Abios’ Esports Trading Supervisor Gonçalo Bento has followed the League of Legends scene for over a decade. He uses his expertise daily, leading a team of traders at Abios.
Get his analysis on teams, bet offers, and the state of the game in a new interview, walking through one of the most prestigious events in the yearly esports tournament circuit, the Mid-Season Invitational in League of Legends.
Gonçalo Bento, Esports Trading Supervisor, Abios
What is MSI?
The Mid-Season Invitational is the first international clash of the yearly League of Legends tournament circuit following the Spring Splits. The best teams in each region come together to show their form and fight for a $250,000 prize pool and a direct qualification to Worlds, the League of Legends World Championships. The most prestigious regions competing include LPL(China), LCK (South Korea), LEC (Europe), and LCS (North America).
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Who won the MSI 2024?
Chinese League of Legends team Bilibili Gaming won the 9th enactment of the Mid-Season Invitational, taking home 20% of the prize money and a spot to Worlds.
First of all, what are your thoughts on the teams? Were there any upsets or performances that surprised you?
Overall, the teams showed improved performance since the last international tournament. Strong performance rendered expected, quick 3-0 matches to nail-biting close calls. The unexpected performance and engaging upsets ultimately impacted the viewership experience positively. According to Esports Charts, the tournament broke all previous viewership records with 2.8 million peak viewers.
When talking about especially strong performances, I have to mention G2. They have long been the only European hope in an international circuit dominated by Chinese and Korean leagues. Nonetheless, I think few expected such a strong show, especially with the team winning 3-0 against Top Esports.
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With such a strong performance in their baggage, it will be interesting to see how it impacts the LEC in the Summer Split. As BrokenBlade mentioned, G2 Esports wants to inspire other teams in the West to compete at a higher level. Something that I’m sure they achieved.
Another highlight is the first MSI trophy for Gen.G mid-laner Chovy, who has shown strong performance throughout the domestic Spring Split. He became “Player of the Split” and showcased the second-highest DMG% of the league, utilising champions such as Azir, Corki and Taliyah.
Are there any bet offers that have shown special popularity during the tournament?
Apart from the obvious Match Winner markets, Total Kills and Total Minutes are normally some of the most attractive and fun markets to bet on in League of Legends.
In League of Legends, teams enter a draft phase before a match, allowing each to pick and ban Champions. The choices made during the draft phase affect the team compositions and playstyles available, making them crucial in determining the game’s outcome.
These market types are generally available pre-game and throughout the match, only getting settled in the last seconds. As such, they add to the viewership experience for fans looking to stay connected to the whole game. Many in-game events, such as team fights, dragon kills and ganks, can tremendously alter the outcome of these markets, making the game more entertaining to watch.
Individual player performance is one of the most interesting aspects of League of Legends matches, so player props like Total Kills or Total Deaths are must-haves. Fans are excited to be able to bet on their favourite players.
The draft phase, where players decide which champions they play, is especially important to player props. League of Legends is a champion-based game. If fans see an Assassin getting picked by a player, they might want to bet on him or her getting a high number of kills. If they instead see a player’s main getting banned, they might opt to bet on someone else.
What teams or regions should we look at for the Summer Split?
LCK and LPL are performing on a different level than other regions, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Their Summer Splits are a must-watch for anyone looking to see the highest level of play.
LEC, the European League, is lagging a bit behind, but I’m hoping they can improve and show a good level of gameplay at Worlds. After all, G2 showed an insane performance at MSI. As Europe is a large part of League of Legends viewership and betting audience, strong European performance would likely result in more activity throughout Worlds.
Korean Gen.G has won their domestic Spring Split and MSI, meaning it is a team worth keeping an eye on the team ahead of the Summer Split and Worlds. It is interesting to see if they could achieve the Golden Road – winning all four major events in the League of Legends yearly tournament circuit.
What is it like trading the game right now?
League of Legends is always a fun game to trade, especially in leagues where team fights are prominent. MSI was especially fun this year, as the matches had a lot of action. The lane swap meta added a lot of early dives, awarding many players early kills and making the matches entertaining to watch.
When trading League of Legends, it is important to think ahead of time, knowing which objectives each team is likely to focus on and analysing the implications if they take them. This can influence the state of the game and, consequently, the markets. Tempo, power spikes, and team compositions are all vital to understand and follow.
What does the current League of Legends esports landscape look like, and is it in a healthy space?
MSI 2024 was one of the best tournaments in League of Legends history, pointing to the continued growth of the ecosystem and engagement in the scene. Riot Games has found a format that really works, and that has translated into entertaining matches and viewership records.
Community casting, or co-streaming, has proven to bring a lot of new viewership into League of Legends, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. Popular streamers casting the MSI and other tournaments see more viewership than the official tournament broadcasting channels, bringing more eyes to the competitive side than ever before.
Looking into the crystal bowl, I would be very happy to see a Double Elimination format on all international tournaments, which is something that the community has been asking for quite some time.
Lane swaps should also be nerfed, which means gameplay would return to its normal state soon. It will be interesting to see the new item and champion changes in play. An exciting split is coming!
