2019 Midseason Invitational

01 May, 2019 - 19 May, 2019 Taipei, Taiwan

This years Midseason Invitational will be held in Asia with Vietnam hosting both the Play-in and Group Stage. Ho Chi Minh City will be the first destination and the action kicks off on the 1st of May with all of the champions of the minor regions playing for a chance to reach the group stage which kicks off on May 10th in Hanoi where the best of the Play-in stage and the champions of the major regions play eachother in a round robin group stage, once it is concluded the top four teams moves on to the playoffs in Taipei, Taiwan.

The venues for the event will be announced as the ticket sales begin.

Preview

The Group Stage of the second-largest international tournament of 2019 is finally about to commence. The Play-Ins have concluded, and they have resolved in a manner that everyone had expected. In the end, after a lot of back-and-forth action, three Play-In teams stood above all — Team Liquid, the North American LCS champions; the Flash Wolves, the Taiwanese LMS champions, and last but not least, Vietnam’s own Phong Vu Buffalo.

Had the Play-Ins resolved in any other fashion, we would’ve been surprised, but seeing how no such thing happened, we really are in for quite a treat once the Group Stage begins.

We will witness a clash between four exceptional titans; titans of seemingly infite potential and strength. They’re all incredibly talented, mechanically gifted, and well-prepared for the task at hand. The Mid-Season Invitational, at its core, is arguably the best and most exciting tournament of the year. Some might argue this, but it is a lot more alluring and engagin than even the World Championship.

With teams getting Championship Points in Spring as well, they can eke out a ticket to Worlds rather than earn it by being a Top 3 team in Summer. As a result, we often don’t get the strongest contenders from each region.

The Mid-Season Invitational, on the other hand, is a completely different story. It assembles the champions — and champions only. Only the number one team from each respective region gets a ticket, meaning that top-tier play is guaranteed. Finally, the time span between their regional triumphs and the tournament itself is rather small. So teams that have dominated in the finals and have adapted to the meta, are entering the tournament with a fair bit of hype and momentum.

For this Mid-Season Invitational, in particular, we should be in for quite a treat. Perhaps that’s even an understatement. This could, by all means, end up being the best and most competitive MSI in history. In fact, that’s what we’re all expecting. With such a stellar line-up, anything less would kind of feel like a disappointment; we would be left feeling cheated.

It’s really hard to put into words just how exceptional these four champions are — and by “these” we mean SKT T1, Invictus Gaming, G2 Esports, and finally Team Liquid. They all pose interesting, and exceptionally layered threats. They’re similar in many regards, but also incredibly different.

They all want to attain succes through different means, and they have differing ideas on how the game should be played. Each team has its own tendencies and they’re evident now more than ever. For example, SKT T1 — even though this is one of the most aggressive incarnations of their roster — are still playing the de facto LCK way. That means fighting only when it is a necessity, and not going for ill-advised or risky trades when they don’t have to.

Invictus Gaming, on the other hand, are looking to overwhelm and outclass their opposition through their incredible mechanical play and deep champion pools. They have many threats and are willing to utilize them.

G2 Esports aren’t much different, but they’re astoundingly creative — both in the pick and ban phase, as well as in-game. They’re basically unhinged, to say the least. They’re the only team at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational that’s willing to completely throw caution out the window and trade heavy blows regardless of the state of the game.

They’re absolutely insane. And they’re willing to do so in a split of a second. The fact that they have absolute confidence in one another (and it’s easy to understand why seeing how they’re all basically number one in their respective positions) allows them to do these things as a five-man unit, rather than as individuals spread across the map. Because they move as and function as one, they’re able to pull things off that you thought would be impossible.

That is perhaps their biggest asset coming into the Mid-Season Invitational. Their mechanics are incredible, as well as their game knowledge and experience, but this knack for the unexpected will allow them to surprise even the greatest of teams.

Liquid, on the other hand, is still a complete mystery — and in more ways than one. One quick look at their roster, and your mouth is probably watering. How could it not? Two World Champions in the line-up, in the top and support positions, North America’s greatest jungler as well as AD carry, and a prodigious Danish-born mid laner that’s already a proven quantity, both on home soil as well as on the international stage.

What’s not to like? Well, they’re not exactly the most flexible of teams, and they have pretty one-dimensional avenues towards victory. But more on that later.

Finally, the Flash Wolves are as deceptively strong and capable as ever. They don’t have much hype, but they’re used to being undervalued and underappreciated — for them, it is a constant state of being. Regardless, the LMS champions never leave anyone indifferent, and their level of play is far greater than their reputation. We know — it doesn’t make much sense, but even after a dozen solid performances internationally, they’re almost always predicted near the very bottom of the standings when it comes to power rankings. Perhaps this is the year they manage to break through in the minds of many?

