The North American Challengers League (NACL), serving as the LCS' second layer of competition, is set to change its drafting format for the 2024 season, moving from regular drafts to fearless drafts, according to sources close to Sheep Esports.
The NACL serves as a platform for emerging North American talent, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their skills with the ultimate aim of advancing to the LCS. Notable players such as Joseph Joon "jojopyun" Pyun and Rayan "Sniper" Shoura, among others, have successfully transitioned from the NACL system to the LCS.
The North American Challengers League (NACL) medals
What is fearless draft?
In a fearless draft format, teams play out their drafts normally with one caveat: once you pick a champion, it cannot be picked again by your team in following games. This means that teams have to constantly adapt over the duration of a series as they can only pick specific champions once while opponents may still select them. Teams also have access to the usual temporary bans per draft.
First popularize in China's LDL, fearless drafts are expected to be adding a new kind of excitement and unpredictable element to the league. By banning meta champions after their initial selection, teams will be compelled to adjust and explore a broader variety of champions, maybe even opening-up avenues for uncommon picks never seen in other tier 1 leagues. The format actively promotes creativity in drafting and strategic thinking.
The rest of the league's format is currently unconfirmed, though it is likely to move to a best-of-three group stage, as every other leagues which ran this format have previously done so.
*Update: Sources have further informed Sheep Esports that the league will indeed run a best-of-three format.
