Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 250 I've become "numb" to winning~
Often, competing on the same stage as a genius who has dominated an era is both fortunate and tragic.

But since we've encountered this situation, and we can't resist it, we can only accept it.

With Uzi serving as a mentor in the LPL bot lane, countless talented ADCs have emerged on the field like an explosion, from last year's LDL to this year's LPL.

Many people are reviewing Uzi's replays to learn some of his details. In the past six months, the level of LPL's bot lane has been visibly higher than that of other regions.

However, there are some things that you can't learn just by watching videos.

For example, this micro-management move that appears to be Pyke but is actually Sivir's aggressive damage output is a perfect example.

High-frequency kiting micro-management, using the E skill to bait out IG's initiation of the team fight, the positioning in the corners of the team fight, the judgment of damage and combos, and other details that can be imitated are different. The way to handle these details will change with the situation and rely purely on the U-shaped player's temporary reaction.

But if outsiders knew that RNG's amazing strategies and outrageous decisions were all made by Uzi, they would undoubtedly shout that League of Legends talent is eight parts, Uzi has five parts, Faker has five parts, and everyone else is missing two parts.

As the opposing player, Ah Shui's eyes were fixed on Sivir. Watching Sivir survive the last burst of damage on the screen and start destroying the high ground, even Ah Shui sighed almost imperceptibly.

"It's so frustrating to be unable to save the game and just watch it slip away unnoticed."

The match wasn't over yet, and the base still had half its health remaining. Ah Shui's mutterings were transmitted to everyone's earpieces through the microphone.

Ning, who was playing Graves and had a score of 0/3/2 the entire game, immediately took off his headphones and slumped into his chair with a cold expression.

"666666"

"Pyke's late-game damage is just insanely ridiculous!"

"This blue-clad Minotaur is kowtowing again. I suggest IG investigate who the mole is."

"Who said RNG was going to fall before the match? I'll go up there and slap you twice across the face, your favorite treat!"

"Sivir's play, I thought it was something anyone could do?"

"Surgeon from XX Hospital: Hey there, you just had both hands amputated, don't wander around!"

Cheap ADCs like Sivir, Ashe, and Tristana were created by Riot Games to lower the skill floor for beginners, making them incredibly easy to play.

However, it is precisely these same trash heroes that some people can use to reach the highest rank of Challenger through thousands or tens of thousands of times of mastery, while others attribute their stagnation in Iron and Bronze to the heroes themselves.

Where is the difference?

It's about the details.

On the field, with Sivir's high auto-attack damage, the game was already over.

With the explosive damage from the mage's additional ability power on basic attacks, the tower-destroying speed was terrifying. In just over 20 minutes, there was less than 30 seconds of respawn time, and none of the five IG players could get out in time to stop it.

The Crystal Bastion exploded, and RNG won the first game.

In the second game, it was IG's turn on the blue side. They first banned Pyke and still picked a lineup with a strong mid, top, and jungle, and a bot lane to ensure late-game stability.

But even without Pyke, RNG's top laner still pulled out an unexpected champion - the Undead Warrior, Sion.

The mid laner is an unreasonable tank - Nautilus, completely abandoning the damage-dealing role.

When jungler Lee Sin, support Leona, and ADC Ezreal appeared in the draft picks, even the commentators were stunned.

Once the game started, RNG completely neglected their bot lane in the early game, while engaging in rampant fighting and creating opportunities in the top half of the map. Even if there were no opportunities to fight, they would force them to happen.

The aggressiveness it displayed surprised many professional esports players and coaches watching the match.

In the early game, Titan has hard crowd control, with his Q skill pulling and passive root; Leona has her E skill root and her Q skill stun; and Undead Warrior has his Q skill knock-up.

The dazzling control left the IG team, who were still focused on gaining an advantage in the laning phase, unable to find a way to counter it.

Just like in the first game, once Baolan was led by the nose and followed Xiaoming to roam, Ah Shui in the bottom lane had no way to suppress Li Luo.

By the 20-minute mark, both Nautilus and Sion were incredibly tanky, and with Ezreal having three items and Lee Sin with armor penetration, IG couldn't drag the game into the late game. RNG, without the Baron buff, forced a dive under the second tower and scored a 2-for-5 trade.
After pushing down the mid-lane inhibitor and taking down Baron Nashor, IG had no chance to fight back and RNG ended the game decisively.

