Hello Lumia Island survivors,

We want to express our sincere gratitude for the overwhelming interest and support shown during the Esports events held throughout Season 8—especially the Masters Season 8 Finals & KEL Tournament!

 We're so grateful to those of you who traveled from afar to attend in person, as well as everyone who watched and cheered us on from home.

With Season 8 officially wrapped, Eternal Return Esports now heads into Season 9: Matsuri. Let’s dive into what’s new and what’s changed for this season’s competitive scene.

§ Kkeubeurakko Charcoal Chicken is the Title Sponsor of Eternal Return S9 Masters!

If you’ve been following Eternal Return esports, you’ve probably heard the name before. Now, Kkubeurakko Charcoal Chicken is joining us as the title sponsor for Masters Season 9!

This marks the very first official title sponsorship in Eternal Return Masters history, making this season officially “The Kkubeurakko Charcoal Chicken Masters Season 9.”
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Following their support during the 2025 KEL, Kkubeurakko is back once again to bring even more excitement to Eternal Return esports. This time, we’re also planning an exclusive brand collaboration, so make sure to stay tuned and show your support!

As always, Masters will feature two phases, followed by LCQ, and conclude with the Season Finals.

You can check out the full Kkubeurakko Masters Season 9 schedule below.

As part of our collaboration, 10 lucky players who use the official Kkubeurakko Charcoal Chicken app will be randomly selected to receive Priority Entry Tickets for both days of the Kkubeurakko Masters Season 9 Finals!

While the venue hasn’t been officially announced yet, we’re currently in discussions to host the Finals in a region that shares a special connection with Kkubeurakko Charcoal Chicken, so stay tuned for the upcoming announcement!

§ 3 Pick Ban/2 Pick Cap, Round System & Checkpoint Rules

The Masters and KEL have each established their own signature formats. Masters with the 3 Pick-Ban rule and KEL with the 2 Pick-Cap rule, both of which have proven to offer unique strategic depth.

The 3 Pick-Ban system adds tension as teams must consider how their third pick could influence later rounds. Meanwhile, the 2 Pick-Cap system, first introduced in the National League and later adopted overseas, emphasizes timing and mind games over which picks to reveal and when.

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Additionally, the Round and Checkpoint systems both shape gameplay differently.

The Round System pushes teams to maximize points within fixed rounds. The Checkpoint System rewards teams that cross a score threshold and survive to the end, creating unpredictable, high-stakes finishes.

Since many of the same teams participate in both Masters and KEL, these distinct rules have helped define each league’s identity. However, with plans to fully separate Masters and KEL starting from 2026, we’re now carefully re-evaluating the rules to refine each competition’s format.

The Checkpoint System helps create tension between teams deciding whether to end the match early or extend it for more points. However, past tournaments like the National League Finals and KEL National Championship, which used both the 2 Pick-Cap and Checkpoint systems, struggled to deliver the same level of suspense as the 3 Pick-Ban format. To enhance the viewer experience, we plan to pair the Checkpoint format with the 3 Pick-Ban rule moving forward. Starting this season, all tournaments using the Checkpoint System will adopt 3 Pick-Ban as a standard.

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In a 2 Pick-Cap environment, the most crucial factor is the ability to put into action your prepared strategy across fixed rounds. Previously, some 2 Pick-Cap Checkpoint formats included rules that lifted certain pick restrictions after a few rounds, however, this approach went against the original intent of the 2 Pick-Cap system.

Because of this, we strongly felt the need for change. Moving forward, the 2 Pick-Cap format will instead be exclusively paired with fixed-round systems to stay true to its original design and strategic depth. 

For now, Masters will continue to use the 3 Pick-Ban format. However, after sufficient discussion and feedback from players, we plan to consider whether the 2 Pick-Cap could be introduced to the Qualifiers, Group Stage, or Knockout Stage in future seasons.

After the recent Masters, many players have expressed that they’re already preparing multiple compositions to adapt to bans, so even with a 4-round 2 Pick-Cap format requiring two team comps, it might work smoothly. However, we’re also cautious, since this could reduce the thrilling moments when “one-trick” specialists climb all the way to the Finals using a single perfected strategy.

We’ll make any final decisions on these rule changes through thorough discussions, and your feedback as players and viewers will be the most important part of that process. During this season’s tournaments, we’ll be closely monitoring the pros and cons of both rule systems, so please continue to share your thoughts with us!

Additionally, the Sequential Character Selection Option, which was added late in Season 8, will be applied to all tournaments starting from Season 9. We believe this option will help solve previous issues such as the “0-second pick” problem while also enhancing the strategic depth of the pick phase.

§ Masters & KEL  

The Korean Esports League (KEL) format will change to give more opportunities to amateur teams. Here’s how it will work from now on: 

These changes are currently in plans but could change in the future. Our priority is to listen to our players and community, so we’re ready for any feedback you may have. We’ll continue to announce changes in advance as we go forward. 

As we approach the end of 2025, we’re filled with excitement as we start to prepare what’s coming in 2026. We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store!
 

As always, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the fans who continue to support Eternal Return Esports. 

We’ll see you soon in our upcoming events!

Sincerely, 

Eternal Return Esports Team