Evil Geniuses eliminated from MSI 2022 as RNG advance to finals

On May 27, RNG came one step closer to their dream of becoming the first ever team to hold three MSI titles. They took down LCS hopefuls Evil Geniuses in a quick 3-0 to advance to the MSI finals.

Expectations coming into the first semifinal of MSI 2022 were that it would be exactly that, too. First seed Royal Never Give Up had chosen fourth seed Evil Geniuses as their opponents, a decision made to give RNG the best chance of making it to MSI finals. While it’s safe to say that EG have surpassed the expectations of the world at this tournament, and have had a commendable showing, taking down RNG was just one step beyond their capabilities.

It’s unfair to say that the outcome of this game was a foregone conclusion. But it would have been a Herculean effort for EG to take down RNG, and unfortunately for them, they simply were not up to the task.

But they gave it a much better shot than anyone could have anticipated — even if the 3-0 scoreline doesn’t necessarily reflect that fact. Games 2 and 3 showed real promise from the LCS roster, and it never felt as though the team had given up. They fought valiantly, and any time RNG slipped for even a second, EG were there to try and make something happen for themselves.

The end of the line for the Evil Geniuses

Victory for RNG here marks the end of EG’s MSI run. They simply weren’t able to withstand the pressure of RNG’s mid-to-late game, and will bow out of the tournament on a low note after failing to take a game in the series.

It’s a shame that EG’s MSI run has to end on such a sour moment — considering the youth of their players, their performance at the tournament has been way above what anyone had expected for them internationally.

In particular, mid-laner Joseph ‘Jojopyun’ Joonpyun has proven that he’s more than just an overhyped domestic prospect. He took a while to warm up, but his confidence in taking risky plays throughout the tournament shows an incredible level of promise for his future career in professional play.

EG’s improvement throughout MSI has been nothing short of incredible to watch. Although the scoreline of this game may not reflect it, they managed to bring a real fight to one of the best teams in the world, in what was the first international showing for two of their players. Their rapid improvement bodes well for their domestic performance in the Summer split, and it’s highly unlikely this will be the team’s last time on the international stage.

RNG await their finals opponent

RNG are now qualified for their third-ever MSI final. They’ve been the most dominant team at MSI this year, dropping only two games throughout the course of the tournament so far, and they’re only getting stronger.

The star of the series versus Evil Geniuses was, undoubtedly, support Shi ‘Ming’ Sen-Ming. He’s been one of the best engage supports at the tournament so far, and paired up with Chen ‘GALA’ Wei he’s made RNG a teamfighting force to be reckoned with.

• Read more: G2 Esports and T1 rekindle fiery rivalry in MSI 2022 semi-finals

Although RNG are undeniably strong laners, it’s in the mid-game teamfighting stage that they truly shine – and that’s largely down to Ming and Gala. There’s a strong argument to be made that they’re the best bot lane left at MSI, and whoever qualifies for the final out of G2 and T1 is going to have their work cut out making sure the RNG duo don’t single-handedly run away with the game.