The play-in phase of MSI 2019 will take place between May 1 and 7 in Vietnam. The stage brings together the national champions of the eight 2nd tier regions of the competitive landscape. After the end of the first phase, the leaders of each group will advance to the second stage where they will face Team Liquid and Flash Wolves. The survivors of the second stage qualify for the main event to compete against the likes of G2 Esports, SK Telecom T1 and Invictus Gaming. Let’s have a look at the four teams competing in the Group B of the play-in phase.
Vega Squadron
Vega Squadron is the current champion of the LCL (League of Legends Continental League). Eastern European representatives finished third in the regular season and reigned supreme in the playoffs. They eliminated the favorites, Gambit in the semifinals. In the final, the Russians defeated Elements 3-1 and won the first split.
Founded in 2015, Vega Squadron team is a newcomer to the MSI. In addition, the line up has been together for only four months. The stars of the team include the ADC, Gadget. He had the best KDA in the playoffs (6.09). Meanwhile, the mid-laner Nomanz is also capable of beating the best on his day. The team is trained by coach Invi, twice champion of LCL.
MEGA
Representing Southeast Asia, MEGA Esports will also be in Group B. The current LST (League of Legends SEA Tour) champions were unbeaten throughout the competition, finishing the split with 100% both in the qualifiers and in the playoffs.
Meet the teams competing at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational! #MSI2019https://t.co/VFyw3S15d0 pic.twitter.com/5PhlI69KZ0
— lolesports (@lolesports) April 29, 2019
The lineup features Rockky, Lloyd and G4, former members of Ascension Gaming. The organization was the representative of Southeast Asia in the last MSI in Europe. Lloyd, by the way, was one of the team’s main highlights during the knockout phase. The ADC was the leader in statistics such as KDA (13.75) and average kill per game (5).
FocusMe
The Japanese region continues to evolve in the competitive scenario. At the MSI, Japan will be represented FocusMe, current two-time League of Legends Japan League (LJL), champion. The lineup was almost flawless in the regular season of 2019 since they won 20 of the 21 games played. In the playoffs, ForcusME completely dominated Unsold Stuff Gaming and won 3-0 to claim another Japanese championship title. The lineup is almost the same as it was in the 2018 Worlds, with the exception of support. ViviD left the team before the start of 2019 season and was replaced by South Korean Gaeng.
INTZ
INTZ, current champion of CBLoL 2019, is the Brazilian representative in MSI. The lineup is composed of Rodrigo “Tay” Panisa (top), Diogo “Shini” Rogê (hunter), Bruno ” Envy ” Farias (middle), Guilherme “Mills” Uessler (shooter) and Ygor “RedBert” Freitas (support). Lucas ” Pierre ” Maestro is the head coach responsible for leading the team to Asian soil. INTZ defeated Flamengo eSports to qualify for the MSI 2019.
