Among the Pool 1 teams at MSI 2022, RNG has been the most stable and dominant team. In the Rumble Stage of MSI 2022, aside from their only loss to G2 on the first day, RNG did not drop any more points. They are currently at the top of the leaderboard with a record of 7 wins – 1 loss and have secured a spot in the MSI 2022 semifinals.
However, RNG did not dominate every match and easily defeat their opponents. A prime example is the difficulty they faced against SGB on May 23, where the VCS representative led for most of the game. Even during the post-match interview, RNG’s Wei admitted that the entire team was shocked by SGB’s rapid improvement in just one day.
Question: You seemed to have quite a bit of difficulty defeating SGB, what happened?
RNG Wei: Honestly, the whole team was a bit shocked by SGB’s playstyle as they engaged in fights continuously for no reason. We were somewhat complacent and allowed them many opportunities to capitalize. The team will be more cautious in the remaining matches.
Question: Where do you think SGB has improved the most?
RNG Wei: I think this team has been more solid in the laning phase and is no longer afraid of direct confrontations. They have truly improved rapidly in this tournament.
Looking back at the match between SGB and RNG, we can see that the VCS representative took a different approach by focusing on protecting Froggy in the Mid Lane. Many situations saw BeanJ and Taki roaming to the midlane to counter and create favorable conditions for Froggy to have a good laning phase against Xiaohu. As a result, SGB had a very strong position in the mid-game with high damage, great mobility, and created an overwhelming lead in kills against RNG.
However, their inexperience in movement towards the end of the game caused SGB to gradually lose their advantage and suffer a regrettable defeat against RNG. Nonetheless, this is considered a successful match for SGB as they showcased rapid improvement after a comprehensive defeat against RNG the previous day. This is surely a valuable lesson for the young and extremely talented players that SGB possesses.
