Royal Never Give Up vs Edward Gaming

Next up, we have Royal Never Give Up taking on Edward Gaming. This, for all intents and purposes, is a barnburner waiting to happen! How could it not be, given who's competing? Most of these players are LPL royalty, and they've done more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt, so definitely make sure to tune in as we should be in for one heck of a ride!

Who'll win, though, is heavily up for debate. You could really make a case either way. Both teams are stacked with some of the best and most capable players in the history of the game, but they're also fairly telegraphed when it comes to their win conditions and in-game tendencies. RNG plays solely through top lane -- a decision that should come as no surprise given whom they have competing under their banner. Xiaohu is so darn good at the game that there's really no reason to play through anyone else, even though the rest of RNG warrants a mention as well. Their bottom lane, one could argue, is also a hugely important element in their success as their ability to play weak side and not lose out (too much) is absolutely spectacular and worthy of the highest praise. And, well, we're talking about a team that had won both the 2021 LPL Spring Split *and* the Mid-Season Invitational right afterward, so we know for a fact that they're in-sync, highly dangerous, and staggeringly capable -- if a bit obvious in their intentions.

EDG, however, are not to be trifled with. Their rise to the LPL throne has been both (relatively) sudden and highly impressive. And while most folks didn't really think they'd be able to pull it off, it has now become quite obvious (with FPX imploding beyond measure) that their Summer Split triumph was by no means a fluke. They're also at ease in the current meta, and have found a very respectable amount of success (to say the least) by playing through Scout and Viper, both of whom happen to be on point and in form at this year's Worlds.

Still, neither line-up seems all too consistent at this point. They're winning more often than not, so they're obviously doing *most* things right, but one cannot help but expect *more* from teams of their caliber -- more in terms of execution and preciseness. They're some of the biggest frontrunners to win the whole tournament and yet their flaws have often been on full display thus far. Now, they're still immensely talented, there's no doubt about it, but it's hard to envision a world in which they take down DWG KIA, a team that has been on a tear lately.

In any case, we simply have to side with Edward Gaming on this one, but it's fair to say that both teams have a shot at getting the "W." They're separated by the slimmest of margins, and it'll all boil down to the basics: draft and execution. With all of that being said, expect an absolute spectacle that'll probably go the distance!