Team WE’s dwindling hope, SkewMond becoming best LEC player, Cloud9’s last chance: League of Legends action leading up to MSI

Even though the Mid-Season Invitational is less than three weeks away, teams across the world are busy with their spring splits. Some leagues have crowned their champions while others are still finalizing their seeds, with four teams still to be confirmed.

This past week, Top Esports has booked its place, leaving BiliBili Gaming, Anyone’s Legend, and Team WE fighting for the second spot. G2 Esports came out on top again, beating Karmine Corp in the LEC Versus final rematch. FURIA has proven that Brazil can fight with its own talent.

In North America, LYON dominated Cloud9, with big question marks regarding its true potential. Dplus Kia’s elimination raises many questions, both inside and outside the Rift.

Here are some of the most interesting storylines leading up to MSI

At the start of the split, no one thought Team WE would end up fighting for a spot at MSI, yet the team made the unthinkable reality. Unfortunately, that hope is getting dimmer now after the loss against Top Esports, who have once again locked an international appearance.

TES’ 3-0 win not only ended WE’s momentum but also exposed WE’s weaknesses. The latter had shown their ability to drag their opponents into their comfort zone, which relied on chaotic skirmishes.

Top Esports understood that and did the exact opposite, using their strong fundamentals to fight on their own terms, with jungler Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang dictating the tempo of the game.

With the loss, the scenarios for Team WE are getting complicated. BiliBili Gaming has seemingly recovered from the upset and is looking dominant, with all their players in great form, especially support Luo “ON” Wen-Jun.

“There’s not a player in the world that plays like ON right now, truly fearless in the way he approaches every play – and BLG are better for it,” said color caster Alex “Nymaera” Hapgood. A potential rematch is expected to be in BLG’s favor, unless Monki pulls off another miracle.

G2 Esports winning Europe is almost routine at this point. The 3-2 win over Karmine Corp gave the organization its 19th LEC title and will send G2 directly to MSI’s Bracket Stage. KC, after coming close to the title, will start from Play-Ins.

While it wasn’t a clean stomp, G2’s wins were spearheaded by a monstrous Rudy “SkewMond” Semaan, who went deathless in the team’s three wins. The jungler, who rightfully earned the MVP award, even pulled out a Nasus jungle, “bonking” his enemies.

His performances and importance within the team bring up the question that is starting to follow him: Is SkewMond the best European player to emerge since Caps?

Even though the claim is still a bit too early, he’s on course to be that guy. The level of dominance ever since his debut last year, paired with G2’s recent strong international record, is elevating him to that status. He will need a bit more time to build his résumé, but the trend suggests that everything is lining up well for the French player.

For EU fans, G2 and KC were the best teams to send based on what they’ve shown in Spring. The French squad will be one to watch, especially given that they will have to face the LCK #2 seed to enter the top eight. While it could be a short run, it will definitely be a valuable one, especially considering KC is expected to be among the EU representatives for Worlds 2026.

Dplus Kia is not going to MSI. Their run ended after the loss against KT Rolster in the worst way possible. Despite leading in both Game 4 and Game 5, the team dropped both games in heated teamfights. 

Aside from the gameplay, however, a lot of DK’s attention has been outside of the game. At the end of the series, head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho was once again caught in the eyestorm after making inappropriate comments during the post-match interview, prompting the organization to enforce higher standards for media communication.

This is just the latest controversy around DK’s head coach, following earlier criticism of his harsh coaching style. While the potential is there, as clearly shown by the team throughout the first part of the LCK season, DK needs to create a healthier environment, far away from the drama.

While missing MSI is understandable given the presence of powerhouses like T1, Hanwha Life Esports, and Gen.G, Dplus Kia will need to get into the top four if they want a shot at Worlds.

Cloud9’s 0-3 loss to LYON in the LCS Spring Playoffs is giving fans deja vu from last year, when the team failed to qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational. It’s not just about the loss: the team looked lost compared to LYON, unable to match its teamfights. 

A Reddit user explained C9’s form perfectly: “They used to be the underdogs, the cluch team that could punch above their weight… Now they’re the regular season leaders who anti-clutch and find new and innovative ways to choke every time it matters.” 

C9 has shown repeatedly to have consistency throughout the regular season but fails to level up its gameplay when it matters the most. The sweep will inevitably put a lot of pressure on C9, who will now face Team Liquid for the second MSI spot. 

Mid laner Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung has stepped up lately, taking up more of a carry role within the team, similar to how it was when he played for 100Thieves last year. The mid-jungle will likely be the key to the match.

FURIA earned back-to-back appearances at MSI following a strong showing throughout the second split. 

The victory, however, seems to have also changed the perspective on CBLOL teams’ roster building. The fact that FURIA won with a full Brazilian team proved that Brazil can rely on its own talents to win domestically and earn the international qualification.

This seems to be leading many organizations to follow a similar path, with many teams looking to change their import players. 

LOUD is reportedly looking to change both jungler Ko “YoungJae” Yeong-jae and ADC Song “Bull” Seon-gyu with Brazilian players Enzo “Sinatra” Candido Ferreira and Yudi Leonardo “NinjaKiwi” Miyashiro. V

ivo Keyd Stars will not only have a new head coach in Ludvig Erik Hugo “Smiley” Granquist but also see the departure of Korean top laner Choi “Wizer” Eui-seok and support Ling “Kaiwing” Kai Wing, who was supposed to elevate VKS to new heights. 

Brazil is moving towards more domestic talents again: “Invest in LATAM,” said a user on Reddit. “Stop looking at Korea when there’s proof local talent can go toe to toe with NA at least.”

While imports can quickly raise a team’s ceiling through strong fundamentals, Brazil’s greatest runs were built on the synergy of local talent, with unexpected playstyles and strategies. 

Last year, FURIA came close to upsetting G2 Esports in the play-in stage. With them now directly to the bracket stage, the Brazilian team will have the golden opportunity to showcase CBLOL’s potential to the world.