MSI Power Rankings
Riot·5/5/2015, 8:21:53 PM·2 votes·62,352 views
Of the elite teams in the world, who is the best? It's this question we will see answered over the next week as the No. 1 teams from each major region, along with the winner of IWCI, will compete in the Mid-Season Invitational.
We've shown you what you can expect from the event in our event primer, but how will the teams match up against one another? Each team displayed regional domination, but in premier international competition, who has the inside track for taking the tournament? Who will win the Mid-Season Invitational?
Read on for our take...
In the past, SKT has lived and died by Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee, but in the final against GE, he didn't play a single game. Instead it was Ji-hoon "Easyhoon" Lee and his Cassiopeia play that completely dominated and carried games. The team is also benefiting from a massive improvement at both ADC and Jungle. Veteran jungler Seong-ung "Bengi" Bae has adapted to the Cinderhulk changes faster than most other Korean junglers, and new jungler Jae-hyeon "Tom" Im and veteran AD Jun-sik "Bang" Bae have greatly augmented the team's snowball and carry potential.
At MSI, EDG matches up fairly well against its international competition. They have great team-fighting and objective control, as well as hard carries from every lane. If they have a weakness, it's their early game. If SKT or others hope to beat EDG, they'll need to come out of laning phase ahead to keep EDG from rebounding in the mid game.
TSM doesn't have many weaknesses to exploit, though their strengths are fewer than EDG. For instance, Marcus "Dyrus" Hill hasn't shown the ability to carry a game by himself -- granted so far he hasn't had to. If teams are able to shut down Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg in the early game, it would then fall to Lustboy and Jason "WildTurtle" Tran to make plays in the mid game.
Fnatic is very similar to TSM in that two of their players, in this case Seung-hoon "Huni" Heo and Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten, are capable of winning the game by themselves. However, at this event, despite being among the elite mid laners in the world, Febiven finds himself outclassed. Among a lineup that consists of Shu-Wei "Westdoor" Liu, Bjergsen, Pawn, and Faker, Fnatic's innate advantages that come from Febiven's lane dominance might be absent. Yellowstar and Yeu-jin "Reignover" Kim will both have to step up huge to ensure Fnatic make the Bracket Stage or the Final.
Much of ahq's success has revolved around mid laner Westdoor. But in the past, the solution was simply to ban him out, something that's no longer possible. In addition, ADC Chun-An "An" Chou stepped up hugely in the playoffs, largely because of the supportive and defensive playstyle of new jungler Zhao-Hong "Mountain" Xue and Chia-Wei "Albis" Kang. If ahq succeeds, it is because their teamwork is firing on all cylinders and they are able to come together as a unit.
Mid laner Isak "Energy" Pettersen Fjell was key to their success, making aggressive engages on Ahri throughout the Group Stage and Playoffs. If he is able to set the tone early for the team, and take pressure off the rest of the map, it might give Beşiktaş the breathing room they need. On the bot side, support Mustafa Kemeal "Dumbledoge" Gokseloglu needs to get Tomas "Nardeus" Marsalek ahead or they'll find themselves far behind very quickly.
What do you all think? Which team will prove their region's supremacy at the Mid-Season Invitational? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure to tune into the start of the MSI Group Stage, May 7 right here on lolesports.com.
Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games' Esports Web Content team. You'll find him joining the Glorious Evolution in Diamond... or on Twitter where he'd love to talk to you about esports.
1) SKTelecom T1
While SKT started 2015 on shaky ground, they have since become the most complete team in the world. After placing second in the LCK regular season, SKT was able to defeat CJ Entus 3-2 in the Semifinals and then 3-0 GE Tigers in the Final to win Champions and advance to MSI.
In the past, SKT has lived and died by Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee, but in the final against GE, he didn't play a single game. Instead it was Ji-hoon "Easyhoon" Lee and his Cassiopeia play that completely dominated and carried games. The team is also benefiting from a massive improvement at both ADC and Jungle. Veteran jungler Seong-ung "Bengi" Bae has adapted to the Cinderhulk changes faster than most other Korean junglers, and new jungler Jae-hyeon "Tom" Im and veteran AD Jun-sik "Bang" Bae have greatly augmented the team's snowball and carry potential.
