2021 Mid Season Invitational

05 May, 2021 - 22 May, 2021 Iceland

Riot Games is hosting their fifth Mid Season Invitational, the second-largest international tournament in the professional LOL Circuit and it's being hosted in Europe this year

Preview

The 2021 Mid-Season Invitational is about to commence, and boy does it feel good to have yet another international tournament to talk about — we’re in dire need of some top-notch entertainment given the current state of the world. 

With teams like DWG KIA, Royal Never Give Up, Cloud9, and MAD Lions, a good time is all but guaranteed! The end result, however, feels somewhat predictable — DWG KIA have been so darn good and dominant that it’s nigh impossible to imagine anyone else actually putting up a fight and upsetting the status quo. Everyone other than DWG has some sort of flaw, either wholly egregious or somewhat less so. And DWG, to their credit, only need the smallest of openings to capitalize and get their hands raised — they’re astoundingly dominant and are undeniably the very best team the world of competitive League has to offer. 

The Mid-Season Invitational isn’t exactly as important as Worlds, but it’s still an exceptional tournament that invariably provides us with a ton of usable, concrete information about each of the competing regions and their most revered representatives. 

There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get down to business!

What’s On The Line?

The usual stuff: pride and glory. Well, that alongside an obscene amount of money. Still, it’s worth mentioning that this is more of a foretaste and a prelude into the World Championship which is bigger, more important, and more exciting in every way imaginable.

The team that wins it all will become the 2021 MSI champions which, in all fairness, doesn’t mean much in regards to the season. They’re not guaranteed a spot at Worlds nor will they have any concrete, tangible benefit coming into the 2021 Summer Split.

Regardless, winning MSI is definitely more prestigious than winning any sort of regional competition, and the sizable prize pool (which will only increase in proportion thanks to the community chipping in) is certainly a nice touch, to say the least.

The Mid-Season Invitational is more exciting than it is important which in no way diminishes its value. In fact, quite the opposite! It is a fertile ground for the best teams in the world to experiment and play their hearts out without any fear or reservation. This, in turn, always results in some mind-blowing League of Legends, so make sure to tune in!

Tournament Format

Eleven teams have been divided into three separate groups. Group A has three teams, whereas groups B and C have four each. Unfortunately, the VCS champions GAM Esports will be unable to attend due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is the main reason why teams have been split up in such a strange way. 

The three teams in Group A will all compete in a quadruple round robin with teams in groups B and C fighting it out in the more standard double round robin format. The two best teams from each group will advance to the “Rumble Stage” of the tournament. Teams will still compete in the Best of 1 format (double round robin yet again), with the four best teams advancing further into the “Knockout Stage.” 

Now that is where things get a whole lot more exciting. The format will shift to Best of 5s and the unforgiving single elimination bracket — you make a big enough mistake and you’re out, without a second chance at finding redemption! The pressure is mounting, and only those with the most resilience and fortitude will be able to thrive and persevere in these conditions. This is where broad champion pools and experience come into play, with preparation and execution being of the utmost importance as well.

As a whole, though, we’re talking about the most standard, run-of-the-mill kind of tournament format — the one that has been so prevalent in competitive League over the years.

2021 Mid-Season Invitational Preview | Preliminary Power Rankings

It’s a brand-new patch (11.9) which means the meta as we know it is bound to change. Whether we’ll witness huge, sweeping changes or more nuanced ones still remains to be seen. And that’s perhaps the most interesting thing: no one can predict anything with confidence at this point in time. All eleven competing teams are currently hard at work trying to figure out the best and most optimal way of playing the game. And, naturally, most of them will miss the mark. 

This means that mind-boggling twists and unforeseen upsets are all but guaranteed early on. Still, as the tournament progresses, teams will naturally start to adapt to these new-found circumstances after which the status quo will once again revert back to its previous state. 

The point of these preliminary power rankings is to give you a broad idea of who’s good and why. This year’s MSI is fairly unique in the sense that we have five distinct tiers with very little overlap between them. 

S-Tier — DWG KIA [LCK Champions]
The frontrunners to win this year’s Mid-Season Invitational. DWG KIA — the defending World Champions — are every bit as good and frightening as competitive League pundits would lead you to believe.

We saw them in action back in October, and their staggering play left no one indifferent. And sure, they did lose Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon during the off-season but it’s not like Kim “Khan” Dong-ha is an unworthy successor — on the contrary. The team as a whole did regress ever so slightly, but nowhere near enough to give their opposition even the slightest chance.

