Buzz
(Motherland) - Not as highly rated as LCK, yet LPL squads could spring a surprise.
Ahead of MSI 2023, the LCK region is seen as a top contender for the championship. Both Gen.G and T1 this year have brought incredibly strong lineups and are the only region with both representatives already in the Group Stage. Additionally, T1 has MSI experience having reached the finals last year. Meanwhile, Chovy and teammates are in top form after successfully defending the LCK Spring 2023 championship.
For the international League of Legends (LoL) community, LCK is also seen as superior to LPL. The reasoning is based on the performance of the 4 representative teams from the two regions in this tournament. Both T1 and Gen.G have faced challenging matches, but overall, their performances have been more consistent compared to JD Gaming or Bilibili Gaming. In the past season, both JDG and BLG faced numerous obstacles on their journey. There were even times when both teams made fans believe they wouldn't make it to MSI.
Furthermore, many players on both teams have never set foot in MSI before. The first international tournament of the year for the LoL community is where champions from different regions gather. Additionally, with the altered tournament format, MSI 2023 will be even more grueling. Players will have to compete in intense BO3 and BO5 series. And as matches prolong, mistakes become inevitable.
However, according to some opinions, LPL could completely clinch the MSI 2023 championship, and the reason comes from... the LCK teams themselves. Since 2017 until now, no LCK team has won the MSI championship. Despite winning two World Championship Finals titles during the same period, they haven't claimed the MSI championship for the Korean LoL scene.
The LCK's 'awkwardness' at tournaments like MSI 2023 has been explained as a result of the LCK's past adherence to prevailing playstyles and certain specific strategies. The teams were quite rigid, while MSI 2023 will utilize a completely different version compared to the Spring Split. Because they couldn't adapt quickly, the LCK teams didn't achieve good results.
However, it's not just because the LCK hasn't won the MSI championship in a long time that other teams can be complacent. T1 and Gen.G are currently the strongest teams in the League of Legends community. And they are fully capable of punishing the mistakes of any opponent, even the most outstanding names from the LPL.
