The early stage of the 2021 LPL Summer Split indeed witnessed a seismic shock in the history of this tournament, as Royal Never Give Up – the reigning Chinese League of Legends and MSI champions, suddenly became a point-dispensing team with a terrifying losing streak. They only won 1 out of 5 matches at the season’s start, losing 4 and sitting at the bottom of the standings after the first 4 weeks.
Fortunately, Xiaohu and his teammates quickly realized who they were, and since their loss to Suning, RNG suddenly awakened to reclaim the impressive form they had displayed earlier. Most recently, RNG defeated JD Gaming in a thrilling match. This marked their 6th consecutive victory. From a record of 1-5 in the early weeks, RNG now boasts a win-loss record of 7-5, placing them above SN and giving them a solid chance to qualify for the Playoffs.
RNG’s impressive winning streak not only helped them escape from the embarrassing bottom position at the start of the season but also restored the lost trust from their fans. Among the 6 latest victims of Xiaohu and his team, besides JDG, there were also IG, LGD, and particularly EDG – the team currently holding the top position in the standings.
Many theories have been proposed to explain why RNG displayed such a “scary” fluctuation in form. Clearly, just before returning to the LPL over 2 weeks ago, they had even defeated DWG KIA to claim the MSI championship, but ended up losing consecutively upon returning home.
One of the main reasons, which seems the most plausible, is that RNG had to undergo 2 weeks of quarantine upon returning home without adequate internet conditions for practice, leading to them being “out-meta” due to… being locked away for too long.
But now, none of that matters anymore, as this team has regained the face of a giant and is fully prepared for the race to defend their championship title.