Prior to the 2015 LCS Summer Split, Riot Games announced rule changes that further legitimized the roles of substitute players. These rules introduced mid-week and mid-series substitutions, as well as a higher number of required subs for each LCS team. The ruling added a new layer of complexity to LCS substitution, but the question remains: What is a good reason to sub in a player and will teams take advantage of these moments? To answer this question we'll determine what reasons justify substitution in traditional sports and compare them to their League of Legends equivalents.

Reason #1: Players may be too tired to compete at full ability.

One of the most common substitutions in traditional sports are those to replace tired players. The thought is that a fully-rested substitute, even though they may be a worse player, will provide better play than a starter who is tired. This strategy can be used both for offensive or defensive players to strengthen whichever area the team may need. However, with any e-sport being significantly less active than a game like soccer or basketball, does this factor even apply?

At first glance the answer is no, but not all fatigue is physical. For instance, decision fatigue is the deteriorating quality of player choices after making multiple decisions over a period of time. Bearing this concept in mind, replacing a player who is consistently making poor choices can improve a team’s performance in the short term, much like it would in a traditional sport.

This reason for substitution has not been used recently, but may become more prominent as the scene develops. For the time being teams will likely find other ways to combat the issue, such as training players to make less uninfluential decisions outside of the game.

Reason #2: Players may be unavailable due to external factors.

Many traditional sports teams have needed substitutes for players who are injured or suspended. In these moments it is up to the coaching staff to find a good fit for their team based on what players are available, each athlete’s method of play, and their current form. Without considering these key factors a substitution can lead to terrible results, which could be avoided with proper consideration.

This reason for substitution translates wonderfully into League of Legends because of how prominent visa issues have become and how many players are available for substitution. This split alone has seen many successful and unsuccessful attempts at using substitutes in the NA LCS.

For instance, Team8’s mid laner Slooshi was forced to take a leave of absence due to an illness in his family, but the team’s coaching staff reacted appropriately. They managed to recruit challenger player Goldenglue to replace their starting mid laner, whose previous LCS experience and strong form helped lead Team8 to a 4-8 record after their abysmal 1-5 start to the split.

On the other end of the spectrum is Team Dragon Knights who were plagued by visa issues for the first 9 games of the split. During these games TDK ran 3 different substitute rosters with each playing only 3 games. Additionally, a lot of the team’s roster changes resulted in a loss of bans due to their last minute nature. Team Dragon Knights could not avoid the visa issues which kept them from avoiding an 0-9 start.

Reason #3: Benching a player could encourage improvement.

A question many coaches will ask themselves is how to keep their starting players in form all the time. Lists upon lists of suggestions exist to try and keep players in the game, but occasionally a player will simply lack the motivation to try his hardest on the field. In these scenarios a coach can introduce a substitute to contest for the starter’s position on the team. This will create a competition between the players and motivate both to step up their play.

KeithMcBrief has already contested the position of two starting players in the NA LCS this year. First, he played for Team Liquid in the spring split, replacing season 3 world champion, Piglet, for weeks 5 and 6. During this time the coaching staff worked with Piglet to improve the team’s dynamic and develop a team strong enough to contest the top of the table. This worked well with Keith going 3-1 and helping Team Liquid make playoffs and eventually earn 3rd place for the split.

This split Keith’s contract has been bought out by Team Solo Mid to put pressure onto their starting AD carry WildTurtle. TSM has split scrim time between both players and has even allowed Keith to play a game on the LCS stage. The hope has been that Keith will either give WildTurtle the motivation to improve, or develop himself into a world class AD carry. TSM’s coach, Locodoco, believes that the team will be stronger either way and is clearly using this reason for substitution effectively.

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Reason #4: Different players play different styles.

Most traditional sports have shown how different players can use various strategies for the same position. Whether it is the 5 styles of quarterback in the NFL or the role a forward plays in soccer, a coaching staff can use these different styles to adapt their team to specific situations. Using substitutes who play the game differently than starters not only will change the team’s dynamic and strategy, but may also throw the opposing team off-guard.

Many League of Legends teams are starting to pick up this strategy after Korean super power SKTelecom T1 has used it to such strong effect. Their players Easyhoon and Faker both play mid lane, but can be switched out to change how the team will approach the game. Easyhoon is known for playing safe mages with stats from LCK Spring regular season showing an 88.89% win rate on those champions. Meanwhile, Faker maintained a 100% win rate on assassins in the spring. Both players have the opposite results with the other style of play; Easyhoon losing his only game on Kassadin in spring and Faker only holding a 54.54% win rate on mages.

Champion Faker Wins Faker Losses Easyhoon Wins Easyhoon Losses Ahri 1 0 N/A N/A Anivia 1 0 N/A N/A Azir 0 1 N/A N/A Casseopeia 1 0 2 0 Diana 1 0 N/A N/A Ezreal 3 1 N/A N/A Jayce N/A N/A 1 0 Kassadin N/A N/A 0 1 Le Blanc 2 0 N/A N/A Lulu 0 2 3 1 Syndra 1 0 N/A N/A Viktor 2 0 N/A N/A Vladimir 1 0 1 0 Xerath 0 2 2 0

SKTelecom T1 used this strategy successfully in the LCK Spring playoffs as well and eventually won the tournament, showing the world how amazing this reason for substitution can be with the right players. As more and more teams, such as Counter Logic Gaming, pick up strong substitute players, this strategy may become more common in regions other than Korea.

Reason #5: When you have nothing to lose.

Occasionally, a situation will appear where future fixtures will not affect whether or not a team will continue to the playoff bracket. In traditional sports, this often translates to pulling starters to avoid injury and putting in substitutes to give them more time on the field. The same strategy has been used in League of Legends, but for different reasons and to a much different result.

Counter Logic Gaming used this type of substitution towards the end of the 2014 Summer Split. The team was in a slump and losing a lot of games, but was guaranteed a spot in the playoff bracket due to a strong performance earlier in the split. With this in mind the team chose to boot camp in Korea instead of playing their last four games in a hope to improve the team for playoffs. Unfortunately, the substitute squad lost all its games and the boot camp failed to prepare CLG, but the intentions were good.

Conclusion

Summoners Rift is a 10 player map that only allows for 5 player teams, but substitutes are playing a growing part in the competitive scene. Whether a substitution is absolutely required or just a method of pressuring players it will still help grow the scene and put more amazing players on the rift.

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