T1 survives CFO hurricane, BLG overwhelms MKOI at MSI 2025

Day three of MSI 2025 saw LEC’s first seed, Movistar KOI, clash with Bilibili Gaming (BLG), while underdogs CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) took on T1.

Despite BLG making its win look relatively easy, T1 had to fight with all its might to avoid being swept away by the hurricane that is CFO. 

Over 1.67m viewers watched the LCP representatives come within inches of the biggest upset of MSI so far, according to Esports Chart. No team has faced elimination yet, but every game pushes teams closer to the lower bracket, where one more loss means going home.

The opening series saw BLG clash with MKOI, with the former riding a wave of unstoppable momentum following its undefeated Play-Ins run.

In the first game, early trades saw both teams fighting toe-to-toe with smart skirmishes across the map. MKOI matched the LPL second seed blow for blow, but when it mattered, BLG’s cleaner teamfights turned the tide. Zhuo ‘Knight‘ Ding’s Aurora was unstoppable, finishing 7-0-13 to crack the match wide open before one last crucial teamfight sealed the deal.

BLG seemed already to have envisioned another 3-0 for its MSI run, but MKOI struck back with steady top-side pressure that caught the LPL team off guard. The LEC’s first seed kept finding picks on Chen ‘Bin‘ Ze-Bin and forced slip-ups near Baron pit. The Azir of Joseph ‘Jojopyun‘ Pyun came up huge with a flawless 7-0-7 KDA, turning a Baron fight into a map-breaking push that closed it out and tied the series. However, BLG did not flinch for long. 

The LPL representative bounced back with early bot-lane aggression and near-perfect vision that locked KOI out in game three. Bin’s Sion was an unbreakable frontline who ended with a 0-0-10 KDA and drove BLG’s unstoppable train to steamroll MKOI off the map entirely. Even when MKOI found a miracle Baron steal, BLG’s control and scaling closed any momentum with an Elder Dragon buff to finish the job.

The final game looked winnable for KOI, and tired LEC fans were hoping to hear Silver Scrapes before going to bed — but one mid-game stumble in the jungle declared the series winners. BLG punished the mistake, took a clean fight win, and ended the series moments later.

Despite showing sparks of brilliance, MKOI fell 3-1 and now drop to the lower bracket. With this result, both EMEA teams at MSI must now fight for survival.

If the first match showed steady control, the second delivered pure chaos.

T1 comes into MSI 2025 as the current League of Legends world champion, yet CTBC Flying Oyster pushed the team to its limit in a series that no one expected to be as tense.

Game one opened evenly, with both sides trading blows and matching skirmishes across the map. CFO held its ground and found smart picks to keep the game close. CFO’s jungler Yu ‘JunJia‘ Chun-Chia grabbed first blood while T1’s Choi ‘Doran‘ Hyeon-joon and Mun ‘Oner‘ Hyeon-jun pressured topside in response. The back-and-forth continued until one flank near the final Dragon to secure soul point gave T1 the ace it needed to break through and close the game.

The Korean organisation closed game one out with confidence, but the warning signs, and CFO’s tenacity, were clear.

CFO proved its skill in game two. The Taiwanese organisation took full control of the Rift with near-perfect vision that left T1 blind and scrambling.

Junjia’s Vi dictated every fight, while Tsai ‘HongQ‘ Ming-Hong’s Aurora and Chiu ‘Doggo‘ Tzu-Chuan’s Lucian tore through lanes.

The Ryze of Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok ended 1-7-1, almost matching his worst KDA at an international event. By 23 minutes, T1 were down 11K gold, scoring its biggest deficit ever on the world stage. It was one of the most one-sided losses the five-time World champions have endured—and CFO were not done with T1. 

Game three pushed T1 to the brink as CFO’s flawless picks and vision left the organisation with no room to breathe. HongQ’s Aurora dominated with a 10-0-7 score, but Doggo’s Caitlyn stole the spotlight by scoring the first pentakill against T1 on the international stage since its 2016 rebrand. CFO closed the game in under 30 minutes, and for a moment, T1 looked ready to fall.

But every veteran League of Legends fan knows that on the international stage, T1 cannot be counted out. In game four, T1 found its spark. Doran’s dominant Rumble and Oner’s relentless Jarvan IV led the charge, breaking CFO’s control and turning the tide.

The players’ coordinated plays secured key fights and objectives, pushing T1 back into the series with a crucial win and forcing Silver Scrapes to play in Vancouver’s Arena.

In the deciding game the comeback was complete. T1 left no openings, no mistakes, and no room for error by playing as if the Summoner’s Cup was on stage in front of the organisation.

Doran’s Jayce and Faker’s Orianna commanded the map with precise control and flawless teamfights, and in one final teamfight, T1 sealed the game with a decisive 20-3 score to move on upwards at MSI 2025. While the CFO might have walked away with the loss, it was T1 that had just barely survived an indomitable hurricane.

With the first round of the upper bracket done, every team knows what’s at stake. The losers drop down for one final chance, but no more errors are permitted.

In the next round of MSI 2025, T1 must face BLG, a team the former has never beaten at MSI, while MKOI drop down to meet CFO, which will not be underestimated anymore. 

The matches will be broadcast on League of Legends’ official Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as by associated co-streamers.