Spring has passed, the time has come: Retribution, revenge, recognition, and the return of the Champions.

The teams are going to Shanghai to compete, the champions of their respective regions ready to go at it and take the trophy home.

Hungry to make their name and nation proud, Royal Never Give Up is here to brawl. Flash Wolves are back to destroy Europe and avenge their fellows in ahq. SK Telecom T1 showing up once again to keep their crown and polish their throne until the World Championship.

Before the blood is shed, let’s get to know the teams a little better.

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For China, long enough has the embarrassment been swallowed, losses kicked in on the race to the trophy. No longer will that happen, says RNG. Running a regular season scoreline of 13 wins and 3 losses, they went on to secure a 3-1 victory over previous MSI champions, Edward Gaming -- they are getting ready to make their country proud.

RNG’s team holds a powerhouse roster, each player holding above a 4.0 KDA except for the support Mata with a KDA of 3.67. Liu "mlxg" Shi-yu, the team’s jungler, played a handful of carries throughout all of the LPL Spring Playoffs 2016, even holding an astonishing 15.0 KDA on Graves. RNG’s mid laner, Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Ha, rolled all over the enemy teams on Ryze, Lissandra, and Leblanc.

The AD Carry position is often shared; Legendary Zhu "NaMei" Jia-Wen had stellar performances on Sivir and Lucian, sporting an 11.0 KDA and 19.0 KDA on both, respectively. In the other matches, Cheng "Wuxx" Wang won all but one game, even rocking a 13.0 KDA on Jhin, the virtuoso. Ex-world champions Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong and Jang "Looper" Hyeong-seok are also on the team, the support and top laner that are back for their throne.

Royal Never Give Up is one of only two Chinese teams to exit the Group stage in an international tournament since April 2015, the other being Edward Gaming, the team that was the champion at last year’s Midseason Invitational. Now it is up to them to keep up the legacy or have their region feel the shame of that crimson defeat screen plastered all over their city.

In their last international tournament, IEM Katowice 2016, they triumphed over the European 2nd seed Origen and Korean Challenger team ESC Ever, but were stopped by the European squad, Fnatic, in the semifinals. This tournament they must make their case against G2 Esports, the European kings, and finally hit the finals of an international tournament again. Their players are no stranger to success on the international stage; RNG top laner Looper and support Mata have both taken down SK Telecom T1 and won Worlds on Samsung Galaxy White in 2014. With the home court advantage, they are here to take it all.

To the east of China, the champions of LMS, Flash Wolves, are the only said team to rival SKT, showing an impressive performance during the season and topping it off at playoffs. With the clean 3-0 against ahq, they might become the new champions at MSI.

Each player on their squad is amazing, especially their mid laner Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang, sporting an insane 26.33 KDA in the Spring Playoffs. He isn’t the only one with a super high KDA though. Top laner Lihong-Yu “MMD” ran through playoffs with an 11.0 KDA, primarily playing Ekko and Maokai. Jungler Hung “Karsa” Hau-Hsuan ran a 9.0 KDA playing a variety of champions. AD Carry Hsiung “NL” Wen-An, the player who got a pentakill against Counter Logic Gaming during Worlds 2015, earned a 9.88 KDA during the playoffs, an incredible 13.5 KDA on 4 games as Lucian. Lastly, their support, the legendary Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Jie held an impressive 16.2 KDA, primarily playing Alistar and Thresh.

The Flash Wolves are one of the most successful and storied teams in the entirety of the LMS, looking further to extend their successes onto the international stage. Creating a rivalry with Counter Logic Gaming at Worlds 2015, they will face them again for the 4th match of the day one at MSI. The region that Flash Wolves have fallen to though, is looking like the one of the strongest there. Europe’s G2 Esports is a freight train, and the first victim could very well be the Taiwanese squad. The Flash Wolves will have to show up from the first moment of MSI or risk to make their region look too weak for any sort of spotlight.

The final squad from the east, SK Telecom T1, had their only losses against a non-Korean team  at MSI 2015, to both Fnatic and the Midseason Invitational Champions Edward Gaming. Since then, they have demolished every single squad at every single tournament, regardless of region. This time, they are back but to secure a clean record, working to win the entire tournament without dropping a game.

The most notable player from the reigning Korean Champions is Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. Showing his name in a match instantly tilts the enemy team, sending them into the deep dark abyss of lost League points and championships. Known primarily for his dominance in lane, the man is a monster, running a 5.47 KDA throughout playoffs but holding an insane KDA on both Zilean and Cassiopeia, with a 14 and 15 KDA respectively. Faker isn’t the solo-carry of his team, with AD Carry Bae "Bang" Jun-sik and carry jungler Kang "Blank" Sun-gu by his side. Bang earned a KDA of 8.36 throughout playoffs, primarily playing Sivir. Blank on the other hand carried primarily on Kindred, winning every match on the champion. Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan, the team's support, played Tahm Kench and Alistar often, sporting a 5.25 and 10.8 KDA respectively. Lee "Duke" Ho-Seong, the team’s top laner, ended playoffs with a 7.38 KDA, showing up big on tanks like Maokai and Poppy.

For SK Telecom T1, this tournament is the biggest event to prove the crown is there to stay. After a shaky midseason, the gloves are coming off. Will they go to a 5th match against Europe again? Will they fall in the finals once again? Wherever MSI leads, it is time to put up or shut up.

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All images courtesy of Lolesports.