League of Legends news » MSI Event Primer

Who will own the Rift when six regional champions clash at our international showdown in Shanghai, China? Welcome to the 2016 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).

Who is playing at the Mid-Season Invitational?

Six regional champions: one team from North America (NA LCS), one team from Europe (EU LCS), one team from mainland China (LPL), one team from Korea (LCK), and one team from the LMS region (which consists of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau), plus a wildcard slot to be determined at the International Wild Card Invitational on April 16-23 in Mexico City.

The following teams have already qualified for MSI:

Europe (EU LCS) - G2 Esports
North America (NA LCS) - Counter Logic Gaming
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau (LMS) - Flash Wolves
Korea (LCK) - SK Telecom T1
China (LPL) - Royal Never Give Up
Turkey (TCL) - SuperMassive

What are they playing for?

Starting this year, MSI results will have a direct impact on the World Championship (Worlds). The teams who advance to the Knockout Stage of the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational will earn one of the top four seeds for their region at the 2016 World Championship.

For more information on these detailed changes, head on over to the MSI 2016 Update and Worlds implications.

Tournament format

The Mid-Season Invitational 2016 tournament format contains two stages: the Group Stage followed by a Knockout Stage.

In the Group Stage, teams will play in double Round Robin-style, Best of 1 (Bo1) matchups, meaning each team plays every other team twice.

The Knockout Stage is a single elimination, Best of 5 (Bo5) bracket that will be determined by the Group Stage results.

When is it happening? How do I catch the action?

MSI takes place at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center on May 4-8 and May 13-15.

The Group Stage takes place on May 4-8. Group Stage matches begin at 13:30 May 4-7 (Shanghai local time), and May 8 at 11:30. The Knockout Stage takes place on May 13-15 with a Bo5 series per day starting at 13:30 each day.

We’ll have all the matches on Lolesports. Looking to cheer on your region? Head on over to the Group Stage schedule.

How can I support my region?

Starting April 27, players from the six regions competing at MSI (North America, Europe, Korea, China, LMS, and the winning region from the IWCI) will be able to purchase their region’s icon in store for 1 IP. If you want to represent a different region, you can purchase other regional icons in the store for 250 RP, but you can only participate in the icon challenge below for your home region.

By equipping your region’s icon, you’ll join forces with fellow Summoners in a challenge to determine ‘Who Will Own The Rift?’. Games played with the icon equipped will count towards your region’s points/standing in a contest of regional fandom that will culminate on May 15.

The performance of teams at MSI will also contribute to the final point total, with the winning fan region receiving an Party IP weekend. Regions who do not qualify for MSI will be able to purchase the MSI Icon for 1 IP in stores. To offset the implications of regions with larger player bases, points will be normalized and weighted based on the size of each region. The breakdown of points earned by teams competing at MSI for their regions is as follows:

• 1st: 2000
• 2nd: 1800
• 3rd/4th: 1600
• 5th: 1200
• 6th: 1000

We will begin tracking each region’s progress in the icon challenge starting April 27 through updates available on Lolesports.com as well as the MSI Client Hub throughout the the event. Point updates will be posted on the following dates:

• Pre-Groups: May 3
• Post-Groups: May 9
• Pre-Knockout: May 12
• Start of Final: May 15

In addition to the reward for the icon competition, we will also be offering an exclusive MSI 2016 gilded regional icon to the region whose team wins the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational. The winning icon will be available globally from May 16 - May 30 for 1 IP in the winning region and 250 RP in all other regions.