And then there were two: 2023 MSI Play-Ins Day 5 recap

Golden Guardians won 2-0 against Movistar R7, and PSG Talon swept LOUD 2-0 on May 6, the fifth and penultimate match day of play-ins at the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) at Copper Box Arena in London, England.

GG (League of Legends Championship Series/LCS, #2) and PSG (Pacific Championship Series/PCS, #1) advance to face each other in the best-of-5 Last Chance Qualifier on May 7, with the winner advancing to the Bracket Stage. With the losses, R7 (Liga Latinoamérica/LLA, #1) and LLL (Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends/CBLOL, #1) have been eliminated from MSI 2023.

Golden Guardians vs. Movistar R7

Game 1: GG wins

Golden Guardians won Game 1 against Movistar R7 in 25:12 by a 17-3 score. GG bot laner Trevor "Stixxay" Hayes was 7/1/1 on Aphelios and led in kills; top laner Eric "Licorice" Ritchie finished 3/1/8 as Kennen; jungler Kim "River" Dong-woo found a 3/1/9 score on Vi; mid laner Kim "Gori" Tae-woo notched a 3/0/8 performance as Ahri; and support Choi "huhi" Jae-hyun went 1/0/12 on Annie. R7's only major objectives in the loss were one tower and one dragon. Jame's Player of the Game: GG Licorice, 2nd

Game 2: GG wins

Golden Guardians secured a chance at the Bracket Stage with a 23:19 Game 2 versus Movistar R7 that they led 22-4 in kills. GG Licorice went 1/0/12 on K'Sante to earn Player of the Day honors; River's Nocturne achieved a 3/2/7 KDA; huhi added a 2/0/17 score on Nami; and Gori and Stixxay led in kills on their 8/0/9 Taliyah and 8/2/6 Lucian. R7 only managed to take one drake and two turrets in the losing effort. Jame's Player of the Game: GG Gori, 1st

PSG Talon vs. LOUD

Game 1: PSG wins

PSG Talon took Game 1 against LOUD in 33:45 by a 16-5 score. PSG mid laner Chen "ubao" Chang-Chu went 6/1/1 on Tristana and led in kills; top laner Huang "Azhi" Shang-Jhih's Kennen found a 4/0/6 performance; jungler Yu "JunJia" Chun-Chia controlled the game on his 2/0/13 Sejuani; and bot laner Tsou "Wako" Wei-Yang added a 3/2/6 score as Aphelios. The game was closer than the first two of the day, with LLL securing four towers, two Rift Heralds and a drake in the loss. Jame's Player of the Game: PSG ubao, 2nd

Game 2: PSG wins

PSG Talon advanced to the Last Chance Qualifier match with a 23-8 victory versus LOUD in a Game 2 that lasted 28:17. PSG Azhi's K'Sante went 1/0/15; JunJia finished 8/2/10 on Kindred; ubao picked up Galio and logged a 3/3/17 score; and Wako and support Lin "Woody" Yu-En were 11/2/8 on Aphelios and 0/2/21 on Thresh. Jame's Player of the Game: PSG JunJia, 1st

Riot Player of the Day: GG Licorice (4/1/20), 1st

Featured photos courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games.