The first day of MSI 2018 could not have gone worse for western teams. Team Liquid and Fnatic each went 0-2 on the day and now must dig themselves out of a hole. Both teams had aspirations of making it to the finals, but they will need to rally now. They will meet in the last game of the second day.
MSI Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Kingzone DragonX -833
Fnatic +410
Kingzone did not waste any time showing why almost every expert considers them the best team in the world. They impressively squeezed the life out of both Team Liquid and Royal Never Give Up on the first day of action. Their macro play was incredibly precise and they were constantly outmaneuvering their opponents around the map.
Even though they are sitting at 0-2, Fnatic did not perform poorly. They were very much even with Flash Wolves and RNG in their two matches, but a few mistakes cost them dearly. It will be interesting to see whether or not they take Soaz or Bwipo into the top lane against Khan, as Bwipo earned the surprise start in their first two matches.
Royal Never Give Up -455
EVOS Esports +294
Last year, the GIGABYTE Marines caught a lot of teams off guard at MSI due to a combination of factors. Opponents were not prepared for their early game aggression, their off-meta picks, or unique strategies. Of those three, EVOS only has shown the first. They are looking to create around jungler YiJin and can be shut down pretty quickly if he is held in check during the laning phase.
RNG is going to be able to combat that early game aggression effectively. They know how to deal with invasive junglers and will be able to stall out the game until they are ready to take fights. The big question for them is whether or not they take Karsa or mlxg as their jungler.
Flash Wolves -147
Team Liquid +110
The Flash Wolves were one of the stories of the first day. They utterly routed EVOS in their first game and then followed that up with a narrow victory over Fnatic. However, their macro play left a lot to be desired. They were not effectively playing their side lanes and allowed their top laner to get way behind. A more experienced top laner would have been able to punish that.
Liquid are a very live dog in this one. Although they did suffer a defeat at the hands of EVOS, they know they were a little too aggressive and ready to trade kills. They will take a step back and play a more polished game against Flash Wolves.
Kingzone DragonX -1429
EVOS Esports +600
This game will probably be very one-sided, but it could be a lot of fun. If Kingzone decides to match EVOS’ tempo, we could see one of the bloodiest games of MSI. Peanut is the best jungler in the world by a wide margin, and he showed that he was more than ready to match early game aggression with some of his own at MSI last year. We will know which way Kingzone decides to play it in the draft.
Royal Never Give Up -278
Flash Wolves +195
Just as many believe that Kingzone is the best team at MSI by a wide margin, I think there is a definite tier separating RNG from the other three teams. RNG was able to beat Fnatic through a very standard draft and didn’t have to show anything new in the victory. There is no doubt that they will start to unveil new strategies as the tournament goes on, and this could be the first time we see something new.
Fnatic -145
Team Liquid +106
The difference in this game will be Caps. He was fantastic in the 1v1 earlier today. However, his play in team fights left a lot to be desired. He will be facing a mid laner who is known for his skill in team fights here. If he is unable to match Pobelter’s ability to boost his teammates, Fnatic could be 0-4 at day’s end.
