League of Legends Worlds 2022 Day 1 Play-In results: Fnatic goes 2-0, DRX demolish RNG

The first day of the Play-In stage at League of Legends Worlds 2022 turned out to be an exciting experience filled with brilliant matches, hours of delays, and a pentakill.

However, amongst every team that played on September 29, two caught the attention of everyone. One of them was Fnatic, who, despite all the issues, showed up in style, and Upset was able to perform brilliantly despite the jet lag. The second is DRX, who surpassed all odds and overwhelmingly demolished the MSI champions RNG.

Apart from that, Saigon Buffalo put up an entertaining performance and marked the entry of VCS into Worlds 2022 in style. The day's disappointment had to be RNG, who showed severe issues in drafting and reading the meta.

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Results, standings, and team overview after Day 1 of Play-Ins at League of Legends Worlds 2022

Before moving any further, the results after Day 1 of the League of Legends Worlds 2022 Play-In stage are as follows:

Group A
Team	Matches Played	Wins	Losses
Fnatic	2	2	0
Beyond Gaming	1	1	0
Loud	2	1	1
The Chiefs	1	0	1
DetonatioN FocusMe	1	0	1
Evil Geniuses	1	0	1

Group B
Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses
MAD Lions	2	2	0
DRX	1	1	0
Saigon Buffalo	1	1	0
Isurus	1	0	1
RNG	1	0	1
Istanbul Wildcats	2	0	2

Thus, in terms of results, Fnatic was the best performing team in Group A of the play-in stage at League of Legends Worlds 2022. This victory for Fnatic will feel even more special as the team had COVID-19-related issues before the games started.

Upset, the highly revered ADC for Fnatic, was doubtful to feature even 24 hours before the game against Evil Geniuses. Fortunately, he not only played the game but also grabbed the first pentakill at League of Legends Worlds 2022 on the first day.

The rest of the teams in Group A have been average, with Evil Geniuses showcasing a terrible performance. Fnatic dismantling North America's third-best team is not a good sign moving forward for Evil Genuises.

LOUD had an up-and-down Day 1 with one win and one loss, but the team managed to keep things entertaining. The Brazilian team was always quite energetic but showed even more resilience on the first day.

In Group B, the MAD Lions ended the day 2-0 despite some abysmal showings. The results do not reflect the performance, and there is no doubt that the team needs to up the ante.

MAD Lions struggled against considerably weaker opponents, and considering they will face RNG and DRX in the same group, the European team should evaluate the results with an alarming concern.

DRX is probably the best team right now from Group B, as the roster demolished RNG quite convincingly. This is a result that many might not have expected, but Deft and co showcased immense grip over the current meta and also demonstrated a very clear game plan.

This was also a massive statement for DRX, as many analysts have often disregarded the team massively. Many felt that being the fourth seed from the LCK, DRX might be able to do anything. However, DRX proved that the team is here to win and does not care about predictions.

RNG is one team that deserves criticism as they showcased a lack of understanding of the League of Legends Worlds 2022 meta. The team went for picks like Vi and Nilah, which did not work and thereby ended up losing to DRX.