At the League of Legends S15 World Championship, with the finals just one day away, Riot recently updated the global team power rankings on their official site. The top four spots are dominated by four LCK World Championship teams, with AL and Top Esports ranked 5th and 6th respectively. BLG has steadily dropped to 8th place, while IG has consistently been outside the top 10. Their current power rating is now below Europe's G2 and North America's FLY.

Besides the power rankings, Riot also recently announced the adjustments and locations for the S16 international tournaments. First, the global VCS will be held in São Paulo, Brazil. The number of participating teams will increase from 5 to 8, with both the LPL and LCK gaining an additional slot, totaling two teams each. Additionally, the Brazil region will have a dedicated spot. The VCS will continue to use global draft picks and will be played entirely in best-of-five series.

With more teams and a shift to best-of-five matches, the schedule will naturally be extended (likely split into two groups with four teams each, playing round-robin, and the top two advancing to the semifinals). This change instantly raises the prestige of the global VCS. It remains to be seen whether the LPL can redeem itself next year in the VCS or if it will just be like one spinning top becoming two. With best-of-five, they probably won't get swept repeatedly anymore.

Next is the Mid-Season Invitational, which will be hosted in Daejeon, South Korea. The number of MSI teams will increase from 10 to 11. Riot still grants Brazil one slot. Due to the increase in teams, the play-in stage will only have one qualifying spot (four teams competing for one). The knockout stage format is expected to remain the same as this year. The VCS champion can help their region secure a direct MSI knockout stage spot, and the MSI winner will directly qualify for Worlds.

Finally, the World Championship will be held in North America, with the finals set in New York. The number of participating teams will increase from 17 to 18 next year. IG's 17th place finish this year has become a unique piece of history. Riot’s changes effectively place IG on the shame pillar. With 18 teams participating, the play-in stage will likely feature four teams, with two advancing to the Swiss system main event. The rest of the format will remain the same as this year.

It must be said that Riot is really favoring CBLOL, as Brazil receives a dedicated slot in all three major international tournaments. However, this is understandable since the Brazilian region's viewership is even higher than North America's. When the regions merged last year, Brazilian teams and fans were collectively unhappy. Now that they’ve split again, Riot naturally needs to give Brazil some compensation; otherwise, it would be hard to justify.

Looking at the overall reforms to the three major international tournaments, the biggest change is to the VCS. LPL getting two slots is largely thanks to Top Esports, who made the semifinals this year. The other three teams are all from LCK, so LPL remains the second strongest region, earning two slots. Had Top Esports not beaten G2 in the quarterfinals, Europe’s LEC would have taken those two VCS slots next year.

In the first VCS, Top Esports set a shameful record but now they have earned a slot for LPL, somewhat redeeming themselves. However, LPL ended this year's international events empty-handed, and honestly, prospects for next year aren't very optimistic. Hopefully, with the new transfer rules this offseason, LPL can form 1-3 competitive teams; otherwise, they will be dominated by LCK again in international play.

Conclusion:

Holding Worlds in North America means Asian fans might not have the best viewing experience due to time differences. Watching the matches might require staying up late. But that’s a topic for later. Right now, we should focus on the T1 vs KT finals and the upcoming LPL winter transfer period.

So, what do you think about Riot’s recent reforms?

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