But with that out of the way, let’s focus on each team in more detail, their many strengths, inherent weaknesses, and finally what their best avenues towards success are:

1. Invictus Gaming

The Chinese champions are entering the Mid-Season Invitational on the biggest of hype trains. They’re the undisputed, defending World Champions, and their level of play is still as mind-boggling as ever. They’ve continued their dominant run into 2019, and have had a relatively easy time through the LCK 2019 Spring Split.

They’re the most feared, and capable contender coming into the tournament. They made zero changes to their stellar Worlds-winning line-up, and it’s hard to blame them. Even if they wanted to, they’d be hard-pressed to find improvements. This roster — as it stands — is downright frightening. It is exceptional in every regard, and the current meta enables them to such a degree that it isn’t even fair. Their macro is spectacular, they’re exceptional in every stage of the game, and they don’t have any glaring, huge weaknesses regardless of the way you look at them.

They’re just great. In every way, shape, and form.

If they were to lose, a team would not only have to surprise them, but also outplay them throughout the game, and that’s a tall task for any team in the world, even for the ones competing at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational.

They are the favorites to win the whole thing, and with good reason. A huge meta shift could weaken them over the course of the tournament, but even such a shift feels like an optimistic stretch. They’re entering as the favorites, and the fact that they have built-in synergy and experience as a five-man unit will allow them to trade heavy blows with other teams and still come out on top.

In such a hyper competitive environment, experience and calm under pressure trump all else, and Invictus Gaming have that in spades.

2. SKT T1 

There’s not a lot one can say about SKT T1 without being overly redundant. They are, without a doubt, the best and most accomplished organization in League of Legend’s history, and they’re entering this tournament with a lot to prove. Funny how things work.

2018 was, for a lack of a better phrase, a resounding failure for Korea as a whole. They were unable to re-establish their dominance and were quickly outpatced and outmatched by the likes of many. They lost their MSI title, but also failed to get a team into Top 4 at the World Championship. For a region as legendary and as capable as Korea, that’s a complete debacle. There’s no way around it.

But 2019, at least so far, has told a different story. SKT T1 have re-built from the ground up, and have only retained Faker from their previous line-ups. While things looked dire for a bit once Griffin started their dominant streak, things quickly took a turn for the better — SKT’s veteran experience shined through, and their exceptional mental fortitude and meta resiliency quickly took center stage. They demolished and outclassed Griffin when it mattered the most — in the Spring Split finals. It was a clean 3-0 sweep, and it was a welcoming sign that SKT are back in business. Perhaps that’s even an understatement.

Coming into this year’s Mid-Season Invitational, however, they have a lot to prove. A lot. Until the LCK wins something, we’re simply have to be a bit skeptical, and there’s a good reason for it. LCK, as a region, refused to adapt when they had to, and they had more than just a single chance to do so. It’s hard to blame them, as well, seeing how they were the ones who dictated the meta over the many years in the past. They were spotless and looked infallible; invincible, even. But after years of absolute dominance, their exceptional streak came to an end.

This time around, they want revenge, and fortunately for all fans of the LCK, SKT T1 have the right tools to get the job done. Three veterans spread across three lanes, along with a young and mechanically gifted AD carry, and an equally insane and capable jungler. They have a recipe for success, and they’re going to attain it — perhaps sooner rather than later.

They can shine in any meta (as proven by their recent accomplishments), and they’re more than willing to throw down regardless of the state of the game. This is a much more aggressive, more capable and bloodthirsty kind of SKT, and seeing that simply has to get you excited. You know they have the macro and strategic elements of the game down to a tee, and yet they’re also willing to fight tooth and nail in all stages of the game in order to emerge victorious.

It seems like they have adapted, but before we see them in action we cannot give them the benefit of the doubt; not in this meta. China and even Europe are looking mighty strong right now, and they definitely have the right mentality and playstyle in order to shine in such a hectic meta; a meta which favors a bit of unhinged, unreserved play.

That said, SKT will surely dominate throughout the Group Stage; the only question is — will they be able to go all the way? Will the era of LCK dominance come back, or is it gone for good? The many narratives coming into this year’s Mid-Season Invitational are downright thrilling, and this is definitely one of the many good ones.  

3. G2 Esports 

The European champions are entering this tournament with an insane amount of hype, and rightfully so. They have dominated all opposition on home soil with such incredible ease, that it’s impossible not to get excited at the proposition of them going up against the likes of SKT T1 and Invictus Gaming.

Perhaps the biggest reason as to why everyone’s so darn excited, is because this is a bonafide European super team. This is as stacked a roster as we’re ever going to get; or at least for a long while. There’s just no other way of putting it. They have such incredible, immensely talented players and some of them haven’t even hit their peak.