2) Edward Gaming
Edward Gaming looked like the best team in the world after GE Tigers lost at IEM Katowice. However, in the wake of SKT's dominance in Korea, we have to give SKT the nod. While EDG almost had a misstep of their own against Team WE in the Quarterfinals, it was without star mid laner Won-seok "Pawn" Heo. It took another herculean effort by LPL Spring Split MVP Hyuk-kyu "Deft" Kim to win EDG the championship, narrowly defeating LGD in five well-played games.
At MSI, EDG matches up fairly well against its international competition. They have great team-fighting and objective control, as well as hard carries from every lane. If they have a weakness, it's their early game. If SKT or others hope to beat EDG, they'll need to come out of laning phase ahead to keep EDG from rebounding in the mid game.
3) Team SoloMid
Despite winning the IEM World Championship, TSM still has to prove its prowess against a first-class international team. After all, TSM went relatively unchallenged in the NA LCS Playoffs, handily defeating its closest competition -- Team Impulse and Cloud9 -- in 3-1 routs.
TSM doesn't have many weaknesses to exploit, though their strengths are fewer than EDG. For instance, Marcus "Dyrus" Hill hasn't shown the ability to carry a game by himself -- granted so far he hasn't had to. If teams are able to shut down Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg in the early game, it would then fall to Lustboy and Jason "WildTurtle" Tran to make plays in the mid game.
4) Fnatic
While Fnatic didn't have the strongest split, they came through when it mattered most. Fnatic is the most tested team coming out of their Playoffs, after going the distance against H2K and Unicorns of Love in full Best of 5s. Though they have a lack of international experience across their roster, veteran support Bora "Yellowstar" Kim can be the rock to weather the storm of nerves.
Fnatic is very similar to TSM in that two of their players, in this case Seung-hoon "Huni" Heo and Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten, are capable of winning the game by themselves. However, at this event, despite being among the elite mid laners in the world, Febiven finds himself outclassed. Among a lineup that consists of Shu-Wei "Westdoor" Liu, Bjergsen, Pawn, and Faker, Fnatic's innate advantages that come from Febiven's lane dominance might be absent. Yellowstar and Yeu-jin "Reignover" Kim will both have to step up huge to ensure Fnatic make the Bracket Stage or the Final.
5) ahq e-sports Club
Of all the teams at MSI, ahq seemed the least likely to get here. After finishing fourth in the LMS regular season, ahq had to weather the entire LMS gauntlet. In their run they defeated Hong Kong Esports 3-0, Taipei Assassins 3-0, and yoe Flash Wolves 3-1. It is one of the more astonishing playoff runs we've seen, and they did it with a new roster.
Much of ahq's success has revolved around mid laner Westdoor. But in the past, the solution was simply to ban him out, something that's no longer possible. In addition, ADC Chun-An "An" Chou stepped up hugely in the playoffs, largely because of the supportive and defensive playstyle of new jungler Zhao-Hong "Mountain" Xue and Chia-Wei "Albis" Kang. If ahq succeeds, it is because their teamwork is firing on all cylinders and they are able to come together as a unit.
6) Beşiktaş
At the beginning of IWCI, there were only two front runners for the spot to MSI -- Beşiktaş and INTZ. Despite slow starts in the Group Stage, it was these two teams in the final. In front of the home Turkish crowd, Beşiktaş won out over INTZ 3-1 to win IWCI and advance to MSI. Now that they are no longer a big fish in a small pond, Beşiktaş has a lot of work to do.
Mid laner Isak "Energy" Pettersen Fjell was key to their success, making aggressive engages on Ahri throughout the Group Stage and Playoffs. If he is able to set the tone early for the team, and take pressure off the rest of the map, it might give Beşiktaş the breathing room they need. On the bot side, support Mustafa Kemeal "Dumbledoge" Gokseloglu needs to get Tomas "Nardeus" Marsalek ahead or they'll find themselves far behind very quickly.
What do you all think? Which team will prove their region's supremacy at the Mid-Season Invitational? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure to tune into the start of the MSI Group Stage, May 7 right here on lolesports.com.
Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games' Esports Web Content team. You'll find him joining the Glorious Evolution in Diamond... or on Twitter where he'd love to talk to you about esports.
