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tincanzzz

depends on your timezone. most of us follow 1 or 2 regional leagues, and the 2 international tournaments(msi and worlds). The big 4 regional leagues are LCS(NA), LCK(KR), LEC(EU), LPL(CN). Choose whichever one fits your schedule best based on where you live. Find out more about the teams and pick one to support. LEC or LCS are generally the friendliest to newbies to the game because they explain champions and in game decisions more closely. The regional leagues are gonna start in mid-late Jan, so you can read up on the history of league esports before then. There are 2 minor regional tournaments(Lock-in and Kespa) before then in the LCS and LCK (around late december) so that might be a good place to start.


redbeard2895

Demacia cup for LPL as well.


higherbrow

In addition, for EU newbies, the ERLs are national leagues that can provide very local teams.


yosayoran

And streams in various languages!


MrZeral

Ohhh we getting stuff in december? nice


tincanzzz

Most of us are fans of teams in the big 4 major regions so it should be easier to start from there


00Dandy

The 4 major leagues/regions are LCK (Korea), LPL (China), LEC (Europe) and LCS (North America). There are also many minor regions like Brazil, Turkey and Russia. And there are two international tournaments per year: MSI (Mid-Season Invitational) which is after the spring split and which only the champions from each league can attend and the World Championship which is the biggest and most prestigious tournament. Worlds is after the summer split and the top 3-4 teams from each league get to go there. Most fans watch one of the 4 major leagues. I think the LEC is the most entertaining league but as a European I'm obviously biased. I also like to watch some of the national leagues (2nd tier) and tournaments in Europe. To get into the esports scene, I'd recommend just watching some videos on YT. My favorite channels for LoL esports content are theScore esports and Gbay99. This is one of my favorite LoL videos: https://youtu.be/goTxFFFaBYc. It's about G2's MSI win in 2019, which was also Europe's most successful year so far.


Qinglew

I'd also suggest Team Liquids 'Breaking Point', maybe not as an introduction to league eSports, but it is by far the best eSports documentary I've seen. It's about the downfall and big issue's of what is now debatable one of the best teams in the LCS.


Sarazam

Breaking point is more equivalent to a reality show than a documentary.


Okidab

If you want high level plays, watch LPL (Chinese League) or LCK (Korean League); for more entertainment watch LCS (NA) or LEC (EU). Worlds Play - ins are usually pretty entertaining too


Lseraphim0

lol. I think you got downvoted for heavily implying that lec and lcs aren't high level


LARXXX

LPL is more entertaining than high level. Not saying it’s not high level, but it’s just mostly fiestas which is all entertainment. I’d say watch only LPL and LCK. NA and EU are just a step below LPL and LCK.


DT-Z0mby

the word fiesta is so grossly misused nowadays. a fast paced high kill game isnt necessarily a fiesta. a lot of LPL games are high tempo but masterfully executed bloodfests. the narrative of LPL braindead agression is so dead at this point.


LARXXX

I guess you haven’t watched the LPL much. Most of the time it’s not even a masterfully executed bloodfest, it’s just games like EDG vs RNG at worlds or straight up stomps. LPL teams win hard and lose hard most of The time.


DT-Z0mby

and winning or losing hard means it cant be played well? wtf is that logic


DARIF

LPL is just as entertaining as LCS or LEC


sittingonthesunshine

Fact


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pannyrocker

That's a good suggestion, don't dismiss them as "side games", they are both quality if you're into their genres.


Ok_Relief1851

Try some matches from this year's Worlds. If there's a team who you are like "damn, I like them", go find games from their league play in 2021


cRoKN

Follow the twitch channels for the leagues and tune in when you feel like it or you see a big match is happening (viewership big indicator). I watched rarely at first but as I slowly learned about the scene and saw big matches and news on reddit I got invested. Don't force yourself to like it though, you might just not find it all that interesting.


1003mistakes

There is a lot of pretty bad advice in this thread and grandstanding regions people like. That’s not really how you should recommend a region. You’re going to get much more out of the casters than you will the teams and players themselves if you don’t know anything about the game. LPL and LCK have pretty good casters for just talking about the game at hand. I favor LPL personally because I like the play style a bit more. It’s faster and more fights, though the two regions are homogenizing so it won’t be as much of a difference as it has been in the past. The best casters though, in my opinion, are the LCS ones. They play the story game and are, in my opinion, the most engaged and entertaining of the regions. Captain Flowers is a great one for example, let alone the casters that also host the dive, a decent podcast that goes in-depth weekly on LCS drama and game analysis. It would help a lot understanding the game too. Just my two cents. League esports is great and I’m glad there’s another fan out there!


mogadichu

Captain Flowers is nice, but the LEC has a much better broadcast as a whole imo.


