After battling through their respective regions, eight teams from Wildcard Regions around the world are moving forward to their next test: the International Wildcard Invitational.
Brazil, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Japan, Latin America North and South, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and Turkey are all going to be facing off for a chance to earn a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational in Shanghai, China and prove themselves on the international stage. This is an enormous opportunity, and each team will be starving for the win.
WHEN IS THE IWCI?
The International Wildcard Invitational will be hosted from April 16 – 20 at the Riot Games Studios in Mexico City. The 21st will be reserved to host tie-breaker matches. All of this leads to the Grand Finals, held live on Saturday, April 23rd.
The top two Wildcard Teams will go head to head at the Palacio de los Deportes for their ticket to MSI.
WHO’S PLAYING AT THE IWCI?
Meet the eight teams who have the honor of representing their regions:
LAN
LYON GAMING
•TOP: Daniel “Jirall” del Castillo
•JUNGLE: Marcelo “Thyak” Ramones
•MID: Uri “Uri” Schölderle
•ADC: Ali “Seeiya” Bracamontes
•SUPPORT: Diego “Arce” Arce Chang
This will be LAN’s return to the IWCI after their first participation in 2013. Lyon Gaming will have the privilege of representing Latin America North once again — and if they play their cards right, they’ll be moving onto MSI.
LAS
ISURUS GAMING
•TOP: Franco “Pride” Sanzana
•JUNGLE: Claudio “Clatos” Navarrete
•MID: Benjamin “Emp” Ramirez
•ADC: Juan “Zeicro” Fierro
•SUPPORT: Leandro “Newbie” Marcos
LAS are a favorite heading into the IWCI after their dominant performances in world-class events such as the International Challenge. The heat is on as they enter the ring in one of the most competitive Wildcards yet.
CBLOL
KEYD STARS
•TOP: Leonardo “Robo” Souza
•JUNGLE: Gabriel “Jungle” Peixoto
•MID: Murilo “takeshi” Alves
•ADC: André “esA” Pavezi
•SUPPORT: Jorge “Verfix” Silveira
Brazil has the most advanced infrastructure of any of the Wildcard Regions, and its representative is heading into the IWCI looking strong. With two performances on the international stage at Worlds nder the regions’ belt, Keyd Stars is going to be the ultimate test for many of their competitors.
OPL
THE CHIEFS ESPORTS CLUB
•TOP: Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland
•JUNGLE: Samuel “Spookz” Broadley
•MID: Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos
•ADC: Derek “Raydere” Trang
•SUPPORT: Bryce “EGym” Paule
The Chiefs have been an Oceanic mainstay, and they’ll be looking to prove themselves as a region this IWCI. OPL’s unpredictable performances in previous international tournaments may be the key to carrying them to victory.
LCL
HARD RANDOM
•TOP: Dmitri “Smurf” Ivanov
•JUNGLE: Alexander “pvpstejos” Glazkov
•MID: Mykhailo “Kira” Harmash
•ADC: Vladislav “aMiracle” Scherbyna
•SUPPORT: Kirill “Likkrit” Malofeyev
The Commonwealth of Independent States are a constant at the IWCI, and have either been champions or taken out the champions every year. However, they occasionally get knocked out by a dark horse contender. With a ticket to the MSI on the line, they’ll have to fight every team with equal fervor.
GPL
THE SAIGON JOKERS
•TOP: Tường “QTV” Vũ Nguyễn Trần
•JUNGLE: Giáo “Optimus” Sư
•MID: Đoàn “Warzone” Ngọc Văn Sơn
•ADC: Phạm “Minas” Minh Phước
•SUPPORT: Anh “Tsu” Duy Lê
These dark horses from Southeast Asia will be roaring out of the gate for their shot at MSI. While GPL representatives are feared for their top tier mechanics and aggressive gameplay, they may be stopped by teams who have adapted to a teamwork heavy meta.
TCL
SUPERMASSIVE ESPORTS
•TOP: Berke “Thaldrin” Demir, Asım “fabFabulous” Cihat Karakaya
•JUNGLE: Furkan “Stomaged” Güngör
•MID: Koray “Naru” Bıçak
•ADC: Nicolaj “Achuu” Ellesgaard
•SUPPORT: Mustafa “Dumbledoge” Kemal Gökseloğlu
Turkey has more on the line than an invite to MSI — they’re also the current IWCI defending champion. This region is popular with fans and experts alike due to their solid teamwork and competitive appeal.
LJL
DETONATION FOCUSME
•TOP: Yuta “Yutapon” Sugiura
•JUNGLE: Yun “Catch” Sang-ho
•MID: Kyohei “Ceros” Yoshida
•ADC: Shotaro “Zerost” Ikeda
•SUPPORT: Han “Eternal” Gi-hun
The youngest region to enter the IWCI, Japan has a lot to prove. Despite struggling in international tournaments in previous years, Japan is determined to beat out the other teams and show themselves to be a competitive region.
