Each year Riot Games holds two international tournaments, MSI and Worlds. This year, for the first time ever, MSI will take place in London. It also introduces a new format and it all begins next week!
It feels like only yesterday that we saw DRX defy expectations as they became the new world champions, the only regional fourth seed to ever do it. That’s the theme for this MSI, defiance. A fitting theme for a year where a relatively newer organisation like Bilibili Gaming, coming from a league as historically strong as the LPL, has broken through to their first MSI. A year where eighth place regular season team, Mad Lions of the LEC, required a tie-breaker to overcome the best of one (Bo1) stage, before going on an unstoppable Playoffs run. A year that has seen Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan, a rookie, complete the golden road by not only winning the split, but being the MVP in his first ever LCK final. A year in which Golden Guardians (GG) rose above returning legends, Korean prodigies, and teams full of imports to attend their first international event in the organisation's history.
The storylines going into this MSI, one of two inherently massive international events of the year, are unmatched in their unexpected nature. A true year of underdogs - with some familiar faces still making appearances - is not only a great sign for the depth of talent in the growing competitive scene, but a source of excitement as we venture into the uncharted waters of the new double-elimination MSI format. There’s something new for everyone this year, and there's no better time than right now to get stuck into League of Legends esports.
Play-In Stage
The Play-In Stage is the first example of the newly introduced lower bracket that gives teams a second chance, eliminating the tedious Bo1 round robin format present in previous years. Qualification for the main event can be secured through either two victories in the upper bracket, or three in the lower bracket.
PSG Talon vs. DetonatioN FocusMe
With a contentious performance in 2021’s MSI, finishing above LCS representatives Cloud9, PSG Talon are looking to aim just as high for this year's competition. Their hope rests on the shoulders of a newer squad. Having lost Kim “River” Dong-woo to the LCS, and Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-chuan to the LPL, PSG have not been doing great in international tournaments since. An opening match against a fellow wild card might be an opportunity they can seize to gain confidence going into the event.
Yuta “Yutapon” Sugiura and Moon “Steal” Geon-yeong have represented the LJL’s DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM) at many an international tournament for the last six years, with little success. While they have been dominant domestically for the majority of their time on DFM, it’s never translated particularly well to the international stage. However, with their skills and the new additions to the roster, there’s no reason they can’t utilise their experience in best-of series to contest PSG for a spot in the upper bracket.
Pinnacle has priced PSG at 1.431*, and DFM at 2.550*
G2 Esports vs. LOUD
Despite a fourth place exit in LEC Spring, G2 were considered by many to be a team to fear after their utterly dominating performance in the LEC’s new Winter Split. While it looks like they’ve had recent issues with identity, when they get that ball rolling it's near impossible to stop them. With veterans of the international stage, and MSI 2019 victors Rasmus “Caps” Winther and Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle, it's hard to imagine this team not looking at least competitive at this year's MSI. The focus for me will be how Martin “Yike” Sundelin handles his first international tournament in his rookie year. Stepping up for a team like G2 can be a daunting task, but with the experience of the players around him, I don’t expect these issues to arise until after the Play-In Stage.
After finding themselves the victor of the second CBLOL split of 2022, LOUD got their first taste of international competition. It was Detonation FocusMe who ended their tournament run, and now they reside in the same group here at MSI. LOUD get another shot on the international stage, but can Thiago “TinOwns” Satori use his signature Mages to stand up to an MSI champion? However you cut it, the matchup will definitely be interesting, giving us an opportunity to evaluate G2’s solidarity coming into MSI. While it’s certainly an uphill battle for LOUD, we’ve seen stranger upsets.
Pinnacle has priced G2 at 1.094*, and LOUD at 5.750*
Bilibili Gaming vs. Movistar R7
Zeno “Yagao” Qi has been considered a standout player among Chinese Mid Laners for a little while now, alongside Zhou “knight” Ding of JD Gaming, the pair are considered to be the future for the region. Coming into this year, “Yagao” has been outfitted with a team of outstanding potential, and given that Royal Never Give Up have failed to qualify for this year's MSI, Bilibili’s Top Laner, Chen “Bin” Zebin, must look to defend his title.
“Bin” will most certainly present a challenge to R7’s Cho “Bong” Bo-woong with his preference towards Carry champions such as Fiora, Irelia, Jax, and Camille. Especially when you consider that this is “Bong”’s first international tournament, the big relief for R7’s Top side could be how skewed the meta is to Bot Lane right now. However, Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao has stepped up in his first AD Carry position on a truly competitive LPL roster, sporting a 32% damage share for the regular season. It’s hard to see any way in for the wild card team.
Pinnacle has priced Bilibili at 1.015*, and R7 at 13.350*
Golden Guardians vs. GAM Esports
Long-standing Jungler for GAM, Đỗ “Levi” Duy Khánh, has proven his worth time and again, making many an appearance on the international stage. He’s shown he can go toe-to-toe with some of the best, but does he have the team around him this year to pull off an upset in the best of three against Golden Guardians? Time will tell, but it’s clear this matchup should prove to be the most contentious of our opening Play-In matches for MSI 2023.
Ex-PSG talent Kim "River" Dong-woo resides in the opposing jungle. The Golden Guardians Jungler has proven to be invaluable throughout the course of their Spring split, rated by many to be top two in the position for the LCS. With a Support as experienced as Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun to link up with on the Rift, GG have looked impressive when it comes to their understanding of map movements, and where best to have impact. This is something GAM are going to need to overcome in order to once more challenge NA’s credibility as a major region.
Pinnacle has priced GG at 1.628*, and GAM at 2.100*
*LoL odds are subject to change.
