RNG's Xiaohu becomes the first League of Legends player to win the Mid-Season Invitational in two different roles

As Royal Never Give Up won the MSI 2021 beating DWG KIA in an intense final clash, their top laner and leader Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao became the first League of Legends player to win an international trophy in two different roles.

Xiaohu has performed brilliantly in this year's Mid-Season Invitational, and as per stats, he has been the best top laner in the tournament. The 23-year-old veteran showcased his dominance mainly during the early games.

According to stat-based website GOL.GG, the RNG top lane averaged a gold difference of 427 and a CS difference of 8.3 per minute across 25 games.

🏆 MSI Champion as a Mid Laner🏆 MSI Champion as a Top LanerThe only player to win MSI in two roles: Xiaohu #MSI2021 pic.twitter.com/bmmmZ8C3xZ

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 23, 2021

Back in 2018, when RNG lifted their first MSI trophy, Xiaohu played as a mid-laner while Yan "Letme" Junze (retired) was a regular at the top.

Xiaohu had a breathtaking League of Legends battle against DragonX's mid-laner Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong in the final series. Finally, the Chinese had the last laugh over the South Korean.

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RNG's mega roster shift has helped Xiaohu discover his new League of Legends role

Royal Never Give Up struggled a lot after the conclusion of MSI 2018 as Letme and Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao officially retired from pro play. After a disappointing 2020 season, the huge roster shifts and shuffles of RNG before the LPL Spring 2021 led Xiaohu to move to the top lane replacing Tian "New" Zhi-Peng.

Imagine role swapping from mid to top lane because the organization had issues signing a top laner, then reaching the finals after getting voted into the all-pro team and defeating none other than Nuguri to win the title. Unbelievable story for Xiaohu. pic.twitter.com/S9SHTQKPYH

— Fernando Cardenete (@fercardenete) April 18, 2021

Ming + Xiaohuhow it started how it's going pic.twitter.com/ipBYtP0qdY

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 23, 2021

Inclusion of fresh talents like Yan "Wei" Yang-Wei, Chen "GALA" We, and Yuan "Cryin" Cheng-Wei led by a dynamic League of Legends veteran like Xiaohu rejuvenated the entire team. RNG came back with a bang in the 2021 LPL Spring Split, losing just two games in the regular season.

Our roster that will be heading to Reykjavík has been decided.Coaching Staff - Tabe (remote), PoppyTop Lane - Xiaohu, XiaobaiJungle - WeiMid - CryinADC - GALASupport - Ming, LeleSee you soon on the rift #RNGWIN pic.twitter.com/uciOzGQCiV

— Royal Never Give Up (@RNG) April 25, 2021

Royal Never Give UP qualified for the Mid-Season Invitational, being one of the favorites to win the trophy, and they did live up to fans' expectations.

Now, after winning his second international trophy for China, Xiaohu will aim to help RNG defend their LPL Summer Split title, which is most likely to start in June.