Last weekend, the final matches of the MSI 2022 Play-In Stage officially concluded without many surprises. The top three teams, including T1, G2, and RNG, easily secured the first position in their respective groups with a flawless record thanks to a significant skill gap. The remaining slots in the top 6 were also filled by deserving teams such as SGB (VCS), PSG Talon (PCS), and EG (LCS).
Interestingly, on the final day of the Play-In stage, T1’s Oner frequently teased the champion Nidalee but never picked her. This raised curiosity among many gamers and the Korean media, as Oner is known for being an exceptionally skilled Nidalee player. There must be a reason why T1’s “Jungle God” decided against this champion. In a post-match interview, T1 Oner revealed that Nidalee is currently a completely useless champion in the current meta.
Question: We noticed that you teased Nidalee several times but never selected her. It seems like you really wanted to use this champion. T1 played many champions in the Play-In stage, but Nidalee was not picked even once, despite her recent buff. What do you think about this? Will Nidalee appear in the Rumble Stage?
T1 Oner: Our coaching staff analyzed the meta and concluded that Nidalee is not a good choice in the current meta. It’s true that Nidalee was buffed, but in practical terms, she is relatively weak, if not completely useless. So I was just joking around when I teased Nidalee. As for the Rumble Stage, we can’t predict anything, but I believe the chances of Nidalee appearing will be extremely low.
In fact, Oner’s comments are very accurate as during the recent MSI 2022 Play-In stage, Nidalee was chosen only once and was not banned. The only match where Nidalee was picked was in the highly uneven matchup between G2 and ORD. Indeed, in such a match, even if Jankos picked this champion, G2 would still win.
So what has caused Nidalee to be “left behind” in the current MSI 2022 meta? The answer lies in the fact that this champion has relatively weak team fight impact and is only strong in skirmishes. With teams ready to move early and engage in 4-5 person fights around the Rift Herald, a champion that lacks strong damage or crowd control abilities like Nidalee will not have much effect.
Furthermore, Nidalee is only truly strong in games where you completely dominate the opponent, control every objective, and pressure the map. Clearly, in a high-level competition like MSI 2022, achieving this perfectly in every match is difficult. Even Wildcard teams can pose challenges to “higher-tier” teams, making the selection of Nidalee a risky move. Thus, as Oner shared earlier, it seems unlikely that Nidalee will appear again at MSI 2022 this time.