The 2026 MSI play-in stage kicked off with T1 taking on TL. Apart from the top laner, every member stepped up, securing a 3-0 victory over Liquid to move into round two. Doran underperformed in this best-of-five: in match two, his Ambessa vs. Morgan's Rumble saw him solo-killed twice; in match three, his Renekton was constantly bullied in lane and useless in fights, even snatching the pentakill from his teammate when he was already losing.

If the top laners were swapped, T1 could have won the last two games more easily. However, most viewers didn't have high expectations for Doran in the first place, so his performance was somewhat understandable. Peyz looked great in the play-in stage; as long as the bot lane doesn't collapse badly, he can maximize damage in team fights. Initially, there were concerns that both top and bot lanes would be broken, but now the bot lane seems to be holding up well.

After T1's victory, Doran gave a media interview. The reporter asked him to rank the top laners at MSI. Doran first put Zeus at number one, then Bin and Zuian at two and three. Then he asked: "Should I include myself?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Doran said: "Put Doran at first, and move everyone else down one spot." His reason was simple: he has confidence in himself.

Against Morgan, he got outclassed in two out of three games and was solo-killed twice. With that performance, Doran still ranks himself first—that's really hard to take. If T1 manages to advance to the knockout stage and Doran continues in this form, facing Bin and Zeus later, he might get spun like a top. Having watched Doran's matches for years, to be honest, the chance of him pulling off a clever outplay seems quite low.

After T1's match, the all-Chinese regional team DCG had their MSI debut against KC. DCG was also crushed, with KC winning 3-0 easily. The total game time for the three matches was just over 90 minutes. From drafts to player performance, DCG was far outclassed by KC. This team has many rookies, so the loss was expected, especially since ShiauC is the only veteran.

DCG's top laner, Flauren, performed well in the LCP league, sometimes giving off Bin vibes. But playing in his first international event, he seemed nervous, with mechanical errors and visible pressure. However, before the region merger, the provincial team was essentially an wildcard team. Losing to the second seed of a third-ranked region is normal. We'll see if they can beat TL in the next match.

After T1 and KC advanced, they will face each other soon. If Doran still plays like he did last match, it seems likely that the opposite top laner will break through him again. With the top lane consistently underperforming and only occasionally carrying, the pressure will fall entirely on T1's dual carries. KC is not a weak team; Yike has strong roaming ability, and their AD carry, the "KC prince," showed potential last year by winning Rookie of the Year. He might not get crushed by Peyz.

Overall, T1 still has the advantage, especially since Keria is so outstanding. As long as Peyz doesn't collapse like he did in the first split, the bot lane should hold. So it's likely T1 will be the first to reach the finals, though they might drop one game. That one lost point will probably come from Doran. If Doran can step up, it could still be a 3-0 sweep. We'll see how T1 performs today.

Conclusion:

After the first round of the play-in stage, the power ranking of the four teams is: T1, KC, TL, DCG. The provincial team had no answer against KC, so they probably can't beat TL either. Although T1 swept TL, the second game was a comeback; if these two teams meet in the loser's bracket, TL has a decent chance. The provincial team might be eliminated in two rounds.

So, do you think Doran is the best top laner at MSI?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!