After a decade standing behind its flagship MOBA, Riot Games is taking steps to expand its game offerings. The company is mostly expanding the League of Legends IP in several different ways. Legends of Runeterra is a collectible card game, League of Legends: Wild Rift brings the MOBA to mobile devices, and Riot Forge is developing third-party games in the form of Ruined King and CONV/RGENCE. Arcana is an upcoming animated series set in Runeterra, and Riot is even developing an MMO set in the League of Legends universe. Finally, with what first started as an in-game mode for League, Teamfight Tactics has turned into a full-fledged auto battler.
Among all these developments, Riot Games is very interested in building a major presence in esports. The League Championship Series has been around for a while, but Riot is creating a blossoming esports scene for its tactical shooter Valorant, and is in the middle of leading the charge with Teamfight Tactics' professional play. Previously, Teamfight Tactics had its first Global Championship toward the tail end of the Galaxies Teamfight Tactics set last year. Sixteen-year-old French player KC Double61 became the very first Teamfight Tactics World Champion with a wild three-round win.
Teamfight Tactics "Fates" Championship Overview
The Teamfight Tactics Fates set launched soon after the previous Galaxies Championship, and brought about several changes to the game in terms of champions, Origins, and synergies. Championships are played on the live patch, and Riot has release a minor patch in anticipation of the Fates Championship next month to bring the game into a more balanced state.
Since each Championship will likely happen at the end of each set, the Teamfight Tactics esports scene is already able to differentiate itself from the League of Legends esports scene. After the success of the Galaxies Championship, Riot Games decided to invest more in the upcoming Fates Championship by increasing both the player pool and the prize offerings. The Fates Championship will feature 24 competitors hoping to win a piece of the $250,000 prize pool.
Throughout the first few weeks of March, players have been competing in regional qualifiers to determine who will get a spot at the Championship. Each region can allow a certain amount of players to compete, with the most competitors coming from Europe (6), China (5), and North America (4). The Korean region is able to send three players, Brazil and Latin America are each able to send two, and Japan and Oceania are each able to send one player.
Several regions have even already announced those qualified to compete in the Fates Championship. Yatsuhashi will represent Japan. Those representing the European region are Pas de Bol, Lyyyress, Lil Bränk, ZyK0o, Ginggg, and Lallana. The four representing North America are Kurumx, Mismatched Socks, DQA TFT, and Ramkev. The rest of those competing will be announced ahead of the Championship.
By watching the regionals, players have been able to see a variety of team compositions and strategic playstyles being used. Whether competitors play champions like the Daredevil Samira, Divine Kayle, or The Boss Sett, there are plenty of combinations fans could see in the Championships.
Fates Championship Schedule and Prizes
The Teamfight Tactics Fates Championship will take place from April 7 to April 9, 2021, and will feature a new three-day Swiss format. While official times will be announced closer to the Championship, if the format follows any of the regional qualifiers for the game, then coverage will most likely begin around 6PM CT each day. Fans will be able to watch all the action unfold on the official Twitch for Riot Games, plus plenty of co-streams.
The first day will feature five rounds, and will narrow down the 24 competitors down to 16. Lobbies will be determined by players' performances in their regional qualifiers. The second day will also feature five rounds, narrowing down the competitors from 16 to 8. The third and final day will feature rounds where players race to earn the most points. The first player to secure a win after accumulating 18 points will be declared the TFT Fates Champion.
Prizes are determined by each competitors' placement based on points earned. The $250,000 prize pool will be split up among all 24 players, with the Champion winning a whopping $41,500. A full prize breakdown is as follows:
- 1st Place = $41, 500
- 2nd Place = $26,000
- 3rd Place = $18,000
- 4th Place = $16,000
- 5th Place = $14,000
- 6th Place = $13,000
- 7th Place = $12,000
- 8th Place = $11,000
- 9th Place = $9,500
- 10th Place = $9,000
- 11th-12th Place = $8,000
- 13th-14th Place = $7,000
- 15th-16th Place = $6,000
- 17th-18th Place = $5,500
- 18th-20th Place = $5,000
- 21st-22nd Place = $4,500
- 23rd-24th Place = $4,000
There are plenty of strong champion compositions in TFT, so it will be interesting to see which ones are played more than others. Since the game has factors of RNG, that will hopefully keep the competition from being too monotonous, which in turn creates a more engaging experience for viewers.
Recently, Teamfight Tactics announced the next set will be called Reckoning, which will center around the battle between good and evil. Fans will only have a bit longer to enjoy the fantasy stylings of the Fates set, and will soon be able to watch the second Teamfight Tactics World Champion being crowned. Riot will likely reveal even more information about the Championship the closer is gets.
Teamfight Tactics is available now on PC and mobile devices.