Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 189 who is the king?

With the Spring Finals over, the release of the champion skins is proceeding smoothly.

With two full weeks to go before the start of MSI, RNG, which was preparing for the competition, has returned to normal.

The LPL Spring Finals version is 8.7, and the MSI version is 8.8.

League of Legends version updates are usually every week to a month. Currently, the Chinese server has not yet updated to version 8.8, so the players can only train on the Korean server.

Of course, the Korean teams haven't officially played version 8.8 in the competition either. All six teams participating in MSI are working hard to figure out how to play in version 8.8.

RNG, too, is practicing like crazy.

In Li Luo's memory, the MSI version in 2018 should be 8.8, while the Spring Finals version was 8.6. It wasn't until after the MSI started that the Korean server updated to version 8.9.

However, a sudden announcement of Riot Games' latest update caught all six participating teams, including RNG, off guard.

Starting now, the Korean server will be officially updated to version 8.9. In the two weeks leading up to the start of MSI, the stability of version 8.9 will be continuously tested. If the stability is satisfactory, the version used in MSI will be 8.9.

"No way, weren't we told before the Spring Finals that we'd be playing 8.8? Now they're updating to 8.9?"

Chris stared at the update announcement with a grim expression.

The Korean server is currently undergoing maintenance and will officially open at 11 AM tomorrow.

"Two weeks without any matches. If we just go straight to scrimmage, no one has developed any new playstyles for the new version. Why is Riot Games acting so recklessly?"

"Are we going to do it like previous World Championship version updates, where the updates are completed in each of the major regions, forcing all teams to play a version that no one is familiar with at the World Championship?"

Similar to the changes made before the S8 World Championship, Riot Games also made similar unconventional moves in S5 and S6.

Shortly before the start of the match, a major version change was suddenly implemented, and this version was the kind that could affect the overall trend of the game.

This change forces all teams to start on a level playing field.

However, unlike the World Championship which lasts for a month, the MSI tournament only lasts for a few days.

Teams that make it from the group stage to the finals in the World Championship can easily develop their lineups, but the MSI format is clearly unsuitable.

Let's see what's new in the update.

Li Luo remained expressionless, opened the translated version update announcement, took a deep breath, and understood Riot's intention when he saw the first paragraph.

RNG is just too strong right now. If they don't get some balance, they'll probably dominate MSI.

Although Riot Games still wants to leverage RNG's popularity to reach even greater heights, seeing RNG dominate the World Championship is definitely a situation they don't want to see.

There is a version that is quite strange in the history of S8.

He vaguely remembered these changes because the changes in that version were particularly volatile, even directly affecting the choice of mid-lane heroes.

Wow, these changes are huge!

"These are all item changes for AP mages. Are mid laners going to rise again? No, this is a nerf to mid lane utility champions!"

"Ghost, is General Tiger coming back again?"

Firstly, in this new version, the core focus is on mages, mana, and their spellcasting.

As time goes by, wave-clearing heroes gradually defeat other heroes in the mid lane, which is not conducive to the development of game diversity.

Basically, it's too easy to overuse skills to clear waves, so items that provide mana to do this have become the best item choices.

The update includes changes to some core mana-boosting items that mages will purchase, as well as changes to mages' base mana/mana regeneration.

This was followed by a series of drastic changes to mage equipment. Even the Mejai's Soulstealer in this version only needs 10 stacks to provide a movement speed bonus.

Secondly, almost all the mid and top lane champions were buffed, while the bot lane champions, including Kai'Sa, continued to be nerfed.

These changes to AP items have completely altered the mid-lane ecosystem.

The idea of ​​using the Banner of Command to annoy lane heroes has completely failed.

With traditional mages having their mana regeneration and mana pool increased, utility heroes who try to bully mages with their strong early-game wave clear have become a pipe dream.

Not only have AP mages risen in popularity, but several assassins have also been buffed, making them viable in competitive matches.

Talon's Q skill range has been increased by 75 points, and Kassadin's Q skill magic shield has been greatly enhanced.

The buffs to several assassin-type heroes also demonstrate Riot Games' determination.

Seeing the numerous changes to the mid and top lanes, the RNG team couldn't help but turn their attention to Li Luo.

