G2 Esports Play with Our Hearts
MSI Recap: Royal Never Give Up Win the Rumble
Royal Never Give Up edged out T1 to take the first place in the MSI Rumble despite losing the last game against their Korean Rivals. G2 Esports started great only to go on a five-game losing streak, barely taking the third place from NA’s Evil Geniuses.
After the group stage of the Mid-Season Invitational showed who the top 6 teams of the tournament were in a very decisive fashion, it was time for the best of the best to go head-to-head at the Rumble. Over five days, the champions of the four major regions, the PCS first seed and the VCS representatives went at it in a no holds-barred brawl. RNG wanted to defend their 2021 title, T1 wanted to add one more trophy after their undefeated split, G2 and Evil Geniuses were on hot streaks of their own and PSG Talon and Saigon Buffalo were ready to show why they belong among the greats as well. So after five days of games, what did we see?
RNG and T1 Duke it out for First Place
Despite a few problems on the first day where both of them lost to G2, Royal Never Give Up and T1 quickly regained their form and eventually came out on top. Most of their games were defined by a strong early game and unrelenting pressure. After their day 1 loss, RNG went on an undefeated streak only broken by T1 in the rematch. T1, meanwhile, suffered an unexpected loss to a very organized Evil Geniuses that eventually consigned them to second place - although after their win against RNG in the closing game of the Rumble, the question which of the two teams is stronger is very much open.
The Great EU vs NA Rivalry
G2 Esports came in hot after a 8:0 showing in the groups and went undefeated for the first two days - and just as we were getting hyped about how the team seemed to have the number of the best teams in the world, it all nearly came apart. A loss to PSG Talon sent G2 into a 5-game losing streak that saw them sweat as Evil Geniuses first caught up and then surpassed them in the rankings with some very strong games, including a pair of wins against PSG Talon and a very solid victory against T1. In the end, however, G2 won the rematch against EG and edged them out for third place with the same 5-5 score but a 2-0 in the head-to-head.
PSG Talon and Saigon Buffalo Bow Out
After taking second place in groups with the tournament favorites, the PCS champions and the VCS representatives were seen as a wild card in this tournament. Despite getting the best of G2 in both their games, PSG Talon only got one win in their remaining eight games and a clutch 0-2 on the last day cost them their playoff chances. Saigon Buffalo, meanwhile, looked lost in the first three days, but despite being eliminated from contention managed to trip up both G2 and PSG in games that showed the Vietnamese region is not to be trifled with. As the VCS champions were busy with the Southeast Asian Games, we can only hope the region will show an even better performance for Worlds.
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The Mid-Season Invitational will take a brief break before returning on Friday, May 27th with the first semifinal featuring Royal Never Give Up and Evil Geniuses. Then, T1 will have their long-awaited Bo5 rematch with G2 Esports. Want to see who will be the king of the Bo5s? Follow us and find out!