9 things we learned at MSI
Riot·5/15/2015, 10:07:33 PM·4 votes·44,333 views
Korea is the best region. Faker is the best mid laner. Assassins suck in the meta. Taiwan is a joke. NA > EU.
We had a lot of preconceived notions heading into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. After Edward Gaming raised their championship medals at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, we're still left with many lingering questions to ponder over.
What were the biggest takeaways from MSI, and what do they mean going forward?
Sang-Hyeok "Faker" Lee played well at MSI, but for many, that's not good enough. The Korean mid laner has dominated for so long that he's been touted as a God for his achievements. But as we saw in Tallahassee, even Gods can bleed. Faker was outplayed at several points against Fnatic, and outsmarted in the deciding game against Edward Gaming. He fell directly into Heo "Pawn" Won-seok's trap after picking LeBlanc, and was punished mightily for it when EDG ran a composition to counter it. Given the events of MSI, and the LCK finals before it, Faker may not even be the best mid laner on his own team, much less the whole world.
On the other hand, Faker's substitute Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon was mechanically dominant throughout the tournament, and many of those competing in the event admitted to being more worried about the newcomer's strengths than they were of Faker's. With Easyhoon's mage-based, farming playstyle being complemented by the current meta, Faker could certainly return to the top if he's able to adapt. But for the first time in years, we don't know who the best mid laner in the world is.
Before MSI, many fans clamored for Taiwan to lose its auto invites to Worlds, as it was deemed more like a Wildcard region than one of the five major regions of competitive League. Though ahq e-Sports Club managed to tie Edward Gaming for 2nd Place in the Group Stage at 2014 Worlds in Taiwan, TPA's lackluster 1-5 record led to widespread skepticism about the quality of Taiwanese teams. It's fair to say that the new ahq e-Sports club has silenced doubters.
After coming in as one of the true underdogs of the tournament, ahq defeated Team SoloMid and Fnatic, and nearly defeated both EDG and SKTelecom T1 in the Group Stage behind great performances from all members of the roster. Ahq's performance shattered preconceptions about the team being just "Westdoor plus four." With yoe Flash Wolves' performance at IEM Katowice and ahq's performance at MSI, it seems that Taiwan has responded to its criticisms -- this region is here to stay.
Fear Fnatic. This group of mostly new players burst through the gates at MSI and didn't stop swinging until they proved they're a force to be reckoned with. Living up to the aggressive playstyle they're known for, Fnatic advanced through the Group Stage on the back of their proactive play and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim's leadership. But more importantly, they stood tall against SKTelecom T1 during the Semifinals, not backing down where other teams seemed to cower under the weight of Korea's prestige.
Going in to the 2015 EU LCS Summer Split, Fnatic is confident and focused on their goal of making it to Worlds. That should be a scary prospect for the other teams in the region, as they showed incredible teamwork and mental fortitude over their impressive run at MSI. The team was able to make people -- including their competition -- believe in them. Going into Summer with their former star AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, this squad is determined to breeze through their opponents off the tail wind from their MSI performance.
Sometimes, we're ruled by the times we play in. Despite some attempts to break the jungle meta, like Zhao-Hong "Mountain" Xue's Jarvan and Kai "Clearlove" Ming's Evelynn, MSI was dominated by four junglers: Rek'Sai, Sejuani, Nunu, and Gragas. These junglers made up over 95% of jungle picks, and at least one or multiple were picked or banned in every single game.
The dominance of Cinderhulk, and the meta that is created around it, left little room for fighters or assassins out of the jungle. In addition, junglers that could not control the pace of the early game were left to the wayside, reducing overall diversity. However, as Clearlove showed us, there is still hope for jungle innovation. It just might take some imagination.
After rolling over most of their NA LCS competitors throughout the Spring Split, it was surprising to see TSM so enfeebled at MSI. Perhaps they wanted to surprise their competition with new tactics, or save strategies until the Semifinals, but the results didn't exactly pan out. TSM's champion selects were questionable, as were their lane swaps (or lack thereof, in most cases). Nearly every member of the team openly admitted to underperforming.
