It's day three of the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, and it's time to get ready to say goodbye to some of our competitors, as two teams are due to be eliminated following the May 5 lower bracket Round 1 matches.
MSI 2023: Lower Bracket Round 1 Schedule, betting odds, and Predictions
Of the eight teams competing in the Play-In stage, only three will survive to make it through to the Playoffs. And that means we've got a brutal schedule ahead of us, where some of the biggest names in League of Legends will be sent home in the days to come.
And the carnage is set to begin on May 5, where we'll be treated to two Lower Bracket matches, from which only two teams will survive to fight another day. On top of that, only one lower bracket team can qualify for Playoffs, which are due to begin on May 9.
And so it's all to play for as the lower bracket teams take the stage, starting with GAM Esports' match against Rainbow7 at 13:00 GMT on May 5.
GAM Esports (1.15) vs Rainbow7 (4.80)
GAM Esports suffered a 2-0 loss to Golden Guardians in their MSI debut match, in a series that was over in under an hour. It was a bruising start to the tournament for GAM, who are attending their first MSI since 2017, when they finished in 7th place. Despite qualifying for last year's tournament, the team opted to skip MSI 2022 in favour of attending SEA Games. They're finally in attendance again in 2023, but is their MSI run about to end as soon as it began?
Rainbow7 have been facing some steep odds since the start of the tournament, and their Round 1 match against Bilibili Gaming was no exception. It was another short-lived affair, with Bilibili claiming a decisive 2-0 victory. This is Rainbow7's first MSI since 2017, after a difficult few years for the team, having not attended any tournaments since their run at the 2020 Worlds. They've finally made it back to the Mid-Season Invitational, but it seems that they may not last long in this month's tournament.
GAM Esports are heavily favoured to win here, with odds of 1.15 vs Rainbow7's 4.80.
And we won't have long to wait for our second lower bracket round 2 match of the day, as LOUD is due to face off against DetonatioN FocusMe at 16:00 GMT on May 5.
LOUD (2.15) vs DetonatioN FocusMe (1.62)
LOUD's debut match at MSI 2023 was a particularly bruising one for the team, with rivals G2 Esports not only claiming a 2-0 victory, but were able to finish the second game in just 20 minutes. It was admittedly a difficult matchup for LOUD, with G2 Esports being one of the strongest teams in the Play-In Stage, but it was still nonetheless a rough start to the tournament. The odds are looking a bit more even in their face-off against DetonatioN, but are we about to say goodbye to LOUD?
DetonatioN FocusMe's loss to PSG Talon was similarly expected, though that didn't make their 2-0 defeat any easier for the team to take. Still, there were upsides for DetonatioN here, with them being able to force the second game to the 50-minute mark, by far the longest game of the tournament so far. Fortunately for DetonatioN, the odds are looking a bit more even this time around - but this still could be the last we see of them at MSI 2023.
The odds are in DetonatioN FocusMe's favour here, at 1.62 vs LOUD's 2.15.
The action at MSI 2023 is heating up, and you'll not want to miss a moment of it. To tune in, simply check out our MSI 2023 match schedule. And to bet on League of Legends, why not claim your free 100% bonus?
