MSI 2026 Match Review – LYON Versus FURIA: A Lackluster Performance for Both Hopeful Teams

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By:Devin Morris
The MSI 2026 Logo

LYON and FURIA battled for the pride of the Americas region. They kicked off their MSI journey against each other in the opening round of the Bracket Stage. Neither team had the performance they would have wanted. FURIA was competitive in every game, but always threw it away at the last moment. LYON will need to improve to defeat Bilibili Gaming in the next MSI round.

MSI 2026: Game One Review

LYON beating FURIA 3-0 at MSI
Image of LYON beating FURIA at MSI, courtesy of LoL Esports

Draft

FURIA – Blue Side

  • Sion
  • Naafiri
  • Ryze
  • Jhin
  • Karma

LYON – Second Pick

  • Jayce
  • Jarvan IV
  • Syndra
  • Ezreal
  • Neeko

Saint Blunders

Ilses and Berserker survive a level three gank from Tatu, while Inspired takes Tatu’s camps. Shortly after, Saint loses the mid lane 1v1 and dies, even after burning his Flash. Inspired helps out his mid laner with a gank on Tutsz.

Targeting Dhokla

FUR sends four members to the top lane to deny Dhokla. Inspired continues to steal camps away from Tatu. With Dhokla not having Flash, Tutsz uses Realm Warp to kill the LYON top laner again. For the second time in the game, FUR overloads Dhokla’s lane. Isles and Saint are there in time to defend, while Berserker picks up gold. After burning Dhokla’s Flash, Guigo uses his own to get the solo kill.

Scrappy Drake Fight

Both teams look to contest for the third Drake of the game. FUR get the advantage thanks to Guigo on the frontline. Ayu lands the Curtain Call for two kills. The fight becomes scrappy, but FUR come out on top with five kills to two. After the teams reset, FUR earn the objective. FUR punish LYON as they contest for the Blue Buff. They get three kills and the Baron.

LYON Battle Back

LYON stop the Baron push thanks to Isles catching Ayu on the mid wave. FUR force another Baron. They turn to kill Saint and Isles. With low health bars, FUR return to the Baron. They turn again, but this time the teams trade kills. Tatu wins the Smite battle on the Drake, before dying to Inspired. FUR refuses to give up their Blue Buff for free. Tatu and Guigo die in a trade for Isles and Dhokla.

FURIA Get the Soul But Lose the Fight

After Ayu ganks botlane, he dies, allowing LYON the space to contest the Cloud Soul. Isles dies looking for vision, and it becomes a 4v4. Tatu wins the Smite battle again, but LYON crushes the fight. Berserker plays his limits to carry LYON. Ayu dies in the mid lane, and LYON goes for the end. They kill Tutsz, but they do not have the waves to end. LYON has to give up the Baron after Dhokla dies.

The Elder Drake Decides the Game

FUR looks to secure the Elder Drake with a combination of Ayu’s fourth shot and Tatu’s Smite. They miscalculate the damage, and it goes to Saint. Isles Pop Blossom sets LYON up to end the game.

Player Ratings

LYON

  • Dhokla – 2
  • Inspired – 7
  • Saint – 6
  • Berserker – 8
  • Isles – 7

FURIA

  • Guigo – 6
  • Tatu – 5
  • Tutsz – 6
  • Ayu – 6
  • JoJo – 4

Player of the Game – Berserker

MSI 2026: Game Two Review

Draft

LYON – Blue Side

  • Gnar
  • Wukong
  • Galio
  • Ziggs
  • Camille

FURIA – Second Pick

  • Ambessa
  • Vi
  • Aurora
  • Cassiopeia
  • Rell

First Blood For the Bot Lane Cassiopeia

After Isles goes for a roam, he returns to the bot lane at level 2. Ayu and JoJo punish the low-level Camille for a first-blood kill. Isles dies for the second time in the game, trying to help Inspired. Isles dies for the third time when trying to ward the Drake.

LYON Come Alive in Game Two

It is LYON’s turn to send five players to the topside of the map. They combo their ultimates for two kills. Dhokla dies, but LYON also gets turret plates. LYON outmaneuvered FUR on the map to build a gold lead, despite deaths to Dhokla and Isles. LYON overextended for vision control in the bot jungle. JoJo and FUR pull the trigger on Inspired before Saint arrives. FUR crushed the fight and evened out the gold lead. The win also gives them their second Drake of the game.

FURIA Blunder Their Lead

With no vision on the map, Saint has to walk into the darkness. FUR pulls the trigger, and the win fight around LYON’s Blue Buff. They turn towards the Baron, but it goes awry when LYON contests. LYON forces them off, thanks to Berserker, and Inspired wins the Smite Battle. FUR delays the Baron push with a kill on Saint. After FUR burnt their ultimates, LYON chased the rest of the Brazilian team and earned three kills.

