MKOI vs BLG MSI Preview – Europe’s #1 Might Be BLG’s Worst Matchup

MKOI is coming to the Mid-Season Invitational as the first European representative and there are high hopes the team can maintain the positive streak for EU from First Stand earlier in the season. With their first match against BiliBili Gaming (BLG), who fought their way from the play-in stage, there are some elements to suggest the Spanish team can pull off the upset. Let’s see why.

MKOI vs BLG – MSI Playoffs Round 1 Preview

Let’s make it clear: MKOI won’t have an easy time. They are arguably against one of the top four teams at the tournament and BLG continues to be the team with the highest potential in the LPL when on form. That being said, there are a few things that could go in the LEC team’s favor, starting from the jungle.

Elyoya has arguably been the core of this team over the past few years, and this year is no exception. He was the reason why the team beat G2 in the LEC Spring Finals and is the undisputed best jungler from EU right now. In a meta where he can thrive on paper, he and Jojopyun can potentially find leads in the early game, as Beichuan is considered the weaker player of the five from BLG’s side.

In play-ins, the Chinese jungler was quite consistent, but it’s still clear that he has a utility-focused role within the team. That could be a major difference maker when it comes to drafting, given that options will be slowly taken away with Fearless Draft.

Speaking of drafts, MKOI’s top laner Myrwn might also have an ace up his sleeve against Bin. Even though his Chinese counterpart is better individually, counter matchups can swing this in MKOI’s favor. In a recent interview, Myrwn shared with us that he is cooking up something; we’ll have to see whether he’ll pull it off against one of the best top laners at the tournament.

Bot lanes can surprise us

Another big point of discussion will be the bottom lane, given that both Elk and Supa share a similar champion pool and have a tendency to hover towards hypercarries more. Both will be the backbone of their team in the teamfights, especially for MKOI’s side, given that the opponents also rely on Knight having super carry performances.

I’ve been quite impressed by support Alvaro’s performance over the past few months, having become a fundamental key to the team’s success with his playmaking and roaming. In that aspect, he is quite similar to ON, and it’s expected to see them trade picks early into the series. If the Spanish player can have a higher impact, it could open a path for MKOI to gain leads. Recently, the Chinese players have also been caught by some sub-optimal physical conditions. They’ve had a few days to rest after play-ins, but that could still have an effect during the series.

Overall, the series is still favored to be BLG’s. That being said, if there is a match in the MSI upper bracket to have an upset take place, it would probably be this series. Tune into the series later today when MKOI faces BLG at 21:00 CET.