All of that said, this year’s MSI will be a very good test of sorts. Are DWG KIA spectacular? Without a shadow of a doubt, but it’s not like they’ve been challenged all that much over in the LCK. They’re head and shoulders above all opposition, which means their staggering record — and the fashion in which they’ve been winning — might be slightly inflated and hyperbolized. 

Now, make no mistake: they’re still the overwhelming favorites, but they might not be as spectacular as we’ve been led on to believe. That’s why this year’s MSI is so intriguing — it’ll be their first “true” test of 2021. It’s not like the Korean region lacks talent or depth, but everyone other than DWG pales in comparison. Their teams are behind the game so to speak, with a fairly outdated read on the meta. By and large, we’re still in the LPL era, even though an LCK team stands atop the world of competitive League. 

DWG KIA are the first team in history who can employ both age-old styles and philosophies: they can go for that tried-and-true LCK macro style of play but also skirmish like their lives depend on it. They can adapt mid-game to whatever the context requires of them, and it is precisely this ability that has allowed them to weather the storm, regardless of whom they were up against. There’s nothing you can bring out that’ll surprise them which, in turn, means they have a much better shot at retaining their prestigious position than most of their legendary peers (think T1, Invictus Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix) did in the past. 

Finally, if we assume that they’ll just steamroll through all opposition, it’ll still be interesting to see whether any of their opponents will be able to find a weakness and, potentially, exploit it (at least ever so slightly). Over time, then, others might conjure up a blueprint of sorts on how to take them down, at some (perhaps distant) point in the future.  

A-Tier — Royal Never Give Up [LPL Champions]
Next up we have none other than the perennial LPL giants Royal Never Give Up. Now, it’s been a hot minute since they were last even remotely relevant which, frankly, is a testament to just how competitive the Chinese region actually is.

That said, no one’s quite sure how to feel about RNG. They’re great — of that we’re all aware — but their rise to the top of the LPL arguably came out of nowhere. Now, don’t mistake this for doubt, but we still need a slightly bigger sample size in order to fully evaluate their power (or lack thereof). We know they’re insanely competitive because of the sheer fact that they’ve beaten all of their opposition back home, including FunPlus Phoenix, Invictus Gaming, Sunning, and Edward Gaming. Whoever goes on a streak like that deserves our undivided praise and attention.

Still, there are levels to greatness, and we need to see them perform against the best teams in the world before we can confidently gauge their potential. 

Compared to Edward Gaming or FunPlus Phoenix, though, Royal Never Give Up don’t have a lot of starpower, and even the few well-known players they do have haven’t been generating a whole lot of buzz. It’s not that they’re uninteresting, but rather that so many other players have taken center stage over the years and not having them represent the LPL feels somewhat strange. Still, RNG got to this point on the merits of their play and they’re more than worthy of competing on the biggest of stages.

Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao and Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming are undoubtedly two of their most revered players, but it was Chen “GALA” Wei whose play garnered the most attention. Interestingly enough, he only joined the team back in June of 2020 and yet he has already risen to prominence. Impressive, to say the least. 

All in all, RNG are not to be trifled with. They have all the right tools to compete at the highest of levels, although they haven’t been all that consistent throughout the most recent LPL playoffs. It still remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to challenge DWG KIA, but based on preliminary evaluations you probably shouldn’t hold your breath for it to happen. 

Cloud9 [LCS Champions]
The North American champions are quite an interesting bunch, and we mean that in more ways than one. Much like RNG, we know for a fact that they’re extremely talented, but no one’s quite sure how well they’ll perform on the biggest of stages. After all, there's a big difference between playing against, say, Dignitas or 100 Thieves, and then facing off with DWG KIA and RNG — that’s about as big of a dichotomy as it gets.

Still, with two legends by their side (Luka “Perkz” Perković and Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen) they’re more than capable of rubbing shoulders with the LCK and LPL champions mentioned above. Whether they’ll win still remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be the first time for these two veteran to subvert everyone’s expectations. 

Zven has been writing history ever since he burst onto the scene with Origen way back when, whereas Perkz is already considered as the best Western player of all time with a shelf packed to the brim with trophies and medals to show for his efforts. 

These two individuals are no strangers to exceeding expectations and setting records. In fact, we’ve become accustomed to seeing them make waves internationally, and this year’s Mid-Season Invitational should be no different in that regard. How high they’ll eventually soar, however, is impossible to predict. They could, by all means, best RNG and finish in second-place, but it’s still impossible to envision a world in which they trade blows with DWG KIA and actually come out victorious. 

Still, the boys in white and blue are well-equipped for the monumental task at hand and will surely leave a mark in Reykjavik, Iceland come May 6th!

