MSI 2026 Match Preview – Bilibili Gaming Versus LYON: LYON Should be No Match

Despite the 3-0 scoreline, LYON barely got past FURIA in the first round of MSI. They had to rely on mistakes from the CBLOL team to advance. They will not be afforded that in their next series. They must get past the First Stand winners and the LPL 1st seed, Bilibili Gaming. The victor of the series advances to the Upper Bracket of MSI.

Wins In Their First Series

Bilibili Gaming barely got past the LCK second seed, T1, in their opening series. All three games that BLG won against T1 were dominant performances from start to finish. On the other hand, LYON won 3-0 against FURIA, but not in the way they would have wanted. Game three was the only one where LYON had control for most of the game.

Featured Matchup

Viper Versus Berserker

Berserker was the best player on LYON against FURIA. He was the only player who stayed consistent and always outperformed his counterpart. Ayu was a competent opponent as well, making Berserker’s performance better. Viper had a quietly strong series against T1. With mages back in the meta and Viper already playing Vel’Koz, he is a potential problem for Berserker to deal with.

Getting Through the Early Game

LYON struggled to keep up with FURIA in the early game. They fell behind due to the Brazilian team’s speed and aggression. They will have to deal with the same playstyle in this series. The difference is that BLG is significantly better at the style than FURIA is. Give BLG a gold lead in one of their lanes, and then everything snowballs from there. LYON can not afford to allow BLG to find a lead.

With LYON’s more passive early game style, they are at a heavy disadvantage in the series. It will be up to Inspired to keep XUN quiet in the early game. His laners will also have to step up their game. Dhokla can not afford to play the way he did against FURIA. Bin will eat him alive if that is the case.

Preventing LYON From Finding the Perfect Fight

BLG is reliant on winning the early game. They have difficulty closing out close games. Many have given them the nickname Bad Late Game for a reason. They always make mistakes in the latter parts of games, leading to losses. Game one against T1 was the perfect example of this. The Baron call and the chase after T1 took Baron were disastrous mistakes. LYON is a team that wants to play for the late game. If they can reach that stage on even footing, BLG might struggle to close out the series. Of course, LYON is not as dangerous as T1 in late-game scenarios, but they are good enough.

Prediction

Bilibili Gaming 3-0 LYON

The difference in playstyle and level between the two teams will be too much for LYON to overcome. LYON’s solo laners have never reached the level of Bin and Knight. If neither of them can match the laning prowess, they will fall behind quickly. They did not show that level against FURIA. Saint nearly died multiple times to Tutsz, and Dhokla died on bad timers. XUN and ON also know how to snowball their solo lanes.

Facing Hanwha Life Esports

Hanwha Life Esports awaits the winner of the series between BLG and LYON. With the expectation that BLG beats LYON, they will face another LCK seed. The winner of that series will have a significant advantage in the Grand Final. The loser of the series will go up against Team Secret Whales in the Lower Bracket.

More MSI Content

Below is all the previous MSI content on Total Apex. You can expect more MSI articles in the following weeks.

• MSI 2026 Information
• MSI 2026 LYON Preview
• MSI 2026 BLG Preview
• MSI 2026 T1 Versus BLG Review