The final @LoLGameChangers stage before the playoffs has just ended, so I would like to share some thoughts. This year’s formats are a very good example of how competitions like these should be built. The most important thing for me is that this kind of system gives practically every team a reason to keep existing long-term. Five stages, open entry for absolutely any team, swiss format, plenty of official games, and points collected throughout the season. It means that one loss does not end your team’s entire run and leave you waiting until next year. If one stage goes badly, another one is only a few weeks away. You can analyse your mistakes, improve, keep the roster together and have a concrete goal to work towards. One of the biggest problems with the female scene in the past was that many teams would form shortly before a single qualifier, get eliminated, and stop existing two weeks later. With a circuit like this, there is actually a reason to build something long-term. Then there is Equal Esports Cup, which has gone through a similar evolution. The qualifiers have become more open every year and have offered teams more and more games. In 2024, we simply had a double-elimination bracket. In 2025, there was a new format with teams split into two groups, followed by playoffs for qualification, which already gave every team significantly more games. This year, we had two separate open qualifiers played in a swiss format. So not only do you get more maps, you also get a second chance to qualify. We know very well how much that can matter, because we failed to qualify on our first attempt and made it through the second qualifier. If the entire competition had come down to one short bracket, our season could have looked completely different. And this is exactly the kind of direction that is starting to create something the female scene has lacked for a long time. It is no longer about one big tournament a year, one qualifier you have to build a roster for, and if it goes badly, suddenly there is no reason for that roster to exist anymore. There are plenty of different opportunities to play, there are qualifiers, there are more LGC stages, and it makes sense to look at the whole season as one continuous process. Teams can fight for EEC, fail once and try again. If the second attempt does not work out either, there are still LGC stages to play. There is always something you can try to improve before getting another chance. That is why a lot of credit should go to everyone responsible for designing the formats and administering these tournaments. Both LGC and EEC show a very good approach to competition design: the goal is not only to identify the few best teams, but also to give plenty of games to teams that are still developing. The tournament administration is also at an absolutely top level. Communication and organisation are very smooth, better than what I often see in ERLs. On top of that, the production, official streams and co-streams create an environment that makes these competitions feel much more professional. From the perspective of @barczacaesports Babylon, the fact that the split is not just a two-week sprint before one all-important qualifier means we can settle into a normal team routine: regular scrims, reviews and individual work. Because of that preparation, we were comfortable registering every one of our players as a substitute for Barcząca’s main roster competing in Rift Legends, knowing that if needed, they would be ready to play. And that is exactly what happened when our starting support was suspended and @m11rali had to step in. She was extremely nervous and immediately had to face a very strong bot lane, but she still showed that she did not look out of place at all and that she has the skill to compete against very good players. On top of that, we came very close to pulling off an upset and winning a BO3 against a team that will be playing in the Rift Legends final this weekend. I am convinced that if Mirali had the opportunity to play an entire split for any team at ERL level, she would show just how much potential she has. Someone has to be given that first opportunity so that future female players are not automatically treated as an experiment simply because they are women. Because that is ultimately the most important role of the female scene. The goal is not to create a separate world where female players are supposed to stay forever, but to provide them with a safe environment in which they can gain experience, develop and prepare themselves to compete outside female competitions as well. And that will remain necessary for as long as the League of Legends environment remains toxic, heavily male-dominated and discriminatory towards women. As long as a culture of hegemonic masculinity exists within the scene, where female players have their competence questioned more often and are expected to prove significantly more in order to receive the same opportunities, there will be a need for a space where they can train, make mistakes and improve without constantly having to justify whether they belong in esports in the first place. Finally, I want to thank everyone involved in developing female competitions, as well as the organisations, teams and coaches who decide to build these rosters (and also @BurntSanctuary for creating content). Above all, though, huge respect goes to the players who keep competing in these tournaments and want to improve, regardless of whether they are currently fighting for a place in the finals or finishing further down the standings in swiss. The more teams and players are willing to try, the easier it will become for the next generation of girls to enter the scene and see esports as a realistic path for themselves. I simply feel that the scene is heading in a very good direction. Open tournaments, plenty of games, multiple opportunities throughout the year and a regular competitive calendar give teams exactly what they were missing for a long time, a real reason to keep going, and the opportunity to lose, learn from those losses, and keep playing.