Royal Never Give Up the kings of League of Legends again with MSI win

May 24, 2021

by Xander Torres

A king is crowned once more. Royal Never Give Up defeated South Korean representatives, DWG KIA, 3-2 in the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational final on Sunday to become just the second team to win multiple Mid-Season Invitationals and the first team to defeat DWG KIA in a best-of-five since May 2020.

Although the roster might not be the same team that took down Kingzone Dragon-X in the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational, Royal Never Give Up are just as strong with a new identity that doesn’t focus on now-retired legend, AD carry Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao.

Whenever someone mentions Royal Never Give Up, the next name to follow is Uzi. Arguably the best AD carry of all time, Uzi’s career with Royal Never Give Up stretched back to 2012 when the organization was originally known as Royal Club. Apart from a brief stint in 2015 and 2016 when he played with Oh My God and Qiao Gu Reapers, Uzi largely anchored the team’s ambitions as the go-to player and star of the “Raise the Puppy strategy,” where Uzi received a great deal of team resources. Coming into this Mid-Season Invitational though, Royal Never Give Up were profiled as being more well-rounded than ever before, and they proved it.

China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) often is highlighted as the land of teamfighting where teams consistently fight each other with the confidence of outplaying their opponents. Royal Never Give Up are certainly strong at teamfighting, but that’s far from the core facet of their identity. During the Mid-Season Invitational and in their final series against DWG KIA, playing around side lanes and objective advantages was the team’s hallmark as they stretched teams thin and forced them into advantageous fights.

At the core of that identity is longtime mid laner, now top laner, Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao, who led the charge for Royal Never Give Up at the Mid-Season Invitational. Xiaohu has been with Royal Never Give Up for five years, but it was only after this role swap that he felt that he started to orchestrate the team’s finer plays.

“In 2018 MSI, it felt like the other teammates led me to victories,” Xiaohu said during the post-final press conference. “But this year, it was me and [Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming] who were the veterans in the team, so we are the more proactive people in playing our games.”

Xiaohu often was underappreciated by the international community during his time as a mid laner, but his contributions during the main event and Royal Never Give Up’s final series against DWG KIA showcased a level of poise even greater than before. He matched DWG KIA top laner, Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, blow for blow in the top lane and proved that he could hold his own against the world’s best top laners. Xiaohu noted during the press conference that his greatest challenge during the year was the pool of strong LPL top laners back home, but that meant he was more than ready for the Mid-Season Invitational.

Photo credit: Riot Games

Xiaohu’s success is a new configuration of one of Royal Never Give Up’s oldest and most reliable tools, but the team’s brightest star during the Mid-Season Invitational was arguably its newest member, AD carry Chen “GALA” Wei. As Royal Never Give Up’s newest AD carry, the narrative during the event rang in everyone’s ears -- just how good is Uzi’s replacement? As GALA showed during the event and the final against DWG KIA, Uzi’s replacement is nothing short of incredible.

GALA played five games of Kai’Sa during the final against DWG KIA and stunned the casters and online audience as he consistently executed DWG KIA AD carry Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun and pivoted around teamfights using his Killer Instinct ability. GALA doesn’t receive the same microfocus that Uzi did, but he showed off the same flare that captivated fans for years and credits his predecessor for some of that inspiration.

“He is a stand-out and spectacular laner,” GALA said during the post-final press conference. “When he was streaming, I watched and learned a lot from him. I think his mechanics are pretty great.”

GALA isn’t the “second coming of Uzi,” but the first coming of GALA. Although he walks in the footsteps of an esports legend, he continues to carve out a path all his own alongside his teammates on Royal Never Give Up. Even compared to past iterations of the team, Royal Never Give Up is built up as a completely different force.

Royal Never Give Up currently stand atop of the League of Legends world and will “celebrate in quarantine” according to jungler Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei, but they’ll have to keep adapting leading up to the League of Legends World Championship at the end of the year. Xiaohu himself referenced during the post-final press conference that one of Royal Never Give Up’s biggest advantages was that there are plenty of teams that could match their strength in the LPL. It’s a statement that terrifies fans from regions across the world, but also highlights the mental fortitude and strength of a squad like Royal Never Give Up.

Uzi might not be a part of the roster anymore, but the team showcased that they can continue to grow and build a new identity without him. As veterans like Xiaohu and Ming hold down the fort, young talent like Wei and GALA dazzle fans each and every game with something new and incredible. Royal Never Give Up are one of many strong LPL teams, but they’ve solidified their place in history as two-time Mid-Season Invitational champions and fully restored faith in their strength going forward.

Lead image credit: Riot Games