Clash, League of Legends’ tournament mode, is here! This game mode is perfect for the competitive gamer and is something everyone should try at least once. Today I will be discussing how exactly Clash works and how you can start being a part of tournaments as early as today.
Clash was officially released for North America in the Preseason of 2020 and has quickly grown to be quite popular among players. This tournament takes place over two days, during which, your team competes in a bracket with a best-of-one format to move on. The requirements to compete are fairly straightforward and all you need is level 30, a ranked placement, verifying your League account by SMS, and four other teammates. Let’s get started!
You can either group up with your friends or meet some new teammates online that you really get along well with. Within the Clash tab on the League of Legends client interface, you can see teams that are still in need of players. Once you’ve found your team, you will be placed within a Tier from I-IV. Tier IV being for players with lower MMR (from both Solo and Flex Queue), and Tier I being for high MMR players.
Your team’s tier might be slightly different than your personal tier and is determined by the weighted average of everyone’s skill level. The ranking tends to be higher though when you have players with a higher rank. Tiers can also vary quite a bit because Riot also takes into consideration your past games in Clash. Your MMR and past Clash games will have an impact on what tier your team is placed into.
A few days before Clash begins, you are given the chance to create your Clash team’s name and icon. Each player will also need their own ticket to compete which can be purchased with 975 Blue Essence or 195 RP, or you can buy an upgraded ticket for 975 RP that gives you more rewards at the end of Clash. On the day of the tournament though, everyone must be in sync and lock-in before matches begin (within 30 minutes of the match start), or else your team forfeits their spot in the tournament. Once you have all locked in, your team will be able to see your opponent’s as well as each others’ stats and top picks; this phase lasts 7 minutes.
During this time, you and your team will be able to coordinate potential picks and bans that would be the most beneficial for everyone. You will also be able to discuss what champions you’d be comfortable giving to the enemy team as well picks that are a must. This is the time to strategize about how to proceed through Champion Select that includes a 22 second Pick Intent phase. At this point, the enemy team might just ban your one-trick Lee Sin, so it’s a good idea to prepare backup champions that you’re not only comfortable with, but that are cohesive within the team’s dynamic.
Some of the general rules for Clash concern substitutions, pauses/remakes, and sudden death. Something else to note, if your team loses in the first bracket on the first day, you will still be able to compete in the second bracket on the next day. Regarding substitutions, these may only be made in case of an emergency, and a player can only be substituted for a single day. This may only happen after the lock-in phase begins. This substitute must be in the same tier as the team and have their own Clash ticket as well. If the team wins the bracket, the subbed-out player will be placed back into the team for the following brackets. The subbed-out player can be put back into the team before the scouting phase begins.
The substitute will also receive all the regular rewards, but the subbed-out player will receive losing rewards. Pauses and remakes are disabled in Clash to avoid player abuse of this system, and so a game doesn’t extend to multiple days. In order to avoid games delaying the bracket because they’re taking too long, there are some extra precautions that are taken as well. At 55 minutes, turrets within a Clash match will lose their armor and magic resistance. At 60 minutes, structures will then proceed to lose an increasing percentage of their maximum health every 30 seconds; gradually working their way towards the nexus.
At 70 minutes, one team will claim Victory randomly if neither team has damaged a structure. Typically, games will not run this long but on the off chance they do, these measures are in place to ensure the tournament runs smoothly and on time.
When you win matches, you gain more Victory Points, which you can then use to purchase Clash rewards such as in-game banners, or team logos. At the end of a Clash tournament, you will also receive either a Clash Orb or Capsule. The higher you place within the tournament, the more rewards you will gain from either the Clash Orb or Capsule.
If you receive a Clash Orb, you will be granted a number of rewards; anything from a 3-win XP Boost, to Icon Permanent + 640 RP Ward Skin Shard + Emote Permanent + Clash Ticket + 975 RP Skin Shard or + an Epic Skin Shard. If you receive a Clash Capsule, you will win anything from a Clash Ticket + 750 RP Skin Shard + 500 Orange Essence to a Clash Ticket + 750 RP Skin Shard + 975 RP Skin Shard + Epic Skin Shard + Legendary Skin Shard + Epic Skin Permanent + 750 OE or + a Gemstone.
These rewards mentioned are just an example of rewards available if you finish in an 8-Team Clash Bracket. The bigger the tournament bracket that you compete in, the better the rewards will be as well. If you win the whole tournament, your team will also win trophies that will be displayed on your profile for all your friends to see, and they will also be displayed at the nexus of all your Summoner’s Rift games for the next two weeks. Similar to the Clash Orb and Capsules, these trophies will look different depending on which numbered bracket you compete in: either 4-Team, 8-Team, or 16-Team.
So you’ve read this article and have acquired all this information about Clash, what’s next?
If you log into your League Client and click the Clash tab, you will be taken to a similar screen as the image above. Here you will find the Clash Hub where you can buy tickets, find a team, and view when the next tournament is going to take place.
Hopefully, after learning more about how Clash works, what tier you are in, and what rewards are given out, you are more than ready to buy your Clash Ticket and take part in all of the action that Clash has in store for you!
