MSI 2021 is soon coming to an end, but not before we crown a winner. Only four teams were left standing after the Rumble Stage.

Day 5 of the MSI 2021 has come to end, giving us our four finalists. After an emotional rollercoaster for North American fans, the 6% chance of qualifying following their results on the first three days wasn't enough.

All the action resumes on Friday, 21st of May, with DAMWON KIA, Royal Never Give Up, PSG Talon, and MAD Lions fighting for international glory. RNG will take on PSG Talon for the first game of the knockout stages. Meanwhile, DWG and MAD Lions clash the day after to determine the second spot in the Grand Finals.

The final standings and record of the six Rumble Stage teams. Top 4 progress to the playoffs
The final standings and record of the six Rumble Stage teams. Top 4 progress to the playoffs

The leaderboard almost stayed the same following Day 5's match results. 2020 World Champions, and LCK representative, DAMWON KIA continued to deliver strong performances. Although they fell to RNG in the opening match of the day, it didn't topple them off the number one spot. As usual, RNG Gala stepped up to the occasion with his Tristana to contribute 10 of the 17 kills his team put up on the board.

Considering the aforementioned MSI 2021 encounter couldn't affect either team's standings, it was time to look at the remaining two finalist spots. This is where the real action starts. Cloud9, MAD Lions, and PSG Talon all fighting fiercely for it. Understandably, the North American team had the highest hill to climb.

Following their relatively surprising win against RNG on Day 4 of MSI 2021, everything crumbled. Cloud9 gave Pentanet.GG their first win of the tournament on the final match of the day. Today, they couldn't get the job done against PSG Talon, confirming their elimination, and locking in MAD Lions and PSG Talon for the next stage.

MSI 2021: A tale of two regions

Two teams went home in Cloud9 and Pentanet.GG, each with their own tale to tell. One going back to their region with disappointing performances, while the other is hailed for finally putting the OCE region deservedly on the map. The knockout stages prove to be more exciting than anything we have seen out of MSI 2021 so far.