LoL - MSI: BLG and T1 move to the Upper Bracket, while MKOI and CFO fall to the Lower

Day 3 of the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational was the first to feature two BO5s. First, LEC champions Movistar KOI faced off against LPL runners-up Bilibili Gaming, who controlled the series despite dropping Game 2. On the other side, T1 overcame a tough challenge from LCP champions CTBC Flying Oyster after trailing 2-1. BLG and T1 will now battle for a spot in the Upper Bracket Final, while CFO and KOI face off in a do-or-die match.

So far, every MSI BO5 has followed expectations. BLG opened strong against KOI, with Zhuo "Knight" Ding putting up over 42,000 damage and ending Game 1 at 7/0/13, boasting 87% kill participation in a dominant showing on Aurora. KOI answered in Game 2, led by Joseph "Jojopyun" Pyun’s Azir in front of his home crowd. Their bounce-back came after a rough performance from Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin on Gwen, who struggled to make an impact.

Game 3 saw Knight shine again, this time on Sylas — marking his 14th consecutive win on the champion, undefeated since February 2023, Zhao "Elk" Jia-Hao also dealt massive damage with his Caitlyn, coming close to one-shotting opponents. The final game was the longest of the series, BLG controlled most of it, but KOI turned the tide after the 30-minute mark, reaching a 5,000 gold lead. However, a series of isolated catches in the late game allowed BLG to retake control and secure both the win and the series.

Shortly after the first BO5 ended, T1 and CFO faced off in the fourth knockout stage match. The opening game favored the reigning world champions, with Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon creating space on Aatrox and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok making impactful engages on Neeko. Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong comfortably dealt damage on Corki, finishing 11/1/8. Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua started the series for CFO but was replaced by Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh in Game 2.

In Game 2, Rest arrived late to his lane and humorously flashed to catch early XP. CFO dominated, building over 16k gold lead thanks to perfect plays from Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong and Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-Chuan, tying the series by taking down T1’s Nexus. Game 3 saw Driver return to CFO’s toplane while Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun locked in the first Zed of his career. T1 suffered another loss as Doggo secured a pentakill, finishing 12/0/3. Now on the brink, T1 must win two straight games to take the series.

And what a close Game 4 it was. HongQ’s Cassiopeia gave T1 a tough time, but once again, Doran stepped up — this time on Rumble, finishing with nearly 50k damage. Oner was involved in 91% of T1’s kills, and together, the duo proved vital in forcing the first Silver Scrapes of the MSI Main Stage. In the final game, T1 shifted into high gear to secure the win with a clean front-to-back draft. Keria was clutch on Tahm Kench, while Doran and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok found solo kills on their lane opponents. Gumayusi, on Jinx, fully embraced his hyper-carry role. T1 clinched their spot in the Upper Bracket after a hard-fought, grueling BO5 against a CFO squad that proved they’re much closer to top-tier play than many expected.

Up next, G2 will face FlyQuest in the first elimination match of this MSI Friday at 9 PM CET. Right after, the first LCK vs LPL clash of the tournament will see Gen.G take on Anyone’s Legend in a high-level BO5. So far, the T1 vs CFO series stands out as the most intense and competitive of the event. Time will tell if CFO can bounce back in the Lower Bracket against KOI and maybe earn a second shot. On their side, T1 now face BLG — a much tougher opponent than CFO. They'll need to step up to overcome a team that’s played twice as many games so far: ten for BLG, just five for T1.