One of the most surprising things about this year’s League of Legends<\/em> All-Star Event wasn’t North America flaming out of the group stage<\/a> or Southeast Asia looking like a major region team.<\/p>
It was how serious the players looked in those matches. Riot’s goal going into the event was to make it more competitive by changing the format<\/a>, removing the fun game modes and making it a more intense regional tournament. That it succeeded was evidenced by the six-hour-long final series<\/a> as players tried their best to win.<\/p>
“During the feedback session, I suggested that [All-Stars] was too competitive this year,” PraY said, in a translation by esports news site Game Is Hard<\/a>. “It\u2019s no longer the festival that it used to be, but a continuation of Worlds.” Burnout is real, especially for Korean players that go through a tough schedule to end the year. The LCK summer split and playoffs bleed right into Worlds prep. Then there’s the KeSPA Cup, and finally All-Stars.<\/p> <\/p>