The loss of Royal Never Give Up against PSG Talon on the third day of the MSI 2021 Rumble Stage left an indescribable “aftertaste” for fans. It’s not just about the significant skill gap between the LPL and PCS regions, but also the way RNG – a team that has defeated DWG KIA with a 12-match winning streak – allowed PSG to dominate.
In the clash between the two teams, PSG showcased a gameplay style that, if a viewer isn’t too familiar with professional League of Legends, they would mistakenly think PSG was the favored team. Throughout the match, the PCS representatives continuously maintained an advantage with successful skirmishes against RNG, a team regarded as having the best team fighting capabilities at the moment.
Because of this, many have raised questions about RNG’s defeat, especially since this loss does not affect their top position but directly pushes Cloud9 into… a dire situation. The LCS representatives currently have only one victory against Pentanet.GG, while losing all matches against major region teams.
Unfortunately, the two “locked-in” spots for the semifinal race seem to belong to RNG and DK, while the remaining three teams: MAD Lions, Cloud9, and PSG Talon will compete for the two remaining slots. With PSG securing crucial points against RNG, and then continuing to win against MAD, they now have four victories, while MAD has three. This puts C9 in a position where they must win all their remaining matches, hoping PSG or MAD lose all their games to have a chance to advance.
Some netizens have theorized that RNG might “gift” important points to PSG and MAD to ensure that C9 cannot advance. The reasoning is that despite their inconsistent performance, the North American representatives have the most knockout Bo5 experience. No one else but RNG has felt the “pain” when facing Perkz at Worlds 2018. Eliminating a strong contender in the knockout stage would ensure a higher chance of championship.
However, the Chinese League of Legends community immediately dismissed this narrative. Based on the shocked reactions of RNG players after the loss, their home fans asserted that Xiaohu and his teammates are the ones who crave victory more than anyone else, and if they have the ambition to win MSI, they won’t fear any opponent.
In return, C9 can only blame themselves for not performing well in the Rumble Stage. No matter how formidable their knockout ability is, if they can’t get past the group stage, then Cloud9 “going home early” is not unfair at all, whether RNG threw the game or not.