The Mid-Season Invitational: An Unforgettable Tournament
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is currently halfway through the group stage, with each team playing against each other once. This tournament has been incredible so far, and many are already calling it the best non-Worlds tournament yet.
Standings
Note: Standings only count first play through of the round robin.
Royal Never Give Up (China) 5-0
Flash Wolves (Taiwan) 3-2
Counter Logic Gaming (North America) 3-2
SK Telecom (Korea) 2-3
Gamers2 Esports (Europe) 1-4
SuperMassive eSports (Turkey) 1-4
Implications of the Standings
If the current standings were to hold, Europe would lose their Pool 1 designation and Taiwan would gain the Pool 1 designation. Europe would have two teams in Pool 2 and one in Pool 3. Taiwan would have one seed in Pool 1 and one in Pool 2. All other seeds would remain the same as in 2015.
One Thing We Have Learned About Each Team
Royal Never Give Up (RNG): Team Fights, Team Fights, Team Fights
RNG has been living up to their name in the tournament by refusing to give up and taking down powerhouses SK Telecom and Flash Wolves. Despite being considered a struggling team coming into MSI, RNG has exploded onto the scene with a strong early showing, finishing at the top of the standings with a perfect 5-0 record.
While RNG has impressed with their aggression, they have also shown that they struggle to close out games. Their games often come down to a final team fight, with the winner finishing the game shortly after. However, their jungler, Liu “mlxg” Shi-yu, has been performing exceptionally well, with the highest KDA and impressive stats across the board.
Flash Wolves (FW): Maple is currently one of the best mid laners in the world
Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang has proven that he deserves to be in the conversation of the best mid laners in the world. He has consistently performed well, with an impressive KDA and high percentage of his team’s total damage. However, FW stumbled against CLG and G2, but they bounced back with commanding wins against SuperMassive and SK Telecom.
Counter Logic Gaming (CLG): Success dictated by opposing ADC vs Stixxay
Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes has been vital to CLG’s success at MSI. His performance in the bot lane has been impressive, with high kill participation and gold lead over his opponents. CLG’s success seems to be directly dependent on how Stixxay performs against the enemy ADC. They have won games where Stixxay outperformed his opponent and lost games where his opponent had better stats.
SK Telecom (SKT): Bang, not Faker, is currently carrying the team
While Faker is known as a legendary player, it is Bae “Bang” Jin-sik who has been carrying SK Telecom at MSI. Bang has consistently dealt the highest percentage of his team’s total damage and has the highest KDA of all ADC’s in the tournament. SKT had a slow start, but their talented team and history of learning from losses make them a team to watch out for.
Gamers2 Esports (G2): Rookies not performing to expectations
G2’s rookies, Kang-yoon “Trick” Kim, PerkZ, and coach Joey “Youngbuck” Steltenpool, have been disappointing so far. Their lack of experience has been evident in their performance, and their coach’s decisions have been questionable. G2 needs to adapt their strategy to match the aggressive playstyle of the tournament if they want to have a chance at success.
SuperMassive eSports (SUP): Good, not great
SuperMassive eSports have shown that they have the ability to stick around in games and threaten lower tier teams, but they still have a lot of room for improvement. Their mid laner, Nicolaj “Achuu” Ellesgaard, has been a standout player with impressive stats. This experience at MSI will be valuable for SUP’s future.
What do you think about the action at MSI thus far? Let us know by commenting below or tweeting us @esn.gg.
Related keywords: League of Legends, MSI, esports, gaming, mid-season invitational, standings, Royal Never Give Up, Flash Wolves, Counter Logic Gaming, SK Telecom, Gamers2 Esports, SuperMassive eSports