Buzz
Coach KenZhu Challenges Notion of Blue Side Advantage in MSI 2022 Finals that Aided RNG's Triumph.
If you remember, in the MSI 2022 Finals, RNG emerged victorious over T1 in a thrilling 3-2 match. Following this, many believed RNG had a significant advantage playing on the blue side (the side that consistently won in that Final) up to 3 times. The narrative of RNG's favoritism on the blue side continued into the LPL Summer 2022, where the team maintained a superior win rate on this side.
However, on July 20th, RNG shattered all opposing opinions by convincingly defeating BLG with a 2-0 score. What's notable here is that in both winning matches, RNG was on the red side, affirming their strength. Even after the match, RNG's Coach KenZhu remarked in an interview: 'Once you're stronger, you win regardless of the side you're on, we (RNG) are still performing exceptionally well.'
Looking at it fairly, the blue side does hold a slight advantage over the red side in LoL. Statistics reveal that the win rate of the blue side in ranked mode is 50.8%, slightly higher than the red side's 49.2%.
However, this difference is extremely marginal, so we cannot assert that playing on the blue side guarantees automatic victory. Especially in a professional competitive environment, players and coaches have numerous ways to turn the red side into the advantageous side. For example, during the draft phase, the red side enjoys the advantage of the last pick, opening up one or more counter matchups beneficial to the team.
Therefore, as HLV KenZhu emphasized, regardless of which team you play for, as long as you're stronger, victory is assured. With the recent 2-0 win over BLG, RNG has secured a spot among the top 4 strongest teams. Hence, the qualification of this team for the upcoming direct elimination round likely hinges only on timing.
