Welcome to the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, where upsets have reigned supreme during the League of Legends tournament’s rumble stage. First, G2 Esports were taken down once again by PSG Talon, and now, North America’s Evil Geniuses squad have stunned T1 in a late-game comeback victory.
Looking back, the LCK champions haven’t been looking too great ever since their undefeated streak was broken a few days ago. With three losses on the board, the Korean juggernauts are now in a deadlock for second place alongside the LEC and LCS representatives. The PCS representatives, PSG Talon, are also right behind the pack with only one game separating them in the standings.
In this game, the favorites came out to an early gold lead as they usually do. After some quick picks from Oner’s Lee Sin and Faker’s Zoe, T1 had a 5,000 gold lead at around 20 minutes along with a five-turret lead over their opponents. Things were looking great for T1, up until they engaged in a massive teamfight at the Baron pit.
EG’s star jungler Inspired was able to stall long enough with Nocturne’s Paranoia to outlast Keria’s Taric ultimate, and afterward, the team’s veteran top laner Impact crushed the teamfight with one single Gangplank barrel that immediately took out two enemies. With a sudden influx of gold and Baron buff on their side, EG started to sweep up objectives and farm to kickstart their comeback.
Although T1’s jungler Oner would try to drag his team to victory with a highlight play on Lee Sin, EG would continue to find great skirmishes in their own favor. At the 27-minute mark, EG fans watched the familiar sight of a beautifully executed teamfight at the Baron pit, effectively locking in a win against one of the best teams in the world.
The silence was almost palpable in Busan when the hometown favorites were taken down, but LCS fans were ready to explode after watching their young stars take down T1. Although there is still plenty of work left to do, EG have clawed their way back into the knockout stage conversation after finding their first win against a major region representative.
The rumble stage at MSI 2022 will continue until Tuesday, May 24.
