How Valorant’s server system could revolutionize League of Legends esports performance
The NA Performance Crisis
Legendary ADC Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng, now a TSM content creator, has identified server infrastructure as a critical factor in North America’s consistent international underperformance in League of Legends. The region’s struggles date back to Season 2, with only Cloud9’s 2018 Worlds semifinal appearance breaking the quarterfinal curse.
The ping disparity creates an invisible handicap – California-based pros practice with 60ms latency while Korean competitors enjoy near-instant 8ms responses. This fundamental difference alters decision-making patterns and reaction times, creating what Doublelift compares to “practicing basketball with a heavier ball.”
Recent roster moves like Cloud9 benching Zven for K1Ng highlight teams’ desperate attempts to break the cycle, but without addressing the root infrastructure issues, these changes may prove superficial. The 2000-mile gap between LCS teams and Chicago servers creates competitive disadvantages that no amount of individual skill can fully overcome.
Valorant’s Server Model
Doublelift’s proposal centers on adopting Valorant’s dynamic server allocation system, where matchmaking automatically selects the optimal server based on player locations. When all players in a lobby cluster geographically (like California-based pros), they’d connect to a local server rather than the centralized Chicago infrastructure.
“This isn’t theoretical – we’ve seen it work flawlessly in Counter-Strike for 20 years,” Doublelift emphasized in his May 29 analysis. TSM support SwordArt’s experience highlights the tangible impact – high ping forces different champion selections and alters engage timing, creating a practice environment that doesn’t translate to LAN tournaments.
Practical implementation would require Riot to deploy additional server clusters in key regions and modify matchmaking algorithms. The technical challenges are non-trivial but far from insurmountable, especially given Riot’s successful implementation in Valorant.
The Path Forward
While Doublelift acknowledges server improvements won’t instantly transform NA into world beaters, he argues they’re essential for closing the practice environment gap. “Our high-ELO players are exhausted from compensating for unnecessary latency,” he stated, noting that even 20ms reductions could dramatically improve mechanical consistency.
The transition would require careful phasing – perhaps initially for professional accounts before broader rollout. Riot would need to balance competitive integrity with accessibility, ensuring the system doesn’t fragment the player base. However, as Doublelift notes, “If it works for Valorant’s esports ecosystem, there’s no reason League can’t benefit too.”
Pro players could immediately begin adapting their practice by focusing more on LAN tournaments and scrims while advocating for infrastructure changes. Organizations might also invest in temporary practice solutions like localized custom game servers during critical preparation periods.
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Doublelift calls on Riot to fix the “biggest problem” for LCS players How Valorant's server system could revolutionize League of Legends esports performance