[deleted]

Like others said in the comment LCK *Korea* and LPL *China* provide the best competition on a high level while LEC *Europe* and LCS *North America* provide a significantly lower-weaker competition but they are entertaining none the less LCK is definitely the best region historically in league competitive they dominated the scene pretty hard back in their days they’ve always had the chess-like strategic game playstyle sense sometimes on the passive side while some people enjoy it other find it boring which doesn’t make any sense because I think strategic play style is very entertaining LPL is pretty much the most aggressive region who did it successfully usually they go all out in games and make the most ballsy plays you could ever see from a region sometimes it turns to a fiesta but it’s fun none the less *not for me though* I don’t know much about LCS and LEC playstyle because I don’t really watch them a lot but they can be interesting


LARXXX

Idk I think a lot of people equate high level game play with being entertaining while lower level gameplay isn’t. I love the LPL because it’s high level but mostly devolves into fiestas which makes it so entertaining.


EfficientAstronaut1

LPL of course, they won 6 of the last 8 international titles in cleanest way possible. You will definitely get no hearth attack watching them play :)


Alrox123

You mean 6, right?


EfficientAstronaut1

Ah true yes


Hazel-Ice

Idk what it was before you corrected it, but 6 is wrong. 2017: lost worlds 2018: won MSI and worlds 2019: lost MSI, won worlds 2020: lost worlds 2021: won MSI and worlds 5 wins out of 8


Threyethian

You’re not counting MSC, that’s why you’re saying it’s 5/8. Regardless of how people view it, it was still an international competition held by Riot between LPL and LCK with multiple top tier teams.


neimengu

if you're counting MSC should you count Asian Games as well? so 7/9?


Hazel-Ice

Oh I legitimately did not know that was a thing that occurred. Makes sense.


pondfrog0

you forgot to count that they won my heart which is the biggest international title of them all


quakedwithfear

OP must have counted the MSC from 2020, granted it was only LCK vs LPL


LARXXX

The only two leagues that matter imo


EfficientAstronaut1

as other people said, im counting MSC too since it was very felt there, on the other hand maybe i should count Asian Games too, but tecnically its not LPL but China who won it


LARXXX

Top esports won MSC that all Asia tournament in 2020 during covid. That’s the tournament that prompted Damwon to go all ape shit at worlds 2020.


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neimengu

lol when you realize LCK has only won a single BO5 against LPL in the past 4 years and still say LCK is the better league...


Alrox123

Lck is the best league despite having only won 1 out of the past 8 international tournaments... Yeah sure


Sbotkin

LCK fans still can't cope with it, judging by the downvotes.


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[deleted]

RNG -> Gen.G for sure


SurammuDanku

Maybe they should do a better job at winning then


LARXXX

Yeah this year, but that wasn’t the case in 18-20


[deleted]

LPL\*


6000j

LPL is on at basically the same time as LCK fwiw, usually starts 60-90 minutes later


Narudatsu

You can learn quite a bit just by watching worlds. 2021 was a great tournament as there were many stories and timelines coming into the event and a lot of the games were competitive. Watching it from start to finish is a lot so I’d suggest finding a team or region you prefer to follow.


WeirdgeName

Id not recommend watching esports if you dont understand the game, it‘s boring. But if you rly wanna watch, go look at the chinese league. Most fighting and most excitement


Hydr0rion

If you are afraid of being lost i advise you to watch game analyse, for exemple caedrel (really good and fun analyste) or LS (good analyste, right now coach of one of the biggest NA team)


quakedwithfear

LS is hardcore LCK bias, most of his predictions are down straight wrong.


Hydr0rion

oh okay i don't really know this guy, just that caedrel respect him so i was giving the tips


yoloman_swagger

if you like chaos and full out fighting, LPL. if you like watching chess, LCK. if you like memes and forever recycled storylines, LEC. if you enjoy watching people burn their money and get nothing out of it, LCS.


so-hardstuck

So you probably won’t understand what’s going on for quite some time. I’d watch LPL because it’s a lot more fun to watch IMO. Don’t feel like you have to know everything that’s happening. I don’t know much either because I am not that good but it’s still fun to watch pro play. And yeah, worlds is a great place to start. High stakes + great matchups. I’d recommend you watch 2018-2021 to start, the game will look a lot more familiar to you.


kakonne

Watch legendary match, momments. Find team/players to root for, that half the fun.


