MSI 2022 Rumble Stage: Why Is T1 vs G2 Esports A Must-Watch?

After almost a week of back-to-back League of Legends action at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2022, the best six teams have been decided and they are all headed into the Rumble Stage of the tournament. The two teams that will have the most eyes on them at this juncture are Europe’s G2 Esports (G2) and Korea’s T1. Both these teams have very long win streaks going on at MSI 2022 that stemmed from the Spring Split. Additionally, the rivalry between these two juggernauts is one for the history books given their previous down-to-the-wire encounters and entertaining plays.

Let us look at some of the narratives around these two teams.

Group Stage run for T1 and G2 at MSI 2022

Both these teams emerged victorious in their respective groups without dropping even a single game to their opponents. T1 beat Saigon Buffalo (SGB), DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM), and Team Aze twice in the group stage, and G2, on the other hand, took down both Evil Geniuses and ORDER in a quadruple round-robin setup.

MSI 2022: T1 and G2 rosters

A closer look at winning streaks

Coming into MSI, both G2 Esports and T1 had a good win streak going on in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), respectively. The only difference is that G2 won the LEC 2022 Spring Split with a flawless lower bracket run but T1 won the split without dropping even one single series in the LCK where it picked up the Spring trophy with a perfect 18-0 record (regular season).

Now, T1 has won 26 games in a row while G2 is in the midst of a 20-game winning streak going into the MSI 2022 Rumble Stage. One of these sprees is going to be broken on 20th May when these two behemoths collide at the Rumble Stage kick-off.

A rivalry to remember

G2 Esports is one of the very few teams that has defeated T1 in a dominant fashion at an international event. Back in 2019, at the League of Legends World Championship, G2 finally executed what every other team in the world had dreamt of. It took down the then SKT Telecom T1 (SKT T1) team in the semifinals, in one of the most entertaining series of all time.

LolEsports’ GOAT Faker felt the pressure in that series as he made critical errors and seemingly lost his calm on the stage.

G2 showed prowess on the Summoner’s Rift through its creative plays, individual skills, and team synergy and made T1 look clueless. This was also the first time where SKT attended Worlds but failed to make it to the finals. G2 Esports became the “kingslayer” that year after it proved that even titans can fall.

Recently, after taking down Rogue in the 2022 LEC Spring finals, G2 Esports made a bold statement that it was waiting to defeat T1 once again at MSI.

New additions to rosters

The Rumble Stage of MSI 2022 is going to be an absolute delight for the fans of League of Legends pro play with both caPs and Faker in their true form. Additionally, both G2 Esports and T1 have undergone significant roster changes. G2 now has new faces in the top lane (Broken Blade), and the bot duo (Flakked and Targamas). Meanwhile, only Faker remains standing in the T1 lineup as the anchor and the soul of the team with four young players – Zeus, Oner, Gumayusi, and Keria.

Notably, G2 Esports and T1 will go head-to-head twice since the MSI 2022 Rumble Stage is a double round-robin. The second encounter between these two teams is scheduled for 23rd May. T1 will look to get its revenge on G2 and move on to the Knockouts on its home soil in Busan, Korea.

Comeback stories

MSI is held between the first and second splits of the regular League of Legends competitive season, with the leading teams of each regional league competing for the title. Winning MSI would act as a big boost for the team heading into the Summer Split and also add a feather to its cap since the tournament is one of the two international events that League of Legends esports conducts.

Defeating a strong roster like T1 and winning MSI would put G2 Esports back on top of the standings since the team had a rough time adapting and finding crucial wins after the departure of Luka "Perkz" Perković and the recent parting of Martin "Wunder" Nordahl Hansen.

For T1 and Faker, winning both the Spring Split and an international tournament like the MSI would be the greatest comeback story. The team is slowly climbing back to its dominant, older form and an MSI trophy would boost its confidence.

This rivalry is exciting and also narrates the resurgence of two of the best teams in League of Legends esports. With members of T1 and G2 Esports having highlight-worthy plays in the group stage of MSI, it is safe to say that this series will deliver the hype.

Fans can watch the MSI games live on LoLEsports and on the Twitch and Youtube channels of Riot Games once the Rumble Stage kicks off. Even if you miss a game, you can watch the video on demand (VOD) on the LoL Esports VODs and Highlights channel.