B-Tier — MAD Lions [LEC Champions]
Unlike Royal Never Give Up and Cloud9, MAD Lions have very little experience of playing on the biggest of stages. That’s definitely a bad thing as their lack of veterancy simply cannot be transmuted into an advantage against the three beastly titans listed above. And sure, they’re young and brash and creative, but at this level of play those virtues — exceptionally important though they are — often take a backseat.

Now, not all is grim for the LEC champions. Quite the opposite, in fact! They’ll enter MSI without any pressure whatsoever. No one in their right mind would expect them to challenge DWG, RNG, or even Cloud9 for that matter, so anything they can accomplish — no matter how small or seemingly insignificant — will suffice.

That’s quite a good position to be in, you’ll probably agree. 

Most of them are still rookies in one way or another. Moreover, three-fifths of this roster couldn’t even get out of the Play-In stage last October (far from an enviable record) and even though they’ve improved as a whole it’s still not enough to make a big enough difference against the best teams the world of competitive League has to offer.

Fortunately, they don’t care much for the odds and are going to try their hardest regardless of community expectations and preliminary power rankings, and they might just be crazy enough to do some damage. 

C-Tier — Unicorns of Love [LCL Champions]
Finally, in the last tier that actually matters, we have the famed LEC alumni Unicorns of Love! This family-run organization has once again been able to win the LCL and lock down a ticket to the Mid-Season Invitational. It didn’t come easy, but they managed to get the job done in the end which is the only thing that ultimately matters.

As with any other underdog, there’s always the age-old question: are they good enough to actually compete? There’s no definitive one-size-fits-all kind of answer as it changes depending on the team. Each of these wildcard representatives have their own strengths and weaknesses, but UoL definitely stands out as perhaps the only well-rounded contender who can actually compete at the highest of levels. They’re confident, mechanically gifted, and — in true UoL fashion — insanely flexible. 

That said, they’re just not good enough as a whole to rub shoulders with the likes of DWG, RNG, C9, and perhaps even MAD. They will trade blows, of that you can be certain, but they probably won’t win much, if at all. Still, they’re basically unhinged playstyle-wise and will surely entertain us beyond measure from the very moment they step foot on stage to compete! So if you’re after the craziest games imaginable, make sure to tune in — the Unicorns are more than worth your time and attention! 

D-Tier — Everyone Else
Other than the five teams listed above, no one else deserves any particular attention. That’s just the nature of the game; major regions are major for a reason — it’s not without merit. Still, these wildcard teams will compete to the best of their ability, and the fact that they’ll ultimately fail to leave a mark should in no way diminish their valiant efforts. 

Moreover, teams like PSG Talon and paiN Gaming (and perhaps even fastPay Wildcats) have a shot at making things a lot more interesting and competitive than most folks expect. Still, the fact that there’s ‘some’ potential doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. 

Closing Remarks

That’s it for our 2021 Mid-Season Invitational preview! We’ll be back with more coverage over the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned! As always, if you’re looking to put your hard-earned money on the line, make sure to watch as many games as possible. Keeping your ear close to the ground will allow you to get the best possible understanding of who’s good and why — and keep in mind that these things tend to shift and change on a weekly basis! 

There’s a brand-new patch which means the playing field has been somewhat leveled. As a result, expect numerous upsets early on. Either way, we’re bound to be entertained in all the right ways, so make sure to tune in!

2021 Mid-Season Invitational | Rumble Stage Preview

The Group Stage has officially concluded and, in all fairness, it was both exceptionally entertaining and also surprisingly tiring all at the same time. It all boiled down to who was playing against whom; we saw a myriad of mismatches and minor vs. major region-type clashes that simply failed to get our blood pumping. The worst offender, in a way, was Group A — Royal Never Give Up had to beat the brakes off Unicorns of Love and Pentanet.GG eight times in a row! That’s quite a marathon, and it wasn’t all that exciting to watch (for logical reasons).

On the one hand, we saw quite a lot of action from everyone involved; on the other, we’re still talking about a fairly meager sample size. Moreover, we’re no more informed than we were back when the Mid-Season Invitational began. We all knew RNG would end up first in their group, and the same goes for DWG KIA, MAD Lions, and Cloud9. We also expected them to outclass their opponents and, for the most part, that certainly was the case. 

The Rumble Stage is where things get interesting. We’re talking about a double round robin between the six best teams at the tournament, four of which will get to advance further into the bracket. Teams will still compete in the Best of 1 format, but at least there’s a lot more on the line this time around — expect everyone to be on their best behavior, tryharding like there’s no tomorrow! 

Royal Never Give Up; Pentanet.GG; MAD Lions; PSG.Talon; DWG KIA, and Cloud9 are the six teams left standing. So, as always, let’s go over each and every single one to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, and just how big of a shot they have at leaving a mark! 
 

