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Photo Credit: Riot Games

New to LoL Esports and feeling lost? From the strategic complexity of the Fearless Draft to the high-stakes pressure of the MSI, this guide breaks down the essential terms and tournament formats you need to follow the global competitive scene like a pro.

Formats & competitives rules

Fearless Draft: A format where champions picked in previous games of a series are banned for the remainder of that match.

First Selection: The right to choose either the side (Blue or Red) or the first/second pick during the draft for Game 1 of a series. Usually awarded to the higher-seeded team. In subsequent games, the loser of the previous game usually gets first selection.

Best-of-1 / Bo3 / Bo5: "Best of" series (First to 1, 2, or 3 wins).

Swiss Stage: A format where teams with identical records face off; 3 wins to advance, 3 losses to go home. Used at Worlds in recent years.

Double Elimination: A tournament structure with a "Lower Bracket," giving teams a second chance after one loss in the upper bracket.

Play-In Stage: The preliminary qualifying round where lower-seeded teams compete for a limited number of slots in the main tournament.

Bracket Stage: The final knockout phase, usually played in a Best-of-5 format, where teams face off in a single or double-elimination tree to determine the champion.

Group Stage: The primary phase where qualified teams are split into pools to compete for a top ranking and a spot in the playoffs.

Round Robin: A format where every team plays against every other team in their group.