In the next week we’ll have some of the best teams in the world competing for the title in the first international event of the year. A lot of different stories, backgrounds and goals define each of the featured teams in the upcoming event and we can’t be more excited for it to start. The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational is almost here, and Riot Games has unveiled the schedule for the tournament’s group stage. Let’s take a look at the calendar and let’s see which matches are the ones you’ll want to keep an eye on during the first three days of the competition.
Day One (Tuesday, May 10)
- Saigon Buffalo vs. T1
- DetonatioN FocusMe vs. Team Aze
- ORDER vs. G2 Esports
- Evil Geniuses vs. G2 Esports
- fastPay WildCats vs. Royal Never Give Up
- RED Kalunga vs. PSG Talon
It’s obvious that the match everyone is waiting for is Evil Geniuses vs G2 Esports. The Classic NA vs EU rivalry is coming back to life as the rookie-driven project by Evil Geniuses will try to take down Europe’s favorite team G2 Esports. These two teams’ playstyles are very different and we can expect a very exciting match as this will determine which team is more prepared for the group stage. It’s going to be interesting how G2 Esports try to neutralize Evil Geniuses’ ADC Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki. If G2 Esports isn’t able to get a draft advantage against Evil Geniuses bot side, it’s going to be a very tough match for them.
Day Two (Wednesday, May 11)
- Evil Geniuses vs. G2 Esports
- ORDER vs. G2 Esports
- DetonatioN FocusMe vs. Saigon Buffalo
- Team Aze vs. T1
- RED Kalunga vs. fastPay WildCats
- PSG Talon vs. Royal Never Give Up
It’s safe to say that Royal Never Give Up are the clear favorites of group B, but we all know that overconfidence can be their demise. In their second match of the group stage, they’ll be facing PSG Talon, the team that comes from a minor region well-known for snatching games off the strongest teams on international events. If PSG Talon manages to upset RNG then they’ll have a solid chance at securing the 1st or 2nd place in the group, giving them a pass to the next stage.
Day Three (Thursday, May 12)
- ORDER vs. Evil Geniuses
- ORDER vs. G2 Esports
- fastPay WildCats vs. PSG Talon
- RED Kalunga vs. Royal Never Give Up
- Team Aze vs. Saigon Buffalo
- DetonatioN FocusMe vs. T1
VCS representative Saigon Buffalo will have to face Saigon Buffalo and the reason why this matchup is so interesting is because both of these teams are strong contenders for 2nd place in group A. Team Aze comes into the event after becoming the LLA champions in their very first split playing in the league. This team is ready to surprise everyone on the international stage, and even if the VCS is known for having a strong presence in international events, Team Aze is more than capable of taking them down.
Be sure to stay tuned as we’ll keep covering this year’s MSI group stage encounters. The tournament is just around the corner and we can’t be more excited about this!
