Day 1 of the MSI 2021 Rumble Stage saw many different results. It showed that gods could still bleed, and what they were capable of when angry. We even saw how close North America came to upsetting the tournament favourites.
Gods can still bleed
Despite RNG being favourites, there were some esports personalities who predicted DK to win their first head-to-head. Most notably, 4 people from the LEC team predicted that the Worlds 2020 champions would take the win.
However, it looked like the LPL was not happy about losing the Worlds championship trophy. Not only that, but it looked like RNG was not happy with Showmaker’s thoughts about RNG being the tournament favourites. Xiaohu especially was confident heading into the match, saying they would find a way to beat them.
The LPL champions would live up to their word and took the fight to the Worlds champions. RNG won team fight after team fight until they eventually closed out the game. Their ADC “Gala” even managed to find a double kill right after they secured Baron.
In their second match, DAMWON looked to have a shaky early game up against PSG Talon. However, the Worlds champions turned it around with a massive team fight in the dragon pit. The LCK representatives rode that momentum, and eventually closed out the game with a win.
Cloud9 almost made NA proud
Day 1 of the MSI rumble continued to show results others were not expecting. After an 8-0 start in groups, it just looked like RNG would continue to stomp in the rumble stage. However, just like in groups, the LCS representatives were intent on making their opponents sweat for a win.
An extremely good early game from Cloud9 had many people on the edge of their seats. Today might be the day a North American team pulls off the biggest NA upset since Cloud9 and Afreeca Freecs. And it looked to come true as Cloud9 found an ace against the tournament favourites.
Sadly, it looked like the LPL representatives had enough fun with the LCS champions. As Cloud9 looked to secure the baron, RNG members stormed the bot lane and found the backdoor win. RNG even teased a previous match of theirs, showing why you should never leave your nexus open to them.
Meanwhile, in their match against MAD Lions, they looked to cement North America as the better western region. Perkz even looked towards some dark technology, bringing out a Kindred mid during the match.
Unlike their game against RNG, the MAD Lions did anything but sweat for the win. If anything, the LEC representatives dominated for most of the game. Elyoya even managed to find an early triple kill while looking to secure the scuttle.
Looking forward to the second day of MSI, it’ll be a day of matches worth watching. MAD Lions looking dominant going up against RNG, while Damwon KIA has their rematch against Cloud9. Time to answer the age-old question: Has the gap finally closed?
