MSI Champion Hanwha Life Eliminated in Swiss Stage

Hanwha Life Esports, the defending MSI champions, has been eliminated from the tournament following a decisive 0-2 loss to BLG in the Swiss Stage. The matchup served as a rematch of the 2026 MSI Finals, with BLG thoroughly outplaying their opponents in both games to secure the final quarterfinals berth.

In the opening game, Hanwha Life started poorly with early deaths in both their bot and top lanes. Despite the rough beginning, they managed to catch BLG's Viper and secure Void Grubs, positioning themselves with a teamfight-oriented composition. However, BLG's coordinated play quickly turned the tide. The team targeted Hanwha Life's mid-lane Syndra to force out Flash, while simultaneously sending Pantheon top to assist Olaf in eliminating Zeus's K'Sante.

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Hanwha Life's fortunes continued to decline when they attempted a bot lane dive with Kanavi's Skarner targeting Locke. BLG's swift response with Lulu and Olaf support turned the engagement around, resulting in kills on both Skarner and K'Sante. By the 20-minute mark, BLG had accumulated a 4,000-gold advantage, destroyed all outer turrets, and controlled three Dragons.

Hanwha Life attempted to scale by avoiding forced fights around BLG's Dragon stacks, but BLG's lead only widened. When the next Dragon spawned, Hanwha Life felt compelled to contest for Soul. BLG decisively won the subsequent teamfight, secured the Soul, and claimed Baron, extending their gold lead to 10,000. From that point, the outcome was inevitable. BLG's overwhelming firepower advantage allowed them to push down Hanwha Life's Nexus shortly after, eliminating the defending champions and cementing their quarterfinals advancement.