Does this mean TSM will have it rough going into the NA LCS Summer Split? Possibly, but not likely. Even though it was tough, MSI was a great learning experience for the confident team, and hopefully this fresh dose of reality will allow them to buckle down and focus even harder on their Worlds goals. To get there though they have to stop underestimating competition, play to their strengths, and work on improving their lack of communication.
Beşiktaş e-Sports Club showed a lot of heart, but that didn't stop their competitors from punishing every mistake they made. The Turkish team may have had an impressive showing at IWCI, but against some of the best teams in the world, they were outmatched and picked apart. They displayed interesting tactics (like a fun four-man level two gank on SKT's Faker), but ultimately weren't on the same level of play as their competitors -- and they knew it.
Yet rather than hiding their heads under the sand, BJK came away from MSI revitalized, determined to play just like the greats they competed against. Now they'll return to the developing Turkish region with international experience, new strategies to try, and the drive to dominate over their up-and-coming competition. We'll have to wait and see if other IWCI teams can match BJK's new drive, or if these Black Eagles will stomp just as hard as they think they will.
Many criticized Liu "Westdoor" Shu-Wei for his champion pool before MSI, stating that his best champions were not "in meta." As a result, he was overlooked as an elite mid laner at MSI by other players. Despite no other mid picking Fizz at MSI, Westdoor was dominant on the champion throughout the event.
His play was so impressive that he was able to solo kill many of his "superior" mid lane opponents throughout the tournament with relative ease. Whether Westdoor's play on off-meta champions is indicative of his greatness as a player, or if the meta isn't as stagnant as we would like to believe, is uncertain. However we do know that Westdoor will play his Fizz no matter what's on the line or what's en vogue.
Clearlove's career legacy was secured after World Elite's dominance during 2012, including winning IPL5. However, in recent history, Clearlove has often been thought of as a liability for his team. In a twist of fate, Clearlove was a vital part of his team at MSI. Not only did he control the pace of the game for EDG, but he was awarded MVP of the entire tournament as a result of his stellar play.
After a career spanning three years and nearly two dozen regional and international tournament wins with Team WE and EDG, Clearlove is one of the most influential junglers in the history of League of Legends. Hopefully fans will eventually give him the same respect they give Yu "Misaya" Jingxi and Gao "WeiXiao" Xuecheng for World Elite's success. Someday, maybe he'll be given the credit that Pawn and Hyuk-kyu "Deft" Kim have received for EDG's accomplishments as well.
While SKTelecom T1 rolled through the MSI Group Stage with an undefeated record, they did not make it to the Semifinals unscathed. After rough games against ahq and Fnatic in Groups, the Korean giants faltered even more in the Knockout Stage, narrowly escaping Fnatic 3-2 in the Semifinals. They ultimately fell to China's Edward Gaming in the Finals after utilizing both mid laners against Heo "PawN" Won-seok and company. With EDG stepping up, quickly adapting to SKT's strategies, and finding ingenious ways to pick them apart, the Korean region simply doesn't look as dominant nor threatening as it once did.
That said, SKT's roster structure is at least partially responsible for their results at MSI. Without all of their normal subs to turn to, the team certainly struggled. But when they do have their full roster, the team is by far the scariest in their region. Don't take SKT's loss at MSI too hard. This is a group of players who don't take losing lightly, and will fight back to prove themselves as the best once again on the Worlds stage.
These were just a few of the many things we learned after watching the phenomenal performances at the Mid-Season Invitational. Check out the video below to see a few more awesome moments and memories from the event.
Which moments stood out to you from the Mid-Season Invitational? And what did you learn from the event? Let us know in the comments, and for more photos from the event head over to Flickr.
To watch every game from the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, check out our spoiler-free VODs page.
Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games' Esports Web Content team. You'll find him flash charming people in Diamond... or on Twitter where he'd love to talk to you about esports.
Leah Jackson is a web content editor at Lolesports. Her favorite champion is currently Gnar. Feel free to follow her on Twitter for esports banter and corgi pictures.
