All-Star Shanghai 2013 is just weeks away! 25 of the best and most popular players in the world will duke it out at the Shanghai Grand Stage in China May 24 to 26 to bring glory, honor, and even a long-term advantage back home. More than bragging rights are at stake as five regions of the world descend upon China for a three-day showdown, and all of it can be viewed live from the official League of Legends esports site.

Five Teams

Five world regions will be represented by teams of five, comprised of each region’s best and most famous players, and drafted by community vote from their respective leagues.

North America LCS will be represented by:

• Dyrus (TSM Snapdragon)
• Saintvicious (Curse)
• Scarra (Dignitas)
• Doublelift (Counter Logic Gaming)
• Xpecial (TSM Snapdragon)

Europe LCS will be represented by:

• sOAZ (Fnatic)
• Diamond (Gambit BenQ)
• Alex Ich (Gambit BenQ)
• Yellowpete (EG Raidcall)
• EDward (Gambit BenQ)

OGN Champions (Korea) will be represented by:

• Shy (CJ Entus Frost)
• inSec (KT Rolster B)
• Ambition (CJ Entus Blaze)
• PraY (NaJin Sword)
• Madlife (CJ Entus Frost)

Tencent LoL Pro League (China) will be represented by:

• PDD (Invictus Gaming)
• Troll (World Elite)
• Misaya (World Elite)
• WeiXiao (World Elite)
• XiaoXiao (Invictus Gaming)

Garena Premier League (South-East Asia) will be represented by:

• Stanley (Azubu Taipei Assassins)
• HarLeLuYar (Singapore Sentinels)
• Toyz (Azubu Taipei Assassins)
• Chawy (Singapore Sentinels)
• MiSTakE (Azubu Taipei Snipers)

Three Rounds

The five teams will compete in a three-stage eliminations bracket, with Southeast Asia earning a bye to Round Two. The initial pairings will be:

• Group A: North America vs China
• Group B: Europe vs Korea

The losing teams of Group A and B will face off for a chance at redemption. The winner will meet up against the winner of Group B in the semifinals.

Two Formats

Outside of the main All-Star Tournament, there will also be an All-Star Skills Competition between the players of the game’s five primary roles. There will be a custom map and victory conditions for both 1v1 (Junglers, Top Lanes, Mid Lanes) and 2v2 (AD Carry and Support) competitions, which should result in high-octane gameplay.

Junglers:

• Saintvicious
• Diamond
• inSec
• Troll
• HarLeLuYar

Mid Laners:

• Scarra
• Alex Ich
• Ambition
• Misaya
• Toyz

Top Laners:

• Shy
• Dyrus
• sOAZ
• PDD
• Stanley

AD Carry and Supports:

• Doublelift and Xpecial
• Yellowpete and EDward
• PraY and Madlife
• WeiXiao and XiaoXiao
• Chawy and Mistake

One Destination

The All-Star Tournament isn’t just an exhibition event. The outcome has significant ramifications on the World Championship at the end of Season 3. There is both a major reward for the region that wins and a heavy cost to the one that places last.

All the world leagues will send an undisclosed number of their top teams to represent their region at the World Championship. But the region that wins the All-Star Tournament gets to send one additional team, upping their odds to win prize money and the Summoner’s Cup. Furthermore, the top four regions get a bye into the elimination rounds. Conversely, the last place team will lose that protection, requiring all of their league representatives to fight it out in the group stages.

As Southeast Asia has been granted a bye into the semifinals, due to their success in Season 2, they are automatically protected from fifth place. Their top-seeded team is already guaranteed entry into Season 3’s World Championship elimination rounds.

The best players of every region will battle for pride and prizes starting Friday, May 24. Tweet your predictions to us at @Lolesports.