Royal Never Give Up [LPL][8W-0L]

The LPL champions wasted no time in letting everyone know they mean business. To say that they’ve dominated so far would truly be an understatement. Here’s an interesting tidbit that’ll fully illustrate things: RNG have been up a whopping 6.5 thousand gold at the fifteen-minute mark on average thus far. That, in short, is simply mind-blowing. They’re not just ever so slightly better than their opponents — they’re head and shoulders above the competition and are playing some of their best and most commanding League of Legends yet. And, frankly, watching them flex over their opposition and dominate to such a degree has been nothing short of mesmerizing. 

Unfortunately, beating the Unicorns of Love and Pentanet.GG in swift and commanding fashion isn’t worth much these days. So, in all fairness, we’re not quite sure how well RNG will fare against the very best teams at this year’s MSI. They’re still the front-runners to reach the grand finals (if not win the whole thing), but what’ll happen going forward and just how dominant they’ll be is anyone’s guess at this point. 

All of that said, RNG have been the most consistent team at the tournament, and it’s not even close. They’ve been nearly perfect in execution and have done more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt going forward. In fact, most teams have them pegged as the biggest favorites based on scrim results and the fashion in which they’ve been playing. Ming is undoubtedly the best and most impactful support in the world right now, Xiaohu has been wrecking house in the top lane (in no small part because of his staggering champion pool and sheer experience), and the same goes for Wei — an incredibly young player who has already made a name for himself. And, well, he’s already an LPL champion, despite being only eighteen years of age. Quite impressive, to say the least!

In any case, betting on RNG going forward makes a whole lot of sense. They’re not infallible, of course, but it seems like they’ve hit their stride and will continue playing at the highest of levels for the foreseeable future. The only question now is: will anyone be able to challenge them for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational throne? We’re all dying to find out and, fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out!

Pentanet.GG [LCO][3W-6L]

There’s really not a whole lot you can say about Pentanet.GG. They’re the de facto underdogs and, just like so many underdogs in the past, they’re not going to leave much of a mark in the grand scheme of things. 

Regardless, this feisty bunch deserves a metric ton of praise for the way they’ve handled things and for becoming the first minor champion from a minor region to get out of groups. Granted, they did compete with just two other teams, one of which decimated them every time they stepped foot on the Summoner’s Rift, but the point still stands. Pentanet were pretty much an afterthought coming into 2021 MSI and yet they’ve found a way to subvert everyone’s expectations and actually trade blows with teams everyone thought were noticeably more powerful and talented. 

They have a fair bit of swagger, too, as evidenced by their drafts and audacious champion picks. All in all, they’re not expected to accomplish much going forward, and that’s okay — they’ve already done far better than anyone thought was possible!

MAD Lions [LEC][5W-1L]

The LEC champions are quite an eclectic, idiosyncratic bunch — to say the least. They’re volatile and crazy to their very core which, naturally, means they’re incredibly fun to watch. Still, such a disposition invariably comes at a cost. They don’t always have the best read of the meta, they’re prone to making egregious mistakes at the most random of moments, not to mention overstepping their bounds and going for ill-advised plays they have no business going for. That’s pretty much their M.O. 

Moreover, based on the six games they’ve played thus far, it’s become quite obvious that they aren’t quite sure what to do once the mid game comes along. In fact, we’re putting it mildly here. They’ll meander, experiment, and improvise, but against the best teams in the world that almost surely won’t be enough. They’ve only lost a single game thus far but they could’ve easily went 3W-3L precisely because of their volatile nature and willingness to throw caution out the window and skirmish like there’s no tomorrow — regardless of the overall state of the game and whether or not skirmishing makes any sense whatsoever at that point in time. 

All of that said, it’s no secret that — at least so far — MAD Lions have impressed in a number of key ways. Elyoya, Carzzy, and Kaiser have all been playing out of their minds and have been integral in getting MAD Lions ahead each and every single time. Everyone has been carrying their fair share of the weight and watching them play and deliver at such a high level has been nothing short of mesmerizing. Still, we’re not quite sure how well they’ll fare against the likes of RNG, DWG, or even Cloud9. They’re exceptional — there’s no doubt about it — but going from PSG Talon to the LPL or LCK champions is quite a big jump in competition, as you can probably imagine.

