Unlike some other Esports disciplines, the community of LoL only has 2 international tournaments a year, namely MSI and the World Championship. In terms of scale and prize value, both tournaments even fall short compared to some domestic tournaments in the LoL scene. However, both tournaments are highly regarded for their professionalism. Participating in these tournaments, especially the World Championship, has always been a dream for every player.
Previously, MSI only selected champions from previous Spring tournaments. However, in 2023, this tournament has seen some changes where teams from the Major groups (LCK, LPL, LEC, and LCS) can have 2 representatives participating. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the professionalism of MSI, as the teams participating are almost certainly the champions and runners-up of that tournament.
However, some recent updates from Riot have made audiences reconsider the nature of MSI 2023. Specifically, according to recent information about the upcoming patch 13.7, a series of champions will be nerfed, including popular picks in Spring 2023 such as Wukong, Vi, Sejuani, Veigar, Zeri, and Annie.
Meanwhile, only Azir and Kalista are the champions that are actually used frequently from the list of buffs. Names like Katarina or Yasuo, Graves have been absent for quite a while or only used in less significant matches. Meanwhile, Alistar, after being frequently used at the start of Spring, is now losing ground to other more versatile supports like Lulu, Nautilus, or Yuumi.
Many viewers believe that the update intended for MSI 2023 could “destroy” all participating teams. The reason given is that this version is completely different from the version being used in the ongoing tournaments. Not to mention, this version will only be used exclusively in MSI 2023 and will change when the Summer Split officially starts. Some opinions point out: “The MSI tournament has shifted from being a playground for champions to ‘Can you perform well with the new meta even if you were the Spring champion?’.
Of course, this is not the first time Riot’s updates have nearly completely changed the prevailing gameplay. And many MSI champions have had a very poor Summer following their victory, typically Royal Never Give Up. However, Riot is also struggling with its patches, and perhaps teams will have to train harder to adapt as quickly as possible.