Riot Games Moves Schedule for League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational Semifinals
Just days before the knockout stage at the 2021 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, Riot Games decided to switch the match days for the semifinal series. According to the company, this change was made due to scheduling conflicts related to COVID-19 protocols for the LPL’s Royal Never Give Up. Riot has released a statement explaining the reasoning behind this decision.
Scheduling Conflict for Royal Never Give Up
Because of the COVID-19 protocols, anyone traveling to China must take an IgM antibody blood test within 48 hours prior to departure. Consequently, RNG needed to visit a lab in Reykjavík on Saturday, May 22, to have blood drawn which conflicted with their scheduled series. Riot explored alternate flight options, but due to the pandemic, there were no other viable choices for the team in their return to China.
“So, we came here today and listened to the whole process and the logic behind the decision making, so I asked them to make sure that this will not be repeated in the future,” said DWG KIA’s head coach kkOma in a press conference. “Now that we have this schedule for the semifinals, we will do our best to prepare for the upcoming matches, and I hope we can make it to the finals.”
New Schedule for Semifinals
As a result of the changes, RNG will now face off against PSG Talon on Friday, May 21, while Korea’s DWG KIA will battle it out against MAD Lions on Saturday, May 22. The finals of MSI 2021 will be played on Sunday, May 23.
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Riot Games, League of Legends, Mid-Season Invitational, scheduling conflicts, COVID-19 protocols, Royal Never Give Up, playoffs, semifinals