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8 things we learned from the Mid-Season Invitational’s Play-In stage
The Mid-Season Invitational Play-Ins have just concluded, setting the stage for an exciting main event. Here’s what we’ve learned from the explosive action so far.
League of Legend’s Mid-Season Invitational is well underway, and ten teams have battled it out to make it to the main stage in the Play-In stage. The number one teams of emerging regions like Japan, Brazil and South-East Asia had to win their groups in order to fight either the North American or Taiwanese representatives – and in total, out of the ten teams, three will get a ticket to the main stage in Taipei.
After an exciting Play-In stage we’re finally ready for the main stage. However, it’s always good to reflect on what happened during the Play-in stage to see how it will affect the rest of the tournament, and maybe even Worlds. Some regions have definitely stepped up in terms of performance, while others seemed to have fallen. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen some old champions become relevant again – which could lead to some surprising picks in the main event itself. Here are the eight main things that we’ve learned from the MSI Play-In stage.
1. Japan is getting better and better
While DetonatioN FocusMe couldn’t make it past the Play-In group stage, the Japanese squad still put up a great fight. It’s difficult to remember that this team was being destroyed in last year’s MSI, but it looks like the region has stepped up its game. League of Legends and competitive PC gaming are both relatively new in Japan, meaning that it’s great to see a region make so many strides in such a short amount of time. DetonatioN FocusMe’s play was a little bit too reactive at times, and we would like to see them be a bit more proactive, but it’s certainly not a bad effort from Japan’s first full-time pro gaming League of Legends roster. With that said, if Japan continues to improve, we have high hopes for the region at this year’s Worlds.
2. Brazil and Turkey underperformed
Both Brazil and Turkey have been among the best upcoming regions in the past years. Many analysts had high hopes for them coming into MSI, yet they both didn’t make it past the group stage. INTZ eSports, the Brazilian representatives finished 1-5, only picking up a win against MEGA Esports. Turkey’s 1907 Fenerbahçe Esports narrowly lost their tiebreaker against home crowd favourite Phong Vũ Buffalo. With this early exit, Turkey and Brazil will have to pick up their game for this year's Worlds.
3. Azir and Nautilus are back in the meta
Both Azir and Nautilus, champions we haven’t seen too many picks on, have seen a good amount of play during the play-in stage. We even saw Nautilus being played with an AP build in the midlane. Azir has been buffed recently and he seems to fit in the control mage meta that we’re in now. He’s also good into tanks and even better in late game teamfights. Nautilus’ early game is still oppressive and his base damage is high. This gives him a lot of kill pressure in the bot lane as a support. We have yet to see if other teams want to pick him up as a midlaner though, but we could see more in the main event.
Phong Vũ Buffalo are the local favourites
© Riot Games
4. Vietnam’s junglers are rising
Đỗ ‘Levi’ Duy Khánh has made a case for Vietnamese junglers during his time with the GIGABYTE Marines. Now we have a new superstar Vietnamese jungler in Phong Vũ Buffalo’s Hoàng ‘Meliodas’ Tiến Nhật. It seems like he learned from Levi, since most of his star performances come from his stellar Lee Sin play. After the games on Tuesday, we’ll finally get a chance to see how he stacks up against the world’s best junglers in the group stage.
5. Sona and Taric are not going anywhere
The priority on the bot lane duo is high. If either Sona or Taric are not banned, they both get picked. DetonatioN FocusMe showed some really disgusting team compositions against Vega Squadron and MEGA Esports with the two healers in the botlane, for example. Adding in a Kayle and a Kindred can make a team near unkillable. Both Sona and Taric are going to be high priority going into the main stage, and we’re wondering if anything can really stop the pairing.
6. The gap isn’t (really) closing
Team Liquid are flying the flag for the USA
© Riot Games
Team Liquid and the Flash Wolves both showed that the gap between main regions and upcoming regions is still pretty big. Phong Vũ Buffalo had a decent game one performance against Team Liquid and Vega Squadron even took a game off Flash Wolves, but overall both teams weren’t close to beating their main region rivals. After Tuesday’s games, we might see the Vietnamese team take some games off weaker regions like the LMS, but it might be difficult for them to make it out of the group stage.
7. High priority on Sylas and Rek’Sai
Both Sylas and Rek’Sai will still be high priority in the main stage of the Mid-Season Invitational. While we do see some good junglers that seem to be able to contest against Rek’Sai’s early fighting power, she is still the best choice in the jungle. Sylas’ wave clear and team fighting power fits in almost any composition, which is why he is picked up early in drafts. He is also a safe blind pick in both Top and Mid, until the pros figure out a way to counter him, that is.
8. Vietnam is the best of the upcoming regions
After an insanely close best of five on Tuesday, Phong Vũ Buffalo will be representing their home crowd in the MSI groups. While they lost against Team Liquid, they still looked strong and might be able to at least get some games off the main regions. Vietnam represents relentless aggression, which some other regions like Korea might struggle with.
With the Play-In stage done, we’re finally gearing up for the main event. Will SK Telecom T1 take their throne back after not attending last year? Or will Europe’s G2 Esports step up and make their unconventional playstyle work on the international stage? Stay tuned.
