Long-running UK League of Legends player Jamie “Tundra” Duthie is spearheading a petition to encourage ESL UK to revise its format for the upcoming League Premiership.
Tundra and other ‘UK eSports elders’ are petitioning online for ESL UK to switch from a best-of-one format to a best-of-two format of sorts, where matches can result in a 2-0 win, a 2-0 defeat or a 1-1 draw.
Teams in the league would then be ranked via the number of games won.
The people behind the petition include Wingo “Luna” Chan from TCA, MnM’s Chris Topham, Team Infused’s Nihir Vedd, Choke Gaming’s Tom Villiers, FM Bret, Bálint, RNG Alicus and ManaLight manager Rob Allen.
A statement on the petition page states: “The ESL UK Premiership was previously a best-of-three format and recently we have been given a spot in the Challenger Series qualifiers (to the team that finishes in first place).
“ESL have put their own needs in front of the fans of UK League (there are some) and the teams involved to create a best-of-one single round robin format. This means we only play each team on one side in the regular season.
“This is outrageous as the competitiveness of the league is reduced significantly and the exposure ESL and the teams involved get is lowered too. Not to mention, fans see less of their favourite teams.”
The UK Esports elders gathered together and decided Bo1 for the @ESLUK prem is bad for competition and growth – https://t.co/16lSbI6iHU sign
— JaMie Birthie (@Tundra_LoL) February 15, 2016
The petition goes on to suggest: “Could there not be a two-day broadcast of bo2s? Or even two simultaneous streams on the same night? We’re sure the LeagueUK channel would be willing to help.
“The teams involved that created this petition understand that bo3s are not a viable option for ESL due to the broadcast length being too long and the ‘instability’ of our teams (this argument is not so valid since half the league are on contracts now). Bo2s help keep the competitiveness of the league, keeps the teams involved happy, the fans happy and the stream time can still be handled over one night.”
People are being urged to sign the petition and get the change implemented. At the time of writing (Monday February 15th, 11pm), the petition had 35 signatures having been live for just a few hours.
Those who have signed the petition include Team Infused coach Nihir Vedd, Team Paria owner Stefan “ioswitch” Heesters, FM-eSports mid-laner Sean17, Choke ADC Joekerism and more.
ManaLight left a comment on the petition page, saying: “Bo2 is better as it encourages growth, competition and brand awareness for everyone involved.”
Exertus added: “Bo2 would be better for everyone, it stops cheesy team comps and showcases our talent more.”
Ioswitch said: “Bo3 would be more fair for all teams involved so you can actually recover from a loss. I believe we need that especially if you look at what’s at stake here.”
What do you think? Do you support Tundra’s petition or do you believe best-of-ones are the way to go this Premiership season?
More info on Tundra: Check out his coaching and analysis website here
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