Silly Errors

Isles dies while looking for a flank on the fifth Drake fight. LYON still looks to contest, but Ayu’s Petrifying Gaze catches Inspired before he uses his Cyclone. FUR win the fight and get the Cloud Soul point. Once again LYON is not connected, and FUR punish them on the map. Even with a good GNAR! and Mega Inferno Bomb, LYON loses the fight. The Drake fight is FUR’s turn to lack coordination. Tatu goes too early, and LYON dominates the teamfight. After seeing their base break open, FUR go for one more desperate engagement. It fails, and LYON win the second game.

Player Ratings

LYON

  • Dhokla – 3
  • Inspired – 6
  • Saint – 6
  • Berserker – 9
  • Isles – 2

FURIA

  • Guigo – 5
  • Tatu – 5
  • Tutsz – 6
  • Ayu – 7
  • JoJo – 7

Player of the Game – Berserker

MSI 2026: Game Three Review

Draft

LYON – Blue Side

  • Varus
  • Lee Sin
  • Viktor
  • Kog’Maw
  • Lulu

FURIA – Second Pick

  • Olaf
  • Xin Zhao
  • Sylas
  • Lucian
  • Milio

Inspired Carrying Dhokla’s Lane

Dhokla struggles in the early levels against Guigo, needing to use both his Summoner Spells to stay alive. Inspired ganks twice, once to burn Guigo’s Flash, and the second to give Dhokla the first blood kill. The top laners and junglers battle in the top lane. The kills are even until Tutsz arrives to kill Inspired.

FUR Bleeding Out in the Mid-Game

While there is some action in the lanes, FUR can not break open the game. Over time, LYON builds their gold lead. Tatu walks in solo at the third Drake spawn, and he dies. FUR finally finds an angle to fight and kill Berserker. Unfortunately, that is all they can do as LYON kills three FUR members. The LCS first seed takes the Baron.

The Baron Breaks the Game

LYON extends their gold lead with the Baron. Tatu tries to slow them down with a fight, but the gold lead is too much. LYON dominates, and they all of a sudden have a 12k gold lead. FUR keeps throwing bodies at LYON, but they lose every fight. After Guigo dies, LYON pulls the trigger to end the series.

Player Ratings

LYON

  • Dhokla – 5
  • Inspired – 8
  • Saint – 6
  • Berserker – 7
  • Isles – 7

FURIA

  • Guigo – 3
  • Tatu – 3
  • Tutsz – 4
  • Ayu – 5
  • JoJo – 5

Player of the Game – Inspired

MSI 2026: Series Ratings

Inspired winning four titles in a row, two of which to qualify for MSI
Image of Inspired winning back-to-back-to-back-to-back titles, courtesy of LoL Esports

LYON

Dhokla – 3.3

Dhokla struggled in this MSI series. From dying on bad timers to bad positions in teamfights, he never got a chance to play. He was better on Varus, but that was mostly thanks to Inspired.

Inspired – 7.0

Inspired got ahead in game one thanks to his playstyle. He always invaded Tatu’s Jungle when he showed on the map. He missed smites during the series. His best game was on Lee Sin, where he controlled the top lane.

Saint – 6.0

Saint had a couple of shaky moments in the series. None of them were significant enough to change the result of the game. The rest of the time, he was stable enough for LYON.

Berserker – 8.0 (Total Apex Player of the Series)

Berserker was by far and away the best player in the series. His Ezreal mechanics were incredible to drag LYON to victory. He also landed multiple skillshots on Ziggs, giving his team the advantage in fights. He had less to do on Kog’Maw, but always lived on dangerous timers.

Isles – 5.3

Isles’s Neeko stepped up in the first game. He found the right engagements to win crucial teamfights. He followed that up with a weak performance on Camille. He had multiple deaths, and will need to improve for future series.

FURIA

Guigo – 4.7

Guigo was stable in the first two games of the series. He was the frontline that FUR needed as Sion. He had a drop in performance on the Olaf. He tried to win the lane, but he died on a bad timer that set him back.

Tatu – 4.3

Tatu looked disconnected from his team in the MSI series. There were multiple moments where he went in without his team following up. The Xin Zhao game was the most egregious one of the three.

Tutsz – 5.3

Tutsz was inconsistent in the series. He had moments where he carried, but also where he died in bad positions. Saint never allowed him to get significant leads during the laning phase.

Ayu – 6.0

Ayu was the best-performing member on FUR. His Cassiopeia and Jhin gave FUR leads in both games. He tried to break open bot lane in the final game, but never got the final blows on Berserker.

JoJo – 5.3

JoJo was a passenger in his enchanter games in the MSI series. The Rell game, on the other hand, was impressive. He was the point of engagement for his team. If they had won game one, he would have been the defining factor.

More MSI Content

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

Devin Morris is a Gaming Writer and Esports Editor for Total Apex Media. Devin is a gaming fanatic from little old South Africa. Devin has had a passion for gaming and writing from a young age. Devin's early favorites were Age of Empires, FIFA and Need for Speed games. As Devin grew older he moved into more competitive gaming, focusing on Overwatch, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. Devin also sinks way too many hours into Destiny 2!

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