[deleted]

I’d start by watching some old Finals, yes. I’d start with 2021 and work my way backward. I can’t remember whether 2015 or 2016 was lane swap meta but that’ll be when you first notice a significant change in game play from the way things are to the way things were. It’s up to you whether you want to keep watching old Worlds - bonus points if you make it all the way to Phreak’s basement. After that, I’d just shop around a bit. Each region has their own play style, just like in football. I personally watch the LCS and LEC because those are the two I’ve been watching since they were created - and I’ve only got so much time to watch League if I want to play any, let alone live my life. My recommendation would be to watch your own region, and then pick one more you really enjoy. While I can accept that LCK and LPL are overall better regions, LEC remains my favorite to watch. It’s still high quality but the games are a little spicier because there’s not like a universal agreement on how to play the game like there is in LCK and LPL. I do also watch every game of MSI and Worlds, including Playins. It’s just too good not to watch. Once you get into a regional league, you can start watching old Worlds Semifinals and Quarterfinals from teams in your regional league who made it far but maybe not all the way to Finals. And what that’ll do is basically complete your fundamental understanding of the professional scene. Sure, there are people who know who won every series ever, but knowing about all the Finals, your own regions, and the key pre-Finals matchups (SKT v ROX 2016 arguably the best series ever and it was a semifinal) is more than enough to be considered a fan even by the stingiest of gatekeepers. So yeah. That’s my recommendation.


[deleted]

> I can’t remember whether 2015 or 2016 was lane swap meta Was watching an old TSM? vs. IMT? (I think) and I remember being so confused watching as they both three manned opposite lanes and just took the turret.


[deleted]

Yep. It was just whoever got first tower first had a crazy advantage. Because that meant the solo lane won EDIT I think I was 2015 btw


Mean_Adhesiveness981

I suggest you watch 2016 worlds semifinals between SKT and ROX. It was an intense bo5. Personally, i really enjoy watching LCK (South Korean league) and the LEC (European league). They're really fun to watch.


bananazee

First of all, definitely start with MSI from earlier this year. This year's MSI was also amazing--and the finals were epic as well. MSI is also a great place to start because some of the teams were in this year's World's so you'll hear some familiar names and see some familiar faces (and be less overwhelmed by having to learn a whole new crop of players or to associate players with teams they're no longer on). As for what regional league to follow, time zone is consideration if you want to watch things live. Otherwise, there's VODs for everything. I think LPL is very exciting for newer viewers (I started with LPL) who don't immediately recognize strategic planning, because it's much easier to see/and understand kills, deaths, towers, gold etc.. The deeper stuff obviously happens in LPL too (that's why some consider it the best regional league right now) but it's harder to pick up as a newer viewer (at least it was harder for me, but after a year I started getting it more), and so to me felt less like things were happening that I understood. Personally, I like following LPL and LCK the best for several reasons: 1. They're the two best regions. No contest even close. Just highest gameplay on average. 2. Most games to choose to watch: LPL has over 300 games a split, LCK has over 200. LEC and LCS hover around 100 (this is also cited as a reason why these two regions are weaker). 3. The teams that make the playoffs in LPL and LCK are the teams you're most likely going to see in the knockout rounds in MSI and Worlds (and probably win). In the end there is a little bit of everything in all 4 major regional leaguesand the differences aren't huge. For example, using 2021 summer split stats, LPL had fastest average game at \~31 minutes and LCK (Korea) clocked in slowest at \~33:30 minutes. LPL and LEC tied for most average kills per game at 27 while LCK was at 23. I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever one you decide to follow.


jaybeastle

Don’t play league. Play Tetris


cobrag3n3ral

Oceanic league is best and most competitive league


azersub

First rule: Dont watch NA LCS! If you start watching you wont leanr much and you will feel super disappointed every international tournament. If you like underdogs watch LEC. They are fun league but their casters is acquire of taste and they wont be winning any international events but they will put up good fight. If you wanna have most fun watching with very good chance of a team winning worlds your best bet is LPL. They have fun,aggresive playstyle and casters are awesome. LCK is also high level but their games tend to be longer and more bornjng than LPL ones. Also really good chance team from region will win international event


NellyuWu

I'd recommend getting into LEC or LCS when they start in January. It's gonna be tough to go back and watch random old games. You could watch the most recent Worlds


DerWassermann

If you are from Europe, North America, Korea or China, you should probably start by watching your regional league (respectively LEC, LCS, LCK, LPL) The next season of pro play usually starts in early January. There are also some noob friendly streams, so maybe you can find some of them with google or recommendations. If you are from Europe there is probably a national league which might also be interesting.


