The grand final of Champs 2022 was also worth a spot in the franchises. I doubt that if Optic had won, Riot would have left them out of the league.
Pasted from another thread where I talked abt this
Riot made it clear that they were prioritizing relationships and longevity with franchising, both thing optic kinda lack in.
They sold their LCS spot and although they look a LOT more stable now, pretty much when riot was deciding orgs optic just did a merger and changed CEOS (not to mention their unstable history). Sucks but it definitely wasnt out of no where. They definitely fumbled viewership-wise tho having both sen and optic wouldve been crazy for the scene.
Its important to realize that the decision was made entirely based on the org, not the roster (even if optic made it in the roster would not have stayed)