MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational: Group Predictions

The MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational is about to begin, with all 11 League of Legends teams now on Iceland for the first international clash on European soil since the Worlds 2019, and with the stage ready for what will be a total battlefield. Although GAM Esports will not be able to attend the event due to Vietnam's travel restrictions, all teams are ready to face each other in the Group Stage from 5th May, so it is time to give our predictions on which teams will advance to the Rumble Stage, and who will stay on the road.

MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational Group A Predictions

After going through the aforementioned incident with the VCS team, this group will feature a different format than the rest as all teams will face each other in a quadruple round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to the next phase.

The clear favourite of this group is undoubtedly the LPL champion squad, RNG, who thanks to the power of their AD Carry “GALA” achieved their qualification to the MSI after being champions back in 2018, so the Chinese squad will not hold back anything in their efforts to recover the crown.

(Picture: Riot Games)

As for the second seed, Unicorns of Love was one of the favourites to advance alongside GAM Esports heading into the tournament. Now with their absence, the way to the next stage seems to be more than clear for the Russian unicorns, who showed great dominance in their passage through the LCL.

Pentanet.GG will have the most difficult task since after the disintegration of the OPL many of its best players emigrated to other regions such as NA, so if they manage to advance from this stage emulating some of their best performances, they will be more than a simple black horse in the competition.

MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational Group B Predictions

After a more than impressive performance against teams like G2 Esports and Rogue, it is no coincidence that MAD Lions have a ticket more than secured to the next round, although knowing this team, they can let loose some unfortunate surprises in front of their rivals.

PSG Talon will have a somewhat difficult task since, before the tournament, its main AD Carry "Unified" was dropped out due to health problems, so it will be the responsibility of players like "Maple" to reach the advance to the Rumble, something which may be possible thanks to their competitive experience and playstyle.

(Picture: Riot Games)

fastPay Wildcats enters their first international tournament with the possibility of being a dark horse, thanks to their unusual but aggressive plays, something that has brought problems even to European teams during Worlds 2020. This team of rookies on the international scene will depend on a good paper to conquer one of the two seeds available.

• Read more: MSI 2021: Five players to watch in Reykjavík

paiN Gaming makes its return to the international stage for the first time since 2015, thanks to the well-known “brTT” and their smart and skilled playstyle. However, being in the worst competitive region currently, they are the team least likely to qualify against the titans of the LEC, PCS and TCL.

MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational Group C Predictions

The so-called "Group of Death" features the current LCK and world champions, DWG KIA, who at the hands of "Canyon" and "Khan" have managed to maintain their place as the best team in the world, and they will try to defend their international throne in Iceland. A guaranteed contender for the Rumble Stage.

Cloud9 or more specifically, the LCS teams, have always had a performance like that of a roller coaster in the international, so it can be somewhat unpredictable if they will play at their best with their solid squad made up of "Blaber" and "Perkz", or if they will let loose a game against the teams that we will see next.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Infinity Esports returns to the international stage after their experience through Worlds 2018, where they managed to shut up many mouths thanks to the incredible performance of their star AD Carry “Whitelotus”, so it is expected that both him and his support “Ackerman”, along with his top laner “Buggax”, will be decisive for the advance of the Latin team to the next instance.

• Read more: MSI 2021 on Trovo: Earn in-game rewards with your Pick’em predictions and more

Finally, DetonatioN FocusMe, an old acquaintance from Japan, will face each other against teams that have historically stomped them, so it will depend a lot on their communication and their motivation as a team to know if they can get any victory because their chances of advancing are almost nil.

(Picture: Riot Games)

The MSI 2021 Mid-Season Invitational will take place from 5th to 23rd May. You can watch it live through the official LoL Esports website, as well as the Riot Games’ YouTube and Twitch channels.

We've embedded the Twitch channel below for your viewing convenience.

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