League of Legends news » Clash Regional Test on March 11

Regional Clash Test launches on March 11

On March 11, team creation for a Clash test opens in EUW and EUN. Tournaments run on Saturday and Sunday. It is free to participate in the test (you won’t need a ticket) and you can play over both days or choose either one. To participate in the test you need to be ranked and above Honor level 2.

We’re running regional Clash test to test new features that keep tournaments running smoothly in competitive regions like BR, LATAM, LATAS, EUN, and EUW with huge numbers of Clash teams.

Here’s the schedule:

EUW/EUN

Mon, 3/11 - Fri, 3/15	Sat, 3/16	Sun, 3/17
Team Formation	Day 1 (4-team)	Day 2 (8-Team)

Prizes

Everyone who participates in the two-day test will receive Loot Boxes, a Summoner Icon, and Victory Points which add up to unlock in-game Banners and team logos.

What We’re Testing

We’ve spent a lot of time on solutions to address server load. In this two-day beta, we’re specifically testing our Tier-based phasing and phase cap functionality. Tier-based phasing allows us to stagger start times for different tiers. You’ll receive a lock-in time depending on your team’s combined Tier (Tier IV starts earlier and Tier I starts later).

Regions with an overload of teams may experience phase capping. As the time to lock-in gets closer, you’ll see an alert featuring available spots if brackets are close to filling up. If you are unable to lock-in and play a tournament because of phase capping, your ticket won’t be used. Once these features are tested, we’ll be closer to launching Clash.

Keep up with Clash

Thank you for participating in these regional tests. Create or join team starting Monday, March 11th and enjoy the Clash weekend.

Tier-based phasing

Players will start their matches at different times depending on which tier their team is placed in.Tier IV matches start first, followed by Tier III, Tier II, and Tier I matches ~45 minutes later.

• Why doesn't everyone start at the same time?
• Splitting up tier start times means Clash teams will hit our servers in chunks, rather than all at once. This significantly reduces the risk of Clash falling over!
• How am I supposed to plan my weekend if I don't know for sure when my matches will start?
• We'll let you know your team's tier and match start time during team formation. You'll be able to plan around your start time well in advance!
• I'm Tier IV. Can I choose to play against higher skilled teams in Tier III, II, or I for a more convenient start time?
• Nope. We applaud your bravery, but that'd give your opponents an unfair advantage over other teams in their tier.
• I'm Tier III, II, or I. Can I choose to play against lower skilled teams in Tier IV for a more convenient start time?
• Nope. You'll steamroll 'em.

Phase caps

Each day of Clash has a hard limit on the number of teams who can lock in to play. Most regions won't experience the cap, but it's a pretty bad experience for players in regions that will.

• I was excited for Clash and now you're not going to let me play?
• Phase caps are a necessary precaution to ensure Clash doesn't make League fall over again. We're not happy with capping as a permanent solution since it's shitty to be turned away at the door when you wanna compete, but the tech and infrastructure issues that originally caused Clash to fail will take a long time to fix. Phase caps let us offer Clash to the majority of players while we work on those fixes and improvements.
• You're going to take my money without letting me play?
• Phase caps kick in during the lock-in phase, which is when players buy in with tickets. Since you won't be able to lock in if Clash caps out, you won't lose your ticket. It'll still be around for you to use on any other day of Clash, whether that same weekend or in a future tournament.
• How do I know if I signed up in time?
• Phase caps take effect during each day's lock-in phase when enough full teams of five lock in. Teams that assemble their rosters early in the week don't have an advantage over teams that come together right before lock-in phase begins so make sure everyone on your team shows up on time!
• So when you say 'cap', how many people are actually gonna get to play?
• Even for regions we expect will hit the cap, the majority of teams will still get to play. This won't make things feel any better for the teams who do miss the cutoff, of course :/
• I hit the phase cap on day 1, am I donezo for the weekend?
• Phase caps reset each day so you can try again on day 2.
• If I hit the cap on day 1 and enter on day 2 can I still get the best rewards?
• Unfortunately not since those go to players who go undefeated throughout the entire weekend. You'll still get rewards for the games you play on day 2 though!

General Clash questions

• When is Clash coming back for real?
• We'll have more to share on next steps for Clash after we see how this weekend's test went!
• Why should I believe that Clash will work this time when it's broken multiple times before?
• If you're skeptical after our first attempts to get Clash off the ground, we totally get it. We hope you'll give us another chance this weekend!
• If Clash breaks again this weekend, what happens?
• We'll make even more improvements and run even more tests until it works. We're fully committed to bringing you a team-based tournaments mode that we believe will be the best way to play League.