LoL MSI 2022: T1, RNG lead qualified teams for Rumble Stage
The Group Stage for the League of Legends (LoL) Mid-Season Invitational 2022 (MSI) concluded on Sunday (15 May), with six teams advancing to the Rumble Stage.
MSI defending Champions Royal Never Give Up (RNG), South Korean juggernauts T1, and European powerhouse G2 Esports have all dominated the competition, sweeping the Group Stage on their way to the Rumble Stage.
Things are certainly heating up as the six remaining teams aim for the MSI title and the lion’s share of the US$250,000 prize pool.
Let’s take a look at the six teams heading to the MSI Rumble Stage:
T1 (Group A)
South Korean juggernauts T1 have crushed the competition yet again in Group A, as they didn't drop a single game against Saigon Buffalo (SGB), DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM), and Team Aze.
This extended their perfect season with a 26-0 win streak since the beginning of the LoL Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split.
While other teams showed their A-game in the competition, T1 still emerged victorious in each match. True to their form this year, T1 stand as the biggest favourites to claim the 2022 MSI title.
Saigon Buffalo (Group A)
Vietnamese team Saigon Buffalo have pulled off a stunning comeback to the international stage after the Vietnamese Championship Series (VCS) missed two years of competing at MSI and Worlds.
SGB surprised T1 in the opening game of the MSI by gaining an early lead against the South Koreans after ganks on Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok, who was considered the most formidable bot lane duo in the world. However, T1 managed to win despite playing from behind.
Despite losing in both games against T1, SGB then won all their games against Japanese team DFM, and Turkish representative, Team Aze.
With SGB’s performance throughout the Group Stage, we just might see them pull off a couple of more surprises in the Rumble Stage.
Royal Never Give Up (Group B)
Chinese LoL Pro League (LPL) representatives and defending MSI Champions RNG also swept the competition in Group B.
RNG are currently playing remotely because of the lockdown in Shanghai due to COVID-19. The Chinese team easily crushed the competition in the first two days of the Group stage.
However, Riot Games decided to remake all of the matches featuring RNG because of latency issues that teams in Busan were experiencing.
Despite the remake, RNG still swept the competition, 6-0, proving their dominance in Group B.
PSG Talon (Group B)
Pacific Championship Series (PCS) team PSG Talon came in second in Group B with a 3-3 standing.
The Hong Kong-based team struggled on the first day, after an upset win by Brazilian team Red Canids.
The team then lost both games against RNG, before they were able to score wins against Turkish team Istanbul Wild Cats.
The team had to give their all in a do-or-die three-way tiebreaker against Red Canids and Istanbul Wildcats, with PSG Talon taking the upper hand and eventually winning second place in Group B, and securing a spot into the Rumble stage.
G2 Esports (Group C)
European powerhouse G2 Esports have completed their MSI run undefeated, going 8-0 in a quadruple-round robin competition in Group C against Evil Geniuses and ORDER.
This also extends G2's win streak to 20-0 since the LoL European Championship Spring Playoffs.
Evil Geniuses (Group C)
The first international LoL competition for LoL Championship Series (LCS) representatives Evil Geniuses (EG) is off to a decent start, as they placed second in Group C with a 4-4 standing on their way to qualify for the Rumble Stage.
EG proved themselves capable by defeating LoL Circuit Oceania (LCO) champions ORDER in all four of their games.
However, G2 Esports have proven to be a difficult opponent for EG, who lost against the European powerhouse 0-4.
The MSI Rumble Stage will begin on Friday (20 May). The six surviving teams will compete in a double-round robin format with best-of-one matches in the Rumble Stage.
The top four teams will move on to the Knockout stage, while the lowest two will be eliminated.
For everything you need to know about the MSI 2022, you can click here.
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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