after receiving investment from Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman. The other three new spots went to the

Golden Guardians The Golden Guardians (GG) are an American esports organization owned by the Golden State Warriors. The organization was one of four that joined the League of Legends Championship Series, ''League of Legends'' Championship Series (LCS) in 2018 af ...

, supported by the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

co-owner Joe Lacob and his son Kirk,

backed by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, and Clutch Gaming with support from the

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Teams and rosters

Spring

Results

Regular season standings

Prize pool and championship points

Awards

Playoffs

Tiebreakers

= First place

= Third through sixth place

Playoff bracket

Summer

Regular season standings

Prize pool and championship points

Awards

Playoffs

Tiebreakers

Playoff bracket

Regional finals

References

{{2018 Spring League of Legends League of Legends Championship Series seasons 2018 multiplayer online battle arena tournaments North American League of Legends Championship North American League of Legends Championship Spring 2018 in League of Legends competitions