The reason why Riot Games forced a patch update before MSI has been found: it's because RNG's bot lane is too strong!

"Blame me~"

Li Luo shrugged and looked at the group with an innocent expression.

It seems that Riot Games updated to version 8.9 specifically to curb RNG's invincible playstyle in S8.
Having found the reason, Li Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not version 8.11, he doesn't have any problems.

It's worth noting that in patch 8.11, Riot Games went so far as to nerf dozens of AD carries, reducing their basic stats such as attack damage, health, and armor.

Even the Infinity Edge, the signature item for ADCs, has been reworked, with its critical strike damage bonus being changed to 15% true damage.

Because of this change, ADCs, who used to have a say in the mid-game, have been completely turned into utility players in the early and mid-game.

Despite everyone's good intentions regarding the major version changes, the official announcement was not issued to the six participating teams until May 5.8th, two days before the start of the MSI tournament.

Version 8.9 is now officially launched!

Fans and media officials who had been following the competition have finally turned their attention to this change.

This sparked a new wave of discussion.

Of course, the LPL region has the highest popularity due to its large fan base.

Historically, the LPL region has only won the championship once, in 2015, when Edg represented the LPL at MSI.

Because of that championship, Edg was at the height of its power in the LPL, even dominating the LPL for a whole year.

Clearlove thus achieved legendary status in S5, and Edg was hailed as the most likely favorite to win the S5 championship.

Therefore, this championship shows just how important MSI is!

Unfortunately, after several LPL teams were utterly crushed by LCK teams at the S5 World Championship, the following year, S6, marked the darkest year for the LPL region. That year, all teams underperformed, and a visibly significant gap in skill emerged between them and the LCK teams.

LCK swept all the championships.

This year, just when all the fans had placed all their hopes on RNG, Riot's announcement of changes has been like a bucket of cold water poured on them.

You should know that the Chinese server hasn't even updated to version 8.9 yet, and you're going to use version 8.9 for this competition? What the heck?

But if Riot Games and Tencent listened to even one percent of the players' suggestions, League of Legends wouldn't have gotten worse with each update.

With the deadline fast approaching, the RNG team, on whom countless LPL fans placed high hopes, could only board a plane and head to Berlin, Europe.

The MSI for S8 is held in Europe, while the S-series is held in South Korea.

The European LCS studio in Berlin, Germany.

Also known as the smallest e-sports competition base in Europe and America.

Although the name isn't great, it's small but complete.

This is a competition venue that can only accommodate two hundred spectators, a place known for its ease of ganking and the ability to catch a professional player.

For Riot Games to host such a large-scale global tournament in Europe again, two years after S5, European players and fans have shown amazing spending power.

The 200 tickets sold out within a minute on the day they went on sale, and even the large square outside the studio had many seats reserved for off-site viewing.

These seats, which cost only 10 euros, were originally just something the European organizers were doing for fun, but they unexpectedly sold more than 5000 seats.

Many Chinese fans studying in Europe who really wanted to attend the games in person had to buy tickets from others at higher prices. Some scalpers even obtained visas and flew to Europe specifically to do business.

On the day of the competition, long queues formed outside the venue two hours before the start of the match.

Many fans who didn't get entry could only wait at the entrance to see their beloved professional players.

With 200 spectators inside the stadium and 5000 outside, the sheer size of the crowd left the RNG players momentarily stunned.

Wow, there are so many people! It's just like back home, it's all Chinese people.

Xiao Ming was making funny jokes, but his eyes were secretly glancing around to see if there were any pretty female fans.

Having just recovered from jet lag yesterday, and with the opening match today, everyone except Xiaoming seemed a bit listless, gazing listlessly at the dense crowd outside the bus.

The best thing about competing in China is that you don't have to deal with jet lag or worry about getting sick from the change in environment.

When RNG's team bus appeared, all the fans couldn't contain themselves!
"Uzi! Uzi! Uzi, look here! I'm your biggest fan! Uzi, Uzi!"

"Go RNG! Xiaoming, Mom will always love you, muah (male fan)"

"Grand Slam, win the Grand Slam, Wuhu will take off!"

As the crowd grew increasingly congested, with everyone holding light sticks and trying to squeeze in, even the seasoned RNG players, who had seen it all, quickly entered the competition venue. The fans were just too enthusiastic.

