Perhaps among all the MSI tournaments, the event in 2022 had the worst organization and the most drama that Riot has ever carried out. Even before the tournament began, controversy erupted when Riot Games allowed RNG to compete remotely, forcing other teams to play under conditions of 35 ping. This proved to be unfair when compared to the case of VCS, as Vietnamese representatives had been unable to attend international tournaments for a long time for similar reasons as RNG.
Speaking of ping issues, it seems that the actual ping number experienced by players was much higher than the 35 ping that Riot Games reported. According to some PSG Talon players sharing with Kookmin Ilbo, they appeared to be playing at 50-60 ping during the first few days of competition. It wasn’t until Riot discovered the issue and fixed it on the fourth day of competition that the connection conditions became more stable, and players were able to play at the reported 35 ping.
Furthermore, the ping issue continued to arise when it was discovered that T1 players were displayed as competing at a ping of only 22-23. After receiving a lot of criticism about this issue, Riot Games had to explain that the low ping display was due to a glitch. In reality, the ping that T1 players experienced would match that of other teams.
Although the ping issues at MSI 2022 have been temporarily resolved, it still leaves many dissatisfied with this tournament. Even after Riot Games issued a statement about the ping, a North American League of Legends legend, Doublelift, publicly criticized the event. He referred to MSI 2022 as “Mickey Mouse,” a slang term in the US meaning unfair, low-value, and lacking significance.
Essentially, the ping discrepancy can greatly affect the outcomes of plays in League of Legends. Especially in a competition that gathers top players like MSI 2022, this can sometimes decide which team wins or loses. Therefore, allowing such ping discrepancies at MSI 2022 is hard to accept, even if Riot has attempted to resolve it by asking RNG to play again.
For the audience, we clearly always want to witness the highest quality matches. Hopefully, in the upcoming Mixed Tournament, the connectivity issues will not arise and ruin a tournament that has already had too much drama.