They have threats in every single lane, and G2 really can dominate and carry from any one of its five positions. They currently have the best players in every single role, and it’s evident in their play as well. They needed just 72 minutes in order to quickly dispose and outclass Origen in the 2019 LEC Spring Split finals. They didn’t even break a sweat. Heck, they were playing with their food throughout the entirety of the series. Whatever Origen tried, G2 had a response — and then some. They read their adversaries like a book, and even prooceeded to draft a funneling team comp for game two. Talk about crazy. Whatever they went for, they were able to execute to perfection. Watching them in action is a thing of beauty, and their regular season run wasn’t much different.

Once these five players assembled underneath a single banner, they were immediately thought of as a beastly roster with incredible potential, and they delivered on all fronts.

Perhaps their biggest asset is their experience and mental resiliency. All of their five players not only went to Worlds but also attained quite a lot of international success. Wunder is considered as one of the best top laners in the world and went to Worlds twice; Jankos is a household name and a legend in his own right; Caps needs no introduction and is rightfully thought of as a Top 3 mid laner in the world; Perkz is one of the greatest Western players to ever grace the stage; and Mikyx has been wrecking his opponents left and right ever since his old Splyce days.

One of their biggest strengths coming into this year’s Mid-Season Invitational is their exceptional flexibility and champions oceans. They really can go for anything and still execute, and that’s incredibly valuable against such top-tier opposition. The fact that they have one of the greatest mid laner in history in the AD carry role will allow them to not only flex picks around in the draft to their heart’s content, but also pull out crazy pocket picks and still dominate the laning phase.

That’s a luxury no other team has currently — the fact that their player’s champion pool literally encompasses two entire roles and almost half the game’s champion roster. To make matters even more exciting, they’re always willing to go down this route and experiment; to draft surprising and off-meta champions and roll with it.

This will aid them tremendously once they step foot on stage in Vietnam, and if they utilize this correctly and adequatly, they will have a noticeable upper hand over their opposition. Whether or not it’ll be enough remains to be seen, but the odds are definitely in their favor.

Make no mistake — this G2 Esports roster has the tools to go all the way. They have the right arsenal to take on any team in the world, and saying that they should be the favorites to get into the finals would be far from a stretch. They’re in-sync, they’re hyper aggressive, they have the mechanics to back up any unhinged play they go for, and they’re always on the same page as a five-man unit.

Their stellar virtues and experience should give them an upper hand, and even though they have many exceptional challengers in front of them, they should, by all means, be able to not only go blow-for-blow but also emerge victorious more often than not.

4. Team Liquid 

The North American champions are entering the Mid-Season Invitational without much hype — and that’s understandable to a certain degree. How could anyone in their right mind believe the NA hype, after so many years of disappointment? North American contenders and champions often have all the right tools in order to get the job done, and yet they never manage to do so.

They always have the right pieces of the puzzle, and yet they never manage to solve it. The one exception being Cloud9 — but they’re an entity for themselves and should not be regarded strictly as an NA team. Liquid, in particular, couldn’t do much throughout 2018 — and they were fighting on the Summoner’s Rift in both the Mid-Season Invitational as well as the World Championship.

Now, yes, they did upgrade their roster and have done so without skipping a beat. They did improve in all areas of play; they did get the better, more talented mid laner; they did get a world champion support — but will it be enough? They still looked like the Liquid of old, and that’s a worrying sign.

By this point, we’re used to their dominance. They clean swept both their opponents in the Spring and Summer finals of 2018, and were able to claw their way back from the jaws of defeat against Team Solo Mid just a month or so ago. They have mental fortitude; they have resilience; but when push comes to shove on the international stage, they always implode. For one reason or another, Liquid was never able to get much done.

Is it the nerves? Is it the lack of a diverse arsenal? It’s hard to pin-point what’s the problem, but their relatively one-dimensional playstyle seems like the biggest problem. They’re just an easy team to read, and they’re rarely doing anything surprising or off-meta in any of their games. They play and win “by the book”, and while it’s hard to fault them for doing so, it’s simply not enough against some of the best and most flexible teams in the world.

Liquid, almost by default, looks to win through the bottom lane. Shutting one player down is relatively easy in today’s meta, and that’s where Liquid reached a wall — an immovable object that’s preventing them from advancing. They could, in theory, win through Jensen as well; but they rarely opted to do so throughout the 2019 Spring Split. When they do go for such a solution, they seem off point and out of sync. As if they’re “testing something out”, rather than just playing through their incredible mid laner — who’s a proven quantity by this point.

Having low expecations for Team Liquid is the right course of action this time around. They should, by all means, be able to leave a mark throughout the Group Stage, but you shouldn’t bet your money on it happening. They should definitely be able to reach the Knockout Stage with such a stellar and experienced roster, and the fact that the meta is slightly favoring Impact’s tank-oriented champion pool could give them a slight edge going forward.

