Watch the Throne: this is what it's like to be a Challenger-tier player

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

Where baseball has the minors to recruit new players from, League of Legends has the Challenger tier of Summoners. The top 50 players in any region make the cut into this elite group of players, and it’s undeniable that they’ve earned their spots there.

However, many of them aren’t pros in the sense we’ve become accustomed to. They haven’t been recruited into LCS teams. They’re not competing on the biggest stages in the world. They’re folks playing for the love of the game. Well, and a little bit of streaming cash.

Of course, being semi-pro means these guys face a lot of challenges. Most of all, how do they find a way to support themselves while keeping up with the huge training regimen that is required to play at the top of their game? We sat down with a few players to ask.

“Having enough to support myself as a full-time challenger player is probably the toughest obstacle I've been facing,” says Dylan 'AtomicN' Newton. The support player for team Denial.East isn’t exactly in a unique position for players of his caliber. Without the backbone of sponsorships or a team salary, many Challenger players have to win in order to get paid.

With irregular amateur tournaments, making money has been rather difficult in recent years, forcing a lot of players out of the scene. Many players manage to stay afloat by way of revenue from streaming - see popular streamers like Tim 'Trick2G' Foley or James 'PhantomL0rd' Varga, for example - but there are other ways of making cash.

“If I wasn’t currently on a team with a sponsor to provide me with food/housing, I honestly wouldn’t be able to continue playing League,” says Newton.

Burnout is something that all players playing at this level have to deal with, particularly with the huge amount of time they need to spend playing. “It does take a lot a of your time,” says Newton. “I solo queue everyday for about 3-4 hours and then I have team practice on top of that for another 4-5 hours. There's also time to watch replays and matches to be played depending on the day.”

“I think Riot is doing a fantastic job at expanding e-sports and I don't think anyone could really argue otherwise. However, the only complaint that I really have is that I wish they would've developed the challenger scene structure a bit earlier."

Dylan 'AtomicN' Newton

Philip 'NydusHerMain' Sohn has a similar practice schedule. “Currently, I'm practicing 8 hours of scrims a day. Usually 4 hours then a 1 hour dinner break, and then another 4 hours of scrims.” After a while with little to no financial stability, the long hours and lack of guaranteed future payment can weigh heavy on their lives.

As CLG sub Sohn puts it, “Most people drop out because they've been at it for too long and end up having to go to school.” As a result, amateur teams often lose high-tier players, making it increasingly difficult for them to stay competitive.

Player poaching by professional teams isn’t uncommon, either. “Several amateur teams has been set back from LCS/Established scouting amateur players,” says Gold Gaming LA mid laner Aaron 'Bischu' Kim. “I suppose [there] isn't something Riot can do about it, but the competitive Challenger scene is very flawed.”

Newton shares that sentiment, but has a slightly more positive take on how Riot handles Challengers as a whole. “I think Riot is doing a fantastic job at expanding e-sports and I don't think anyone could really argue otherwise. However, the only complaint that I really have is that I wish they would've developed the challenger scene structure a bit earlier. These leagues that are going to be put in place are good, but there's a pretty large gap between a majority of the Challenger teams and the LCS teams right now.”

Of course, many - if not all - of the Challenger teams and players are looking to make the jump into the LCS. “90% of the Challenger teams are training daily for several hours with their goals set on LCS. That said, my teammates and I are gunning for the same goal,” says Kim.

Even Newton, who participated in the LCS as Team MRN’s support player in Season 3, is looking to climb his way back in. “I think the major goal of many aspiring challenger players and myself included is to reach the LCS. I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in the LCS before and it just makes me want it more.

And really, that’s what any League player is looking for: That success, that acknowledgement of skill. “I know what it feels like to play at that level,” adds Newton. “And its a great feeling of accomplishment to be there.”

Image Credit: lol.gamepedia.com/AtomicN‎, youtube.com/user/bischulol