The Mid-Season Invitational 2018 (MSI 2018) is the first global event for League of Legends in 2018. This year, it’s going to be hosted in both Germany and France for the Group Stage and Knockout Stage respectively. Comprised of teams which have proven themselves to be the best in their respective regions, 14 competitors will be looking to claim the lion’s share of a prize pool surpassing $1,000,000.
Let’s break down which teams are competing, how they managed to book their place at MSI, and prize pool distribution.
MSI 2018 Teams
Main Event Seeds
Royal Never Give Up, the team representing China, qualified through LPL Spring Playoffs after taking down EDward Gaming 3-1 in the finals. Housing both of the players who were voted MVP for the playoffs, Royal Never Give Up will definitely put up a good fight.
Fnatic, the team representing Europe, put on a clinic for G2 Esports in the finals of the EU LCS Spring Playoffs. Not only did they claim €80,000 in winnings, Fnatic sent a strong message to the other competitors looking to claim first place at MSI.
Kingzone DragonX, the team representing Korea, worked its way through the LCK Spring Playoffs to qualify for MSI. Emerging victorious in the finals against Afreeca Freecs 3-1, Kingzone DragonX will be looking to add to its recent winnings of ₩100,000,000 (roughly $92,620.89). With fellow LCK team SK Telecom T1 winning MSI 2017, the squad will be looking to bring another championship home to Korea.
Team Liquid, the team representing North America, decimated 100 Thieves 3-0 in the finals of the NA LCS Spring Playoffs to book its spot at MSI. Comprised of legendary players such as Yiliang “Doubelift” Peng, Team Liquid is a team to look out for during this competition.
Play-In Round 2 Seeds
Flash Wolves, the team representing Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, qualified through the LMS Spring Playoffs. Bearing the weight of representing multiple locations at once, there will be plenty of fans rooting for Flash Wolves to represent their home on a global stage.
EVOS Esports, the team representing Vietnam, qualified through VCS Spring Playoffs after taking down GIGABYTE Marines in a close 3-2 series. EVOS will be looking to put Vietnam on the map by delivering some shock results against better known teams in the tournament.
Play-In Round 1 Seeds
KaBuM! e-Sports, the team representing Brazil, booked its spot in MSI CBLOL Summer Playoffs after a tight series with Vivo Keyd. Ending 3-2 in favor of KaBuM!, the team has cemented itself as a solid roster worthy of contending with the other squads attending the Play-In.
Gambit Esports, the team representing the CIS region, didn’t mess around when it came to winning the LCL Spring Playoffs. Defeating RoX 3-0 in the finals, Gambit won $34,000 and a place at MSI. This talented team will be looking to better the placement of Virtus.pro’s 10-11th place at last year’s MSI.
Rainbow7, the team representing Latin America North, qualified through the LLN Opening Playoffs after facing off against Infinity eSports and coming out 3-1 in the series. There was no prize pool for winning the region’s Playoffs, so undoubtedly Rainbow7 will be looking to land in one of the higher spots out of the 14 teams now competing in the Play-In.
SuperMassive eSports, the team representing Turkey, won 3-1 in the finals of the TCL Winter Playoffs against the talented side of Royal Bandits. SuperMassive eSports was the team that represented Turkey in last year’s MSI and finished just outside of the Top 6; they will look to improve upon this placement to prove they’re one of the best international teams in League of Legends.
PENTAGRAM, the team representing Japan, were one of only three teams that competed in the LJL Spring Playoffs. Taking down Unsold Stuff Gaming 3-1 in the semifinals and DetonatioN FocusMe in the finals, PENTAGRAM proved that they deserved the MSI spot the most out of the other teams in its respective region. Rampage represented Japan in 2017 and finished joint last, so no result in 2018 will be a disappointment.
Kaos Latin Gamers, the team representing Latin American South, qualified through the CLS Opening Playoffs. Winning $35,280 and a spot in this year’s MSI, the team took down Rebirth eSports in a close best-of-five series after it went to the last game. Last year’s representative for the Latin American South region finished last in the tournament, but we expect more from Kaos Latin Gamers.
Dire Wolves, the team representing the Oceania region, had a relatively easy run in the OPL Split 1 Playoffs. Only having to compete finals, the team took down Chief Esports Club 2-1 to win $16,000 Australian Dollars. Last year, Dire Wolves placed 10th-11th at MSI so they will be working hard to better that placement this time round!
Ascension Gaming, the team representing Southeast Asia, qualified for this year’s MSI after displaying dominance against Kuala Lumpur Hunters in the GPL Spring Playoffs. Ascension won the series 3-1 to book its place at the international event. GIGABYTE Marines represented this region in 2017 and placed in the Top 6, so there are some big boots for Ascension to fill this year.
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The Stakes
There will be at least $1,000,000 up for grabs at MSI 2018. This prize pool is made up of $250,000 from the tournament organizer, 25% of the sales from Conqueror Varus and 2018 Conqueror Ward skins, and at least $750,000 in prize money from digital sales. The exact amount of money that’s going to distributed for winnings will be finalized on May 21. Below is a list of percentages that decide the shares for each team based on placement, and a figure based on the minimum prize pool of $1,000,000.
- 38.5% – $385,000
- 19.5% – $195,000
- 9.75% – $97,500
- 9.75% – $97,500
- 5% – $50,000
- 5% – $50,000
- 2.5% – $25,000
- 2.5% – $25,000
- 1.5% – $15,000
- 1.5% – $15,000
- 1.25% – $12,500
- 1.25% – $12,500
- 1% – $10,000
- 1% – $10,000
The Play-In and Group Stage portions of the tournament take place on May 3rd-6th, while the Knockout Stage will be hosted from May 18th-20th.
Who do you think will take first place?
