There’s only a short time left until MSI 2022 officially kicks off. This season of MSI is anticipated to be full of excitement. Historically, all MSI champions except EDward Gaming have gathered for this tournament. Royal Never Give Up, however, will not be able to join other competitors in Busan due to health issues. Nonetheless, this is not expected to affect the strength of the LPL. The reason is that Riot has maximally supported the “Royal Legion” to compete online with conditions similar to offline teams regarding facilities and internet connectivity.
As the entire League of Legends community eagerly awaits the official tournament to begin, international media has also released power rankings for 11 teams at MSI 2022. This ranking, like all others that have appeared recently, has sparked numerous debates within the League of Legends community, particularly regarding the top two positions: T1 and RNG.
Accordingly, T1 is ranked first and RNG follows closely behind. If we consider only the performance from Spring 2022, it can be said that the ranking reflects the current power dynamics of the two teams accurately. Both T1 and RNG have delivered impressive performances to clinch their domestic championships. However, T1 appears to be more stable while RNG occasionally experiences unexpected “choke” moments. Perhaps for this reason, RNG is rated lower compared to Faker and his teammates.
However, this has made LPL fans, especially RNG supporters, very happy. In Spring 2022, RNG was not often rated as highly as Victory Five or sometimes even Top Esports. However, while both Rookie and Knight faced defeats, Xiaohu and his team rightfully claimed the championship. Therefore, LPL fans believe that being underestimated will relieve some of the pressure on RNG, allowing these players to perform even better.
Ranked immediately after T1 and RNG is the “Circus” G2 Esports. At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to say that G2 is the team most likely to prevent the tournament from becoming a playground solely for the LPL and LCK. The “Circus” is showcasing impressive performance with a winning streak in their domestic league to secure the championship, despite having to come from the lower bracket. However, there’s one caveat: G2’s rookies, aside from Broken Blade, have never experienced the atmosphere of international competitions. Therefore, if they falter, the talented players from T1 or RNG could potentially extinguish the last hopes for Western League of Legends.
While Evil Geniuses ranked fourth is not surprising, the positions from fifth to seventh are occupied by three teams from smaller regions, which can even be considered the “doldrums” of League of Legends: PCS (PSG.Talon), LJL (DetonatioN FocusMe), and VCS (Saigon Buffalo).
Historically, these three tournaments, especially PCS – VCS, have been seen as having equal strength. It may be due to VCS’s two-year absence from international arenas that SGB is not rated as highly compared to the other two teams. However, both PSG and DFM have suffered roster losses compared to their performance at Worlds 2021. Thus, it is difficult to assert that both teams are still stronger than SGB. These three positions are also the most likely to change, especially if SGB performs well in Busan this time.
The last four spots in the ranking are occupied by teams from smaller regions with underdeveloped League of Legends scenes, such as Istanbul Wildcats (Turkey), Team Aze (Latin America), Red Canids (Brazil), and ORDER (Oceania). These placements are completely uncontroversial as these are also the most recognized teams in their regions. However, compared to the names above, the gap is still quite significant.
However, rankings are merely for reference. At MSI 2022, the performance of the teams will ultimately determine the match results. A small mistake can cost a team dearly at any moment, and lower-rated teams can definitely create surprises.