Faker is not the best mid laner any more
Sang-Hyeok "Faker" Lee played well at MSI, but for many, that's not good enough. The Korean mid laner has dominated for so long that he's been touted as a God for his achievements. But as we saw in Tallahassee, even Gods can bleed. Faker was outplayed at several points against Fnatic, and outsmarted in the deciding game against Edward Gaming. He fell directly into Heo "Pawn" Won-seok's trap after picking LeBlanc, and was punished mightily for it when EDG ran a composition to counter it. Given the events of MSI, and the LCK finals before it, Faker may not even be the best mid laner on his own team, much less the whole world.
On the other hand, Faker's substitute Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon was mechanically dominant throughout the tournament, and many of those competing in the event admitted to being more worried about the newcomer's strengths than they were of Faker's. With Easyhoon's mage-based, farming playstyle being complemented by the current meta, Faker could certainly return to the top if he's able to adapt. But for the first time in years, we don't know who the best mid laner in the world is.
Taiwan is a legitimate region
Before MSI, many fans clamored for Taiwan to lose its auto invites to Worlds, as it was deemed more like a Wildcard region than one of the five major regions of competitive League. Though ahq e-Sports Club managed to tie Edward Gaming for 2nd Place in the Group Stage at 2014 Worlds in Taiwan, TPA's lackluster 1-5 record led to widespread skepticism about the quality of Taiwanese teams. It's fair to say that the new ahq e-Sports club has silenced doubters.
After coming in as one of the true underdogs of the tournament, ahq defeated Team SoloMid and Fnatic, and nearly defeated both EDG and SKTelecom T1 in the Group Stage behind great performances from all members of the roster. Ahq's performance shattered preconceptions about the team being just "Westdoor plus four." With yoe Flash Wolves' performance at IEM Katowice and ahq's performance at MSI, it seems that Taiwan has responded to its criticisms -- this region is here to stay.
Fnatic is world class
Fear Fnatic. This group of mostly new players burst through the gates at MSI and didn't stop swinging until they proved they're a force to be reckoned with. Living up to the aggressive playstyle they're known for, Fnatic advanced through the Group Stage on the back of their proactive play and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim's leadership. But more importantly, they stood tall against SKTelecom T1 during the Semifinals, not backing down where other teams seemed to cower under the weight of Korea's prestige.
Going in to the 2015 EU LCS Summer Split, Fnatic is confident and focused on their goal of making it to Worlds. That should be a scary prospect for the other teams in the region, as they showed incredible teamwork and mental fortitude over their impressive run at MSI. The team was able to make people -- including their competition -- believe in them. Going into Summer with their former star AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, this squad is determined to breeze through their opponents off the tail wind from their MSI performance.
Tanks reign supreme
Sometimes, we're ruled by the times we play in. Despite some attempts to break the jungle meta, like Zhao-Hong "Mountain" Xue's Jarvan and Kai "Clearlove" Ming's Evelynn, MSI was dominated by four junglers: Rek'Sai, Sejuani, Nunu, and Gragas. These junglers made up over 95% of jungle picks, and at least one or multiple were picked or banned in every single game.
The dominance of Cinderhulk, and the meta that is created around it, left little room for fighters or assassins out of the jungle. In addition, junglers that could not control the pace of the early game were left to the wayside, reducing overall diversity. However, as Clearlove showed us, there is still hope for jungle innovation. It just might take some imagination.
Team SoloMid has issues
After rolling over most of their NA LCS competitors throughout the Spring Split, it was surprising to see TSM so enfeebled at MSI. Perhaps they wanted to surprise their competition with new tactics, or save strategies until the Semifinals, but the results didn't exactly pan out. TSM's champion selects were questionable, as were their lane swaps (or lack thereof, in most cases). Nearly every member of the team openly admitted to underperforming.
