The first match of the MSI 2022 Knockout Stage pits LPL Representatives and defending MSI Champions Royal Never Give Up against NA's Evil Geniuses.
The full schedule and bracket can be found on lolesports.com.
Royal Never Give Up (LPL) vs Evil Geniuses (LCS)
| Royal Never Give Up | Role | Evil Geniuses |
| Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin | Top | Jeong “Impact” Eon-young |
| Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei | Jungle | Kacper “Inspired” Słoma |
| Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao | Mid | Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun |
| Chen “GALA” Wei | Bot | Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki |
| Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming | Support | Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme |
Game 1
Bans
- RNG: LeBlanc, Kalista, Zoe, Twisted Fate, Rakan
- EG: Lucian, Wukong, Ahri, Viego, Lee Sin
Picks
- RNG: Gwen, Jarvan IV, Galio, Kai’Sa, Nautilus
- EG: Gangplank, Nocturne, Corki, Xayah, Leona
RNG quickly got their game on and began making multiple plays on the top lane, putting Evil Geniuses in the defensive. Unfortunately for them, both top dives still work in RNG’s favor. By 15 minutes, the game is a complete stomp at 6 kills to RNG and nil to EG.
Impact’s Gangplank was in the receiving end of a lot of pressure, putting him extremely behind. He lane swaps to bot lane, but this didn’t save him from getting rushed by multiple RNG members. From this play, EG finally pick up one kill, but lost two in the process.
GALA once again showed his prowess and wins a fight for his team. Afterwards, they claimed the Baron buff and ran over EG.
Result: RNG win in 27:43 (RNG 22 – 1 EG)
Game 2
Bans
- EG: Kai’Sa, Galio, Gwen, Vex, Zoe
- RNG: Lucian, LeBlanc, Kalista, Senna, Ezreal
Picks
- EG: Ornn, Viego, Ahri, Jinx, Tahm Kench
- RNG: Gangplank, Wukong, Lissandra, Xayah, Rakan
Evil Geniuses finally woke up in Game 2, with a draft centered around resets. They began making aggressive plays that worked in their favor, bringing the early game much closer compared to Game 1. However, much like Game 1, Wei became fed and this time on Wukong.
RNG get the first Drake of the game but lost the following fight. This trend kept on for a while, with RNG stacking Drakes while EG were on the back foot. Eventually, they claimed the Cloud Soul. Another fight broke out near Baron Nashor, a fight that ended up in EG’s favor, but some RNG members ran away with the purple buff.
This team fight win was not enough for EG to win against their opponents’ siege, and RNG clean ace the NA representatives.
RNG were now on the cusp of a clean sweep, but EG showed more fight this game.
Result: RNG win in 35:37 (EG 15 – 19 RNG)
Game 3
Bans
- EG: Galio, Gwen, Kai’Sa, Rakan, Vex
- RNG: Lucian, LeBlanc, Tahm Kench, Ezreal, Jinx
Picks
- EG: Ornn, viego, Ahri, Miss Fortune, Nautilus
- RNG: Gangplank, Wukong, Lissandra, Xayah, Braum
A bot lane 2v2 fight went in the favor of RNG, with Ming walking away with 2 kills and Danny with 1. Much like Game 2, RNG used their lane priority to slowly stack Drakes. Ming made full use of his lead and his Unsealed Spellbook and turned his attention to the top side of the map to defend against EG’s plays.
RNG committed many players in each of the calls they made, and EG were finding answers for most of them. But when they didn’t, RNG made sure to make the most out of it. This style of play meant that EG’s towers were slowly crumbling, and RNG’s gold lead was getting bigger and bigger.
This was stymied by EG’s successful attempt at claiming the Baron buff, and even managed to kill all 5 RNG members. The gold lead evaporated from being almost 10k to 3k from this fight alone. EG’s hope was short-lived however, as after they denied RNG’s Hextech soul, RNG convincingly won a fight. Ming’s Braum showed its huge value in this fight, blocking almost all waves from the Miss Fortune ultimate. Shortly after, he uses his block again to deny an Ornn ultimate.
RNG barreled down mid, pushing away EG and taking down towers. They only stopped to claim their Hextech Soul. Powered by chain lightning, they confidently started a fight in mid lane but once again fell to the Geniuses. EG take this time to claim the Baron buff for themselves.
They couldn’t find much with the Baron buff, and another fight broke out with both teams contesting control of the Elder Dragon. RNG won the fight, leaving Impact and Jojopyun to defend the base against the siege. Jojopyun landed a charm onto Gala and sends the rest of RNG running for the hills. This gave EG enough time to take the Elder Dragon, while RNG slew the Baron.
EG lost the fight in their base against the Chinese squad, which led to their Nexus exploding. RNG advance to the Grand Finals and EG is eliminated.
Result: RNG win in 43:45 (EG 16 – 27 RNG)
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