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MSI 2022: The underdogs score shocking wins on Day 4 of the Rumble Stage

Image: Riot Games

Day 4 of the Rumble Stage is over, and things are looking good for Royal Never Give Up and T1. 

The penultimate day of MSI 2022’s Rumble Stage has ended, seeing multiple rematches between the tournament’s six remaining teams. Royal Never Give Up and T1 remain on top, with PSG Talon and Saigon Buffalo in the bottom two, despite the latter two scoring some stunning wins today. Here’s a recap of today’s matches:

PSG Talon versus G2 Esports was the first match of the day. PSG managed to end G2’s longstanding 24-0 winning streak just yesterday, but this was G2’s chance to redeem itself on the big stage. PSG also needs another win here to avoid sinking deeper into the bottom rankings, and give it a better chance at overtaking Evil Geniuses eventually. G2 wasn’t doing very well in the early-to-mid game here, handing four kills, three turrets and a 4k gold lead to PSG - not to mention two dragons. A very puzzling performance from one of the tournament’s favourites, but this team has always been a wild card. 

By the lategame, PSG was practically steamrolling G2 - until a teamfight at the 25-minute mark finally allowed the latter team to grab three kills off PSG in the midlane. Almost immediately after, PSG and G2 fought over a Baron with G2 ending up on the losing side. PSG went on to take its fourth dragon and scored back-to-back kills against G2 in a series of fights that saw G2 sink lower and lower into a hole it couldn’t quite climb out of. PSG eventually got the win they sorely needed.

T1 and EG faced off next. Yesterday, T1 had the upper hand against EG - but EG needed as many wins as it could get today to avoid the bottom two rankings. T1 flexed their map knowledge in the early game here, playing smart, picking up gold and snagging kills where possible. As a result, they had the lead going into the midgame with EG spreading themselves a little too thin, trying to get kills against T1 and thus leaving their turrets unguarded. 

EG managed to turn things around in the lategame however, outplaying T1 with more kills, more turrets and more gold. They took this lead right into T1’s base and earned a remarkable win. This was a big win for EG, allowing the team to get further away from touching the bottom two rankings. Between EG’s win against T1 and PSG’s win against G2 yesterday (and today), the underdogs are having a good time of it. 

Saigon Buffalo went up against Royal Never Give Up next. Seeing as SGB has been on a losing streak and didn’t get a win against RNG yesterday, the team wasn’t favoured for a win here either. This didn’t stop them from putting on a good performance, however. At the 25-minute mark, SGB wasn’t too far behind in gold and scored six more kills over RNG. RNG still had the upper hand, with three dragons in their pocket and better map control. SGB laid siege on RNG 30 minutes in and despite RNG having a Baron buff, managed to make it all the way into the enemy base before being forced to retreat. For a second though, it really looked like they had a win in the bag. 

A decisive teamfight at the 35-minute mark saw RNG wipe out SGB, freeing up the enemy base for their taking. SGB had a clear shot at winning all the way up to the very last minute of this game, but rushing into the enemy base and fumbling the dive cost them the win. Unfortunately, this means SGB has officially been eliminated from the Knockout Stage and thus will exit MSI 2022 here. 

G2 went up against T1 next. Despite both teams being favourites of the tournament, they’re coming into this match after naught but losses today. While G2 managed to stack up five kills in the early game, T1 got their first objective down quickly, putting both teams on equal footing when it comes to gold. T1’s focus on turrets eventually paid off however, giving them more space to play in and more gold to spend. By the midgame, T1 held the lead and came out of teamfights looking almost unbeatable. The team eventually turned the tables on G2 and snagged the win. This is G2’s fourth loss in a row, marking a major fall from grace.

SGB versus PSG. If PSG got the win here, they would successfully find themselves tied with G2 Esports at 4-4, giving them a way to get out of the bottom two spots. SGB had already been eliminated from the Knockout Stage, but this was also their chance to come out of MSI 2022 with more than just a straight losing streak. This was a slow burn of a match, with both teams entering the midgame on even footing. SGB wasn’t giving up the ghost easily for this match, just like the last. They kept pressure on PSG and earned a huge lead by the late game with more objectives down and gold to spend. 

SGB almost had a win in their last match too, but this time the team pulled through, learned from their mistakes and made it across the finish line. Thanks to SGB’s win, G2’s spot (4th place, 4-4) in the Knockout Stage looked more secure than ever. PSG (5th place, 3-5), not so much. RNG has also been locked in for the semifinals!

Final match of the day: EG versus RNG. RNG had the lead here in the early game, pushing into EG, playing aggressively as the team poked for kills and objectives. With two dragons in their pocket, RNG had no problem sailing into the midgame with a hefty gold lead too. The gap between both teams only widened with time, and EG never managed to catch up. RNG dominated this one. 

Tomorrow is the last day of the Rumble Stage! RNG and T1 are on top while PSG and SGB are in the bottom two spots. SGB has been eliminated from the Knockout Stage at this point, but will PSG be able to save themselves from the same fate tomorrow?

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Timothy "Timaugustin" AugustinTim loves movies, TV shows and videogames almost too much. Almost.

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