LCS and LEC Struggle at MSI 2023 against LCK and LPL Teams

Following a series of one-sided matches at the 2023 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, Gen.G secured a spot in the lower bracket’s next round, eliminating Cloud9.

This loss signifies the departure of the final Western representative in London, highlighting another disappointing performance by the LCS and LEC at an international event.

Throughout the month-long tournament, the two regions collectively played 20 games against teams from the LCK and LPL, managing to secure only three wins in total. The West’s first victory occurred during the play-in stage when Golden Guardians won a game against Bilibili Gaming in their 2-1 series loss. The other two wins came from G2 Esports, who defeated Gen.G and BLG in the bracket stage.

In their recent match, Gen.G swiftly dominated Cloud9, winning the three-game series in less than 80 minutes. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the fastest series of the tournament, as the defending LEC champions lost to T1 in a blistering 73-minute three-game set. However, Cloud9 was outmatched in various aspects, including macro play, teamfighting, and individual performances.

While the team’s AD carry, Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol, showed resilience against his counterpart, his individual strengths were overshadowed by Gen.G’s superior teamwork and coordination. From the beginning, the Korean representatives relentlessly attacked the mid and bottom lanes, executing textbook ganks that kept Cloud9 on the defensive throughout the series.

Overall, it was a dismal showing from the Western teams, highlighting the need for significant improvements if they hope to contend at the 2023 World Championship. Despite hopes of closing the gap between regions, concerns have resurfaced after witnessing the struggles of LCS and LEC teams against their international counterparts.

This year’s World Championship will take place in South Korea, providing European and North American teams with the opportunity to bootcamp in one of the most competitive servers. It is hoped that this intensive practice will elevate their level of play and enable them to compete against the formidable powerhouses they will face in October.