With 2 MSI titles apiece, T1 and RNG set to meet in MSI 2022 final

Royal Never Give Up’s first game against Evil Geniuses in the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational semifinals was won in dominant fashion. Although the the League of Legends Pro League representatives kept viewers on edge in Games 2 and 3, they ultimately won the series in a resounding 3-0 over the North American representatives. Shortly after, Royal Never Give Up were viewed as a favorite to win the entire event for their dominant semifinal performance.

The following day, T1 answered back with their very own 3-0 semifinal sweep over the League of Legends European Championship representative G2 Esports. After a pair of dominant series from two of the most storied names in League of Legends, the upcoming match between Royal Never Give Up and T1 is a battle to become the first three-time MSI champions.

From the outside perspective, a lot is riding on this win for the LPL representatives as the defending champions. Yet, internally, the mindset for RNG continues to stay the same for the storied LPL team.

“I don’t think we have much pressure on our shoulders. We are just maintaining a very chill mindset,” Royal Never Give Up support Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming said. “I will feel proud if we get a victory, but if we don’t manage to get the win, I will keep the same mindset I had before.”

The current COVID lockdown in China has kept Royal Never Give Up at home while competing at MSI remotely. Now, they stand one series away from their third MSI trophy and would become the first team to achieve such a feat. Yet, even if they win, it will be bittersweet; a similar feeling to their most recent spring split title.

Photo credit: Riot Games

“I think after we got the win [in the LPL final], to be honest, we didn’t feel the enthusiasm,” Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao honestly shared about his most recent spring split victory. “We don’t feel the passion because we are just in our training rooms, so I think maybe this [enjoying a win at MSI] may be the difficult part.”

“This is my first time at MSI and we can only have the game in our training room,” Royal Never Give Up top laner Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin echoed later in the press conference.

A longtime Royal Never Give Up fan and the sole addition to the team’s 2021 core, Bin has grown into his new environment. Throughout MSI 2022, the top laner has accumulated 76 kills, 146 assists and a 4.2 KDA. Yet, for him and the rest of RNG, everything feels the same, for better and for worse.

Still, the exceptional performances showcase a natural base level of talent for the LPL representatives. Royal Never Give up finished first in the rumble stage with an 8-2 record where each player led most major statistical categories throughout the tournament. For captain Xiaohu, this tournament was an opportunity to show how dominant this lineup could be.

“I think the difference between this year’s Royal Never Give Up and last year’s is distinct,” Xiaohu said. “Last year, we put more attention on the synergy and overall tempo, but this year, we like to put a lot more attention in the laning phase and we like to snowball the early game more.”

Yet, even with this strong showing, their opponents, T1, do not view them any different than the teams they played to reach the final.

“I’m excited to play against Royal Never Give Up tomorrow,” T1 support Ryu "Keria" Min-seok said in a postmatch press conference. “But there was nothing really special about Royal Never Give Up from other teams.”

Photo credit: Riot Games

T1, who finished the rumble stage with a 7-3 record, were viewed as the pre-tournament favorites to win the entire event. After a dominant 18-0 run through the League of Legends Champions Korea spring split, comparisons to the dominant 2015 T1 lineup arose. However, after RNG began to emerge as a dominant force, the favorite became jaded. Part of this was “sloppy” play according to members of T1.

“My form was a little bit shaky,” T1 AD carry Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong admitted during the press conference. “I still had faith in myself and I believed in myself. I believe that I will do great later on because I trusted my form and performance.”

Now, after a strong series against G2 Esports, it was nothing but business for the storied Korean organization as they enter their upcoming match against Royal Never Give Up with confidence.

“I would like to say we're gonna just clap them,” Gumayusi stated bluntly.

It’ll be two of League of Legends’ most successful organizations battling it out to see who becomes the first three-time MSI champions. The final between T1 and Royal Never Give Up will take place Sunday at 4 a.m. ET.

Lead photo credit: Riot Games