The 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is underway and teams have been putting on a show since yesterday. Unusual picks and dominant games were at the center of attention for all League fans who followed the first day of the competition on May 10.

On the second day of the event, the competing teams presented various first-times to the fans, including a bug-related pause. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the second day of the group stage at MSI 2022.

The longest and shortest games so far

The first game of the day immediately brought League fans on an emotional roller coaster when G2 Esports and Evil Geniuses faced off for the second time. In what is the longest game of the tournament so far with almost 40 minutes on the board, G2 won against EG once again. But the way in which they won made the hearts of League fans from EU and NA beat fast.

G2 began the match with a strong lead that allowed them to pressure every lane and get the priority on neutral objectives, like the Baron. Unfortunately for the European team, though, their fight around the Baron pit almost cost them the game when EG conquered the team buff and took down every member of G2. This began a tug-of-war between the two teams in which one would gain the advantage and then give it back to their opponents. This vicious cycle was finally broken by G2, who, thanks to some stellar plays by Broken Blade and the synergy of the entire roster during teamfights, managed to get two aces in a row to close out the game. 

On the opposing side of the spectrum, T1 delivered the shortest game yet at MSI 2022 by winning against AZE in 20 minutes and 38 seconds today. After their performance against Saigon Buffalo yesterday, not many League fans were convinced T1 would be unkillable. But today’s game was a statement from the Korean team. 

By setting up strong side lanes with the help of Faker’s Ahri roaming, T1 owned the game from the early stages. The surprising pick of Kindred for Oner gave T1 the possibility of fast-paced ganks, which accelerated the rhythm of the game. T1 transformed into eternal hunters: They followed their prey to their base and took them down without losing a single tower. 

First pause of MSI 2022

In the second game of the day, EG faced ORDER for the first time. And around 25 minutes into the game, they also called the first pause of the whole tournament. 

During an intense and spread teamfight around the Baron pit, EG’s Vulcan paused in a crucial moment and League fans held their breath waiting for the cause of the break. After a few minutes, it was communicated that a bug occurred for the North American support that caused his Leona to “fly high into the air” and above the Rift.

The “knocked up to infinity and beyond” bug is well known among the League community and might occur from time to time even in the competitive scene. The match had to be paused for almost 10 minutes while tournament officials were investigating the possible bug. And after the game resumed, it only took EG 10 minutes to earn their first win of the tournament. 

The matches resume tomorrow with the third day of MSI, starting with a rematch between EG and ORDER. With the hope of not seeing more champions fly into the sky, League fans can tune in on the lolesports website at 4am CT to watch the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational. 

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