New Mid-Season Cup featuring LPL and LCK teams coming in May

League of Legends fans have exciting news as Fomos reporter Kenzi revealed the upcoming Mid-Season Cup collaboration between LCK and LPL regions.

With the Mid-Season Invitational officially canceled for 2020, these premier esports leagues have engineered an innovative alternative competition. The condensed tournament schedule spans four action-packed days from May 28 through May 31, featuring elite squads from both competitive regions.

The selection process ensures only the highest-caliber organizations participate, with the top four ranked teams from each league earning qualification. This creates a perfect storm of competitive excellence, bringing together the most dominant performers from recent splits.

*Mid Season Cup(Source) 1, Team : @T1LoL, @GenG_KR, @DRXGlobal, @DamwonGaming, @JDGaming, @TOP_Esports_, @FPX_Esports, @invgaming 2, Schedule: May 28-31 3, Places: LCK (LoL Park), LPL (TJSports) 3. The prize money is also set 4, note: Due to region, ping is set to 30-40 pic.twitter.com/V7g4qTa7QA

— kenzi (@kenzi131) May 7, 2020

The LCK contingent showcases T1, Gen.G, DragonX, and Damwon Gaming, while LPL representation includes JD Gaming, Top Esports, FunPlus Phoenix, and Invictus Gaming. The talent distribution creates fascinating parity, with each region fielding two former World Championship title holders.

While tournament organizers haven’t finalized the competitive format, indications suggest adaptation of the Rift Rivals structure. This approach typically features cross-regional matches between similarly seeded opponents, setting up compelling narratives like spring champions T1 versus JD Gaming.

Additional anticipated matchups include Top Esports against Gen.G, DragonX facing FunPlus Phoenix, and Damwon clashing with Invictus Gaming. Each confrontation carries significant implications for regional bragging rights.

LCK and LPL Teams Want to Prove Who’s Better After MSI Canceled

This innovative competition fills the void left by MSI’s cancellation, providing crucial competitive momentum during the mid-season break.

Competition logistics feature LCK squads operating from the state-of-the-art LoL Park in Seoul, which recently debuted hosting the 2020 LCK Spring Split finals. Meanwhile, LPL representatives will compete from Shanghai’s TJ Sports center, a premier esports facility.

The geographical separation necessitated advanced network engineering, with technical teams establishing optimized ping parameters between 30-40 milliseconds. This technical achievement ensures fair competition despite the physical distance between venues.

What originated as collaborative regional partnership has evolved into a high-stakes proving ground. Unlike other international competitions where participation intensity varies, both LCK and LPL historically approach Rift Rivals with championship-level seriousness.

The intensity stems from escalating regional competition, particularly as China solidifies its claim as the world’s premier League of Legends region. This rivalry carries tangible consequences, evidenced by the LPL securing an additional seed for the 2020 World Championship while LCK maintains standard three slots.

A significant departure from Rift Rivals format emerges in the tournament conclusion. While previous events focused on regional supremacy, the Mid-Season Cup crowns a single champion, allowing for potential same-region finals between LPL or LCK representatives.

Spectators can anticipate elite-level gameplay across the three competition days. Riot Games continues finalizing operational specifics, with complete details pending official confirmation.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » New Mid-Season Cup featuring LPL and LCK teams coming in May LCK and LPL launch Mid-Season Cup featuring top teams to replace canceled MSI 2020