WHAT’S THE FORMAT?
The International Wildcard Invitational is divided into two stages: A single round robin Group Stage and a Bracket Stage. The top four teams from Groups will proceed into the Bracket Stage and play in a single-elimination Best of 5 tournament to determine the IWCI champion.
WHAT’S THE SCHEDULE?
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
•LYON vs ISURUS – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 11 PM CEST
•HARD RANDOM vs INTZ – 17:00 CDT / 3 PM PT / 12 AM CEST
•SUPERMASSIVE vs CHIEFS – 18:00 CDT / 4 PM PT / 1 AM CEST
•FOCUSME vs JOKERS – 19:00 CDT / 5 PM PT / 2 AM CEST
•CHIEFS vs HARD RANDOM – 20:00 CDT / 6 PM PT / 3 AM CEST
•INTZ vs LYON – 21:00 CDT / 7 PM PT / 4 AM CEST
•ISURUS vs FOCUSME – 22:00 CDT / 8 PM PT / 5 AM CEST
MONDAY, APRIL 18
•SUPERMASSIVE vs HARD RANDOM – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 11 PM CEST
•JOKERS vs CHIEFS – 17:00 CDT / 3 PM PT / 12 AM CEST
•INTZ vs FOCUSME – 18:00 CDT / 4 PM PT / 1 AM CEST
•HARD RANDOM vs ISURUS – 19:00 CDT / 5 PM PT / 2 AM CEST
•CHIEFS vs LYON – 20:00 CDT / 6 PM PT / 3 AM CEST
•ISURUS vs SUPERMASSIVE – 21:00 CDT / 7 PM PT / 4 AM CEST
•LYON vs JOKERS – 22:00 CDT / 8 PM PT / 5 AM CEST
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
•CHIEFS vs INTZ – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 11 PM CEST
•JOKERS vs SUPERMASSIVE – 17:00 CDT / 3 PM PT / 12 AM CEST
•HARD RANDOM vs LYON – 18:00 CDT / 4 PM PT / 1 AM CEST
•INTZ vs ISURUS – 19:00 CDT / 5 PM PT / 2 AM CEST
•LYON vs FOCUSME – 20:00 CDT / 6 PM PT / 3 AM CEST
•ISURUS vs JOKERS – 21:00 CDT / 7 PM PT / 4 AM CEST
•FOCUSME vs SUPERMASSIVE – 22:00 CDT / 8 PM PT / 5 AM CEST
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
•JOKERS vs HARD RANDOM – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 11 PM CEST
•FOCUSME vs CHIEFS – 17:00 CDT / 3 PM PT / 12 AM CEST
•SUPERMASSIVE vs INTZ – 18:00 CDT / 4 PM PT / 1 AM CEST
•CHIEFS vs ISURUS – 19:00 CDT / 5 PM PT / 2 AM CEST
•HARD RANDOM vs FOCUSME – 20:00 CDT / 6 PM PT / 3 AM CEST
•LYON vs SUPERMASSIVE – 21:00 CDT / 7 PM PT / 4 AM CEST
•INTZ vs JOKERS – 22:00 CDT / 8 PM PT / 5 AM CEST
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20
•Semis A vs D Game 1 – 12:00 CDT / 10 AM PT / 5 PM CEST
•Semis A vs D Game 2 – 13:00 CDT / 11 AM PT / 6 PM CEST
•Semis A vs D Game 3 – 14:00 CDT / 12 PM PT / 7 PM CEST
•Semis A vs D Game 4 – 15:00 CDT / 1 PM PT / 8 PM CEST
•Semis A vs D Game 5 – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 9 PM CEST
THURSDAY, APRIL 21
•Semis B vs C Game 1 – 12:00 CDT / 10 AM PT / 5 PM CEST
•Semis B vs C Game 2 – 13:00 CDT / 11 AM PT / 6 PM CEST
•Semis B vs C Game 3 – 14:00 CDT / 12 PM PT / 7 PM CEST
•Semis B vs C Game 4 – 15:00 CDT / 1 PM PT / 8 PM CEST
•Semis B vs C Game 5 – 16:00 CDT / 2 PM PT / 9 PM CEST
SATURDAY, APRIL 23
The Finals schedule will be revealed next week. Stay tuned!
HOW CAN I WATCH?
This may be a Wildcard Invitational, but none of these teams are joking around. Tickets are available for those who want to see the action unfold live, and for those who can’t make it to historic Mexico City, we have you covered: We’ll be showing every second of the action in English live on Lolesports via our official Twitch and YouTube channels.