On the final day of the Play-In stage of MSI 2023, the last representative from the minor and Wildcard regions, PSG Talon, was unable to create any surprises. In fact, the result was quite overwhelming as PSG lost 0-3. The Spring 2023 LCS runners-up truly demonstrated their superiority, and the team from the PCS found no opportunities for themselves.
Before PSG, GAM Esports, Movistar R7, DetonatioN FocusMe, and LOUD also had to leave the tournament. Thus, MSI 2023 will mark the first time since the tournament’s inception and the division of regions that there is no representative from the Minor or Wildcard groups in the top 6. Notably, with Riot’s new format, the top 8 position at MSI this year is officially no longer held by teams from the aforementioned regions.
This can be seen as a setback for minor regions in general as they are absent from the 6-8 group of an MSI for the first time. Although teams from the region have made significant progress recently, bringing in many foreign players, the performance at MSI 2023 still shows a vast gap. Even a team with players who have competed in the LCK and LPL like PSG was easily crushed by Golden Guardians. Meanwhile, GAM Esports—the leading flagbearer of the Minor group—was the first team to return home.
However, according to many fans, it is the new format from Riot that is truly negatively impacting the minor regions. Riot has removed Korean rank accounts allocated to the teams, preventing the minor regions from having the opportunity to train their skills in a quality environment. Meanwhile, the format changes have made the element of surprise from teams in the Minor and Wildcard groups—which was already low—even lower.
According to one opinion: “The skills of players from minor regions are very good. Training in a quality ranked environment has contributed to the creation of great players, like SofM from Vietnam or Karsa, SwordArt. But currently, these players will not be discovered because no one pays much attention to their regional ranks. Even LPL players no longer have Korean rank accounts to play on. And when matches extend to BO3, BO5, the potential for surprises from minor teams is gone. Strong teams can only be complacent in one game, and they will crush the minor teams in the remaining 2 or 3 games.”
In reality, the matches from the Group Stage onwards at MSI 2023 will be more exciting and competitive. However, minor teams will find it difficult to overcome the “big names” from the Play-In stage. The results from MSI 2023 may lead Riot to continue adjusting their tournaments to be more suitable in the future.