Riot Games has given LCS organizations the green light to make emergency roster signings ahead of the first weekend of the 2023 Summer Split as the league’s usual League of Legends stars prepare to strike—and they won’t just be limited to Diamond-ranked players.
Incredibly, Riot officials have temporarily lifted all rank requirements to help orgs find replacements quickly, according to Travis Gafford on Hotline League on May 29.
The LCS Rules and Penalty Index, available to read in full here, clearly states all players competing in the LCS through the 2023 season “must have held a peak solo queue ranking within the last year of Diamond One or above.”
This ruleset—last updated by Riot on Thursday, May 25 according to the page’s publish date—has been in place since the formation of the North American league and has held the same or similar ranking requirements throughout several major changes, including through the move into franchising in 2018. Now, as Dot Esports understands, there will temporarily be no minimum required rank.
On top of that, Gafford also reported any League player competing in the LCS from this weekend will no longer be required to attend Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles to play—though this change will also just be temporary.
Related: LCSPA is hiding LCS walkout date to blindside Riot Games
The LCS Players Association has already made a statement on May 29 on emergency substitutions stepping in during the walkout. In the follow-up statement, the representative body said it was aware of Riot’s latest attempts to keep the 2023 LCS Summer Split on schedule and asked any players outside the LCS to refuse any offers to fill in this week or in the future.
“This walkout is for the benefit of all League players in NA,” they wrote.
The body warned anyone crossing the line would put current and future LCS players’ futures at risk across the top competition, the NACL, and amateur leagues.
In particular, the LCSPA asked any players who had already agreed to a replacement contract in the last several days to reach out for council on how to navigate the situation and step away from any obligations.
“Based on our conversations, we believe players will stand in solidarity and any attempts to make scab rosters will fail,” LCSPA representatives added in a message to Riot officials. “To start the LCS season without interruption, there is only one solution: meet with the players and agree to a plan that everyone can support.”
Dot Esports expects the impending 2023 LCS Summer Split to begin as planned on Thursday, June 1 despite the potential walkout, especially due to reports all 10 LCS teams are legally obliged to play.
Org staff members shape as the most likely substitutes at the time of publication, though the situation is still unfolding quite quickly.
The first LCS match of Summer is penned in for 2pm on Thursday.
