Only one BO5 remains in the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational before the champion is decided. On the last match day, LYON, the North American underdog, went head-to-head with HLE in the losers' bracket final. After five intense games, HLE was forced into a corner but ultimately won the deciding match thanks to individual prowess. Although LYON fell short, they left with honor, as the majority of the audience had predicted HLE would achieve a clean sweep.

HLE's performance in the losers' bracket was truly surprising. LYON is not particularly strong, yet HLE still struggled intensely. If they face BLG in this form, the MSI title might belong to the LPL. However, despite their ugly win, HLE still secured a fourth Worlds spot for the LCK region. Teams like DK and KT ought to thank HLE for that.

The championship match is about to begin, and HLE's players are full of confidence. The bot lane duo both made predictions about the final score in interviews. Delight declared: "We'll sweep BLG 3-0. Once we win the first game, we'll show our strength. Viper, get ready to be defeated." Delight also stated that the key to victory lies in the jungle and support positions, implying that he believes ON and Xun are inferior to him and Peanut.

Gumayusi also made a statement during the on-site interview: "Although I wanted to shout out 'sweep,' I'll be a bit more low-key. I predict we'll win the final with a 3-1 score." To be honest, hearing these words from the bot lane duo is quite ironic. In the match against LYON, the bot lane had issues in several games. The support was broken through in four out of five games, except for the decisive game where he played Blitzcrank. Calling him a war criminal wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Facing the same LYON team, BLG crushed them with a 3-0 sweep, while HLE needed five games. The gap in raw strength between the two teams is significant. Moreover, they had already faced each other before, with BLG sending HLE to the losers' bracket with a 3-1 victory. No matter how you look at it, BLG holds the advantage in the final. However, it's normal for players to be confident, and we can't blame them for that.

Top laner Zeus also gave an interview after the match. When asked about BLG's "Golden Road," Zeus said: "It's only MSI now, so discussing the Golden Road is a bit premature. Four years ago in the MSI final, I lost to Bin and got second place. So I hope to win the final this time and get my revenge." He then added: "In the previous matches against BLG, I felt I had more advantage in the laning phase."

So Zeus believes that in the finals, the top lane will still be his advantage against Bin. Saying this is really quite questionable. In the previous match, Zeus had the counterpick in all four games. Except for the one game where he played Mundo, Bin managed to go even in lane in the other three games, and even had a slight lead at times. Even with jungle assistance, Zeus only achieved a 50-50 lane. How can this be called a laning advantage?

As a viewer, I really hope HLE can put up a great fight against BLG, but the players' form is just too poor. Zeka has barely done anything throughout this entire MSI, the bot lane support has been terrible, and Kanavi occasionally goes wild. With a team like this, even winning one game against BLG would be considered a success. My personal prediction: BLG will defeat HLE 3-1 in the final and claim the championship.

Conclusion:

BLG's strength isn't just something we claim. The coach of LYON said in a post-match interview: "BLG is very strong. They made us very uncomfortable in the draft phase. The LCK teams are a bit arrogant, and they are paying the price for it." This remark clearly refers to the coaching staffs of both teams. In other words, Homme is just an order-taker, inferior to Danny in every way.

So, what do you think are the odds between BLG and HLE?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!