As much fun as it was to return for the Mid-Season Invitational, Chase "RedShirtKing" Wassenar and Walter "Ceades" Fedczuk have been so mortified by the recent actions around the scene that they had to bring in former Paravine writer/Into the Rift Host Thomas Watts to help make sense of it all. They start by looking into G2's questionable choice to go on vacation, the ensuing PR fallout, and what this might indicate for the team moving forward. They then discuss Riot's negligence concerning the Team Impulse case, especially when considering the lack of contracts for players in their own league. They close with a harsh look at the unilateral power Riot has given themselves in competitive rulings and the broken system it has created by doing so, regardless of whether their actual ruling with Renegades and TDK proves to be correct (and there are a lot of reasons to believe it isn't).
Time Stamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:55 Initial Reaction to G2 Vacation News
5:30 Breaking Down Fan Outrage
8:20 G2's Tone-deaf PR Plan
11:10 How G2's Roster Rumours Affect the Outrage
13:20 Why Scheduling is Not an Excuse
16:20 Does This Point to Long Term Problems for G2
18:40 How G2's Narrative Has Changed
21:00 Understanding Player's Needs
23:10 G2's Next Steps
25:30 Team Impulse's Inevitable Downfall
28:20 Was Riot Wrong to Give Impulse a Second Chance
30:35 Riot's Failure to Hold Impulse Accountable and Protect Their Players
34:15 Tackling the System Even When It Makes Money
36:15 Renegades/TDK Ruling and the Mystery Surrounding It
41:20 Riot's Strategy Concerning Evidence and the Distrust It Brings
44:00 Riot's Flawed Investigative Process
46:55 How the Lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement Shifts the Balance of Power
49:25 How Riot's Inconsistent Rulings Could Affect Long-Term Investments
52:20 TDK's Punishment Compared to the Accusations Against Them
54:45 Why the Legal System is Not a Simple or Easy Answer
58:05 How Teams Are Incentivized to Just Move to Other Games
59:25 A Potential Lawsuit's Ripple Effect on IP Rights in eSports
1:02:35 Riot's Power to Remove Owners They Dislike
1:04:50 The Long Term Costs of Riot's Decisions and the Systemic Changes Needed
1:08:30 Riot's Shady PR Tactics and the Effect on Perception
1:11:45 How These Decisions Affect Other LCS Owners
1:14:50 Closing
Team Impulse's Competitive Ruling can be found here: http://www.lolesports.com/en_US/articles/competitive-ruling-team-impulse
Renegades/TDK's Competitive Ruling can be found here: http://www.lolesports.com/en_US/articles/competitive-ruling-renegades-and-tdk
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