2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational: Day One Recap

The 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) has officially begun with the exciting first stage of the event. The first day featured six matches between the 11 international teams competing for the championship.

League of Legends fans were treated to a day filled with action as the teams made their MSI 2022 appearances. This tournament is the first international competition of the year, where regional champions from around the world face off on a new patch and a new meta, trying to exploit their opponents’ weaknesses.

Unusual Picks Shaping the Meta

One of the interesting aspects of the first day was the teams’ exploration of the meta and the use of some unconventional champion picks. Throughout MSI, the meta will continuously shift as teams experiment with different compositions and discard common picks. In the first match of the event, T1’s Oner surprised everyone by choosing Vi, the Piltover Enforcer, as their final pick against Saigon Buffalo. This unexpected pick aimed to deliver early-game aggression and establish a strong lead, ultimately leading to a victory for T1, despite Saigon taking the early advantage.

In another game, ORDER picked Karthus in the jungle, while G2 Esports opted for Fiora in the top lane for Broken Blade. Although Karthus and Fiora require time to become impactful, G2’s overall team composition and early to mid-game advantages secured them the win, despite Kisee’s Yone achieving multiple solo kills.

The most surprising pick of the day came from Caps of G2, who locked in Anivia, the Cryophoenix, in a match against Evil Geniuses. Caps used Anivia to counter his short-ranged opponents and control the lane, showcasing his mastery of the champion that hadn’t seen play in his hands since 2017. G2’s strategic picks resulted in a victory, placing them at the top of the standings in Group C with a 2-0 record.

CBLOL Dominates with a Dominant Performance

The results of the day were mostly as expected, but the way the victories were earned surprised many fans. The dominant and aggressive playstyle typically associated with major regions was absent in today’s matches. However, in the game between RED Canids and PSG Talon, the Brazilian team delivered a crushing victory. With proactive plays, map control, and lane pressure, RED secured a 13-0 kill score and destroyed their opponents’ Nexus, demonstrating their strength on the international stage.

As day one concluded, it provided a glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming matches of MSI 2022. The games will resume tomorrow at 4am CT with the rematch between Evil Geniuses and G2.

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