With Liquid, there are simply too many question marks. Having exceptional players wasn’t enough for them in the past — will 2019 usher in a different era?

5. Flash Wolves

The LMS champions are entering the Mid-Season Invitational without much hype, and that’s infuriating. It feels like no matter their accomplishments, no matter their their play, they will always be regarded as an inferior roster — and there’s no reason behind such a narrative; no logic. The statistics tell a different story entirely. Now, sure, they are entering the tournament without many of their long-time veterans, but they’ve been able to plow through all opposition on home soil, and reached the Group Stage without much effort.

They’re the real deal, and should be given the benefit of the doubt after so many years of proving people wrong. Heck, they’ve attained more success internationally than North America over the years, and you can always count on them stepping up when it’s required from them. They never attained any concrete success — that’s a fact — but they always came excrutiatingly close on more than one occasion. They always come within close proximity, but always come up short — and that’s alright. They always manage to upset and turn the status quo on its head, at least for a little while.

They’re the dark horses in any tournament they participate in, and this year’s Mid-Season Invitational is no different. This five-man roster still hasn’t fought against teams of this caliber, but that doesn’t mean they lack the skill and determination in order to trade heavy blows. In fact, the opposite.

How high they could eventually go still remains to be seen, but be weary when betting on (and especially against) the Flash Wolves. They tend to do what is least expected from them. In other words, they could lose a game to Phong Vu Buffalo only to upset Invictus Gaming just a day later. That’s just the LMS way.

Not betting on the Wolves for the first couple of days would perhaps be for the best. We still need to wait things out a bit and get a better read on their actual power level before coming to a more concrete assessment of their strength and potential.

The fact that they often scrim against LPL and Vietnam teams gives them an almost deceptive upper hand — they know what China is playing and how they’re playing it. They had the luxury to analyze and learn from the strongest region, and that’s invaluable in any competitive setting.

The LMS champions are coming in with a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove the nay-sayers wrong — again. They have the tools to do so, but how high they will soar still remains to be seen. When the Wolves are involved, always bet with caution.

6. Phong Vu Buffalo 

The Vietnamese champions are entering the tournament without much hype or momentum. Well, they’re coming from the Vietnam region, so there is some hype almost by default, but that’s a narrative that exists only because of their many predecessors who were able to play way above expectations when it was least expected from them.

PVB is no different in that regard, although they do seem a bit less capable than the teams Vietnam sent in year’s past, perhaps ever so slightly. They’re aggresive, almost to a fault, but they’re not as clean in their execution. They showed a fair bit of instability throughout their many games during the Play-In stage and one simply has to wonder if they have what it takes to compete against the titans listed above.

Their solid showing against Team Liquid allowed them to display some of their strength and potential, but seeing how they were unable to get even a single game against a team many deem as sub-par when compared to the likes of SKT, Invictus Gaming, and G2 Esports, it’s hard seeing them getting any wins going forward. They definitely have the capacity to upset, but there's not a single unique thing that we've seen from them so far. 

That said, they are a hard bunch to read. If they play up to their strengths and impose their own will and playstyle, they could be a hard nut to crack regardless of opponent. We know that regions that have something to prove tend to fight a lot harder, and seeing how Phong Vu are playing in their home country, they're sure to fight tooth and nail in order to make their fans proud. Playing on such a big stage is always a privilege, and they know it. Their aggressive, unrelenting playstyle will surely win the hearts of many, and if they play up to their full potential they might even get a couple of wins over the course of the Group Stage. 

That’s it for our Mid-Season Invitational Group Stage preview! Make sure to tune in because this is going to be one heck of a ride. In theory, this MSI has the potential to be one of the best and most competitive League of Legends tournaments in history. It is that stacked.

And as always, if you’re betting, make sure to watch as many games as possible. These are just preliminary power rankings and things tend to fluctuate on a daily basis.

Tournament Format

Play-In:

Round 1: Eight international teams (Seeded into two pools based on tier) are split into two double rounnd robin groups of four each. Matches are Best-of-One with the winner of each group advancing to the next round.

Round 2: The two teams from round 1 are seeded randomly into a double elimination bracket to face two direct invites (LCS and LMS spring season winners). Matches are Best-of-Five. The top 3 placing teams from this round advance to the main event.

Main Event:

Group Stage: The three teams from the play-in stage face three directly seeded teams (LEC, LCK and LPL spring season winners) in a double round robin. Matches are Best-of-One with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stage.

Knockout stage: Single elimination bracket with Best-of-Five matches. The winner of the group stage gets to choose who they face in the first round between the 3rd and 4th placed teams.