Riot Games has drawn controversy regarding its decision to schedule the 1st seed’s semifinal match on Saturday. Historically, the first seeded teams begin the bracket stages on Friday. In MSI 2021, Damwon KIA secured the first seed and instead are scheduled to play on Saturday. However, due to the condensed timeline, the Finals will be played on Sunday, putting Damwon KIA at a severe disadvantage due to fatigue and planning.
This has drawn incredible backlash from the community, especially from high-profile Korean figures. Ashley Kang, an interviewer and reporter for Korizon who works closely with the LCK, confirmed that teams did not have input when deciding the day of their semifinals.
Kkoma, the head coach of DWK and former coach of the infamous SKT T1, has voiced his stress over the situation regarding the need to both prepare and play in such a short period. LCK commentator and host CloudTemplar comments on the advantages of playing the match on Friday and reiterates the fatigue that the Saturday teams will have to endure.
Riot has released their response to the scheduling conflicts today, citing COVID restrictions as the primary reason for the swap in scheduling. Long story short, RNG players will have to be tested within 48 hours before returning to China. The last day of MSI 2021 is Sunday, meaning Sunday and Saturday are the only days when RNG can be tested. As a result, playing on the same day when their blood test is scheduled would be a physical disadvantage for RNG. In the chance that RNG reaches the Finals, scheduling the blood test on Sunday would be just as troublesome, so Riot scheduled the RNG vs. PSG match for Friday and swapped DWK vs. MAD to Saturday.
