Everything you need to know about MSI (Updated to include Day 4)

The best teams from their respective regions made their way to Tallahassee, FL and, after an incredible four days of competitive League of Legends, China's Edward Gaming stood atop the world.

Edward Gaming went into the playoffs with a 4-1 record, only giving up a single game to SK Telecom T1 in the group stages. They then moved to the semifinals where they easily took down AHQ e-Sports Club in three straight games.

In the Grand Finals, Edward Gaming and SK Telecom T1 faced off in an exciting five game series that tested the endurance of both teams. In the end, Edward Gaming edged out ahead, ending Fakers perfect 12-0 record on his signature LeBlanc.

Now that the champions have been crowned, here is a complete list of everything you need to know about MSI 2015:

Day 4 (Grand Finals):

• Edward Gaming became the first ever MSI 2015 Champions, over taking the tournament favorites, SK Telecom T1. The series went the distance as both teams brought their best for the Mid-Season Invitational.
• SKT convincingly took the first game over Edward Gaming. Bengi was the focus of EDG’s pick/ban phase but this choice left open Kalista for Bang - a critical mistake. Koro1 was trying his best to keep his team in the game but it was not enough, as SKT’s team fighting was far superior.
• The second game began with an insane level one teamfight that went to EDG. SKT managed to secure turrets and pick a couple of kills to keep themselves in the game but eventually, they never truly recovered and EDG evened up the series at 1-1.
• Game 3 was an absolute stomp as EDG dominated every aspect of the game. There was no coming back as SKT quickly surrendered just before the 30 minute mark.
• After losing two straight, SKT finally brought Faker in for Game 4. SKT looked like a new team with their star player in the lineup, taking an early game lead and never looking back. Faker ended the game with a flawless score of 6/0/12.
• Edward Gaming finished off SKT in a hard fought fifth and final game. Faker was allowed to pick LeBlanc and was handed his first ever loss on the champion. EDG become MSI 2015 Champions.

Day 3 (Semifinals):

• SK Telecom T1 are headed to the MSI Grand Finals after defeating the EU LCS champions - Fnatic - in the semifinals. Fnatic put up a great fight, taking SKT to a deciding fifth game. Unfortunately for the European challengers, Faker brought his best to the final game of the series, asserting his dominance over the game almost single-handedly sending his team into the grand finals.
• SKT took the first game against Fnatic in a dominating fashion, recovering from a slight disadvantage in the early game and cruising to the win. SKT definitely looked unstoppable, easily securing this nice ace even without Faker.
• Fnatic came right back to take Game 2, unfazed by their loss in the first game. Huni was a complete beast, taking down both Faker and MaRin in the top lane in a two versus one.
• The third game of the series went to SKT as they claw their way back from a major early game deficit. Febiven showed that he can take Faker head on though, killing his mid-lane counterpart several times in lane.
• Game 4 was a massacre as Fnatic absolutely crushed SKT to even out the series at two game apiece. Reignover played an extremely amazing Rek’Sai, flashing forward to secure this amazing two man knockup!
• The final game of the series was defined by Faker’s ability to completely dominate the game. The star mid-laner refused to let his team down, dominating his mid-lane matchup for what seemed to be the first time in the series. Out of the several highlights from the game, this solo kill on Huni truly encapsulates the amount of dominance Faker had in this game.
• Edward Gaming took down Taiwanese Champions, ahq e-Sports Club to stamp their ticket to the MSI Grand finals. EDG looked dominant in the semifinals, sweeping ahq in three straight games.
• The first game of the series was very close until EDG began pulling away with superior map control and team fighting prowess. PawN, on Cassiopeia, hit a late game power spike and was too much for ahq to handle. Although Baron had little trouble.
• ahq looked to be in a much better position in Game 2, but EDG would make a roaring comeback in the mid game! PawN was once again, the MVP of the match, finishing with an overall score of 10/3/15 on Kassadin.
• The final game of the series was an absolute stomp. EDG rolled over their opponents in just 24 minutes, with Koro1 putting on the carry pants this game. He finished the game with a 9/0/6 stat-line, slicing and dicing his way through ahq!
• Marin and Faker participated in a press conference after their match with Fnatic, where Faker praised Febiven's skill.

