BLG vs Movistar R7 Preview: MSI 2023 Play-In Stage

Can the LLA champions hold their own against the LPL’s second seed?

The MSI 2023 kicked off today with its new format which eliminated Bo1s from the Play-in Stage completely. Usually, these one game series gave the underdogs and minor region teams a chance to steal an upset victory. Unfortunately, it will be a monumentally harder feat to achieve now, more so in a matchup as lopsided as BLG vs Movistar R7.

BLG vs Movistar R7 Preview

BLG

Just a middle-of-the-pack team in most of their time in the LPL, Bilibili Gaming came into the Spring Split with a roster with big ambitions, especially after their success at the Demacia and Weibo Cups. Their fifth-place finish in the regular season was already great, but they took things one step with the addition of the legendary coach Wong “Tabe” Pak Kan.

During their playoffs run they bested teams like RNG, WBG, and EDG. They were also one game away from knocking the eventual champions in JDG to the Lower Bracket.

Players and picks to watch from BLG

In this talent-filled roster, the obvious star is the top laner Bin. He is the reigning MSI champion for a reason and arguably the best top laner at the event. Look out for more carry-oriented picks from him like Fiora, Gwen or Kennen.

Some other champions we can see during the series are Blitzcrank for ON, Galio for Yagao and Kindred for Xun.

Movistar R7

For the fans not familiar with the Latin American scene, Rainbow7 has been one of the most dominant LLA organizations before they partnered up with Movistar. 2023 Spring title was the 14th LLA trophy this team won.

While they weren’t as dominant as expected during the regular season of Spring, they had an amazing playoffs run and secured themselves a place at MSI 2023. Of course, the reality is that LLA is expected to struggle against international competition, especially against regions like LPL and LCK. but this Movistar roster has a lot of talent and might give some trouble to other minor region teams.

Players and picks to watch from Movistar R7

Movistar R7 is more of a traditional team when it comes to their playstyle, relying more on their mid lane and ADC to carry the game. Unique picks we can see from these two are Aurelion Sol for Mireu and Draven for Ceo.

BLG vs Movistar R7 Predictions

BLG vs Movistar R7 should be one of the more straightforward predictions during the whole tournament. Despite Movistar’s regional dominance, LLA is arguably our weakest region. BLG on the other hand is the strongest team in the Play-in Stage. There are no realistic chances for an underdog upset, BLG should take the series 2-0.

How to watch BLG vs Movistar R7

Fans can watch the event on the official LoL Esports website for the chance to earn exclusive drops from Riot, which will be available throughout the whole event. Or you can catch the action on Riot Games Twitch channel and the LoL Esports Youtube channel.