Despite the 'rings' Biribiri Gaming wins 2:1 against GG

Biribiri Gaming advances to the bracket stage.

The winner of the Group A winner's match of the 2023 MSI Play-In Stage at London's Copper Box Arena on Thursday was Biribiri Gaming against Golden Guardians. Biribiri Gaming battled Golden Guardians to a three-set match, but Biribiri led at every turn and could have easily won 2:0 if they hadn't been so careless.

Expected to be outclassed individually, it was important for the Golden Guardians to get through the first set without incident, but their hopes were dashed earlier than expected. Golden Guardians jungler 'River' stopped by the tower to break the unfavorable composition of the top lane, but Biribiri Gaming top laner 'Bean' dribbled to give the friendly jungle time to join him, and the composition of the top lane was immediately broken as he picked up two kills.

Biribiri Gaming also took control in the mid lane. Mid laner 'Yagao' cut off the opposing mid laner and gained line dominance. In the end, it was the upper body that made all the difference, and without any incidents that could have derailed the game, Biribiri Gaming destroyed their opponent's nexus in game one.

In game two, the Golden Guardians were more aggressive in their engagements. Playing with more confidence, Golden Guardians were hit harder by Biribiri Gaming. Except for the top lane, the jungle, mid lane and bottom lane were all in favor of Biribiri Gaming with kills, especially the bottom lane, which was impossible for the Golden Guardians to line up.

Golden Guardians' top laner, Ricoris, changed this one-sided game. After several unfocused kills from his opponent, Ricoris was able to break his opponent's jinx on the Baron laning, winning the laning and opening up a huge gold lead. Golden Guardians didn't make it easy on themselves, but they managed to complete the upset by destroying the nexus in the end. It was a disappointing game for biribirigaming, as it highlighted their concentration issues.

In a back-and-forth third set, the Golden Guardians again lost control at the bottom line. The difference in skill between the two teams' duos was noticeable, with Biribiri Gaming taking the lead. While the overall story was similar, there were differences. Biribiri Gaming was much more focused than in the second set. Their determination to not allow their opponents to pull away was evident.

The Golden Guardians had some breathing room thanks to the play of mid laner 'Gori', but that was it. The Golden Guardians fell apart when 'Gori' went down, and their nexus was destroyed, handing the victory to Biribiri Gaming.

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