From June 27 to June 30, the Play-In stage of the
Mid-Season Invitational—the second international tournament of the
League of Legends scene—takes place in Vancouver.
Four teams are competing in this preliminary round: the second seeds from three of the major regions—LEC’s
G2 Esports, LPL’s
Bilibili Gaming, and LCP’s
GAM Esports—alongside
FURIA, representing the LTA South. The American region’s top seed for MSI was awarded to the conference that emerged victorious during the Cross-Conference of LTA’s first split.
Team Liquid’s winter victory thus secured FlyQuest, the LTA North Spring champion, a direct berth in the main event. In contrast, the LTA South winner was relegated to the Play-In. The LCK is also absent from this opening round, thanks to
Hanwha Life Esports’ victory at the First Stand. Although HLE will not attend MSI, both Gen.G and T1 avoid the Play-In stage.
A GSL Group Stage
The Play-In is conducted in a GSL Group Stage format. After the initial matches (G2 vs. FURIA and BLG vs. GAM), teams with identical records face each other. Two wins secure qualification for the main event, while two losses result in elimination. Every series in this stage is played as a best-of-five (BO5) under the Fearless Draft format. Stay tuned to this article to track the Play-In as it unfolds.
Following the Play-In, teams entering the Bracket Stage will be divided into four tiers, with regional protection applied for the first round.
Tier 1 teams will face Tier 4, while Tier 2 will face Tier 3. Gen.G and KOI (LEC#1), representing the regions that reached the First Stand final earlier this year (HLE vs. Karmine Corp), are seeded into Tier 1. Tier 2 consists of CTBC Flying Oyster (LCP#1) and Anyone’s Legend (LPL#1), while Tier 3 includes FlyQuest and T1. The final tier will be completed by the two teams emerging from the Play-In stage.
Winner earns qualification for Worlds
Depending on which teams qualify, a draw may be necessary to finalize the Bracket Stage matchups. A random draw will only be required if both G2 and FURIA, or both GAM and Bilibili Gaming, advance. All other scenarios have been pre-established.
The Bracket Stage will be played in a double-elimination format, with all matches being BO5 and continuing under Fearless Draft rules. As was the case last year, there is a dual incentive for the tournament champion: the MSI winner will earn direct qualification for Worlds—provided they also reach the playoffs of their domestic Summer Split. Additionally, the region that finishes second at MSI will be granted a fourth seed for the World Championship.
Header Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
