Another addition to League of Legends Esports is here. First Selection is a new change to drafting in the professional League of Legends. Teams, which previously had side selection, can choose between picking first or second, or starting on the blue or red side. The announcement of First Selection has caused a divide within the community. Some are happy to see it added, while others are apprehensive about it.
What is First Selection?
Initially, the higher-seeded team, or the losing team, had side selection. It meant that the team chose the red or blue side, which also impacted the draft. In general, most teams prioritized the blue side. There are usually multiple dominant champions that the red side cannot ban. As we saw Fearless Draft develop, more teams picked the red side in later parts of the series. We have also had times where counterpick was the superior strategy. Worlds 2023 playoffs epitomized this, as T1 gave Ryu “Keria” Min-seok or Choi “Zeus” Woo-je a counterpick. Under this system, the draft would occur as follows:
- Blue and red side teams alternate, banning three champions each, starting with the blue side
- Blue side picks one champion
- Red side picks two champions
- Blue side picks two champions
- Red side picks one champion
- The second ban phase starts with teams alternating between two bans, starting with the red side
- Red side picks one champion
- Blue side picks two champions
- Red side picks the last champion
Under First Selection, the side of the rift does not determine the draft order. Instead, if a team chooses to pick first in the draft, the team will become the “blue side” in the draft. However, the team may find themselves on the red side of the rift in-game.
Why This Matters?
The difference between picking first and second can have a significant impact on a game and draft. For the most part, teams choose the blue side to guarantee that they get dominant meta champions. The red side is better if you want to counterpick the enemy champions. Sometimes teams would not want to start on the red or blue side of the rift, as it changes how they can approach games. For example, the blue side teams generally favored Grubs as their first objective, while the red side teams favored Dragons. It was not set in stone, as compositions and lane matchups determined priority. It was a trade that happened often in professional play.
Teams can now choose between draft priority or side priority. Which choice the teams will focus on remains impossible to predict at this stage. Draft might be a priority at the start, but as teams improve with the system, that can change.
Community Reaction Split
Some members have welcomed First Selection’s addition to LoL Esports. They noted that it balances out the win rates between the red and blue sides in professional play. In theory, the win percentages should fall closer to 50%. Some noted that it adds strategic flexibility to drafts. Newer viewers might understand how the draft works without needing an elaborate explanation. Telling someone that a team drafts first because they are on the blue side might be confusing. However, in this case, telling someone a team chose to pick first makes more sense for viewers.
However, others have voiced opposition to First Selection. Riot has pushed for professional play to feel as close to ranked play as possible. They want fans to relate to the games they are watching. That became a reason why Riot aimed to remove lane swapping from professional play. However, First Selection does the opposite. Drafting will now feel completely different from what players would see in their ranked games. Others noted that the majority of teams will not think about the side differences. They will likely prioritize what suits them in the draft. They assume their focus will be on whether to look for dominant champion picks or counter picks.
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