The online qualifiers finally concluded, and after several rounds of fierce competition, the list of the strongest thirty-two teams that emerged from hundreds of teams across the four major divisions was officially announced jointly by the Star Sea Live platform and Riot Games!
This list, like a new era's ranking of powerhouses, clearly outlined the distribution of current Chinese league of legends esports forces:
[Elite Teams]: Star Sea Team (formerly directly affiliated with Star Sea Live), Forbidden City Peak (imperial capital's heritage), Jin Neng Esports (functional beverage giant), Phantom Team (peripherals leader), Flashing Star (video platform power), etc. These clubs, backed by strong capital, have, without a doubt, secured prominent positions on the list due to their professional training systems and resource investment.
[Rising Forces]: Qiming Team (formerly Dawn Team, invested by Chuang Yi Dai), Shu Road Mountain (western powerhouse), Steel City Will (representative of northwestern resilience), Lingnan Tiger (southern Guangdong powerhouse), etc. These teams, either with impressive performances in the online qualifiers or with certain regional influence, also proved their strength, becoming new forces challenging the old order.
[Grassroots Miracles]: Besides teams like Qiming Team that completed their transformation, the list still included a few teams purely composed of high-ranked solo queue players with no prominent background. Their ability to break into the top thirty-two is the best proof of their talent and effort, and it also carries the esports dreams of countless ordinary players.
The announcement of the list instantly ignited the last spark in the player community. Forums, Tieba, and Weibo were filled with analyses of team strengths, expectations for dark horses, and infinite anticipation for the upcoming offline finals.
Subsequently, the Star Sea Cup official released a more detailed announcement for the offline finals:
Match Time: It will officially be held in two weeks at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center!
Format: Thirty-two teams will be divided into eight groups, playing a double round-robin BO1 within each group, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the top sixteen. From the top sixteen onwards, a single-elimination bracket will be used, with the quarterfinals and semifinals being BO3, and the grand finals adopting the more prestigious BO5 format!
Viewing Information: Offline tickets will be sold in batches through official channels, and it is promised that Star Sea Live will provide a multi-angle, ultra-high-definition, low-latency online live streaming experience.
Prize Pool Distribution: The total prize pool of up to three million RMB was re-confirmed, and the specific distribution plan for the champion, runner-up, third place, and subsequent rankings was detailed.
At the end of the announcement, a thank-you letter from the Star Sea Cup Organizing Committee was attached, thanking all participating teams, cooperating brands, live broadcast viewers, and every player who followed the event, and specifically emphasizing the competition principles of "fairness, impartiality, and openness."
However, just as the excitement from this announcement lingered, Lin Haoming and Qin Feng had an urgent call. The poaching controversy involving Qiming Team at the end of the online qualifiers served as a reminder to both of them. During the upcoming, higher-profile offline matches, similar incidents must be prevented from disrupting the competition order.
"Mr. Qin, during the offline matches, there can't be any more situations where teams are privately contacted and morale is affected," Lin Haoming said seriously. "We must have a clear regulation to curb this behavior."
Qin Feng strongly agreed: "Exactly, the purity of the competition must be guaranteed. This is key to establishing the authority of our event."
The two quickly discussed, and the Star Sea Cup Organizing Committee swiftly issued an additional "Supplementary Regulation on Maintaining Competition Order and Fair Play":
"To ensure the smooth progress of the Star Sea Cup offline finals and guarantee the focus and stable competitive state of all participating teams, after joint deliberation by the Organizing Committee and official partner Riot Games, it is hereby stipulated:
From the date of this announcement until a team is eliminated or the entire event concludes, any club, agency, or individual is strictly prohibited from privately contacting players, coaches, and management of other teams still in the competition sequence, in any form (including but not limited to in-person contact, phone calls, social media private messages, etc.), to discuss transfers, business cooperation, or other matters unrelated to the current event that may interfere with their preparation.
Any violation of this regulation, once verified by the Organizing Committee, will be regarded as a serious disruption of competition order. The team to which the violating party belongs (whether the contacting party or the contacted party if they actively cooperate) will be immediately disqualified from all results and future participation in this Star Sea Cup, and the right to pursue relevant responsibilities will be reserved.
This event has a dedicated business cooperation channel, and all cooperation matters should be conducted through official channels. All participants are urged to jointly maintain this hard-won competitive environment."
The introduction of this supplementary regulation was like a clear "red line" drawn before all participating teams and relevant capital. While it cannot completely prohibit poaching after the event, it at least ensures that during the competition, teams can compete in a relatively stable environment, free from excessive external interference.
As soon as the regulation was released, it immediately received widespread praise from players and legitimate clubs.
"It's about time! Poaching during the competition is disgusting!"
"Support the official! Maintain fair play!"
"Now those who want to play dirty tricks will have to think twice."
Of course, some capital with private intentions felt displeased, but in the face of the official's strong stance and the severe penalty of disqualification, they had no choice but to temporarily rein themselves in.
The establishment of rules means that the chaotic "Wild West era" is coming to an end. With the confirmation of the top thirty-two teams, the announcement of offline match details, and the introduction of this iron rule to maintain order, the stage for the Star Sea Cup finals has been set, awaiting the gathering of powerhouses in Shanghai in two weeks to engage in the ultimate battle for supremacy in this gradually standardized arena!