Day 2:

• For Edward Gaming and their underperforming AD carry deft, their game against Fnatic was redemption; the LPL champions dominated the European champions in the first game of the day. Reignover secured this unbelievable triple kill in the early game but, other than that, it was a one-sided affair as deft finished with a final score of 15/1/10.
• North American fans were disappointed once again on Day 2, as hometown heroes Team SoloMid were defeated by AHQ e-Sports Club and fell to a 1-3 record in the tournament. AHQ’s mid-laner westdoor was a thorn in TSM’s side, dominating his mid lane matchup limiting Bjergsen to just a single kill and six deaths while going a flawless 3/0/10 himself.
• Edward Gaming handed Beşiktaş e-Sports Club their fourth straight loss in the tournament, crushing the Wild Card team in just 22 minutes. Deft was at it again, showing why most consider him the best AD carry in the game, finishing with a final score of 14/2/6. He didn't do it alone though, as he got help from his trusty side-kick Meiko along the way.
• Fnatic gave SK Telecom T1 a run for their money, playing a more methodical and calm playstyle putting aside their aggressive tendencies for their Korean opponents. The game got down to the wire, leading to several highlights such as: Febiven’s insane Petrifying Gaze and Bang’s pentakill.
• There was massive controversy around the SK Telecom T1 win over Fnatic as a bug prevented Reignover from dashing over a wall. There was no remake, as Riot officials ruled that Fnatic would have needed to alert the referees to confirm the bug in order to get a remake, but they did not.
• Team SoloMid ended their run in the tournament getting absolutely run over by Edward Gaming in their fifth and final match. Edward Gaming made quick work of their opponents, ending the game in just 25 minutes. Lustboy contributed to the EDG win by sending his team on a Magical Journey… to their deaths.
• Many counted out the European champions before coming into the tournament, stating a lack of experience and shaky finish in the EU LCS finals as reasons for doubt. Fnatic however, proved their critics wrong on Day 2, handing Beşiktaş e-Sports Club their fifth and final loss of the tournament.
• The final game of the tournament had an absolutely insane finish! SK Telecom T1 were behind all game but managed to somehow claw back to take the win against AHQ e-Sports Club. AHQ’s westdoor tried his best to send his team into a tie-breaker with an amazing Flash/Feast but SKT rallied late into the game to ace their opponents and finish with a perfect 5-0 record.

Day 1:

• Fnatic absolutely crushed Team SoloMid to take the first game of the tournament! Among many significant firsts, the first ban of the tournament was Maokai and the first pick of the tournament was Urgot. Dyrus was the first casualty of the tournament, falling just four minutes into the game to an aggressive Fnatic gank.
• To no one’s surprise, SK Telecom T1 was definitely the better team in their match against Beşiktaş e-Sports Club, defeating their opponents in just 26 minutes. The upside for Beşiktaş was their surprise party for Faker was a huge success, sending four members to wish the SKT mid-laner a happy birthday.
• There would be no upsets on Day 1 as AHQ e-Sports Club was defeated at the hands of Chinese powerhouse Edward Gaming. The game was surprisingly close but, Koro1, on the unstoppable horse put his team on his back, going 11-0-9 in the game.
• Teams SoloMid bounced back from their Game 1 loss Fnatic, by dominating Beşiktaş e-Sports Club in their second game of the day. Their team composition was criticized, as certain critics on the analyst desk pointed out the low level of skill required to play their champions.
• In what some considered an upset, AHQ e-Sports Club took down European giants Fnatic in a 31 minute thriller! Highlighting the matchup was this incredible one-versus-one battle between Huni and westdoor.
• SK Telecom T1 dissected Edward Gaming in their second match of the day, and it was the LCK Finals MVP Easyhoon on Vladimir pretty much forcing EDG to concede with this sweet triple kill. Bang was allowed to get his hands on Kalista and, with the win, goes 6-0 in his career on “The Spear of Vengeance”.
• AHQ e-Sports Club finished their day off with a win over Beşiktaş e-Sports Club, leaving the Wild Card qualifiers win-less in their first day of MSI action. Beşiktaş mid laner Energy was looking great on Diana in the mid game though, fighting off three members to secure a kill on westdoor.
• SK Telecom T1 went undefeated in the first day, leaving little doubt in people’s minds as they absolutely crushed Team SoloMid in the final game of the day. Among several highlights, there was none better than this amazing Headbutt by Wolf.
• The crowd sang happy birthday to Faker before his match against Team SoloMid. Awwww.

