Recently in the off season after the League of Legend’s 2014 World’s Finals we have seen players retiring, some becoming free agents, and teams breaking apart. In addition several leagues have enacted 3/5th rules to prevent teams from importing whole rosters from other countries as well as OGN limiting the amount of teams an organization can have to one. A lot of players have found themselves looking for a new team to compete in any of the premier leagues or attempt to requalify for them. However there is a limited amount of starting roster spots available and a lot of players from all over the world looking to compete. Many people will think that a large portion of these free agents are going to be out of luck, but now’s a time for League of Legends to experience tremendous growth as an esport and in the level of competition.

With League of Legends experiencing astronomical growth and no signs of slowing down teams and organizations are investing more and more into players, coaches, and support staff in hopes of acquiring a huge following or placing far into the World Championship. Right now we’ve seen a few roster mix ups and players transferring to different leagues but what we haven’t seen are any announcements for substitute players. Acquiring substitutes has always been a last minute and a side thought process for western teams but with all the free talent teams could potentially grab a real star. Of course signing a sub is a two way street in the first place. Players have to be willing to put down their pride and maybe realize that they are past their prime or are out classed, and secondly teams need to provide a good monetary or beneficial incentive for players to sign up as substitutes. There are a lot of veteran players who can pass on knowledge to new blood, and a lot of young players who could benefit by not being thrown right into the lime light and having every move criticized.

In regular sports namely American football having a practice squad isn’t unheard of and largely considered the norm. Practice squads are used to run certain plays and drills for the main roster to help them perform when it comes game time. In addition any strategies or plays that the teams want to run are kept private and confidential because every single player is under the same brand. In League of Legends a system like this was pioneered by MiG who would pick up a team which would later be known as MiG Blaze and today as CJ Entus Blaze. MiG Blaze was originally started for MiG Frost to get quality scrim and practice partners. Frost didn’t have to go around asking for scrims only to play against a rag tag group of players who might have shown up 30 minutes late and ff’d after getting three buffed. Of course Blaze didn’t start out as the powerhouse who would eventually compete alongside and best Frost in the OGN circuit, they were built up to that point. This trend continued throughout OGN’s history of organizations picking up two teams (sometimes three in MVP’s case) and even adding a squad of substitutes groomed to step up when a started isn’t performing or decides to retire. However with OGN limiting the amount of teams that each organization can have representing them I fear this practice may die out as Korean players start looking abroad for starting positions as organizations start downsizing.

Now is the time for one of the parties discussed earlier to become the bigger man. It would be extremely beneficial for an upcoming challenger team to offer top quality scrimmage. To have a team show up to play on time, give 100% effort mimicking LCS levels of play, and allowing teams to practice new strategies without a chance of a leak is huge. Likewise when going gets rough for the main roster and stream time comes down, a substitute squad of the right players can bring in similar viewer numbers and promote the organization just as well. It also gives a way for teams to try out players and mold them from solo queue stars into a shot caller, an aggressive AD, or someone with a Swiss army knife champion pool while learning about the player and catching any potential teamwork issues before the player has even set foot onto the stage. A system like this would also promote a healthier solo queue environment as now a high ranking could mean something for talent scouts rather than recruitment being a popularity contest. Having a second practice team also offers and opens up positions for organizations to try out analyst and managers without a risk to their main roster’s performance. There are hungry, motivated, and determined players, analyst, and coaches looking to show what they can do. And I’d think every organization would look to take any opportunity to improve and become the best or take every advertising avenue they can.

On top of all of these benefits organizations now can have multiple brains looking at top tier solo queue for the next OP champion, efficient rune set up, or even jungle pathing. However like with everything in life there are risk and that means managing and providing adequate means for another team of players. There could be potentially more headache’s for management as they look to control a player from a PR perspective. But the negatives and positives all depend on the players signed and the organizations they choose to play under. I personally think if the right players can market themselves properly and stay motivated to not squander a golden opportunity, while respectable organizations provide monetary and managerial incentive. A system like this, in the West, could propel competitive League of Legend’s to new heights in the upcoming seasons.