Royal Never Give Up vs Hanwha Life Esports

If there's one thing that became perfectly clear after two days of competition, it is the fact that Royal Never Give Up are definitely in a league of their own when compared to their Group C opponents which, in all fairness, is far from a surprise. They're not perfect, mind you, but the mistakes they've made thus far are fixable on a moment's notice (pretty much overnight, if not even mid-series). They're mighty capable and dangerous, and nothing less was expected from the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational champions. How well they'll fare against the likes of DWG KIA and EDward Gaming still remains to be seen, but that's a (potential) problem they still don't have to deal with.

Right now, their sights are set on Hanwha Life Esports, PSG Talon, and the unluckiest of the bunch Fnatic.

They already hold wins over the PCS champions and the former "Kings of Europe," which means they only have Hanwha Life left to deal with before solidifying their spot as the number one team. Their game against Fnatic yesterday was riddled with small mistakes and fumbles, but not once did they lost control. And, well, Fnatic wanted to fight and this RNG bunch is never the one to back down from a challenge — doubly so if it involves ample amounts of bloodshed. That is what they excel at the most, and it was on fully display, too.

Hanwha Life, on the other hand, were beating PSG to a pulp before letting the game slip out of their hands. And, frankly, it wasn't a good sight. Their game is as flawed as it gets, and the fact that only Chovy and Deft seem to be consistent will heavily affect their chances of making it out. Heck, if they lose to Royal Never Give Up as well, they might as well pack their bags; at that point, it'll be all but official, barring any mind-blowing series of events that not even M. Night Shyamalan could come up with.

RNG are simply on a whole 'nother level, and it'll take a team of seemingly equal strength to truly challenge them — a competitive LoL giant, if you will. Hanwha, unfortunately, don't fit the bill. Heck, it's not even close. They might make things a bit more competitive than expected (especially in the early game), but sooner or later they'll make a blunder, give RNG a big enough opening, and lose the game in emphatic fashion; pretty much a carbon copy of what had happened in their game against PSG as well.

In the end, we simply have to side with Royal Never Give Up on this one. They have the better players, more experience, a vast array of weapons to work with, and an equal amount of strategies they could potentially employ. They're a cut above, and no one in their right mind would think otherwise. Whether they'll "go all the way" still remains to be seen, but they're not going to stumble at a challenge as flawed and manageable as Hanwha Life Esports.