New Format

• Each team plays 10 Bo3s (Previously 10 Bo1s)
• One Bo3 per day
• Broadcast at 7:00 PM JST on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
• Opening day will feature three Bo3s on the same day
• #2 and #3 in the rankings play in the semifinal, and the winner plays #1 in the Finals
• Champion will qualify for the mid-season Wild Card tournament.

Team Overviews

DetonatioN FocusMe

“We, DetonatioN FocusMe, are the first full-time fully salaried Japanese professional team. We also became the number one team in Japan in both 2014 and 2015, competed in qualifiers for the World Championship, and felt with our own skin the distance between the other teams and us. Challenging with our new roster, we believe this will be the time that we make it all the way to Worlds.”

DetonatioN FocusMe needs little introduction for anyone who's been following the Wild Card scene. They dominated the Spring split of the 2015 LJL so completely that they entered the first Wild Card Invitational with unreasonably high expectations, and left thoroughly humbled. After narrowly losing to Rampage in the Summer split -- unable to nail down a solid roster the entire time --their final form emerged in the LJL Grand Championship: with star player Yutapon going back to his Season 3 roots and switching from ADC to the top lane. They managed an incredible 3-2 reverse sweep to qualify for the International Wildcard Qualifiers with a Worlds birth in their debut season a legitimate possibility. At the tournament, they defeated both OCE's Chiefs and SEA's Bangkok Titans – leaving them a throw versus Dark Passage away from a shot at the finals. With mid laner Ceros accruing international respect as a world-class mid laner and with backup from LCK veterans, DFM stands as the clear favorite for the season and perhaps the most exciting dark horse to make it all the way to Worlds.

Rampage

“This year, we're no longer Ozone Rampage – we're just Rampage. Right now we're receiving PC device assistance from Twitch and G-Tune Mouse Computer, and we're working directly in a partnership with Chunnam Techno University, a private university in Korea, the home of eSports. They're providing us with the cutting-edge know how to best raise our players.”

Rampage was almost the Cinderella story that no one saw coming. As the oldest LoL team in Japan, and with two of its original members still on the roster, Rampage went from representing Japan in WCG 2013 to being a middle-of-the-pack team at best by the Spring split of the 2015 LJL. But a partnership with CTU revitalized them, and Rampage defied expectations to take home the Summer split trophy in dominating fashion. They were one Bo5 away from representing Japan on the world stage once again, but for an incredible reverse sweep from DetonatioN FM. Now in 2016, Rampage is looking to even the score. Their only roster change is at top lane, which will be the biggest question for them going forward: AMUSE, their old top laner, was a carry top with some of the best mechanics in the country. Paz had little success on his former team, Salvage Javelin, so he'll have to step it up if Rampage wants to reclaim the trophy.

7th heaven

“We have not forgotten our promise that we were founded on: that we swear to give our all, as esports professionals and as entertainers, towards playing in such a way that not only our fans who cheer for us, but all of those who watch us will be satisfied. We're working hard each and every day to move forward towards that goal, so please support us.”

If you're thinking this roster looks more like Rabbit Five than 7th heaven, you'd be right. After the 2015 season, RabbitFive and 7th heaven announced a merger: a move accompanied by the departure of the latter's franchise face, Clockday. The new roster is a hybrid between the two, with former RF top Moyashi swapping to ADC and former 7H top ThintoN moving to support. Evi and Estel were extremely strong players throughout all of 2015, the former even being chosen as a 2015 LJL All-Star, but all three of their other starters are switching positions from last season. Now that USG has emerged as a strong rival for the third place spot 7H claimed in both 2015 seasons, they don't have a game to spare for adjustments.

CROOZ Rascal Jester

“CROOZ Rascal Jester is the pro-gaming team that began in February of 2013 as Peach Server All-Stars. That December, we changed our name to Rascal Jester and continue our challenge.”

When Rascal Jester first came onto the scene, they rocketed to the top out of nowhere and finished as the clear #2 in 2014. During the offseason, they turned heads and raised expectations by becoming the first team in Japan to announce a move into a gaming house. But that move came with a fatal string attached. Each player had to work a full-time job at their sponsor CROOZ, and find time to play during their off hours. While the announcement promised “a new kind of gamer” who could compete and work at the same time, Rascal Jester's performance nosedived, and they finished both seasons in a dismal 5th place. Their captain apaMEN left the team during the offseason; they brought in multiple new players, and they've reportedly ceased work and are now playing full time. Time will tell if it makes a difference.

Unsold Stuff Gaming

“We're a team with members who first met when the team was formed. Even so, our trust in each other is no less than that of other teams. And we would like to interact with our fans and get excited together. We'll grow stronger every match and grasp victory, and occasionally make you gasp in excitement at the sight of our play. Please cheer for us!”

Unsold Stuff Gaming is the Origen of Japan, made up of three veterans of the Japanese scene in apaMEN, Clockday, and Enty, and two of Japan's most promising solo queue talents in Isurugi and Haretti. Their opponents in the LJL Challenger Tournament could scarcely touch them, but this will be the first time we see USG compete as a team at a live event. On top of that, it'll be the LJL debut of both Isurugi and Haretti. Faced with Clockday's and Enty's former team 7th heaven in their first Bo3, USG has the chance to prove that they're real contenders heading into the new split.

BlackEye (formerly Kamikaze)

“We had a lot of roster changes since the Challenger Tournament, and our team has found a new strength. In order to prove the goodbyes to our former comrades were not in vain, we'll start by refusing to compromise and giving it our all this season. Our team will continue to grow stronger from here, so look forward to the evolution of BlackEye!”

Having qualified through the last LJL challenger tournament and boasting only one player with LJL experience, the odds are stacked heavily against the team formerly known as Kamikaze. Both splits of the 2015 LJL featured one team that wasn't able to win a single match, finishing the season 0-10. For BlackEye, simply avoiding that fate will be an accomplishment in and of itself. However, with multiple players highly ranked in solo queue, they should have the mechanics to compete. If they can pull together and play with the discipline and control of a professional team, they just might be able to make a splash.

Preseason Power Ranking

1. DetonatioN FocusMe
2. Rampage
3. 7th heaven
4. Unsold Stuff Gaming
5. Rascal Jester
6. BlackEye

The preseason ratings are pretty straightforward. Rampage has powered down slightly with the loss of AMUSE unless Paz impresses, USG is untested, and Rascal Jester has to prove things are going to be different this time. Meanwhile, FocusMe brings in a strict improvement at support and a likely improvement at jungle. It's going to be a rough road for the other five teams, as on paper DFM looks poised to run away with this season so long as they avoid getting overconfident. But we've been wrong before. USG is the biggest wild card of the season, with two untested players and the return of the 2015 Spring split's best support in Enty. Look to them to produce some of the season's biggest upsets.

Opening Day

The first match of the 2016 LJL will be a live event taking place at Akiba Square, on the second floor of the UDX Building in Akihabara, Tokyo. The event kicks off at 11:30 AM JST on January 17th with a presentation from Riot. The first Bo3 between 7th heaven and Unsold Stuff Gaming will begin shortly after. For the full schedule, check out the Liquid Legends Calendar.

The LJL will now be streamed on Riot Japan's Twitch channel rather than the old LJL channel. The Japanese broadcast will be anchored as always by Koji “eyes” Mitarai and Ryosuke “Revol” Kakizaki. Unfortunately, there will not be an official English stream anymore.