One of the difficulties of highly competitive games that are built around the idea of eSports, is that it's hard to get yourself a team to play with who takes it as seriously as you do. When you do, finding opponents who do the same isn't easy either, and it's no fun just stomping randoms over and over. To that end, League of Legends, arguably still the most popular top-esports title in the world, has announced a new game mode coming next year called "Clash," that will emulate the eSports experience for teams who want that kind of high-level gameplay on a regular basis.
Currently under beta testing and slated for a 2018 release window, Riot Games has announced the new game mode will be for pre-made teams only and will be opened through a buy-in window with tickets which can be purchased with RP, Blue Essence, or in-game missions. Although that's a little on the pricey side, it's so that Riot can offer better prizes for the winners, potentially leading to new professional teams to emerge in the process too.
You don't need to have any particular rank to play Clash, but be aware that it will be filled with very strong teams with a lot of experience, so you'll need to bring your A game. Fortunately, you'll know exactly who you're playing when you do head into battle, as you'll be able to scout out the other team to find out their preferences beforehand, letting you make the kind of educated bans and picks that typically only well known professional teams can do.
Riot hasn't announced an exact date for when this mode will be available, but has said it will be so for a few days at a time at set intervals, a few times a year. It also claims that it has some specific plans in place to prevent smurf accounts from ruining the game for those of lower skill levels.
Will you be trying out Clash when it becomes available?