Does this mean TSM will have it rough going into the NA LCS Summer Split? Possibly, but not likely. Even though it was tough, MSI was a great learning experience for the confident team, and hopefully this fresh dose of reality will allow them to buckle down and focus even harder on their Worlds goals. To get there though they have to stop underestimating competition, play to their strengths, and work on improving their lack of communication.
IWC regions still have a ways to go
Beşiktaş e-Sports Club showed a lot of heart, but that didn't stop their competitors from punishing every mistake they made. The Turkish team may have had an impressive showing at IWCI, but against some of the best teams in the world, they were outmatched and picked apart. They displayed interesting tactics (like a fun four-man level two gank on SKT's Faker), but ultimately weren't on the same level of play as their competitors -- and they knew it.
Yet rather than hiding their heads under the sand, BJK came away from MSI revitalized, determined to play just like the greats they competed against. Now they'll return to the developing Turkish region with international experience, new strategies to try, and the drive to dominate over their up-and-coming competition. We'll have to wait and see if other IWCI teams can match BJK's new drive, or if these Black Eagles will stomp just as hard as they think they will.
Westdoor doesn't care about your meta
Many criticized Liu "Westdoor" Shu-Wei for his champion pool before MSI, stating that his best champions were not "in meta." As a result, he was overlooked as an elite mid laner at MSI by other players. Despite no other mid picking Fizz at MSI, Westdoor was dominant on the champion throughout the event.
His play was so impressive that he was able to solo kill many of his "superior" mid lane opponents throughout the tournament with relative ease. Whether Westdoor's play on off-meta champions is indicative of his greatness as a player, or if the meta isn't as stagnant as we would like to believe, is uncertain. However we do know that Westdoor will play his Fizz no matter what's on the line or what's en vogue.
Clearlove is an all time great
Clearlove's career legacy was secured after World Elite's dominance during 2012, including winning IPL5. However, in recent history, Clearlove has often been thought of as a liability for his team. In a twist of fate, Clearlove was a vital part of his team at MSI. Not only did he control the pace of the game for EDG, but he was awarded MVP of the entire tournament as a result of his stellar play.
After a career spanning three years and nearly two dozen regional and international tournament wins with Team WE and EDG, Clearlove is one of the most influential junglers in the history of League of Legends. Hopefully fans will eventually give him the same respect they give Yu "Misaya" Jingxi and Gao "WeiXiao" Xuecheng for World Elite's success. Someday, maybe he'll be given the credit that Pawn and Hyuk-kyu "Deft" Kim have received for EDG's accomplishments as well.
Korea isn't the best region anymore
While SKTelecom T1 rolled through the MSI Group Stage with an undefeated record, they did not make it to the Semifinals unscathed. After rough games against ahq and Fnatic in Groups, the Korean giants faltered even more in the Knockout Stage, narrowly escaping Fnatic 3-2 in the Semifinals. They ultimately fell to China's Edward Gaming in the Finals after utilizing both mid laners against Heo "PawN" Won-seok and company. With EDG stepping up, quickly adapting to SKT's strategies, and finding ingenious ways to pick them apart, the Korean region simply doesn't look as dominant nor threatening as it once did.
That said, SKT's roster structure is at least partially responsible for their results at MSI. Without all of their normal subs to turn to, the team certainly struggled. But when they do have their full roster, the team is by far the scariest in their region. Don't take SKT's loss at MSI too hard. This is a group of players who don't take losing lightly, and will fight back to prove themselves as the best once again on the Worlds stage.
These were just a few of the many things we learned after watching the phenomenal performances at the Mid-Season Invitational. Check out the video below to see a few more awesome moments and memories from the event.
Which moments stood out to you from the Mid-Season Invitational? And what did you learn from the event? Let us know in the comments, and for more photos from the event head over to Flickr.
To watch every game from the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, check out our spoiler-free VODs page.
Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games' Esports Web Content team. You'll find him flash charming people in Diamond... or on Twitter where he'd love to talk to you about esports.
Leah Jackson is a web content editor at Lolesports. Her favorite champion is currently Gnar. Feel free to follow her on Twitter for esports banter and corgi pictures.