So do the MAD Lions have what it takes to compete? Are they good enough, cohesive enough, and talented enough to trade blows with some of the best and most dangerous teams in the history of competitive League? We’re not convinced, although it’s worth mentioning that they’re crazy enough not to care for the odds which, in all fairness, is pretty much a superpower. They just want to have fun, much like the G2 Esports of old, and that carefree kind of attitude can do wonders for their confidence and even their chances of winning. They’ll fight without reserve, draft the most off-the-wall team comps, and play like there’s no tomorrow. It might not be enough in the grand scheme of things, but it’ll definitely narrow the gap between them and the LPL/LCK champions. 

In any case, we’ll find out soon enough whether MAD Lions have what it takes to rub shoulders with the all-time greats. No one’s expecting them to upset the status quo, but they’ll try regardless — and they might just be crazy enough to do a bit of damage! 

PSG Talon [PCS][4W-2L]

The PCS champions are about as good as expected, but given the fashion in which they’ve lost to MAD Lions (twice, in fact), it’s nigh impossible to imagine them putting up a fight against the competitive League crème de la crème. There’s just no other way to put it, really. Talented though they are, they simply lack the depth and veterancy which are necessary to compete at the absolute highest of levels, which doesn’t mean they don’t stand a chance of pulling off an upset — on the contrary! Based on their games against paiN Gaming and fastPay Wildcats, it’s quite obvious that they can play both the “crazy,” unhinged style of LoL but also the more subdued and calculated one, more akin the LCK giants of old.

Whether they’re proficient enough at either to truly compete still remains to be seen, but you shouldn’t hold your breath for it to happen. There’s simply too large of a gap between them and the rest of the Rumble Stage competitors so don’t expect anything too monumental from the PCS representatives — they’re simply out of their depth. 

DWG KIA [LCK][5W-1L]

This is where things get interesting. Coming into the tournament, everyone and their mother had DWG pegged as the biggest front-runner to win the whole thing. RNG came in at a close second, but most folks still believed (and rightfully so) that the defending World Champions were in a league of their own.

Now, though, we’re all a lot less confident about their chances after seeing them lose to Cloud9, not to mention the fact that they nearly dropped a game to the LJL representatives DetonatioN FocusMe. That’s not exactly the kind of run you want if you’re looking to contest for the MSI title, in all fairness. They looked fallible, frail, vulnerable, mortal. That’s not what we’re used to seeing from a team like DWG, and it’s impossible not to wonder: have we overrated them, at least ever so slightly? Could Royal Never Give Up go all the way and win the Mid-Season Invitational, much like they did back in 2018? 

Then again, maybe DWG got carried away in their experimentation and a bit of limit testing. They surely didn’t tryhard as much as they could’ve, so it’s impossible to know for certain. Still, mistakes were made, and the list of offenders includes both Canyon and Showmaker. Khan, however, deserves the most criticism. Not only did he underperform, but he was undoubtedly the weakest link on the DWG KIA line-up, as was expected coming into the tournament. Losing lane to both C9 Fudge and DFM Evi is simply unacceptable for a player of Khan’s stature and experience, and yet it happened all the same.

The frustrating thing with DWG KIA right now is that there’s no way of knowing whether they’ve actually regressed or if they’re just taking things slow before kicking it into high gear for the Rumble and Knockout Stages of the tournament. 

Either way, we’ll find out soon enough. They’re still favored to reach the finals (at the very least), but if they don’t step up and shore up their weaknesses they’re probably not going to hoist the trophy any time soon. 

Cloud9 [LCS][4W-2L]

The North American champions are perhaps the biggest enigma of the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. Leave it to the LCS representatives to cause the biggest ruckus! The duality which they’ve displayed thus far has been nothing short of perplexing, in both good ways and bad. Their first couple of games were pretty much abysmal — and we’re really putting it mildly here. They were completely out of their element and were making the most mind-boggling, egregious mistakes imaginable. In short: they didn’t look anything like the Cloud9 we all expected would show up in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

But then came the second round robin, and everything changed, seemingly overnight. That second “shade” of Cloud9 was staggeringly dominant, cohesive, and nearly perfect in execution. And boy was it a spectacle to watch! They wasted no time whatsoever and, in true C9 fashion, performed out of their minds once things got down to the wire. Still, it’s impossible to know whether this was just a burst of brilliance, or a sign of the things to come, which makes it all the more frustrating if you’re looking to put your hard-earned money on the line. 

Regardless, it’s impossible not to be hyped for what’s to come. Cloud9 have the perfect line-up to actually leave a mark at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational, not to mention a varied and diverse arsenal of weapons to work with. Whether they’ll actually deliver still remains to be seen, but they definitely have a shot — doubly so if they maintain their recent level of play! 
 

Tournament Format

Stage1: 3 groups double round-robin, best-of-one

Stage2: double round-robin, best-of-one

Playoffs: single elimination bracket best-of-three