LNG Esports were the last team in the LPL 2022 to have a winning streak, which was obliterated by Royal Never Give Up with a clinical 2-1 sweep today.Â
The end of LNG’s seven-match spree showed how unpredictable the LPL can be. Underdogs have beaten bigger names in the league, and LNG were the last undefeated team in the LPL until today after Edward Gaming lost their win streak recently.
The first match kicked off leaning towards LNG. They took the first dragon and retaliated one of RNG’s ganks to take three kills and build a sizeable lead. LNG were unstoppable, picking another dragon and chasing their rivals to finish them off.
In the mid game, RNG tried to come back by catching Ale in the side lane. He survived the attack survived and baited the enemy team into a lost teamfight, which pushed RNG even further back in the match. LNG took advantage of that momentum, securing a Baron and putting an end to the match.
RNG had a tough job on their hands if they wanted to make a comeback in the series. And they succeeded. RNG secured three dragonsearly in the match, but LNG sneaked a Baron under their opponents’ noses. They tried to seize objectives with the Baron buff, but failed to translate that into an advantage. On the other hand, RNG took full control of the Soul Dragon and secured the Cloud Dragon Soul to gain a permanent bonus in the match. RNG took the driver’s seat in the final moments of the game thanks to a Corki Package from Xiaohu, opening up the enemy Nexus for the taking through the bot lane and tying the series.
RNG needed to continue the momentum from the previous match to reverse sweep LNG and end their winning streak, but the first moments of the decider felt back-and-forth. LNG got two early kills in the bottom lane, but RNG’s top laner Bin performed a solo kill on Ale. RNG captured the first dragon of the match, but their opponents secured the Rift Herald.
The mid-game had frequent skirmishes, but Bin’s Gwen always came on top in these fights and kept them in contention for the match. The lead went to RNG after they hooked Orianna and won a dragon fight, putting the Baron within reach. They went for the Baron, pushing lanes to force a response, and grabbed more buffs before marching into LNG’s base. LNG set up a last-ditch effort, but they failed to thwart the assault and save their win streak.
RNG took the lead after hooking Orianna and winning a dragon fight, putting the Baron within their reach. They secured the Baron and started pushing lanes to force LNG to respond to them. RNG secured another dragon and one more Baron to push through two lanes and break into the enemy base. LNG made a last effort to defend their base and come back into the match, but they couldn’t. RNG took the match and ended their winning streak in the 2022 LPL Spring Split.
Although this loss doesn’t mean much to LNG, it points out some of their shortcomings before the Spring Split Playoffs. LNG failed to withstand the pressure, and though they engaged with confidence, RNG punished them heavily.
The LPL 2022 Spring Split continues tomorrow with Victory Five facing LGD Gaming in the best-of-three series.
