MSI 2021: MSI Announced for Iceland Beginning May 6

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Mid Season Invitational (“MSI”) was ultimately canceled. After being able to host the World Championship in 2020, League of Legends fans were hopeful that they would be able to see the return of MSI in 2021. Those hopes were answered with the announcement that the event will take place in person, in Iceland from May 6 through 23, 2021.

This is great to hear that we will see it return in 2021. I think with the way Worlds was handled in 2020, most fans would have questioned why MSI could not happen in 2021. With the pandemic now having gone on for more than a year and vaccines now being developed, fans are pining for the return of live League of Legends tournaments.

The tournament will also change its format slightly from its 2019 form. In 2019 eight of the twelve teams were placed in groups of four for a play-in round. The top two teams in those earned byes into the second round of play-ins, while the other three top teams were seeded directly into the main event.

MSI will return in 2021 with a new format.

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This year the play-in stages will be eliminated, with each of the 12 teams will participate in the main event. The first stage of MSI will be three groups of four teams, in a double round-robin, with the top two teams advancing.

Those remaining six teams will then will play a best of one double round-robin to cut the field down to four. The semi-finals and finals will remain a best-of-five to crown a new MSI champion.

This change gives the minor regions a chance to test themselves against the best in the world, instead of just playing each other. With a best-of-one round robin, any team has a chance against any other. These minor regions now have a two out of four shot for any team to advance even out of the first group is pretty good.

I think this format will make things a bit more even across the board and we may get a chance to watch more of the minor region teams try and upset those from the major regions. It will set up possible David vs. Goliath storylines. It’s also the same number of games scheduled so the length of the tournament won’t be bloated.

I’m excited for MSI’s return in 2021 and think the changes are good for the event. I can’t wait to see some in-person international competition when it starts in two months.