What LCS and LEC Winners Would Have Looked Like Going Into MSI 2020

Cover Image courtesy MSI Twitter

• A look at what NA and EU would have brought to the now cancelled MSI 2020
• C9 win LCS with relative ease, all set with a star-studded roster to take on the regions
• Despite one upset G2 manage to crush their competitions in the finals of LEC Spring Split.  

Following the trend of many other major esports events, Riot Games announced in April that the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) was cancelled this year. Around this time each region would be prepping to send their best teams to battle it out on the international stage. MSI 2020 would have definitely been exciting to watch. Here’s a look at what MSI would mean for the LCS and LEC’s top teams. 

North America - Cloud9

After 6 years of patient waiting, C9 fans got to see their favourite team hoist the NA LCS trophy again. With an amazing record of 26-2, Cloud9 absolutely destroyed their competition thanks to their insanely talented roster coached by Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu. Even their finals were a stomp, going 3-0 against FlyQuest. 

C9 has attended every World Championship since Season 3 and is the only LCS team to make it to the finals of one split every year since they started out in 2013. In 2018 C9 made it further than any other NA team ever at the World Championship with a Semifinals run ending in a loss to Fnatic.  NA’s winning team is more than ready to take on the Summer Split and hopefully continue their stellar success. 

Europe - G2 Esports

Anyone who is following the European scene would not be surprised that last year’s MSI winners, G2, won the Spring Split 2020. G2 Esports had a great run, finishing 15-3 at the top of the board during the season. This year’s new playoff format coming into LEC, featuring a double elimination system, worked out in favour of G2. After a huge upset against MAD Lions in the playoffs, G2 got their revenge with a 3-1 win against them in the Semifinals. This marked their third consecutive title, winning the finals 3-0 against longtime rivals Fnatic. 

G2 has been quite experimental in the past and many credit G2’s run in the split to the swap of Perkz and Caps to the mid and ADC roles respectively. G2 Esports has already proved what they can do on the international stage with quite an impressive recent resume. G2 is leaps and bounds ahead of their domestic competition - much like Cloud9. With FunPlus Phoenix who swept G2 in last year's World Finals out of the way, perhaps G2’s firepower and international experience would have proved a force to be reckoned with. 

It'll be interesting to track the teams mentioned to see how they fare in their respective Summer Splits, in hopes that they will qualify for the 2020 World Championship. The Summer Split will start for LEC on June 12th and for the LCS on June 13th.