This year’s League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is welcoming more teams than ever to the tournament. Unlike years past, multiple teams from certain regions can attend, promising even more high-octane matchups.
But even though MSI expanded to include 13 teams this season, with each major region getting two representatives, there were still a number of big names who missed out altogether. In many cases, one could argue that these teams were just as deserving to be at the event as others, if not more so. Still, some of the world’s best teams were denied entry to MSI and will have to wait until Worlds to make their mark on the international scene.
With more chances to represent their region at the tournament, the competition this Spring was more cutthroat than ever. Still, some contenders fell short of the mark. Here are the five best teams to miss out on MSI this season.
Team BDS
There’s an argument to be made that Team BDS were playing the best League in the west during the LEC Spring Split, and had they won just one more game, they would have been representing Europe at MSI. Unfortunately, the LEC’s rules play a bit differently than the rest of the world, and since the league is the only major region to feature an extra split early in the season, Winter Split champions G2 Esports got the nod as EMEA’s second seed. Although BDS finished as runners-up in the Spring Split, they banked enough Championship Points this split to have a leg up during their run to Worlds later this summer.
Edward Gaming
Edward Gaming came within inches of a second-straight international appearance this spring but lost two of their three LPL playoff series down the stretch. Despite being the number two overall seed in the LPL Spring Playoffs, EDG lost both of its matches in the playoffs to the two teams that would eventually represent China at MSI—JD Gaming and Bilibili Gaming. EDG were eventually knocked out at the final hurdle by Bilibili, who had to run the gauntlet to get to MSI. Had EDG won just one more game against Bilibili in the LPL lower bracket finals, they would have secured their spot at MSI.
FlyQuest
FlyQuest appeared to be a lock for MSI throughout the early portion of the LCS Spring Split; the team’s eight-game winning streak to open the season put them head and shoulders above the rest of the league. When FlyQuest are playing at their ceiling, they’re more than worthy of a spot on the international stage. Unfortunately, the ceiling caved in during the LCS Spring Playoffs, and the team had to settle for third place.
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KT Rolster
The promise of another installment of the Telecom War during the LCK Spring Finals seemed very much on the table until KT Rolster was knocked out of the LCK Spring Playoffs in the lower bracket finals by Gen.G. Still, KT’s meteoric rise to the near-top of the LCK has been one of the most unexpected developments of the League season thus far. The team went 37-23 in individual games this Spring and is on pace to have its best season in five years. KT and T1 have not been present at the same international League event since Worlds 2015, but if KT can carry over their first-half performance into the summer, the two orgs could see their destinies linked together once again at Worlds.
LNG Esports
LNG was having a Spring Split to remember in the LPL—then came the playoffs. The team finished third in the Spring Split’s regular season with a record of 13-3 but didn’t place high enough to secure a spot in the double elimination rounds of the Spring Playoffs. Double elimination only kicks in during the fourth round of the LPL playoffs, and LNG was swiftly sent home in the third round. Had LNG won their third-round playoff series against sixth-seeded OMG, the team maybe could have put together a run to MSI.
