At this moment, the LCK Spring 2022 has concluded with the championship belonging to T1 of Faker. There’s no need to elaborate too much on this historic championship as Faker and his teammates are officially the first name among the four major leagues to participate in MSI 2022.
With T1’s current devastating form, LS – the former Cloud9 coach – has affirmed that no European or American League of Legends team can defeat T1. At this point, all attention is focused on the LPL – the major rival region of the LCK. However, the LPL Spring 2022 has not yet ended. Among the remaining four teams, which team will challenge the power of Faker and his teammates if given the opportunity to participate in MSI 2022?
“The Royal Army” Royal Never Give Up
First, we must mention “The Royal Army” RNG. Although they have always come up empty at the World Championships, RNG can confidently claim they are not inferior to any representatives from the LCK in the MSI arena. However, one truth is that, historically and to the present, RNG has only faced SKT T1 twice in international competitions (MSI 2016 and Worlds 2017). The results of these two encounters were both defeats for RNG.
Additionally, the LPL Spring 2022 has not yet concluded. While both LNG Esports, Victory Five, and Top Esports have publicly or implicitly stated that they have lost to T1 in scrims, it remains unclear whether RNG has ever scrimmaged against T1. Moreover, another important factor is that the LPL is still uncertain about its participation in MSI 2022. Therefore, despite being placed with high hopes, we still need to wait for the upcoming developments of the season.
“Rookie and Friends” V5
Similarly to RNG, V5 has also experienced moments of concern with some losses during this Spring 2022 season. Although they finished the group stage with top rankings, both V5 and RNG left many worries in certain aspects. Sometimes, V5 players performed like rookies, as seen in their loss to Weibo Gaming, but at other times, they dominated all opponents, as their top ranking after the group stage clearly shows.
However, V5 sometimes gives the impression that they heavily rely on Rookie’s performance. Photic can be praised as the perfect AD carry in the LPL right now, but it’s important to remember that before Photic showcased his current skills, V5 relied on Rookie’s performance and the synergy between Rookie and Karsa. Thus, this can be considered a weakness of V5, similar to RNG’s dependence on Xiaohu.
But one strength for V5 is that if this team participates in MSI 2022 and faces T1, Rookie has a fairly good head-to-head record against Faker. However, it should be noted that Faker doesn’t necessarily have to be the focal point of the gameplay anymore, and it’s possible that Rookie could follow in Chovy’s footsteps: winning the lane against Faker but losing the entire match.
JD Gaming
Many might wonder why JD Gaming performed impressively in the group stage, yet all the spotlight seemed to focus on names like RNG, V5, or even TES rather than Kanavi and his teammates. However, the fact is that JDG is the team with the best results and extremely stable performance. Notably, they completely dominated WBG of SofM in both the group stage and playoffs.
But one reality is that JDG’s experience at MSI is a complete zero while, in terms of tenure, JDG has only lost to RNG among the four remaining teams in the LPL Spring 2022. Although four out of five members of T1 have also never attended MSI, at least T1 has Faker – a player who is very familiar with this tournament. Meanwhile, currently, the oldest member of JDG is Yagao, who has also never participated in this second-largest international tournament in the League of Legends scene.
Top Esports
Considered the weakest team among the four remaining teams in the LPL Spring 2022 playoffs, TES can still surprise. They have seasoned players who have fought in many international tournaments. Notably, two players who have won the World Championship – Tian and JackeyLove. Additionally, the League of Legends community is definitely looking forward to the matchup between Faker and Knight just as much as the Faker vs. Rookie match.
However, the inconsistent performance of TES is the factor that has caused this team and its players to struggle in major tournaments. JackeyLove and Tian, after winning the World Championship, have both seen a significant decline. Both have only recently regained their form and still need time to prove themselves. Meanwhile, T1 has demonstrated perfect stability, even with young players like Zeus making their debut in the main lineup.
But since RNG, V5, and even TES, JDG, and the entire LPL region are still uncertain about their participation in MSI 2022, everything is still in the future. However, T1 is currently a team that embodies a complete blend of experience, skill, and spirit. Therefore, regardless of which LPL team participates in MSI 2022 (in case this tournament is still held in Korea), T1 will remain a massive challenge that cannot be surpassed by just talent or experience alone.