The MSI 2018 is coming!
For those who do not know, MSI is the acronym for the Mid-Season Invitational is the main championship of Riot Games, developer company of the most played game in the world that is the League Of Legends.
In the championship, the champions of the main official leagues around the world, including North America (LCS NA), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Southeast Asia (LPG), Latin America North (LLN), Brazil (CBLoL) Europe (LCS EU), Latin America South (CLS), Japan (LJL), Turkey (TCL), Oceania (OPL) China (LPL), Korea (LCK), VCS (Vietnam) and LMS (Taiwan).
Summarizing is the mid-year world championship, which brings together the best teams in the first half, and consequently great teams and players.
The MSI started in 2015, and went through different formats, and this year of 2018 also had its format changed compared to last year.
There will be 4 phases, the first phase called the entry phase, will divide the teams of CEI, LPG, LLN, CBLoL, CLS, LJL, TCL and OPL into two groups, where each team from the respective regions played the MD1 - a match , against all of the same group.
The first places of each group will pass the second phase or eliminatory phase of entry, the first places of the entry phase, will face the teams of the VCS, and the LMS, which will play the best of 5 games, and who wins will pass the next phase.
The third phase, or group stage, will have a single group which will already be the teams of LCS EU, LCS NA, LPL and LCK, plus the two winners of the second phase, in matches better than 1.
And in the fourth round, the eliminatory phase, the top 4 placed in the group have faced each other in the best of 5 matches, where two winners will reach the final, which is also played in the best of 5.
And so we will have the great champion of the MSI, title of great importance in the competitive scenario of LOL.
Last year the winning team was the Korean team SKT, who will not participate this year, as the Korean champion of the first half was the Dragon King KING-ZONE. Which will certainly be the team's favorite title.
The MSI 2017 in Brazil had impressive numbers with 364 million unique viewers, 4.3 million peak simultaneous viewers, 2.5 million concurrent viewers watching the final, and 1.7 million USD awards.
This year's classified teams are OPL (Oceania) - Dire Wolves // LLN (North America) - Rainbow7 // LCL (Russia) - Gambit Esports // LCS EU (Europe) - Fnatic // GPL (South East Asia) Ascension / CBLOL (Brasil) - KaBuM! eSports // LMS (Taiwan) - Flash Wolves // CLS (Latin America) - Kaos Latin Gamers // VCS (Vietnam) - EVO Esports // LCS NA (US and Canada) - Team Liquid // LCK South Korea) - KING-ZONE DragonX // LJL (Japan) - PENTAGRAM // TCL (Turkey) - SuperMassive.
The LPL team (China) is scheduled to be decided on April 28 between Royal Never Give Up and EDward Gaming.
We will certainly miss SKT and the best player in the world Faker. However LOL is a team game, and only the best teams in the first half will have that opportunity, we hope SKT will be in the world cup final.
The MSI will take place from 03 to 21 May, and will have the first phases in Berlin, and the knockout phase in Paris. I'll be following!
Thanks and good games steemians!