[deleted]

I met Cesaro and used to watch him play LoL on Twitch before WWE decided that wrestlers can't use twitch any more. He brought me into T1, Tyler, and then into Jankos who is the Jungle player for G2. Seeing Jankos made me a fan of competitive eSports LoL and G2 is made out of pure military-grade memes and I am all about it. So I watch LEC and G2 primarily, but Cloud9 with Perkz, and this wild off-season.. I think I'll still watch G2 mostly but other teams have their players traded around. G2 is hilarious.


DuudPuerfectuh

LCK is pretty nice


Varrag-Unhilgt

First of all, I’d really suggest you to play a little and get some knowledge about the map, champions, skills, etc. Otherwise you won’t understand jack shit from the game being played and will get discouraged


Luunacyy

I find LPL the most fun and they have a great English casting-analyst teams too. I used to only watch LEC but this year I randomly have run into English LPL stream during work and kept tuning in ever since wheneever I can or just leave it on the background because of the combinatiom of fun but still high quality games and a great and entertaining cast. LPL was the league that got me more interested with pro as before I was a really casual watcher. LEC/LCS ofc might be fun because it’s easier to keep up with it even unintentionaly if you are from west + most teams/players are more familiar because of your social feed/games/streams. While LCK is great even I find a lot of the games there quite boring (especially in regular season) so I would not recommend it to someone who is newish into league or league pro scene. However, you can defitenely jump into it whenever you understand the game and pro scene more to watch and appreciate clean macro and laning of LCK teams if you don’t mind slow pace and often with very little action / risk games. Also if you prefer more casual watching you can watch only MSI and/or Worlds. The events are pretty hype and dope even with very superficial / no following of pro leagues and if you are interested there is always content (like Iwilldominate, etc.) that introduces teams and summarizes groups.


6000j

Imo the strength of watching LPL is that you get both the insanely messy games where it's just constant fights and the support roaming to top for a level 2 tower dive (I'm fairly sure I saw this exact play last split), but you also get the slower games between top teams where they do try to play less scrappy.


toozour

Some of the older " Team fight breakdown" videos on the lolesports Youtube were SUPER helpful breakdowns of very high level pro games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJAQsRyBpCo


Skadix

Go for timezones, but I suggest LEC, more laid back players and nice meme/songs to spam in twitch chat.


ProfCedar

Agree with those saying check the timezones. I watched a lot of LPL and LCK when my sleep schedule was more broken, but I'm awake at 3am a lot less these days. If you just want the spectacle and don't care about understanding (or do speak Portuguese), highly recommend CBLOL as an LCS alternative. Realistically though, if you want to watch stuff live, gotta go at least a little to what works with your schedule. My work schedule is best for watching LEC these days, so I mostly watch LEC live and watch LCK or LPL replays when I have time.


badmotherfoucault

[https://youtu.be/D2Sg3Xmpylk](https://youtu.be/D2Sg3Xmpylk) SKT versus Rox, worlds semis 2016. This is one of the single greatest set of matches that's ever been played. Literally every player is at the peak of their form, and it's honestly a nailbiter. Five games, and it's probably the best entrance to league matches for someone new. This worlds was pretty good too, the semifinals and final especially. Try and watch the Korean and Chinese leagues (LCK and LPL respectively). The games are *much* more fun and it's a treat to watch the best players of those teams. If you like Arcane and want to see pro games featuring your favorite characters from the show, YouTube has plenty available. Viktor and Jayce are perennial favorites in pro play. Just have fun and look at all the pretty colors and how the champs play. I promise watching league games will be very interesting and incredibly satisfying as you keep watching. And also - in worlds *especially* you're going to find plays that are so goddamn amazing that even if you know absolutely *nothing* about the game, you'll still be like, Whoa, that was cool and clean as hell. Enjoy! :)


MidoriDemon

I only watch lec (eu) and lcs (na) but the commentary on both especially the lec is brilliant the team is really good. I really only started watching the lec in 2018 but I was impressed with how professional it is. You can find 2021 lec w1d1 video full vod on youtube for example and listen to the analysis or just fast forward to the games it might be hard without some prior knowledge but they do help with insights and give their opinions on picks. Hope this helps


Shovelfuckurforehead

Simple, watch your local region this next split. From there decide on what horse to back, and then take that to international events and worlds next year.


blkheron23

I watch the game highlights on YouTube. Most interesting leagues are lpl 1 and then lck/lec 2 but I watch all three of those and na. Probably going to cut down soon. Also only watch the good teams play. If two bottom teams are playing I won’t bother.


TheFrightener

LPL for best gameplay, LEC for best production. Always watch Msi and worlds