Eyes on MSI: Part One of Riot’s CLG MSI Documentary Hits YouTube

A Behind the Scenes Look at the CLG MSI Journey

If you have ever dreamed of knowing what it’s like to compete in an LCS championship final, Riot just put you a lot closer. Their new documentary series, Eyes on MSI, will follow NA LCS Spring Split champions CLG on their road to the Mid-Season Invitational, happening this May. The first of three chapters just landed on YouTube, and it’s fantastic.

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Eyes on MSI Episode 1 tracks both CLG and their rivals TSM as they arrive in Las Vegas and compete in the finals. The film is packed with behind the scenes insights into the lives and mindsets of the players on both teams. We open with Doublelift discussing how stressed he is about the match as TSM travels to Las Vegas, but before too long he’s laughing and joking as both teams share a genial shuttle ride to their hotel together. This dichotomy, seeing the players struggle with their challenges as competitors and their joy at playing a game they love at the highest level is apparent throughout.

As we move into the final series itself, things get truly intense. It’s thrilling to get such an up close and personal view of the teams as they go head to head. We see the players bouncing with nerves as they prepare to enter the stadium, we see them heatedly discuss what went wrong and right in between each game, and we see some incredible Aphromoo facial expressions.

It’s particularly fascinating to see firsthand what an important role coaches have come to play in the LCS. CLG’s Tony “Zikizlol” Gray seems to be ceaselessly reassuring his players, encouraging them to stick with tried and true strategies they have practiced, even as we see him physically twisting in sympathy with the stress of his players during a game. TSM owner and coach Andy “Reginald” Dinh hands out the kind of brusque admonitions TSM fans and TSM Legends viewers have long been familiar with, “I don’t want to see any more hero plays. We’re going to win as a team.” The value of the extended support staff these teams have built is also apparent. CLG Player Development Coach Michael Schwartz gets a message through to the team before the fifth and final game, reminding the CLG squad that “we been a team for 14 weeks, and they just learned what a team is; we can dig deeper than them.”

It was a fantastic series of League of Legends, and it’s great to relive it through this film. I gained a new level of understanding and appreciation for the kinds of strategic planning and tactics the teams came into the games with. Constantly, we are shown one team discussing plans for picks and bans or lane set-ups, only to cut to the other team already anticipating and proposing responses before the game has even started. The cinematography and camera work on the players gives a new emotional depth to what was already a roller coaster of a match to watch. When Darshan screams, “I love you guys!” as CLG makes their final push, I dare you not to feel all those feels.

Watch Eyes on MSI Episode 1 below:

Related Story: Get a Sneak Peak at Who CLG Will Be Up Against at MSI: ROX vs SKT Live Stream

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What was your favorite part of the film?