On the 4th, LCS first seed Lion defeated CBLOL (Brazil) representative FURIA 3-0 in the opening match of the Bracket Stage at the '2026 LoL Mid-Season Invitational (MSI)' held at the Daejeon Convention Center Exhibition Hall 2. While the final score was 3-0, both the first and second sets were hard-fought victories that went into the late game, making it far from an easy series.

FlyQuest will now face the winner of the T1 vs. BLG match. Coach Han 'Rigby' Earl, who served as head coach for Afreeca Freecs (now DN Super) in 2021, has been active as a head coach and coach in North America ever since. Below is the interview with FlyQuest coach 'Rigby'.

Q. How do you feel about the 3-0 victory?

We won, but I'm dissatisfied because I felt the opponent was ahead of us in certain aspects. Usually, if we identify areas to improve because the opponent played well, we can take something away from the match even if we lose. Today, despite the win, we failed to execute the plays we had agreed upon and made frequent mistakes. It's important that we go back and ensure we don't repeat these errors, and I need to emphasize that each player must properly fulfill their role according to their champion.

Q. You've been working as a head coach and coach in North America for a long time. What has changed for you since you started working there?

I think I've matured a lot more as a person compared to when I was last in Korea. I've learned about the responsibilities of a head coach and how to build trust with players. But ultimately, the stage doesn't matter because we are all looking toward the same goal. No matter where my main stage is, I ultimately want to achieve results in international tournaments.

Q. You won the first and second games after long matches, but the process wasn't very smooth.

Since the MSI preparation period, our tier lists have changed significantly, so we picked combinations favored by strong teams in the current meta for the first two games rather than our own comfort picks. Honestly, that was partly because our opponent was FURIA. But in the end, it wasn't a problem with the picks; our players were lacking in their individual roles. Our goal is for everyone to perform their champion's role well during skirmishes, and I'm very disappointed in that regard today.

When we were at a disadvantage, we needed to communicate more, but it felt like there were constant gaps in information. Fortunately, experienced players like 'Berserker' and 'Inspired' kept us centered, but if we show this kind of performance against a top-tier team, it won't be easy.

Q. The next match seems very important. You'll be facing the winner of T1 vs. BLG. How do you predict that match will go, and who would you rather face?

I think T1 will win. We've scrimmed against both teams, and based on those scrims, I felt T1 was a cut above. I'd prefer to face BLG. Both teams are good at skirmishing, but I think BLG's style of chaining turns is relatively more manageable than T1's, and their laning phase was also fine.