MSI 2024: One player from each team to look out for (Part 2)

One player from each team to look out for at the Mid-Season Invitational 2024.

The Mid-Season Invitational begins tomorrow in Chengdu, China as the top 12 teams from around the world battle it out on the Summoner's Rift at Riot Games' first international tournament of the year. And just a few days ago, we spoke of one player from each team to look out for. Part one focused on the players and teams from the East, mainly: the LCK, LPL, PCS, and VCS.

And with MSI just around the corner, here is part two of our list of players from each team to look out for at LAN. The second part of the list will be focused on teams from the Western region. This includes major regions like the LEC and the LCS as well as the CBLOL and the LLA.

LEC

G2 Esports — Rasmus “Caps” Winther

As it stands, G2 Esports are still the only Western team to have lifted the MSI trophy, which took place back in 2019. Since then, MSI has been mostly dominated by the LPL and the LCK. The former has won the last three MSI tournaments in a row and while there is no defending champion this year, this could be G2's best chance to take it by storm. And at the helm of the team is Rasmus “Caps” Winther.

The 12-time LEC champion has been G2's greatest asset since he joined during the 2018 off-season and has been in stellar shape this year. G2's recent dominance in both the LEC Winter and Spring Splits have highlighted just how far ahead they are against the rest of the pack. And his performances during the LEC Spring Split playoffs goes to show just how well he's been playing with the highest average KDA at 6.2 amongst all midlaners, according to gol.gg.

Fnatic — Hyeon-taek “Noah” Oh

Fnatic are also another Western team that has won an international title before — the inaugural Summoner's Cup back in Season 1. However, a lot has changed since then as they have never been able to bring international success back. The seven-time LEC champions have not won a regional split since its double back in 2018, when it was previously known as the EU LCS. This is also Fnatic's first MSI appearance since 2018 and its third overall.

Its roster has also seen plenty of players come and go, but its latest iteration could just be something different. And it's Hyeon-taek “Noah” Oh who could be the difference-maker for the team. The former KT Rolster Challengers AD carry was part of a mid-season roster change where he was a key element in helping Fnatic salvage its season. Fnatic have also improved drastically during the Winter and Summer Splits with Noah playing the most amount of games during the latter playoffs. He had the highest average kills and assists as well as being one of the primary sources of damage for the team.

LCS

Team Liquid — Yeon

It's been four years since Team Liquid won an LCS regional title or even attended MSI. This year finally broke the dry spell as the now five-time LCS champions have qualified to the inter-regional tournament as the number one seed. Having come close multiple times but always falling short, Liquid have finally got over the slump after its recent victory in the LCS Spring Split. Despite having a highly-talented roster, Sean “Yeon” Sung could be an up-and-coming AD carry to look out for.

Last season's LCS Summer Split Rookie of the Year was a Liquid Academy product that was promoted to the first team and he has been a revelation for the org. He was decent during the group stage but popped off in the playoffs, despite playing the most games in the latter stages. His playoff numbers saw him get the highest KDA average at 5.9, which also meant he got the highest average kills and assists at 6.5 and 7.8 respectively. His ultra-aggressive playstyle has been fun to watch in the LCS and it will be interesting to see how the other teams will cope at MSI.

FlyQuest — Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau

Aside from a sole Worlds appearance in 2020, this will be FlyQuest's first-ever foray into MSI. The LCS second seed were one of the region's most promising teams last season but soon faltered towards the second-half. However, they have risen once again with a whole new line-up that took the region by storm once more. But this time, it's filled with plenty of experienced veterans with one of it being Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau.

The seasoned toplaner has been one of many of the new recruits that have brought FQ its first MSI qualification. And his performances during the LCS Spring Split playoffs shows that he is one of the more underrated toplaners in the game. While his stats don't tell the full story, he does bring plenty of LAN experience to the team, having been part of great teams that have done well during playoff runs.

CBLOL

LOUD — Leonardo “Robo” Souza

While Brazil has been seen as a minor region for some time now, LOUD's dominance over the CBLOL is hard to look over. The four-time champions have been the top team over the last couple of years and it's not hard to see why. This will also be its second MSI appearance in successive years, highlighting just how well LOUD have been in such a short span of time. And of the players that has stood out for LOUD over the years in Leonardo “Robo” Souza.

Robo has been part of LOUD's recent successes and is one of the cornerstones of its roster. His performances during the CBLOL Split 1 highlighted just how essential he is to the LOUD team. Despite playing far fewer games than many other toplaners, Robo was still able to maintain the second-highest average KDA while also being the best toplane farmer with an exceptional gold per minute (GPM) average.

LLA

Estral ESports — Brian “Snaker” Distefano

Estral ESports is another org that will be making its debut at MSI after they were able to take out some of the biggest Latin American teams. That was also Estral's first-ever LLA victory after four second-place finishes over the years. It will be hard to see just how well Estral can perform on the big stage given that it will be its first time. However, debutants have always gone on to have a decent performance at MSI.

It also helps that the team's AD carry, Brian “Snaker” Distefano can possibly be a handful for some teams if they're not careful. The Argentinian AD carry has been a revelation for the team since he signed during the off-season last year. While he isn't like your typically aggressive, snowball-effect midlaner, Snaker is known for great rotations and ganks. This is evident in his LLA Opening playoff stats where he averaged 7.5 assists alongside 4.7 kills a game.