MSI 2022 Outlook Series | RED Canids (CBLOL) Preview

With the 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational on the horizon, the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends’ RED Canids are one of 11 regional champions from around the world that are getting ready for the biggest international event of the spring. While MSI 2022 isn’t the final stop for the season, the tournament is key for seeing where each region stands in the global hierarchy.

With nearly identical performances in back-to-back splits, RED Canids managed to repeat as CBLOL champions and are heading back to international play as the Brazilian representatives.

RED Canids (CBLOL) MSI 2022 starting roster breakdown:

• Top: Guilherme “Guigo” Ruiz | Joined roster in 2018.
• Jungle: Gabriel “Aegis” Vinicius Saes de Lemos | Joined roster in 2019.
• Mid: Daniel “Grevthar” Xavier | Promoted from Academy in August 2021.
• Bot: Alexandre “TitaN” Lima dos Santos | Joined roster in 2019.
• Support: Gabriel “Jojo” Dzelme de Oliveira | Joined roster in November 2020, previously a member of Team oNe eSports.

How they got here

After a wild 2021 CBLOL summer playoff run, RED Canids managed to qualify for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship but failed to reach the group stage. However, the organization must have liked what they saw considering they ran it back in 2022 with the exact same starting roster.

It seemed like Grevthar had earned the starting mid-lane role for good to kick off the 2022 CBLOL split 1 season, but RED Canids still kept their old starter, Adriano “Avenger” Perassoli, on the roster as a sub. Sure enough, seven games into the split, RED Canids decided to make a change in the mid lane after a 4-2 start.

Avenger proceeded to play in the team’s next 10 games, going 6-4 over the course of his time in the mid lane. That put the team at 10-6 ahead of their final two games of the regular season. At that point, Grevthar earned the starting role back, helping RED Canids lock the third seed playoff spot after splitting the last two games of the regular season.

In the first round of the 2022 CBLOL split 1 playoffs, RED Canids matched up against the top-seeded KaBuM! e-Sports. Grevthar started Game 1, but after a 32 minute loss, RED Canids turned to Avenger to see if he could turn around the series. He couldn’t, and RED Canids were dropped to the losers bracket after losing 3-0.

Their elimination match against Liberty started off the same way. Grevthar got the starting nod over Avenger and lost Game 1. But, instead of making the knee jerk substitution, RED Canids put their trust in Grevthar and let him play out the series. After a grueling five game set, RED Canids managed to move on.

Grevthar proceeded to play every game in the playoffs from that point. After two more wins in the lower bracket against FURIA Esports and a runback against KBM, RED Canids found themselves in familiar territory: the final.

This time, they faced off against one of the most storied franchises in CBLOL history, paiN Gaming. Despite falling down 1-2 in the series, RED Canids roared back with two straight wins to secure their second straight CBLOL title and a trip to their second-ever MSI.

Players to watch

It’s easy to put eyes on Grevthar since he was the catalyst of their Worlds 2021 run. However, it’s their jungler, Aegis, who has stepped up for this team this year. During the regular season, Aegis was second in the league in the MVP standings with five player of the game honors to his name. Then, in the playoffs, he extended his clutch play with four more player of the game honors. Overall, Aegis has been the best performer on this team and has been one of the best junglers in the region.

Titan, RED Canids’ bot laner, is the other player to watch on this team. He had an exceptional playoff performance and was RED Canids’ go-to carry option. According to Oracleselixer.com, Titan led all bot laners in damage per minute and kill share percentage. RED Canids’ success at MSI rests in his hands as much as Aegis’.

How RED Canids can succeed at MSI 2022

RED Canids are in a tough group at MSI 2022, but it’s not necessarily an impossible one to escape. Their ceiling is most likely a Rumble stage exit, but they can definitely get there.

For RED Canids to be successful at MSI, they are going to need every member on this team to play at their peaks. If Grevthar can be the same carry he was during last year’s summer playoff run — and if Titan and Aegis can continue to play like they did in the playoffs — this team has a decent shot to topple FastPay Wildcats and set up a chance to get out of the group with wins over PSG Talon.

However, if even one player plays poorly, the team is likely doomed to the cellar spot in Group B.