North America and Europe’s Rivalry Put on Hold at MSI 2023
For more than a decade, North America and Europe have been fierce rivals in the competitive League of Legends scene. Their clashes on the Summoner’s Rift during international tournaments have always been highly anticipated, with supporters engaging in heated trash talk. However, the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational has taken an unexpected turn, with almost all representatives from NA and EU being eliminated from the tournament. As of May 16, Cloud9 is the last team standing from a Western region.
New Format and Early Eliminations
In a change introduced by Riot Games, MSI 2023 adopted a new format with teams playing in best-of series throughout all stages. This meant that the LCS and LEC teams did not get the opportunity to face each other during this event as they had in previous years. In the past, the second stage of the tournament allowed the remaining teams to play against each other twice in a rumble stage, providing a chance for the NA and EU teams to collide.
C9: The Last Hope
This year’s double elimination bracket drew NA and EU teams on the same side, pitting them against competitors from the LPL and LCK. If NA and EU teams failed to win their first-round matches, they would have to eliminate their fellow regional representative to stay in the MSI. With the elimination of the other three teams, Cloud9 is now the only hope for the LCS and the West as a whole. The last time a North American team reached the MSI finals was in 2019, when Team Liquid surprised everyone with a resounding victory against Invictus Gaming to secure their spot in the finals against G2.
Catch Cloud9 in action as they face Gen.G on Wednesday, May 17 at 7am CT.
League of Legends, esports, MSI 2023, Cloud9, LCS, LEC, rivalry, tournament, Western region, NA, EU, Riot Games, competitive gaming, finals, Gen.G, LPL, LCK