Draft Coach English EN
LJL 2016: The Rise of the Rivalry
The LJL 2016 Season shaped the modern era of the Japanese region, cementing the fierce historic rivalry between 
DetonatioN FocusMe and 
Rampage. The LJL was also heavily integrated into the International Wildcard (IWC) system for global qualification.
2016 Format Rules
- League Size: 6 Teams. Matches were broadcasted over a 10-week season.
- Regular Season: Double Round Robin. Every matchup is a Best-of-Three (Bo3).
- Playoffs: The Top 3 teams advance to the playoffs, utilizing a "King of the Hill" bracket format. The 2nd and 3rd seeds clash in the Semifinals, with the winner advancing to face the 1st seed in the Best-of-Five (Bo5) Grand Final.
- Relegation: The bottom 2 teams (5th and 6th place) drop into the LJL Promotion Series to defend their spots against Challenger teams.
- International Qualification: The Spring Champion qualified for the 2016 International Wildcard Invitational (IWCI). The Summer Champion qualified for the 2016 International Wildcard Qualifier (IWCQ) for a chance to reach Worlds.
Participating Teams
Spring Season
- 7th heaven
7th heaven
- TOP
- Evi
- JNG
- Awaker
- MID
- Shinmori / Estelim
- BOT
- YutoriMoyashi
- SUP
- ThintoN / Beni
- DetonatioN FocusMe
DetonatioN FocusMe
- TOP
- Yutapon / BonziN
- JNG
- Catch
- MID
- Ceros
- BOT
- Zerost / nororin
- SUP
- Eternal
- Rampage
Rampage
- TOP
- Paz (Registered as TOP/JNG.) / Aotaka
- JNG
- Paz (Registered as TOP/JNG.) / Tussle
- MID
- tei (Registered as MID/SUP.) / Roki
- BOT
- Meron
- SUP
- tei (Registered as MID/SUP.) / Dara
- Rascal Jester
Rascal Jester
- TOP
- cogcog
- JNG
- GalB / Inu / Corn (Registered as SUP/JNG.)
- MID
- HW4NG / aripo
- BOT
- Rkp
- SUP
- Corn (Registered as SUP/JNG.) / Lillebelt
- Team BlackEye
Team BlackEye
- TOP
- Arfoad
- JNG
- Serick / CarilRui
- MID
- Alps / Mugoon / Mueki / Ryavka (Registered as SUP/MID.)
- BOT
- RhythmAsalt
- SUP
- Ryavka (Registered as SUP/MID.) / Yoshiaki
- Unsold Stuff Gaming
Unsold Stuff Gaming
- TOP
- apaMEN
- JNG
- isurugi
- MID
- Clockday
- BOT
- Haretti
- SUP
- Enty
Summer Season
- DetonatioN FocusMe
DetonatioN FocusMe
- TOP
- Yutapon
- JNG
- Catch / DayDream
- MID
- Ceros
- BOT
- nororin / Hikari
- SUP
- viviD
- Unsold Stuff Gaming
Unsold Stuff Gaming
- TOP
- apaMEN
- JNG
- Clockday (Registered as JNG/MID.) / Challenger
- MID
- Clockday (Registered as JNG/MID.) / AeonBlast / Namakemono
- BOT
- Haretti
- SUP
- Enty
- Rampage
Rampage
- TOP
- Paz
- JNG
- Tussle
- MID
- Roki
- BOT
- Meron
- SUP
- Dara
- 7th heaven
7th heaven
- TOP
- Evi
- JNG
- Corn / Awaker
- MID
- Estelim / Broooock / Rokenia
- BOT
- YutoriMoyashi
- SUP
- ThintoN
- SCARZ
SCARZ
- TOP
- Nova / Arfoad
- JNG
- Ilven / Vivy
- MID
- alleycat
- BOT
- Day1
- SUP
- Terette / Kazu
- Team BlackEye
Team BlackEye
- TOP
- cogcog
- JNG
- CarilRui
- MID
- Mueki
- BOT
- Alps / Swizzle
- SUP
- Yoshiaki
Spring Regular Season Standings
| # | Team | Series | Games | Win % | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DetonatioN FocusMe | 10-0 | 20-2 | 100% | Playoffs |
| 2 |  Unsold Stuff Gaming | 6-4 | 15-9 | 60% | Playoffs |
| 3 | Rampage | 6-4 | 13-11 | 60% | Playoffs |
| 4 |  7th heaven | 5-5 | 13-12 | 50% | Relegation / Eliminated |
| 5 |  Rascal Jester | 3-7 | 7-15 | 30% | Relegation / Eliminated |
| 6 |  Team BlackEye | 0-10 | 1-20 | 0% | Relegation / Eliminated |
* Unsold Stuff Gaming won the head-to-head tiebreaker over Rampage to secure the 2nd seed.
Spring Playoffs
Rampage easily dispatched USG in the Semifinals to set up the classic DFM vs RPG Finals. However, DetonatioN FocusMe was completely untouchable in Spring 2016, sweeping Rampage 3-0 and capping off a flawless split where they did not lose a single match series.
Unsold Stuff Gaming Rampage DetonatioN FocusMe 
- Rampage DetonatioN FocusMe Summer Regular Season Standings
| # | Team | Series | Games | Win % | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rampage | 9-1 | 18-4 | 90% | Playoffs |
| 2 | DetonatioN FocusMe | 8-2 | 18-6 | 80% | Playoffs |
| 3 | 7th heaven | 7-3 | 14-8 | 70% | Playoffs |
| 4 | Unsold Stuff Gaming | 2-8 | 8-18 | 20% | Relegation / Eliminated |
| 5 |  SCARZ | 2-8 | 6-17 | 20% | Relegation / Eliminated |
| 6 | Team BlackEye | 2-8 | 7-18 | 20% | Relegation / Eliminated |
Summer Playoffs
After dominating the Summer regular season and securing the 1st seed, Rampage waited in the Grand Finals. DFM swept 7th heaven to meet them there. In an unforgettable 5-game series, Rampage claimed their revenge, dethroning DFM 3-2 to win the title.
DetonatioN FocusMe 7th heaven Rampage - DetonatioN FocusMe Rampage Rampage: LJL Summer Champions (Qualified for IWCQ) Wildcard Path to Worlds
2016 International Wildcard Qualifier (IWCQ) - Brazil
Rampage traveled to Brazil to compete in the IWCQ, fighting against the champions of regions like Brazil, CIS, Turkey, and Oceania for a spot at the World Championship. Despite strong mechanical showings, Rampage finished the round-robin with a 3-4 record and missed the knockout stage, leaving Japan waiting another year for a Worlds Main Event appearance.