This year's Mid-Season Invitational is ramping up to its endgame, with two teams due to fight it out in the Upper Bracket Final on May 18.
MSI 2023: Upper Bracket Final schedule, betting odds and predictions
The month-long tournament is now entering its final week, with the Grand Final due to take place on May 21.
The surviving teams in this year's MSI are competing for their share of the $250,000 prize pool, $50,000 of which will be awarded to the ultimate winner. But the Playoffs are starting to heat up, with two teams having already been eliminated from MSI 2023 - as both MAD Lions and Golden Guardians have already been sent home.
Both of the teams fighting it out in the Upper Bracket Final are safe from elimination, at least for now. The winner of the May 18 match will earn their spot in the tournament's Grand Final, and will therefore be guaranteed at least a 2nd-place finish at MSI 2023. The runner-up, meanwhile, will have a second chance at victory and will go on to fight it out in the May 20 Lower Bracket Final.
And we won't have long to wait for the Upper Bracket Final, which will see T1 going up against JD Gaming at 13:00 GMT on May 18.
Given their 2nd-place finish at Worlds 2022, fans have understandably been expecting big things from T1 at this year's MSI. And the Korean team hasn't disappointed so far, having dominated MAD Lions in their MSI 2023 debut match, claiming a 3-0 victory. In fact, T1 performed so well that they came close to setting a new League of Legends record - with their third game against MAD Lions being the second-fastest game in LoL history, with the team claiming victory in just 16 minutes and 50 seconds. Following that, T1 faced a much more closely-fought match against Gen.G Esports - but ultimately were able to claim a 3-2 victory. T1 is one of the clear favourites to win this year's MSI - but is their spot in the Grand Final guaranteed?
JD Gaming has similarly impressed fans in their MSI 2023 run, having qualified for the tournament through their 1st-place finish at LPL Spring 2023. Unlike T1, they've had a perfect run through the tournament so far, having claimed 3-0 victories over both Golden Guardians and Bilibili Gaming. JD Gaming also has quite a legacy to live up to here, with the team having claimed a remarkable 3rd-4th finish at Worlds 2022. The competition is getting steep at this level of the tournament, but JD absolutely has the ability to get their hands on the 2023 MSI trophy - but how will they fare against T1?
The odds are near neck-and-neck here, with T1 being slightly favoured at 1.80 vs JD Gaming's 1.90.
This Upper Bracket Final match is looking to be a real nail-biter, with both teams standing a real chance of making it through to the Grand Final. Before this incredible match kicks off on May 18, make sure you've signed up for your free account - and remember to check out everything else at this year's MSI via our MSI 2023 match schedule.
