RNG win third MSI title

RNG have been crowned champions at League of Legends’ MSI 2022, beating T1 3-2 in the Grand Final in Busan.

Despite fans in the arena in Busan, Korea heavily supporting the hometown T1, RNG were able to overcome their Korean rivals to take home their third MSI title, and defend their title from 2021.

RNG beat T1 to win MSI 2022

RNG entered the MSI 2022 Grand Final as the clear favorites to claim the title. They had been dominant in the tournament – posting a 14-2 record through the Group and Rumble stages before crushing Evil Geniuses 3-0 in the semifinals. They also stood as the defending tournament champions and one of two teams that could set a new record for MSI titles.

However, if any team could beat RNG, it was T1. Led by legendary veteran Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, T1 were looking to reclaim their place atop the League of Legends world. Faker and the organization he had spent his entire career with were looking for their first international title since 2017. They had gone 13-3 across the first two stages of the tournament and seemed unstoppable against G2 in the semifinals. T1 would also hold the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd in Busan.

Game One of the best-of-five Grand Final was a convincing yet lengthy victory for RNG. Outkilling T1 19-6, the match included a dominant performance by RNG top laner Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin, who recorded a 13/0/3 stat line on Gwen. But T1 responded with a fast win in Game Two to level the series. Needing just 26 minutes and five seconds to win, T1 showed that they were capable of going toe-to-toe with RNG. The Game Two effort was led by Faker (3/0/6) and ADC Lee “Gumayusi“ Min-hyeong (8/0/2).

However, RNG responded with a Game Three victory to push them to Championship Point. In another sub-30-minute match, RNG out-killed T1 24-8, led by eight kills from jungler Yan “Wei“ Yang-Wei. But once again, T1 rallied to even the series. The Korean champions gave up just three kills in a defensive-minded Game Four win, patiently waiting to exploit RNG at pivotal moments.

But in the end, RNG prevailed. In the deciding Game Five, the Chinese representatives needed just 25 minutes to claim the title. Their team of Gwen, Lee Sin, Lissandra, Tristana, and Rakan attacked relentlessly, never giving T1 the time, space, or freedom to establish themselves in the match.

With the win, RNG secure a record-setting third MSI title and extend T1’s international title drought. However, RNG will now their attention to the one thing that eludes the organization — a Worlds title. Come to the end of the season, when the best teams in the world come together in North America, RNG will be hoping that they can enter as favourites to take home League of Legends’ biggest title.

Header: Riot Games