
The 2021 Mid-Season Invitational rumble stage is in full swing and LPL champion Royal Never Give Up continues to dominate the tournament.
Over the course of 12 games, RNG has yet to be defeated. As RNG was placed in group A where only three teams played due to the absence of GAM Esports, teams had to play only eight games in total during the first stage. RNG swept the group and is now 4-0 so far in the rumble stage wins over DWG KIA, MAD Lions, Cloud9, and Pentanet.gg.
.@RNGRoyal take down @MADLions_LoLEN and stay undefeated at #MSI2021! pic.twitter.com/ApF72ni2Cy
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 15, 2021
As if a 12-0 record at the first international event of the year wasn’t impressive enough, the LPL champion is yet to give up a tier-two turret on the map. This statistic speaks to the dominant map play from RNG so far, and the minimal number of mistakes made by the team to this point. Pentanet.gg, who is considered the weakest team by far in the rumble stage, came the closest to knocking down one of Royal Never Give Up’s tier-two turrets.
During the group stage, RNG’s biggest strengths were the early game and pure skill in the laning phase. This made for fast victories against the likes of Unicorns of Love and Pentanet.gg. RNG was never really challenged during the group stage, leaving a few questions regarding how it would hold up against the stiffer competition of the rumble stage.
Some fans and experts were curious if Royal Never Give Up looked dominant because of the weaker competition, but the team quickly proved that it’s the true favorite, as the squad took down the defending world champion DWG KIA in a clean game.
With DWG KIA not even being able to snag a victory, or even a tier-2 turret, it’s hard to see who can stop Royal Never Give Up at this point. With six games left to play in the rumble stage, there is a serious chance that RNG might go undefeated towards the playoffs stage. Even if they don’t, it looks like RNG will head towards the semifinals no matter what.
RNG will play its next game on May 16 against PSG Talon.
After winning the 2021 LPL Spring Split, RNG and its talented roster are duking it out at MSI 2021 to secure another trophy. RNG won MSI in 2018, but that was with a much different roster compared to now. Only top laner Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao and support Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming remain from the 2018 roster.
The 2021 RNG roster is:
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.