Pre-MSI

• This will be the first Mid-Season invitational ever. Previously, the All-Star challenge was held around this time but it has been moved to the off-season post-Worlds, in December.
• Six teams are set to take the stage at Tallahassee, Florida, and it features winners of the NA LCS, LCK, LPL, LMS, EU LCS and the IWCI.
• The tournament will follow Riot's "standard event format", going from a Bo1 Round Robin group stage to a Bo5 Single Elimination bracket. 
• Coca-Cola and Cinemark are teaming up to host viewing parties across the United States. Participants that make it over get collectible cups!
• Team SoloMid will represent the North American region with their 3-1 win over Cloud9 in the Spring Split Grand Finals. They go into the tournament as winners of the most recent international competition - IEM Katowice - taking down Cinderella Team WE in the finals.
• SK Telecom T1 are heavy favorites going into the tournament, having taken down the GE Tigers in the LCK finals to qualify for the event. Let's not forget what happened at IEM though, where tournament favorites, the GE Tigers, were taken down by the lowly - Team WE.
• Second-in-line for the MSI championship is Edward Gaming. Their narrow 3-2 win over LGD Gaming in the LPL finals came in dramatic fashion, as Deft took matters into his own hands to close out the series.
• EU LCS Champions, Fnatic, won their spot at MSI over an unorthodox Unicorns of Love team in the finals. Fnatic are prone to playing an extremely aggressive style, opting for early skirmishes and kills, then transitioning that into a powerful mid-game - Kelsey Moser explains further in the EUvolution. 
• Representing the region of Taiwan is AHQ e-Sports Club. They are an "in-your-face, all-in team." explains Sean Wetselaar in his MSI Preview. This is a team that most of our experts say, could pull off some serious upsets in the tournament.
• Wild Cards Beşiktaş e-Sports Club qualified by taking down INTZ e-Sports in the IWCI finals. They caught fire in the IWCI playoffs, sweeping tournament favorites - the Bangkok Titans - in the semifinals. 

Features

• Complete MSI Preview
• MSI Staff Picks: Is Korea still the strongest region?​
• Five Fnatic games to watch ahead of MSI
• The 5 Stages of Edward Gaming
• America's Avengers: a look at Team SoloMid ahead of MSI
• Kelsey Moser breaks down every Day 1 game at MSI
• Prodigy Turned Protector: an in-depth look at SKT's Marin
• The Wildcard and the Lost Hope: BJK and TSM's exit from MSI
• Three Asian Titans and a Fnatic: MSI Semifinals Preview
• A God and a General: an in-depth look at the rivalry between SKT's Faker and EDG's Pawn
• It had to be Clearlove: how Evelynn helped EDG win MSI
• Breaking Korea: the unfounded, exaggerated demise of the Korean scene

Interviews

• Bang discusses his champion pool and desire to play Deft again
• AHQ's Albis discusses role-swapping and AHQ's aspirations to win MSI
• Reignover: "I would prefer to face [SKT], since I don't know how AHQ will play"
• Koro1: "I just feel confident I can beat [MaRin]"
• Chinese caster XiaoXiao discusses MSI, Clearlove, and LPL roster rumors
• Misaya: "I believe Clearlove is the best jungler"
• Deft: "There is something Korean AD Carries can learn from [Chinese]"
• pawN: "I feel Easyhoon is the better mid laner"
• pawN: 'at Worlds I think if other regions are this bad, at this point we can win Worlds as well'

Further Reading

• SK Telecom T1 have shown a great deal of versatility in their lineup, electing to swap out their bench as they see fit. However, due to a restriction on substitutes, SKT will be limited to just one sub - Easyhoon. Luckily enough, Tyler "Fionn" Erzberger's piece on Easyhoon should give you an in-depth look at "The Forsaken Son".
• For those interested in the nitty gritty of the entire tournament, a complete book of rules has been released by Riot open for the public to read.
• What would the world of competitive League of Legends look like without their extensive on-air talent? Sometimes quirky, always informative, you can read up on the entire on-air lineup for MSI here.

Other Resources

• The LoL Esports youtube channel has created a playlist of awesome videos that include a spotlight of your favorite players. The playlist starts with a video called "What Defines a Champion".
• Check out the Top 5 highlights from the first day of MSI action here! Spoiler Alert: Faker makes it on the list.
• Check out the Top 5 highlights from the final day of group stage action here! Spoiler Alert: A prominent SKT player that's not Faker takes first place on the list.
• Check out the Top 5 highlights from the semifinals here! Spoiler Alert: A monster takes first place on the list.
• Check out the Top 5 highlights from the tournament here! Spoiler Alert: Bang!