The MSI Rumble had the best teams of the event go head to head. We saw many great plays, but these three players really went above and beyond.
After 30 games between the six best teams of the event, the Rumble stage of the Mid-Season Invitational is over, but boy did it leave us wowed. Although it's borderline sacrilegious to leave so many great players out of the "best" and limit ourselves to only the top 3, we tried to do just that. The list is naturally subjective, counting both the players’ accomplishments and their role on the team as well as the eye test on how effective and stable they were in game. While we considered several other players for these spots, in the end we settled on those three.
3. RNG Xiaohu
It may be heresy to nominate another mid laner when Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is in the tournament, but for our money, Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao has earned it. He has been a powerful presence for RNG in all of their games, playing impressively against some of the best mid lakers in the world. While he has not been able to get the best of Faker and Rasmus "caPs" Winther in every game they played, he has won both against all and proved to be extremely consistent against everyone else - something that eluded his two rivals. On both assassins and control mages, Xiaohu leads RNG to success and we are eager to see if he can keep it up in the Bo5s.
2. T1 Oner
We already mentioned him in the group stage overview and the Rumble proved us correct. Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon continued to be a big part of T1’s success throughout the group stage. He was key in getting both the T1 early game and their teamfighting. His Lee Sin demanded respect and bans, but he was a powerhouse on any champion he took to the rift with. Oner has earned accolades for this jungle play in the LCK and here, on an international stage, he is showing just how deserved they are. He will face a skilled rival in Jankos when T1 face off against G2 Esports in the semifinal, but the Polish veteran might meet his match.
1. RNG GALA
After how big a mnster he was in the group stage, we were wondering if Chen "GALA" Wei could keep up his performance in the Rumble. The answer is an emphatic "Yes!" The RNG bot laner remains a very explosive carry who is often unstoppable in teamfights and usually key to the team’s success. While he hasn’t had a second (or third, depending if you count the replayed matches) Pentakill yet, he has come close and looks to be the strongest AD carry of the tournament so far. Royal Never Give Up needs Gala as a linchpin of their aggressive game and he seldom lets them down. He has been a terror in the bot lane throughout the Rumble and if LPL team lifts the MSI trophy again, he will likely be the main contributor.
Read More about the MSI:
- The 3 Most Impressive MSI Group Stage Players
- What You Need To Know About MSI 2022 Watch Drops & Rewards
- MSI Group Draw Results: NA vs. EU
The Mid-Season Invitational continues on Friday with the first semifinal, featuring Royal Never Give Up and Evil Geniuses. Don't miss it!