League of Legends MSI 2022: G2, RNG, T1, EG advance to Knockout Stage in Busan

The Rumble Stage of the League of Legends (LoL) Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2022 has concluded, with only four teams remaining in the competition ahead of the Knockout Stage.

Defending MSI Champions Royal Never Give Up (RNG) are leading the pack, ending the stage with an 8-2 record despite playing remotely due to restrictions in China. They are followed by South Korean juggernauts T1, who ended with a 7-3 standing.

Meanwhile, European powerhouse G2 Esports and North American newcomers Evil Geniuses (EG) both finished with a 5-5 record to round out the teams in the Knockout Stage.

Let’s take a look how each team that qualified for the Knockout Stage has performed thus far:

Royal Never Give Up (RNG)

RNG may have been playing all of their MSI matches remotely because of travel restrictions in China due to COVID-19, but this didn’t stop the defending champions from dominating the competition, even after having to replay matches due to a latency issue the offline teams faced in Busan.

After completing the group stage with a perfect 4-0 record, RNG went on to take a statement win on the first day of the Rumble Stage against EG. Their next game, however, ended with an upset loss against G2.

RNG managed to bounced back in the next three days, winning seven games against the other teams before dropping a game against T1 on the last day of the Rumble Stage.

Should the MSI Defending Champions continue to maintain this dominant form, there's a good chance they'll soon claim a third-straight MSI title.

T1

The South Korean favourites are proving to be one of the most formidable teams in the competition. T1 also swept the group stage, 4-0, extending their win streak from the beginning of the Season to 26.

It was their long-time international rival G2 that ended their win streak on the first day of the Rumble Stage.

The G2-T1 rivalry has been ongoing since 2019, with G2 and Rasmus "caPs" Borregaard Winther defeating T1 and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok at last year's MSI.

Both Faker and caPs have mentioned multiple times in different interviews that they were looking forward to clashing against each other at this year's MSI, with Faker looking to take revenge against his European counterpart.

In the Rumble Stage, the South Korean juggernauts easily took three games straight against PSG Talon and Saigon Buffalos before incurring a second loss against RNG.

However, they continued to take more games against EG and PSG Talon to solidify their claim on a spot in the Knockout Stage.

But T1’s momentum kept on breaking, with another surprise loss against EG on Day 4. Even so, Faker and his team had a taste of revenge against G2 by taking a win against them.

The team then continued to win more games on Day 5, taking a win against Saigon Buffalos and RNG in a revenge match with the defending champions.

Should T1’s newer members manage to shake off the nerves and perform as consistently as they did before, the team will have a very good shot at claiming the MSI title.

G2 Esports

G2 are showing that they are here to play, especially during their first few matches of the Rumble Stage.

G2 also came into the Rumble Stage as the first seed of their group with a clean 4-0 record.

The Europeans shocked the entire LoL world when they took two consecutive wins against tournament favourites T1 and RNG.

G2 then continued to cross off teams on their “to beat” list on Day 2, when they took down EG and Saigon Buffalo.

However, the European hopefuls were met with an upset loss against the PCS' PSG Talon in Day 3, breaking their 25-win streak since this year’s League of Legends European Champions Spring Playoffs.

This was followed by losses against RNG, PSG Talon, T1 and Saigon Buffalos on Days 3 and 4 of the competition.

G2 were able to bounce back and finally claim one last win in the Rumble Stage against EG to secure a spot in the Knockout Stage.

If G2 can keep their eyes on the prize and repeat everything that made them successful in the first half of the competition, they could still pull off more surprises in the Knockout Stage and even take the 2022 MSI title.

Evil Geniuses (EG)

The MSI is the first international competition for EG, a team with a balanced mix of rookies and veterans. This team have thus far lived up to the hype, even coming in second in Group C behind G2 during the group stage.

The North American team started the Rumble Stage with a loss against defending champions RNG but won a match against Saigon Buffalos on the same day.

EG were still unable to figure out G2 after incurring another loss against them on Day 2. However, the team were able to bounce back by beating PSG Talon.

Their mixed form continued on Day 3, as EG lost against T1 before taking a win against Saigon Buffalos.

The North American team then got a bit of revenge over T1 on Day 4 but were unable to overcome RNG on the same day.

On the last day of the Rumble Stage, EG won against PSG Talon before taking another loss against G2.

EG will be facing giants in their playground at the Knockout Stage when they match up again RNG.

They will need to figure out their competition and remain confident in their own play if they are aiming for the 2022 MSI title.

The Knockout Stage will kick off on Friday (27 May) and conclude with the grand finals on Sunday (29 May).

RNG will face EG on Friday while T1 will take on G2 on Saturday (28 May). The winners of those two matches will then face each other in the grand finals for the 2022 MSI title.

To watch the MSI, you can go to the official LoL esports website or the official YouTube and Twitch channels.

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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