Mid-Season Invitational Tag Archive

Riot reveals MSI 2022 Primer

May 4, 2022• Videogames

Los Angeles, California – May 4, 2022 – The 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational begins in a few short days! Here’s your one-stop shop for all things MSI.

What is the Mid-Season Invitational?

The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is a foundational battleground in the annual LoL Esports season, where rising stars and teams make a global name for themselves. Held between the first and second splits of the season, the best team from the regional leagues compete for the title. MSI is a time for regions to showcase their bold and unique identities and foreshadows the work needed for pros looking to claim a World Championship title. Riot Games supervises regional leagues in North America, Europe, Latin America, Brazil, Oceania, Korea, Turkey, Russia, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The event moves between host regions each year; this year, teams will compete in Busan, South Korea.

This year’s creative theme, “TAKE NOTES,” is a confident, attitude-infused call to action that highlights the epic moves and original style of MSI’s greatest pros. It continues to build out MSI as the bolder, grittier battleground of LoL Esports.

When is MSI happening?

MSI has three stages: the Group Stage, May 10-15; the Rumble Stage, May 20-24, and the Knockout Stage, May 27-29.

Groups – Tuesday, May 10 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Groups -Wednesday, May 11 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Groups – Thursday, May 12 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Groups – Friday, May 13 – 11 p.m. PST / 8 a.m. CEST / 3 p.m. KST
Groups – Saturday, May 14 – 11 p.m. PST / 8 a.m. CEST / 3 p.m. KST
Groups – Sunday, May 15 – 11 p.m. PST / 8 a.m. CEST / 3 p.m. KST
Rumble – Friday, May 20 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Rumble – Saturday, May 21 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Rumble – Sunday, May 22 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Rumble – Monday, May 23 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Rumble – Tuesday, May 24 – 11 p.m. PST / 8 a.m. CEST / 3 p.m. KST
Knockouts – Friday, May 27 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Knockouts – Saturday, May 28 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST
Knockouts (Finals) – Sunday, May 29 – 1 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. CEST / 5 p.m. KST

Where will MSI take place?

The tournament will take place in Busan, South Korea, in two venues: the Busan Esports Arena (Groups) and the Bexco Exhibition Hall (Rumble and Knockouts). Busan is Korea’s second most populous city and is considered the home of esports – Busan hosted various stages of Worlds 2014 and Worlds 2018 previously. This is the first time MSI has traveled to Korea.
What’s the format?

GROUPS: Teams have been drawn into two groups of four and one group of three to play a best-of-one double round robin within their respective group during the Group Stage. The group of three will play a quadruple round robin.

RUMBLE: The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the Rumble Stage, where all six teams will play a best-of-one double round robin.

KNOCKOUTS: The final four teams standing will compete in the Knockout Stage utilizing a best-of-five single elimination format. The two remaining teams will compete on May 29 for the MSI Championship title.

Find a format explainer video right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2YdVPWhfNs

Which teams are competing?

This year, the teams competing from each of the different regions are:

CHINA – LPL
Royal Never Give Up (RNG)

KOREA – LCK
T1 (T1)

EUROPE – LEC
G2 Esports (G2)

NORTH AMERICA – LCS
Evil Geniuses (EG)

SOUTHEAST ASIA – PCS
PSG.Talon Esports (PSG)

BRAZIL – CBLOL
RED Canids Kalunga (RED)

JAPAN – LJL
DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM)

LATIN AMERICA – LLA
Team Aze (AZE)

OCEANIA – LCO
ORDER (ORD)

TURKEY – TCL
fastPay Wildcats (IW)

VIETNAM – VCS
Saigon Buffalo Esports (SGB)*

*The VCS Spring Split winner, GAM, will represent Vietnam in the SEA Games.
How do I watch?
In-person: Tickets for MSI 2022 can be purchased online! Tickets for the Group Stage are available now. Tickets for the Rumble Stage can be purchased starting May 11, and tickets for the Knockout Stage can be purchased starting May 16.

Virtual: You can catch every match on lolesports.com.

