The three English-speaking regions have all been pulled into the same group at this year's Mid-Season Invitational. Who will have to face off against T1 though?
Over the course of the weekend, the LCS semi-finals and finals took place in Houston, Texas. During the playoff event, fans also got to witness the Mid-Season Invitational group draw.
So let's go over the draw, who was there, and what we can expect from these groups at this year's Mid-Season Invitational. Which group can be considered the group of death in this situation?
Mid-Season Invitational Group Draw
After the quick 3-0 by Evil Genius in the semi-finals, LCS host Letigress was joined by former LCS pro Meteos, as well as streamers and content creators Michael Reeves and LilyPichu on stage to draw the groups for the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational.
What Was the Group Draw Format?
For the 2022 Group Draw, there were four pools from which teams were chosen. Pool 1 held the three strongest teams, pool 2 had the three second-biggest regions, while pool 3 and 4 rounded out the minor regions.
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
| T1 | Evil Genius | Team Aze | Red Canids |
| RNG | PSG Talon | Fastpay Wildcats | DetonatioN FocusMe |
| G2 | Saigon Buffalo | ORDER |
The pool 1 teams were first seeded into their groups, followed by pool 2, 3 and finally 4. Due to the LCL not competing at this year's MSI, Group C will only have three teams, while all other groups are comprised of four.
MSI 2022 Groups Revealed
These are the three groups for the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational group stage.
Group A
| Region | Pool | Team |
| LCK | Pool 1 | T1 |
| VCS | Pool 2 | Saigon Buffalo |
| LLA | Pool 3 | Team Aze |
| LJL | Pool 4 | DeotnatioN FocusMe |
Group B
| Region | Pool | Team |
| LPL | Pool 1 | RNG |
| PCS | Pool 2 | PSG Talon |
| TCL | Pool 3 | Fastpay Wildcats |
CBLoL | Pool 4 | Red Canids |
Group C
| Region | Pool | Team |
| LEC | Pool 1 | G2 |
| LCS | Pool 2 | Evil Genius |
| LCO | Pool 4 | ORDER |
LCS fans can breathe easy, avoiding both the LPL and LCK representative. This whole draft looks like it'll be extremely exciting with rivalries in all groups. The PCS against the LPL and NA vs. EU. Who could have dreamed up a better scenario?
Controversy Surrounding The Group Draw Event
Riot Games announced the group draw show shortly before the start of the 2022 LCS semi-finals. Many fans were upset though because of multiple reasons and let out their frustration on social media.
Some fans didn't think Michael Reeves and LilyPichu should have been drawing teams, voicing their opinions on social media to which LilyPichu, who is known for maining Lux, stated:
hello I was going to texas anyway, riot asked me if I wanted to do this, I said sure and asked if I could bring Michael. That's it. Sorry we are not up to expectation but it is what it is now, see you tomorrow and plz recommend good bbq places
Not only were fans upset about the inclusion of streamers rather than other pro-players or ex-pro-players, some also questioned why the group draw event was taking place in North America, rather than in Korea, where this year's MSI will be taking place.
The group draw has finished without a hitch, even with some fans on Twitter lamenting their grievances. Now we just have to wait for May 10, 2022 when the action will finally kick off.