The LCS Challengers League and the participation of teams in the NACL have been subjects of recent discussions.
Riot’s decision to require every LCS team to field an NACL team has created uncertainty among aspiring League of Legends talents.
However, Riot has now unveiled their plans for the NACL and the teams that will compete in the upcoming Summer Split, including an organization founded by content creator Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang.
Three LCS Teams and Semi-Pro Squads Embrace the Challengers Path
While many LCS teams have chosen not to field a Challengers team for the upcoming Summer Split due to the rule changes, three teams remain committed to the path to pro.
FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and Team Liquid Honda will all have NACL teams in the upcoming split.
Additionally, three semi-pro teams, Cincinnati Fear, Wildcard, and AOE Gold, have secured their spots in the NACL, along with two teams that successfully made it through the Spring Promotion Tournament, Maryville University and Supernova.
The NACL will feature a total of ten teams, with Disguised and Team Fish Taco being the final two additions for the spring split.
Disguised Toast Joins the NACL, Enhancing League Attention
Disguised Toast’s inclusion in the NACL does not come as a surprise, as the content creator has shown interest in North American League of Legends talent.
Speculation had already circulated about Disguised Toast‘s potential involvement, although some had initially considered the possibility of Disguised taking the place of TSM, who recently announced their departure from the LCS to join another tier 1 region.
NACL Summer Split Schedule and Exciting Developments
The NACL Summer Split is set to commence on June 10 and run until July 17, 2023. The teams will compete in a six-week double round-robin best-of-two tournament, with the top eight advancing to the playoffs, featuring a double elimination bracket.
Riot has announced a prize pool of $100,000 for the Challengers league. The finals will be a LAN event held at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, scheduled for August 9, 2023.
Riot has also introduced partner revenue sharing for all NACL teams and has provided fans with an opportunity to support the league through the official NACL Twitch channel, where subscribers can access custom emotes.
With the addition of Disguised Toast to the Challengers league, there is hope that more prominent personalities will join in, bringing increased attention to the league and its aspiring players.