RNG crowned MSI Champions

Royal Never Give Up marksman Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao may be the best ADC in competitive League of Legends, and at the Mid Season Invitational Uzi proved his mettle by capturing his biggest trophy to date.

Many expected Uzi and his RNG teammates to lose to KING-ZONE DragonX, a team composed of former SKT members and other formidable Korean stars, but RNG and Uzi were not swayed by the challenge before them.

Tensions were high entering the first game of the finals with small mistakes being made on either side of the rift. RNG took the initiative in successfully collecting four kills and setting up an easy Baron. RNG’s lead snowballed out of control from there, giving the Chinese team their first win of the series.

KZ were determined to strike back in the second game. Through the early and mid game, KZ played aggressively across the map. RNG defended well enough to keep the gold difference to a minimum, but KZ eventually pushed through and won a dramatic team fight, allowing them to secure Baron and take Game 2.

RNG’s superior coordination and Uzi’s skill in the bottom lane with Ezreal gave RNG an edge in the third game, putting RNG on the brink of an international championship.

RNG refused to let KZ recover as the Chinese side the fourth game of the series. Uzi turned a key team fight around by taking down three members of KZ  almost single-handedly in a fight over Baron. One mid lane push later and RNG were crowned the Mid-Season Invitational champions.

It had been over three years since a team outside of Korea had won a major international tournament. At MSI, Uzi cemented his reputation and RNG made history.