The girl, who was expected to be enthusiastic, was no match for these male fans who had been influenced by Western culture for several years.

The growing number of fans born in the 90s has infused the esports industry with youthful energy.

The cheers and encouragement were so loud that even FNC, the home team that RNG would face in today's opening match, was overwhelmed.

Many European and American passersby who were passing by the competition square also looked on with curiosity at these "foreigners" making a great scene in the square.

"Wow, we have so many fans overseas? I even heard someone call my name!"

RNG's starting five were very calm, but the two substitutes, Xiaotian and Xiaodongbei, were seeing this kind of lineup for the first time.

Previous support efforts were like looking at flowers through a fog, with everyone keeping a great distance.

Although the audience was packed with people, it wasn't as visually striking as being surrounded by people like this.

Xiao Dongbei was like a child who had never seen the world. In just one year, he first won the Spring Championship with his team, and then went abroad for the first time to participate in a world-class event in Europe and America. He was a little nervous, but when he saw Xiao Tian's excited face, he found a sense of resonance.

Before S8, each team could only bring one substitute. This rule was changed by Riot Games after the S8 Spring Split, allowing each team to bring two substitutes.

“Of course,” Li Luo said, turning his head as he sat on the front left side of the bus.

"When we play the final, we'll be at the Zenith Stadium in the Park Villette in Paris, France. That stadium can hold 25,000 spectators. Then you'll see what a real spectacle that is."

In a competitive game where players fight against each other, you can roughly tell a team's strength just by looking at the number of fans.

During the two years of S5 and S6, which were hailed as the darkest two years for the LPL, countless fans were lost.

But the most impressive one was the internal battle between two South Korean teams at the Bird's Nest that led to the "uninstalling the game" incident.

However, because RNG won the championship at the Bird's Nest in S7, LPL fans experienced a surge in popularity, as if their pent-up energy had finally been released.

After the wildcard region play-in stage of this year's MSI, the last two teams to advance were Flash Wolves from the Vietnam region and the Taiwan region.

The schedules for this year's MSI for the six teams have been finalized, as follows:
Eu Region: FNC Team
LPL Region: RNG Team
LCK Region: SKT Team
LMS Region: Fw Team
Vietnam Region: EVS Team
Na Region: Team Tl
Of the six teams, only Kz, who would have appeared at the S8 MSI, was transformed into Skt after being affected by the butterfly storm brought by Li Luo. The other teams have no personnel changes.

With the initial formation of the competition, today marks the first battle between the LPL region and the host Eu region, and online discussions about the match schedule are growing louder.

Riot Games also released its famous "jinx list" on time, and the team strengths before MSI were also compiled into data and posted on the official website.

RNG's five players dominated the top spot in all positions, with Xiaohu's 18 points even surpassing Faker's. As for Uzi's points in the ADC position, they were more than double those of the second-place player.

Unfortunately, domestic fans weren't optimistic either, given Riot Games' notorious reputation for jinxing opponents.

In the past, the team that has been ranked first has almost invariably underperformed at crucial moments.

Of course, foreign audiences don't think so.

In their hearts, this is a list of honors, especially for LCK viewers. Seeing their own players and Zanu being overshadowed by teams from other regions is very disheartening.

Although the reorganized Skt has a brilliant record, it is still quite a distance from RNG's undefeated 19-game winning streak in the Spring Split.

In the small studio, there were only about two hundred fans, but in the live broadcast rooms of various competition regions, millions of LoL fans gathered, looking forward to the clash of titans.

This year's MSI opening ceremony was pre-recorded by several teams, so while the players were preparing their esports equipment, promotional videos were playing simultaneously on the big screen.

The totems of the six teams appeared one by one, each symbolizing the unique style of its region.

The LPL region is undoubtedly represented by the dragon. In the promotional animation for the 2016 MSI, the dragon was the symbol of the LPL region, and RNG was also a participant that year. The dragon has always been one of the representative images of the LPL region, and the reasons are self-evident.

The announcement MVs for the six teams, along with the highlights of their respective regions, finished playing with rousing music.

A provocative English phrase appeared in the highlight reel of Samsung and RNG at the final S7 World Championship:
Who is the king?
(End of this chapter)