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MSI 2021 Final Odds, Preview and Best Bet – DWG KIA vs Royal Never Give Up

Matthew Hempstead

by Matthew Hempstead in eSports

Updated May 22, 2021 · 1:07 PM PDT

League of Legends graphic with a trophy.
Royal Never Give Up and DAMWON Kia are the final two teams remaining the 2021 Mid Season Invitational. Can RNG take down the reigning World Champions?
  • The 2021 Mid Season Invitational Final takes place on May 23rd between Royal Never Give Up and DAMWON Kia
  • The winner will receive $75,000 USD and an extra slot for their region at the 2021 World Championship
  • Royal Never Give Up are slight favorites over DAMWON KIA at -134

MSI 2021 comes down to one final best-of-five between DAMWON KIA and Royal Never Give Up. These two teams were favorites entering the event, and although some flaws have come to light, managed to qualify for the final.

The winner of this final will not only receive a grand prize of $75,000 USD, but will also give their region an extra slot for the 2021 World Championship. What’s even more important is the bragging rights to determine which region is currently the best in the World.

MSI 2021 Semifinal Odds

May 21, 2021 Moneyline
DAMWON KIA -106
Royal Never Give Up -134

Odds as of May 22nd from Betway

Royal Never Give Up

The first place team out of China’s LPL has continued to impress throughout MSI. They’re not just thriving on aggressive early games. RNG has also found a lot of success relying on their superior team fighting late in games. Their multi-faceted abilities were on display in their semifinal series against PSG Talon. After PSG Talon tied up the series at one game a piece, RNG came out quick in game three. It was as dominant a game as you’d see in competitive League of Legends, as RNG won the game without losing a single tower.

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In game four, PSG Talon seemed to have the upper hand in the game, but RNG found openings when it mattered and eventually won a team fight that allowed them to close out the game and the series. If their semifinal result still leaves you with questions, RNG handed DAMWON KIA their only two losses during the Rumble Stage.

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As if RNG didn’t already have enough to play for, Xiaohu can become the first player in League of Legends history to win an international event in two different roles. He’s been the best top laner so far in the tournament, so keep an eye on that top lane matchup against Khan.

DAMWON Kia

What an interesting series between DAMWON KIA and MAD Lions. DWG dominated when necessary, but they were pushed to a game five by the aggressive and unique style of the MAD Lions. DAMWON KIA were huge favorites going into that semifinal series, and after the result being close, there are a lot of question marks regarding the reigning World Champions.

Where MAD Lions found most of the success was the bottom lane. ‘Carzzy’ and ‘Kaiser’ not only held their own in the bot lane, but consistently picked up 2v2 kills against ‘Ghost’ and ‘Beryl’. It’s not something you’d expect to see coming from a championship team and it’ll be a concern in the finals against Royal Never Give Up.

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The bright side for DWG is that when they won, they won quick. Their three wins in the series were of 25, 23, and 22 minutes. So now we’re at a crossroads. Does DAMWON KIA have the capability to flip the switch when absolutely necessary, or did MAD Lions show the World that DAMWON KIA is a far from perfect team at the moment.

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Royal Never Give Up seems like the more well-rounded team heading into the final, and if the DWG bot lane continues to struggle, expect ‘Gala’ and ‘Ming’ to capitalize on it. Royal Never Give Up was the only team to beat DAMWON KIA in the Rumble Stage, which gives me even more confidence when picking RNG to win MSI.

Pick: Royal Never Give Up (-134)

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