Welcome to the Mid-Season Invitational 2023
The Mid-Season Invitational 2023, one of the biggest League of Legends events, kicked off today in London. Four top professional teams battled it out in the tournament’s opening day.
Riot Games has introduced a new format for this year’s international mid-year event. Teams are diving into best-of gameplay from the start, giving them the opportunity to showcase their strategies and adaptability in challenging situations.
Related: MSI 2023: Scores, standings, and results
Despite two series ending in sweeps, G2 Esports, LOUD, PSG Talon, and DetonatioN FocusMe kept the London crowd at the edge of their seats. These teams displayed relentless aggression right from the start. Two teams secured their places in the next round of the play-in stage, while the other two will soon fight for their tournament lives.
Let’s take a look at the highlights from the first day of MSI 2023.
Wako dominates DFM in opening series
PSG Talon faced a tough challenge in their series against DetonatioN FocusMe. Although DFM gained a significant 9,000 gold lead in the second match, PSG managed to come back and secure the series victory.
Yuta “Yutapon” Sugiura played exceptionally well as DFM’s AD carry, dominating early teamfights with superior mobility. Meanwhile, Lee “Aria” Ga-eul, DFM’s mid laner, made important plays by isolating PSG’s carries with well-executed charms. The series seemed headed for a game three when PSG’s ADC, Tsou “Wako” Wei-Yang, showcased his skills on Aphelios, becoming a massive threat to DFM.
Related: JunJia breaks down PSG’s first win at MSI 2023
After an intense 50-minute battle, Wako secured eight kills and nine assists, dealing a staggering 57,700 damage. PSG had to claim three Baron buffs and four Infernal Drakes to secure the win while defending against a late-game Elder Dragon push from DFM.
Caps revives Nautilus mid against LOUD
The last time Nautilus appeared in the mid lane at an international tournament was in 2019, when Doinb surprised G2 by picking the champion in the Worlds finals. Caps, G2’s mid laner, brought back the pick against LOUD in their first series. Nautilus played a crucial role in G2’s late-game strategies.
Armed with Nautilus’ massive anchor, the iconic European mid laner secured two kills and 30 assists, actively roaming around the map to set up successful ganks for his jungler and side lanes. In later games, Caps used Nautilus’ hook as a go-button for G2’s teamfighting efforts. He fearlessly dove under towers and initiated skirmishes against LOUD’s entire team composition.
G2 struggled in the first game but dominated in the second, achieving victory in just 20 minutes. Their rookie jungler, Yike, had an impressive MSI debut, ending the day with 18 kills, 22 assists, and only two deaths on Nidalee. In the second game, Yike even topped the damage charts with precise spears and combos against the enemy carries.
Related: ‘ official Mid-Season Invitational 2023 power rankings
With their victories, both G2 and PSG will face each other in the second round of the winners bracket. LOUD and DFM will have to fight their way back in the second stage, starting on Tuesday, May 9.
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