Although it wasn’t the result many expected, Day 1 of the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational Rumble stage produced moments that many fans, especially from Europe, have been waiting for. Here is a recap of all the best moments from the first day of MSI 2022 Rumble stage.
Player of the day: G2 caPs
It’s probably an exaggeration, but G2 mid laner Rasmus “caPs” Winther is playing like the best player in the entire world at this tournament so far.
Just a couple of months ago, caPs failed to even land on a League of Legends European Championship All-Pro team and played the worst split of his pro career. But something clicked in the 2022 LEC spring playoffs, and so far at MSI 2022, caPs has popped off. On Day 1 of the Rumble stage against two of the best mid laners to ever touch Summoner’s Rift, caPs outplayed T1’s Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Royal Never Give Up’s Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao both.
Against Faker, caPs piloted Yasuo in a comp built around him to a win against the then-unbeaten T1 squad. And then in Game 2 against RNG, caPs made Xiaohu a non-factor while playing Zoe. It still may be too early to tell if caPs is the best player in the world. But right now, he without a doubt is the best player at MSI 2022.
Most memorable moment: The gap is closed (again)
With T1 heading into MSI 2022 undefeated and RNG coming in as the reigning MSI champions, talk of the gap between the East and West regions have exploded once again. The yearly talk has flip-flopped between the gap opening or closing over the last few international tournaments. At MSI 2022, the talks were leaning toward opening once again due to the West’s poor performance at Worlds 2021.
But with G2 pulling off back-to-back wins against both T1 and RNG, talks halted and quickly shifted toward the gap closing. International competition is always great to see in League of Legends, especially if there is a hint of parity between the typically dominant regions and their counterparts. Heck, even Evil Geniuses showed they are not quite a wild card region team with their win against Saigon Buffalo. It’s a good time to be a League of Legends fan.
Best quote: Why So Quiet?
KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW KR WHY SO QUIET KEKW
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) May 20, 2022
G2 have been the king of social media banter throughout the MSI 2022 tournament. And with the team still yet to lose a single game, their cockiness is left unchecked.
The Europeans have become an anti-hero at MSI, and even more so after Friday’s results.
With the League of Legends Champions Korea representatives, T1, being paraded as the greatest team to ever play League of Legends after pulling off the first perfect season in LCK history, G2’s win against them have, for now, caused the KR faithful to go into hiding.
Best clip: The Onus on Oner
OOOOOoooOOOOONER!!!!!!! 🤯🤯 #MSI2022 pic.twitter.com/kja1UdD388
— LCK (@LCK) May 20, 2022
Even though T1 lost the game in the end, this wild teamfight in the top lane between G2 and T1 was the most exciting moment on the day with T1 jungler Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon coming out on top with Viego doing Viego things.
What’s next at MSI 2022
With Day 1 of the MSI 2022 Rumble stage in the books, Day 2 is set to be just as exciting. Fans will finally get to see the first showdown between the two pre-tournament favorites, RNG and T1, as well as the fifth match between G2 and EG. Matches start at 4 a.m. ET on Saturday.
