The second 2026 split of the
League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS) under its original name is about to kick off. The Spring Split starts this Saturday with an LCS Lock-In Finals
rematch between Cloud9 and LYON. With no reported changes at the writing of this article,
this marks the first time no roster changes have happened between splits in the thirteen-year history of the LCS. Several teams were forced to field emergency substitutes for a couple of weeks of the 2026 LCS Lock-In, mostly because of visa issues, but the intended starters arrived to complete the split.
Most recent LCS Splits have featured at least six roster changes, but there was one recent split that had just a handful of changes. Before 2026, the split with the fewest number of changes was the LTA North Split 2, which featured only a one changes from LTA North’s inaugural tournament.
That roster change happened because
was forced to field
as a temporary substitute for Split 1. When Split 2 rolled,
Gonçalves had his visa approved and was able to debut with the Rebels. Zeyzal was a temporary fix, but he played for the complete duration of the first split.
During Split 2,
, the current champions at the time, promoted NACL standout
from
DarkZero DragonSteel to share the jungle position with
at the tail-end of Split 2. Yuuji would debut in the last week of the regular season and play most of the matches of Team Liquid’s playoff run.
Three splits changes the game
With only a single roster change after Split 1 last year, and none this year, the trend is clear. The introduction of a third split in North America has effectively turned Split 1 into a preseason tournament, resulting in far fewer roster moves. With the addition of a Winter Split preceding the rest of the season, teams are now encouraged to invest in player development early, building toward Split 3, which ultimately decides Worlds qualification.
While the offseason between Spring (Split 2) and Summer (Split 3) would traditionally be expected to bring more changes, the numbers are also trending downward there. In 2025, only four roster moves were recorded, suggesting that other factors may also be at play.
During the early years of the LCS, roster changes were extremely frequent. A quick look through historical records from the first six splits highlights just how common in-season swaps once were. As the league matured and stabilized, however, roster volatility within a split began to decline.
Broader structural factors may also be influencing this shift. The social and political climate in North America can complicate the process of importing players, indirectly giving rookies more time to develop. At the same time, as LCS analyst Barento “Raz” Mohammed points out, teams still retain the ability to make changes during the season if necessary.
Limited by financials
Financial constraints are another key factor. With budgets shrinking in recent years, benching players has become too costly. Contract terminations and benching rates can only add on roster costs, and the ongoing esports winter has made organizations more cautious. As a result, teams are prioritizing long-term stability over short-term results.
This trend is not limited to North America. Europe is seeing similar patterns, with the LEC recording only a single roster change between Winter and Spring 2026. That said, with the LCS now reduced to eight teams, the total number of possible moves is naturally lower in the region specifically.