Two to zero.

"Let's congratulate RNG on their victory against IG today!"

"IG is currently the team with the highest points in the LPL Summer Split, while RNG has also adjusted its form, announcing their return with a crushing victory in this best-of-three series. It's clear that every RNG player is in excellent form right now."

Wang Duoduo gave a post-match summary.

PDD chimed in at the opportune moment, saying, "Moreover, RNG brought us a completely new approach today. I have a feeling that from today onwards, LPL's tactics are about to undergo an epic revolution!"

"Yes," Shenchao nodded.

"RNG played too aggressively today. In the past, the attacks launched by our LPL teams, including RNG, were basically to seize the opponent's mistakes or breakthroughs. They were the 'reasonable' attacks in the Korean style of operation. But today RNG made many moves that defied our understanding. They made unconventional exchanges even though Riot Games was intentionally strengthening resource operation!"

"Of course, we can see that RNG made a lot of mistakes today."

"But I believe that given time, our LPL will fully embrace its own regional style of play!"

The three commentators started to over-interpret the situation, which is actually quite normal.

Having won the championship last year and with the same roster this year, RNG maintained their momentum throughout the Spring Split, achieving a historic 19-game winning streak and winning the MSI and Asian Games championships again. Now, RNG is the LPL team with the best chance of achieving a "two-peat" and matching SKT.

Not only LPL commentators, but also major regions around the world have turned their attention to RNG, and every RNG match is reviewed and analyzed repeatedly.

The major overhaul of the Tapi version was done in such a rushed manner that, to this day, no guiding team has emerged to show everyone how to play.

All teams are exploring the new version of the game in an attempt to gain an advantage at the S8 World Championship, but RNG is definitely the first to be affected.

Since Season 4, Riot Games has been targeting world champions for quite some time. Players don't understand these unspoken rules and simply think that teams are getting arrogant and messing around. But the fact that industry insiders remain silent about it reveals something about it.

The significant change in RNG's entire team playstyle clearly reflects their understanding of the new version and their playstyle.

"This style of play is very offensive. Once a breakthrough is made, even if the other side gains a two or three thousand gold advantage, it will be useless as long as it is not concentrated on one person," some teams think.

"There were too many mistakes, especially since the ADC and jungler in the bottom lane are under a lot of pressure. If the ADC underperforms or the jungler's rhythm is disrupted, it's easy to ruin your own game in the early game, especially in the World Championship. Just be careful and cautious, but there's nothing to worry about."

While some teams were watching the support Leona roaming the entire map, others were thinking differently.

Discussions on the League of Legends mobile app, several prominent League of Legends forums on Baidu Tieba, Zhihu, Hupu, and various gaming media outlets all have different opinions on RNG's playstyle, with some agreeing and others criticizing it.

Without exception, everyone's main focus was on the gameplay, but very few people actually developed this tactic within RNG.

The RNG players, who were celebrating their victory in the rest room after the match, were unaware of these events, and even if they had, they wouldn't have commented on them.

Cognitive boundaries generally exist in people's subconscious.

Simply put, it refers to a person's cognitive limits.

Each of us acquires different knowledge and has a different scope of cognition.

When we encounter knowledge and ideas that we cannot accept, they are beyond the boundaries of our cognition.

Our first reaction to new things is often one of doubt, skepticism, and rejection. This is why people with a larger knowledge base and more advanced thinking tend to be more tolerant of new things.

What Li Luo is more concerned about now is what to say in the interview later.
Yes, the interview for this best-of-three series was given to Uzi, not to Letme, who had a standout performance in the first game.

Li Luo conceded his first victory in the Summer Split to Xiao Hu. Considering the timeline, it's been a long time since he appeared in front of the audience or gave interviews after shouting the slogan "Establish a Dynasty" following the Asian Games.

As soon as the match ended, the only cheers in the arena were the unified chants of "Uzi," interspersed with a few "Uzi is forever a god."

The official team even wanted to send Letme up for an interview, but seeing this situation...
What to do?

Uzi has so many fans now that even at IG's home turf, it instantly becomes his personal home turf.

……

"It's time for the post-match interview, which we've all been waiting for. It's been over a month since Uzi last appeared on the LPL interview stage, and he even defeated IG, who are currently at the top of the standings. I wonder how Uzi is feeling right now?"

