The League of Legends Oceanic Pro League (OPL) is set to kick off this Saturday, 20 January.
Running for 11 weeks, this season’s OPL marks the entry of three new teams — Bombers, Order and Tectonic — alongside what Riot has called “roster shake-ups across all eight teams.”
Reigning champions the Dire Wolves will face The Chiefs in the OPL’s first match. Action begins at 2.00 pm AEDT.
“Dire Wolves lost two of their players, Destiny and Phantiks, to the Chiefs this season, with Phantiks becoming the Chiefs’ coach, so this grudge match will be a big test to see if they still have the firepower to retain their back-to-back titles,” presenting host Bryce ‘EGym’ Paule” said of the match up.
“Considering all the new OPL lineups, which include new domestic, Korean and European players, and the increasing team investments, fans can expect the 2018 season to be vastly different than previous years, with more teams jostling for the top spot on the ladder.”
To encourage team competitiveness and create a bigger and better league that fans can get behind, the OPL has restructured for the 2018 season. The most notable change is that the OPL Promotion Tournament will reduce to one relegation match at the end of the year; a move that empowers OPL players and teams to sign healthy agreements around rosters, housing, sponsorships and training facilities. The OCS will also change to a single season format, expanding to fourteen teams, and the Oceanic Open Ladder will be replaced by grassroots activities organised by OCS teams and third parties, who can offer more competitions to develop amateurs.
The OPL will be streamed live via Twitch, Twitter and YouTube from 2.00 pm AEDT each Saturday and Sunday.
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