The first day of
Mid-Season Invitational kicked off with the start of the Play-In stage, featuring two best-of-five series. The first saw
G2 Esports take on
FURIA in a match that was initially expected to go in favor of the LEC’s second seed, but turned out to be much closer than anticipated. The Samurais eventually came out on top with a 3–2 victory in this opening BO5. The second series was far more one-sided, as
Bilibili Gaming completely dominated
GAM Esports and secured a clean 3–0 sweep.
While G2 were widely seen as heavy favorites and FURIA were considered one of the weakest teams at this MSI, the opening game of the series was a wake-up call for European fans. The Brazilian squad needed just 28 minutes to take down G2, thanks in large part to a dominant Aatrox performance from Guilherme "
Guigo" Araújo Ruiz, who consistently pressured Sergen "
BrokenBlade" Çelik throughout the series.
With experience
G2 bounced back convincingly, taking the next two games and securing a first match point. But FURIA weren’t done yet—they fought back to even the score and brought Silver Scrapes to life in the Pacific Coliseum for the first series at this year’s MSI. The final game, however, was a one-sided stomp in G2’s favor, as they narrowly secured their spot in the next round.
The second BO5 of the day was much shorter and more one-sided than the first. BLG came in as clear favorites and didn’t flinch for even a moment across the three games. Going through the Play-In stage looked like a mere formality for the LPL’s second seed, despite it being Yang "
Beichuan" Ling’s first international appearance. The 23-year-old jungler remained composed and delivered a strong performance.
Game 1 was largely dictated by the Chinese solo laners, with Chen "
Bin" Ze-Bin and Zhuo "
Knight" Ding taking full control. In Game 2, Annie was left open and Knight didn’t hesitate to lock her in, while Zhao "
Elk" Jia-Hao was on Ezreal—setting up a smooth ride for BLG. The final game was a stomp from start to finish, lasting only 25 minutes. GAM never managed to play around the strengths that defined their LCP Spring Split and were thoroughly outclassed.
Two days in: one out, one through
June 28 marks the second day of the Play-In stage. First, we’ll find out which team exits the tournament just two days in, with an elimination best-of-five between FURIA and GAM set to begin at 12 PM PST. The second series, around 5 PM PST, will decide the first team to qualify for the Main Stage, as BLG take on G2. The Brazilians are considered favorites in the lower bracket, given their strong showing in the opener—even if their opponents weren’t of the same caliber. In the upper bracket, BLG are expected to be the first team through, though G2 could bounce back and surprise with a much stronger performance than what they showed against FURIA.
Header Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