Li Luo took the microphone and looked the host over.

It wasn't Ren Dong, the familiar face who had been in charge of post-match interviews before, nor Yu Shuang, the official host for major competitions, but a woman with outstanding looks wearing a black silk dress.

With her hair tied in a gentle ponytail, she didn't look like a professional interviewer; instead, she seemed like a pure and innocent girl next door who was chasing after celebrities.

However, the subtle hostility in the neighbor girl's eyes surprised Li Luo for a moment.

Listening to the cheers and whistles from the audience, Li Luo listened carefully for a moment before he realized what was happening.

Xiao Yu? The chicken's girlfriend?
Xiaoyu really became famous during this year's S8 World Championship Finals. After IG won the championship, the two officially announced their relationship on Weibo late at night.

As someone with an extremely pure image and a champion mid-laner as her boyfriend, coupled with decent professional skills, she has led all LPL viewers to call Song Yijin a scoundrel.

In fact, she officially joined the LPL back in 17 before even playing in the World Championship. However, she was not well-known and was rather shy. In addition, Aunt Yu Shuang was too outstanding, which meant that Xiao Yu rarely had the opportunity to show herself.

The two developed into a romantic relationship when Rookie was feeling disappointed after IG failed to qualify for the World Championship in S7.

The subtle hostility in Xiaoyu's eyes now clearly indicates that she and Rookie have already agreed to go public, but haven't officially announced it yet.

I guess they got this opportunity today because they think IG can win. I'll interview Song Yijin later and leave a good story for the future.

"That Uzi player?"

Seeing that Li Luo didn't reply for a long time, and even seemed stunned for a moment, before looking at her with a slightly knowing expression, Xiao Yu couldn't help but feel a little confused, but also a little happy.

Having your hormones, regardless of gender, noticed by top players in the industry is undoubtedly a prestigious thing.

After a full three seconds of stunned silence, Li Luo realized he had been lost in thought and quickly said, somewhat embarrassed:

"Ah, I probably didn't sleep well last night, which is why I'm not feeling well today. After all, my teammates were carrying me all day."

Upon hearing Li Luo's words, there was nothing unusual at the scene, but the live stream chat exploded with comments.

In this life, after winning the world championship, some of Uzi's "mommy fans" started worrying about his life's important matters, frantically trying to match him up with this person and that person. Now, seeing Uzi staring blankly at Xiaoyu, they even think that Uzi likes Xiaoyu.

One wave after another started flooding the chat, making Rookie's face turn as black as charcoal backstage, leading the other members of IG to think that Rookie had lost the game and was in a bad mood.

If Li Luo could see the comments, he would definitely shout, "No, please don't overthink it, it's impossible for us!"

He even said that if he had to choose, he would rather choose Aunt Yu Zhen than Xiao Yu.

Actually, when Xiaoyu first debuted, she wasn't an official host for League of Legends. She debuted as an artist signed with Banana Culture, a company under Wang Sicong, so she was considered half a member of the entertainment industry.

As for scandals, such a beautiful girl is bound to have them too. Not only was it revealed that she and her ex-boyfriend had appeared on a dating show and were very affectionate, but it was also revealed that her ex-boyfriend suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage during his internship and was admitted to the ICU in serious condition. However, Xiaoyu broke up with him before he was even discharged from the hospital.

Despite all the scandals, even after the end of S10, Xiaoyu failed to replace Auntie's position as the leading lady of LPL.

"Oh? Is Uzi having trouble sleeping because his team's recent performance has been poor, or because IG is too strong and he's feeling anxious?"

Xiao Yu's words were undoubtedly meant to stir things up, but there was no malice in them. After all, she is a game host, and sometimes a little banter can create memorable moments. Some interesting jokes often appear in her interviews.

"Host Xiaoyu, do you remember what you ate last Saturday afternoon?"

Li Luo asked.

"Uh, it seems I really have forgotten." After a moment of careful thought, Xiaoyu gave up trying to recall.

"That's right," Li Luo said with a helpless shrug, spreading his hands.
"Throughout S8, I was almost numb from beating IG so much. Besides, losing a game is quite common, isn't it? If you just kept winning, it would get really boring (shrugs)."

(End of this chapter)