Is contesting about to be a thing of the past in ALGS?

According to a letter to ALGS competitors from the ALGS commissioner John Nelson shared onto Reddit, contesting could be a thing of the past in ALGS. A new "spawn selection" setting available in private lobbies will be used to predetermine where teams land in ALGS moving forward.

Players and coaches are being asked for their thoughts on the change, which could totally shake up the ALGS forever.

As well as removing the drop ship, the ALGS team are proposing a draft system. This would mean teams would no longer land at the same location every week.

The aim, the commissioner says, is to introduce this in Split 2.

Perhaps the least controversial aspect of this proposal is the removal of the drop ship. Currently, the drop ship's pathing adds a huge amount of RNG for teams on the edge of the map. You could be looted and on rotate before the other side of the map has even touched the ground.

On Storm Point, it can even be impossible to physically fly to your location from the ship. Teams at Zeus and Lightning Rod have sometimes had to run the final leg of their journey. All of this adds a disadvantage that cannot be countered.

Under this new system, teams would be able to select their spawn location from a range of preset locations across the map.

However, things get far more controversial from there. Contained in the commissioners letter is the details of a new POI draft system. This would assign teams to a drop spot. Pro League would use a system where teams got equal amounts of early, middle and late picks.

But, LAN and Regional Finals would be weighted by performance. This would mean the strongest teams get first dibs on the best POI's. Struggling teams would be forced to operate from weaker spots. That adds more to play for, but does it increase the gap between teams?

In addition, teams currently invest a lot of time and resources into mastering their gameplans from certain positions. Teams learn rotates, what priority they have for certain spots and more.

The flip side is, teams with stronger POI's certainly do have an advantage in game. But, any team can land anywhere and teams that have earned stronger spots have always had to fight for them.

Understandably, contesting can be very difficult for teams and players. Sometimes, teams 'grief' by landing on teams to try and force a certain outcome. Other times, contests can be lost by RNG. This has been improved by the armour changes seen in Season 20.

But, for the viewers, contesting is incredibly exciting. Seeing two teams go head to head over several weeks makes not only ALGS interesting, but the wider ALGS competitive schedule too. Fans pay more attention to scrims to keep up with a contest. Social media can be rife with fans breaking down the strategies and scores as teams go head to head.

But, there are cases where teams do target teams over personal issues. Although, those teams would argue this is simply part of the Battle Royale experience.

The removal of contesting bids farewell to one of the most entertaining aspects of ALGS, and a huge part of a teams strategy. Where a team lands, if they can win or defend the spot, and how teams from different regions interact is a key aspect of the current ALGS ecosystem.

However, you could argue that this will elevate the ALGS to a new level. Teams will have to think on their feet, and be flexible to win. In their proposal, the commissioner says "We also believe [this system] will serve as a greater test of skill given the expected result is a more varied list of landing locations per team."

This has been something that the Season 20 armour changes has started to introduce to a much lesser extent. Teams have to adapt their rotates and strategies to gather EVO. But, this change would take this to the extreme.

A downside is teams would no longer be able to specialise. Some teams have found great success at carving out a specific playstyle, and mastering it. The Guard in Year 3 Split 1, Blackhvnd at the ALGS Championship are memorable examples.

There is no doubt ways to improve RNG for teams in the ALGS. Removing the Drop Ship is a huge equaliser between teams. This follows up on the Armour changes and Beacon/Console Spawn Rate adjustments in recent updates.

But, does this ALGS contesting ban and POI draft system go too far, or will it make the ALGS more exciting than ever? Additionally, could this system shake up other game modes like ranked?

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