About Riot Games
Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. With League in its second decade, Riot is continuing to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and multiple work-in-progress titles. In addition, Riot Forge gives developers access to Riot’s IP to create games like Ruined King and plenty of other adventures across Runeterra. Riot is also expanding the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, board games, and Arcane, its popular animated series. The annual League of Legends World Championship features qualified esports teams from 12 international leagues. Worlds is the most widely viewed and followed esport tournament, and it is among the largest and most popular gaming and sporting events in the world. Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, and led by CEO Nicolo Laurent, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 3,000+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide.

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Riot Games to Host Mid-Season Invitational in South Korea

March 30, 2022• Videogames

2022 marks the 7th MSI since the tournament’s founding in 2015.

Riot Games announced that the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) will be held May 10-29 in Busan, South Korea.

The best teams from the regional leagues will showcase their bold and unique identities as they compete for the MSI Champions title. For the first time since Worlds 2019, the teams will take to the global stage in front of an international live audience throughout the tournament. All stages of the tournament will be hosted in the Bexco Exhibition Hall. Ticketing information will be announced at a later date.

“South Korea has been a trailblazer in the esports industry for decades,” said Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports. “We’re thrilled to honor its rich history in esports, the passion of Korean fans, and the talent of the pro teams by bringing MSI to Korea for the first time. Busan was an incredible host to us during both Worlds 2014 and 2018, and we look forward to returning there to set the stage for the best League of Legends teams in the world to face off.”

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The top team from 11 regions will compete in the Group Stage, the Rumble Stage, and the Knockout Stage.The LCL (CIS) will not send a team to MSI due to the LCL Spring Split being canceled.

May 10-15: Teams will be drawn into two groups of four and one group of three to play a best-of-one double round robin within their respective group during the GROUP STAGE.

May 18-22: The top two teams from each Group will move on to the RUMBLE STAGE, where all six remaining teams will play a best-of-one double round robin.

May 27-29: Then, the top four teams will advance to the KNOCKOUT STAGE, where they will compete in a best-of-five, single elimination round. When the dust settles, the two teams remaining will face off in the Finals to determine the best League of Legends team at the halfway mark of the competitive season. The winner takes home the trophy and the 2022 MSI Champion title.

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA
Busan is Korea’s second most populous city and is considered the home of esports – Gwangalli Beach is a 1.4-kilometer long beach in Busan where the StarCraft Brood War ProLeague finals took place from 2004-2010, and G-Star, the largest annual gaming convention in South Korea, also has made its home in Busan. The coastal city is known as the City of Festivals and Film, highlighting its focus on culture, music, and art. Photos of Busan and Busan introductory video belong to the Busan Metropolitan City.

Riot Games has hosted global events in South Korea previously, including Worlds 2014 and Worlds 2018.

“We are excited to host the MSI 2022 in Busan,” said Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon. “Busan is the mecca of esports hosting a number of world’s biggest esports tournaments. The city of Busan has teamed up with businesses in the gaming industry to nurture esports professionals and opened BRENA, a dedicated esports arena. Please take your chance to experience Busan City during the MSI 2022 as we very much look forward to welcoming you in person.” Mayor Park added, “Busan is a candidate city for the World Expo 2030. The MSI 2022 will serve as a decisive opportunity in Busan’s bid for Expo 2030, allowing us to promote how attractive Busan is to the world. Busan is a home to the seven mesmerizing beaches, the world’s largest department store registered to the Guinness Book of World Records, and a large-scale theme park. I would like to warmly welcome you all to Busan, the heart of gaming culture and the pillar of the gaming industry.”

More information will be revealed at later dates. Follow @lolesports with #MSI2022 and keep an eye on lolesports.com for more details to come.

About LoL Esports™
LoL Esports is a premier global sport that has attracted the attention of millions of fans around the world since 2011. More than 800 players on 100+ professional League of Legends esports teams compete across a dozen leagues globally. Within each regional league, teams compete against one another over the course of two seasonal splits in hopes of earning regional titles and championship points. LoL Esports boasts a roster of industry-leading global sponsors and best-in-class partners. For more information, visit: www.lolesports.com and www.lolesports media.com.

This year’s creative theme, “TAKE NOTES,” is a confident, attitude-infused call to action that highlights the epic moves and original style of MSI’s greatest pros. It continues to build out MSI as the bolder, grittier, modern battleground of LoL Esports.

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