Following a hard-fought 3-2 finals win, Royal Never Give Up silenced the crowd in Busan and lifted the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational trophy. As they triumphed, RNG became back-to-back champions and the first team to win MSI three times. There’s a good reason why they are called the Spring split kings.
BACK TO BACK MSI CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/bLzmDQ6W1e
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 29, 2022
Outmatched both in macro and mechanics
Despite being considered as favorites in the series, T1 were disappointing. They were unable to play their game as RNG negated their lane dominance (with RNG asserting theirs at times). Individual brilliance was on RNG’s side, and blue side proved to be overpowered.
Furthermore, T1 miscalculated a lot in messy teamfights and cross-map trades. Indeed, RNG always found the answer to T1’s rotations; even when behind and in losses, they remained competitive.
As Wei utterly outperformed Oner, T1 will be having nightmares about his Viego and Lee Sin performances. Deservedly, he has won the MSI 2022 finals MVP.
Source: lolesports
Faker's curse
The last time Faker won an international tournament was MSI 2017, and the long drought continues. T1 never reached their peak internationally despite cruising in the LCK.
Undeniably, a different T1 showed up in this competition, as if something was holding them back. There are several reasons for a team’s fall in performances, and T1’s might lie in MSI's ping issues. But at this stage, we would be making up excuses for their finals no-show.
RNG were the better team today in every aspect and they will continue Faker's international curse, at least until Worlds 2022.
The biggest tragedy of today is that people will insult faker for that game 5, despite his Lisandra Baron play being the REASON T1 won game 2. #MSI2022
— Joe Fenny (@HeyMunchables) May 29, 2022
Drafting problems and the Lissandra “disrespect”
The draft difference in the series was the talk of town within the community. T1 struggled against Gwen, but they always left the champion open for Bin for some reason. It would be understandable if they had a counter pick, but T1 didn’t have any.
However, their Gwen shortcomings wouldn’t compare to the capital sin they committed when they Lissandra open. The disrespect was massive, and Xiaohu made T1 suffer for it. The champion is the perfect answer for T1’s first-pick Ahri, but the LCK team never considered banning her. It's their own fault, and there is no one else to blame.
Not to mention: the Game 5 draft which was a total disrespect. T1 went for champions that were not working so well for them in the series, and they bet on both winning their lanes and out-scaling RNG. No matter how well it works against LEC or LCS teams, it doesn’t against the LPL. Well, you are allowed to try, but everybody saw what happened.
RNG play like such psychos, its so fun to watch
— Erik Wessén (@Treatz) May 29, 2022
Every small advantage gets used IMMEDIATELY
Xiaohu & KenZhu's World
What can't Xiaohu do? This man won MSI in 2018 as a mid laner, role-swapped to top lane in 2021, won MSI, went back to mid lane in 2022, and won MSI again. He is one of the most underappreciated players in the world: he is a born winner and deserves all the praise.
Feel like this MSI really establishes and catapults Xiaohu's legacy to a new level
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) May 29, 2022
3 MSI titles
Multiple domestic titles
Now, he's won two international titles in back-to-back years in different positions (top, mid) by defeating DWG KIA and his nemesis T1
He was a monster pic.twitter.com/HFoG7CbLGM
Furthermore, this is RNG coach KenZhu’s world, and we are all living in it. He has been the most successful coach for the past year, and the trend continues. This MSI will mark his fourth consecutive title in a row; LPL Summer 2021, Worlds 2021, LPL Spring 2022, and Mid-Season Invitational 2022.
Props to RNG coach Kenzhu. For those that don't know he was the EDG coach last year and has now won LPL Summer, Worlds, LPL Spring and now MSI all in a row. Absolutely legendary stuff.
— Christian Rivera (@IWDominate) May 29, 2022
