Every time the location of the LPL playoffs is announced, it will always make a lot of LPL spectators eagerly awaited, and with the LPL stepping into the process of unionization this year, the era of home and away is officially opened. As a result, this year's LPL Spring Playoffs will be different from previous years in that, in addition to the finals being held in other cities, the rest of the playoffs will no longer be limited to Shanghai. The playoffs will be held in four cities in turn, the scale can be said to be unprecedented.
Shanghai Zhengda Plaza
Shanghai: first and second round events
The 2018 LPL Spring Playoffs began in the familiar Shanghai Zhengda Plaza. On April 12 and 13, the first round of the playoffs took place in Shanghai, with RNG taking on WE and JDG facing BLG. All four of these teams had a strong showing in this year's Spring Regular Season, and with civil wars between veteran giants and up-and-coming teams, either game is going to be a great one.
The teams that emerged victorious in the first round of the playoffs will face RW and Snake in the second round of the tournament on April 14 and 15, respectively.
Shanghai is the birthplace of the LPL and we have seen many teams and players grow, and with the expansion of the number of teams participating in the LPL, the playoffs have become even more intense, so which two teams will be able to advance to the semifinals?
LGD Gaming Film and Culture Center
Hangzhou: Semifinals
The teams that advanced from the first two rounds of the tournament in Shanghai will move on to Hangzhou on April 21st and 22nd to play their semifinal matches at the LGD Gaming Film and Culture Center. IG and EDG, who were the first to advance to the LPL's spring semifinal stage thanks to finishing first in their regular spring group, have had more time to prepare for the event.
Hangzhou is the birthplace of LGD, one of the veteran teams in the LPL, which has created a glorious history by winning the 2015 LPL Summer Championship. The semi-final stage was chosen at LGD's home ground in the hope that the four LPL teams will write a page of their history on this stage and get a ticket to the finals.
Snake eSports Center
Chongqing: Third-place match
The teams that lost the two semifinal matches in Hangzhou still have their spring season ahead of them, as they will travel to Chongqing on April 24 for the third-place match at the Snake eSports Center. The third-place match will determine both teams' S8 Global Finals points and whether they can advance to this year's Worlds, so I'm sure the teams will give it their best shot.
Chongqing is Snake's home turf, and Snake made a name for themselves on the LPL stage in 2015, but then fell into a slump over the next two years before rising again this year to finish second in the Western Conference, and will have to work even harder in the playoffs if they don't want to compete in the playoffs on their own home turf.
Daemon Center for the Performing Arts
CHENGDU: THE FINALS
And the two teams that won the semifinals in Hangzhou will meet in Chengdu on April 28 to battle it out for the ultimate LPL Spring Championship honor at the Daemon Center for the Performing Arts. For years, the epicenter of gaming has been in the east, and with the LPL home-and-away era upon us, viewers in the west will have the opportunity to watch the tournament at their doorstep. Chengdu is the home of OMG, the forces of darkness that started in the Land of Heaven, and they return to their familiar home in 2018.
As the LPL's newest home city, Chengdu will host the LPL's biggest finale to determine the Spring Champion and the MSI representative team.OMG was the LPL's first champion team, winning the 2013 Spring Championship, and after five years the LPL Finals stage is back on OMG's home turf, which can't help but make us marvel at how the years have gone by, and how the LPL has thrived over the years. The LPL has thrived over the years.
Two days from now, the LPL spring playoffs will begin, and the first match will be a head-to-head between RNG and WE, so let's wait and see which team can win the trophy in Chengdu. We hope that the eight playoff teams will be able to surpass themselves and show their best in the four cities.