Again I'd like to reiterate that this article represents my own personal viewpoint, if you came here for a big construction of facts with glossy images scattered throughout then cut your losses and leave. This article is nothing more than my own viewpoint with, hopefully, some interesting reasoning to back it up.

I touched briefly on the Bo2 vs. Bo3 debate in my most recent article (Discussing the Proposed Changes to the LCK Broadcast) but some news has recently come to light that has me revisiting the subject and exploring it in more depth. For the uninformed; Riot plans on switching the EU LCS format to Bo2 and the NA LCS format to Bo3 in the 2016 Summer Split. This has inevitably led to a large debate across Twitter and Reddit about whether Bo2 or Bo3 is superior, with even many EU LCS professional players stating they prefer Bo3. Pro players are more that welcome to hold this opinion and I firmly believe that their input should be valued and considered in nearly all competitive League matters. However, like always, I feel like no one's discussing an important view rationally.

It's perfectly normal to support and want what's best for the favourite teams in your League and it's also to nornal to be vehemently against any sort of unfairly acheived perceived advantage for the opponent, especially one you're locked into a massive rivalry with. EU fans and players are understandably concerned that the Bo3 is more advantageos than Bo2 for regular season format, but even if it is, that's not really what this article is about. This article is also not complaining about how badly EU is getting shafted by the scheduling differences, the NA LCS will get the better slot until the end of time. No, this article is purely a discussion about whether Bo2 or Bo3 is superior for the spectator viewing experience.

The fan viewing experience is important; it doesn't take an idiot to realize that if no one was prepared to watch competitive LoL games then there really wouldn't be a competitive LoL scene at all. The spectator experience (which goes hand in hand with competitive integrity) should be at the forefront of any and all decisions made by the organization/body that supervises and runs a sports league/tournament. So, in terms of spectator experience, which is superior out of Bo2 and Bo3?

As a long-standing and borderline fanatacal viewer of the LCK, I am in the mildly unique and informed position where I have heavily experienced the Bo2 and Bo3 format and can accurately compare pros and cons between the two. For the unaware, from Spring 2012 to Summer 2014, OGN Champions (former name for LCK) operated a Bo2 format for its regular season matches. Since switching names, the LCK has since adopted a Bo3 format and was unique throughout 2015 in being the only League to do so.

Arguments for Bo2 > Bo3

Significantly Easier to Schedule

Considering the 'difficulty to schedule Bo3 games' is the primary reason Riot are citing for why the LCK broadcast has to be split between OGN and SpoTV, this is without debate. Considering it takes anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes for a game of LoL to play out, it's obviously easier to accurately inform fans what time a big series (like Fnatic vs. Origen or TSM vs. Cloud 9) will start. Bo2 rewards spectators who just want to tune in for the big series, a far from small section of the potential viewership.

Side Note: This move by Riot casts further doubt on Riot's reasoning for splitting the broadcast rights for LCK, but whatever.

Ease to Follow

In Bo2 it's easy to calculate a team's total points:

- 2/0 = 3 points

- 1/1 = 1 point

- 0/2 = 0 point

The more points you have the higher you are on the league. If two teams are equal on points then they have to play a tiebreaker for seeding in the event that there is no head to head advantage.

In Bo3 it gets a little trickier:

- 2/0 = win and 2 points

- 2/1 = win and 1 point

- 1/2 = loss and -1 point

- 0/2 = loss and -2 point

The better your win/loss record then the higher you are on the league, but in the event that two teams have the same win/loss then a seperate catergory is used to determine seeding.

Now the Bo3 system seems worth the complication until you realize that not a single team in LCK Spring or Summer 2015 used the points as a tiebreaker. The advantages of a 2/0 over a 2/1 is effectively that one game per series was completely pointless. Teams aren't rewarded for consistent play in the same way they're rewarded in a Bo2 format, and surely the point of a league is to test consistency? Also, lower teams aren't properly rewarded for taking games off of top teams. For example:

In OGN Spring 2013, SK Telecom T1 #1 (also known as Reapered's team) were famed for their ability to take a game off of virtually anyone. Utilizing creative strategies and solid preperation, they stole wins off teams that were far superior and made it into the playoffs. They were fun to watch and a big wildcard throughout the season.

However, in LCK Summer 2015, Samsung Galaxy found themselves in a similar situation. They used numerous innovative compositions to take wins off of both the KOO Tigers and SK Telecom T1 but found themselves outgunned in the other two games. Their hard work was for nothing in the end as TG and SKT both claimed a win off them in the end, denying what could have been a fun and interesting upset.

Bo3 Saturation Devalues the Playoffs While Bo2 Increases Excitement

It wasn't that long ago that Bo3 was used in LCS playoffs to decide final placings, yet now we face ourself in a situation where Bo3 is getting utilized in the regular season? In Bo2, you're teased just the right amount -- generally the superior teams win but you never get a truly accurate idea of how the teams stack up. This serves to increase the hype and speculation when the playoffs do come around.

Bo5 should be an exhibition -- the losing team should be laid completely bare and exposed as they finally put all their cards on the table in the final game. But you shouldn't fully understand a team until they lose a Bo5, and I always felt like a large amount of Bo3 and series wins between top teams made it easier to predict a series victory. The more regular season games a team has to play, the more they have to show going into playoffs and the more they have to show, the less potential for an upset.

Don't get me wrong, there's no large difference between Bo3 and Bo2, but after watching Bo3 for an entire year, I'd prefer it if LCK would revert to Bo2.

The author is an avid watcher and writer for Korean League eSports. Connect with him at @Gosickboy_