Even though MSI 2021 has passed for some time, the echoes of this tournament have once again prompted many to mention it. Ironically, it has led to a verbal clash for a very “outlandish” reason.
Specifically, not long ago, Xiaohu shared with Zz1tai – a former RNG player, about the suspicion that this team was “eavesdropped” during a match at MSI. Xiaohu asserted that RNG’s ban/pick process had been eavesdropped by someone using some method. When the players discussed which champions to ban/pick, the opponents would immediately implement a counter strategy (banning or picking the same champion).
Xiaohu did not specify which match this situation occurred in or who the opponent was; however, Zz1tai speculated and stated: “Only one team at MSI can understand Chinese.”
And the only team that Zz1tai mentioned is certainly none other than PSG Talon, the team from the Taiwan region. Upon learning this information, Maple – the captain of PSG expressed his frustration over what he deemed to be Zz1tai’s “baseless” speculation on stream.
On his live streaming channel, Maple even “swore” in response to the insinuations from the former RNG player:
“At that distance (two separate arenas), we can’t hear anything at all; sometimes we might catch a glimpse of a champion’s name if the opposing team speaks too loudly. If that’s the case, then they would also hear us talking. When in the arena, players always have to remind each other to keep their voices down; otherwise, the opposing team might accidentally hear. At that distance, both sides’ volumes are the same, there’s nothing different. If they weren’t wearing noise-canceling headphones while we were talking, it’s possible they could hear a few words. People say we are actually eavesdropping while we ourselves don’t even have any impression of that match’s happenings. In short, eavesdropping my *** ** ***, if you’re going to speak up, you better have some evidence; be careful or you might get scolded.”
It is understandable that Maple got “furious” over Zz1tai’s insinuations, as even the story Xiaohu shared actually stemmed from emotions without any concrete evidence.
Reading the ban/pick dynamics, many coaches can draw common conclusions, so Xiaohu’s assumption that “the other team” banned/picked exactly what RNG discussed, concluding they were eavesdropping, also lacks foundation. Although RNG is the stronger team, the ability to read ban/pick falls under the basic knowledge of those with coaching expertise. In fact, many commentators also possess this ability; just looking at 1-2 initial picks allows them to speculate about the complete lineup of the teams.