League of Legends: EDG, RNG take LPL’s third and fourth seeds for Worlds

China's League of Legends Pro League (LPL) locked in their third and fourth seeds for the LoL World Championship 2022, with reigning 2021 world champions EDward Gaming (EDG) taking the third seed while 2022 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) winners Royal Never Give Up (RNG) settled for the fourth seed.

EDG claimed the third seed after they defeated RNG in the upper bracket finals of the LPL's Worlds regional qualifier. RNG then took the fourth seed after a close match against LNG Esports in the lower bracket.

RNG was eliminated by EDG in the upper bracket quarterfinals of the Summer Playoffs. However, RNG was guaranteed an upper bracket spot in the regional qualifiers because of RNG's high championship points.

EDG, on the other hand, went on to compete in the playoffs, where they lost against Top Esports, 3-2, in the upper bracket semifinals.

The reigining world champions then won against LNG Esports, 3-1, in the lower bracket semifinals before they were finally eliminated by Top Esports once again in a 3-0 sweep at the lower bracket finals.

Having secured third place, EDG was also guaranteed an upper bracket spot in the regional qualifiers. This meant that both EDG and RNG had to go head-to-head once again.

Here's how EDG and RNG locked in their spots at Worlds 2022:

EDG reverse sweeps RNG 3-2 in the upper bracket finals

RNG gave EDG a hard time in games one and two with their Jax-Taliyah duo for Chen "Breathe" Chen and Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao.

EDG could not find ways to counter RNG’s solid draft, leading to the former taking the the win after a 35-minute encounter.

Both Breathe and Xiaohu continued to work well in game two, allowing Chen “GALA” Wei’s Zeri to pop off and take over. That let RNG take the second game in 37 minutes and seize a commanding 2-0 series lead.

However, EDG found a way to turn the tides, starting with a Gragas pick for Li "Flandre" Xuanjun in the pivotal third game.

Flandre’s perfectly-timed Explosive Casks set up flanks in favour of his team, with Park "Viper" Do-hyeon taking a Triple Kill in one of those encounters. With EDG's unstoppable snowball, they scored their first win of the series in just 27 minutes.

Seeing how successful their strategy was in game three, EDG continued to execute ganks in smaller skirmishes rather than facing RNG head-on in the fourth game.

Flandre and Lee “Scout” Ye-chan shone as they successfully took out members of RNG who were left in vulnerable positions.

These moves helped EDG come back from a huge gold deficit and win game four, forcing the series to a deciding game five.

With RNG’s resolve shaken, EDG completely took over the decider and outplayed their rivals at every turn. EDG notably completed the reverse sweep in 31 minutes and with zero deaths, thus securing themselves LPL’s third seed for Worlds 2022.

RNG take the final slot after a close call against LNG Esports

RNG continued their quest for that last coveted Worlds slot. At the Lower Bracket, they faced LNG Esports, where they once again had a dominant start to the series, winning two games back-to-back.

However, control slipped out of RNG’s hands as they faced a repeat scenario of their match against EDG. LNG’s Hu "Ale" Jia-Le and Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang executed miracle plays that led the series to a fifth game.

Eager to avoid another game five disaster, RNG changed the pace, opting for low kills and focusing on objectives. After a surgical 40-minute encounter, RNG took the 3-2 series victory and secured the final LPL slot at Worlds 2022.

It will notably be Breathe’s first time in the World Championship.

Xiaohu, RNG's mid laner, mentioned in the post-match interview that the team needs to improve and prepare really well for Worlds, especially after that collapse against EDG and the close call with LNG.

EDG and RNG will join Top Esports and LPL champions JD Gaming at the 2022 LoL World Championship.

While JD Gaming, Top Esports and EDG all have secured slots into the Group Stage, RNG will have to start their Worlds campaign from the Play-Ins Stage.

Worlds will kick off with the Play-In stage in Arena Esports Stadium (LLA Studio) in Artz Pedregal in Mexico City, Mexico, taking place from 29 September to 4 October.

This will be followed by the Group Stage (7 to 10 and 13 to 16 October) and Quarterfinals (20 to 23 October), which will both be held at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

The competition will then move to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Semifinals, which will be held on 29 to 30 October at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The tournament’s final stop will be in San Francisco, California, where the 2022 Worlds Finals will be held on 5 November at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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