MSI 2023 is a very special event in the LoL community this year. Not only because this is the first international tournament of the year for the LoL scene, but also because Riot has changed the format of this tournament compared to before. This has led to a lot of debates, from the moment Riot announced the changes until now, with only about 2 weeks left until the tournament concludes.
To summarize the changes of MSI 2023, the competition format has branched into winners and losers brackets. Additionally, there are no longer any BO1 matches, replaced instead by BO3 and BO5. Furthermore, each Major region will have 2 representatives (with G2 Esports and Golden Guardians having to compete from the Play-In stage). These changes have left many fans astonished.
After PSG Talon became the last team from the minor region and Wildcard to drop out of MSI 2023, many fans condemned Riot’s new format. According to many arguments, the new format makes it nearly impossible for teams from minor and Wildcard regions to progress far in international tournaments. Notably this year, no name from this group made it to the top 8.
In fact, some familiar teams like GAM Esports and DetonatioN FocusMe were eliminated early. PSG was the most notable name, managing to reach the final match of the Play-In stage. Some opinions even bluntly stated that the new MSI format would make the tournament devoid of any surprises, as smaller teams have almost no chance of achieving miracles, and could even “wipe out the minor regions in the LoL scene”.
However, some fans (especially from the LCK and LPL regions) supported Riot. The main argument presented is the match between Gen.G and T1. According to many, matches like this ensure the excitement and professionalism of the tournament. Moreover, many believe that reverting to the old format would not change anything, as the “top-tier” teams always have a completely dominating game against smaller teams. Even in BO1, smaller teams would still not be able to make a difference.
As Riot has shared, MSI 2023 will serve as an experiment for these changes. However, perhaps this publisher needs to quickly devise solutions to address the issues and enhance the strengths so that both teams and fans can have the best experience possible.