Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 276 SKT! How can I save you!

With a clean 3-0 sweep in the quarterfinals, coupled with their unconventional hero selection voting, RNG has truly changed everyone's perception of the LPL region.

This wasn't just due to these three matches, but rather the culmination of RNG's accumulated momentum over the entire year since their S7 victory, which finally came to an end.

Before the S-series, there were rumors everywhere that LPL was the number one region and RNG was the number one team.

At that time, the entire internet scoffed at this conclusion, but when both LPL teams showed a level of strength that surpassed other teams, these people were dumbfounded!
If we say that RNG isn't the strongest team right now, then looking at all the teams still competing on the field, there really isn't a single opponent that can match RNG's seemingly equal strength.

As of now, RNG's ADC, jungler, and support all rank first in efficiency across the five positions, and are visibly almost twice as efficient as the second-place team.

Letme, who was under pressure in the top lane, ranked second in contribution, but his KDA had already skyrocketed, making him seem out of place among top laners.

With an average of 23 minutes per game and an undefeated record of eight wins and no losses in a single match, this record and strength truly makes other teams feel hopeless in a game where the version cannot be changed.

The hype surrounding the S-series seems to have all been focused on RNG. Even though the lower bracket hasn't finished yet, the only topics of discussion online are the match between RNG and RW, and the legendary team SKT.

Amidst this grand occasion, the two LCK teams in the lower bracket haven't felt much pressure yet, but C9 and FNC are somewhat unhappy.

We're all teams participating in the S-series, so why are you superior and stealing all the spotlight from everyone else?
At midnight on Monday, FNC fired the first shot, taking the lead in seizing the spotlight.

First up was FNC's mid laner, Caps, who promptly posted a tweet, brazenly launching into some trash talk:
"Everyone has seen RNG's strength and the dominance of the LPL teams in the upper bracket, marveling at their terror... But in reality, we will also be 'RNG' in the lower bracket. LCK's tactics are too outdated; they're still living in the last century. I suggest that teams scrimming against LCK teams during the World Championship should take a break. They are truly terrible. #LCK #SKT #KZ"

Two minutes later, another tweet followed, accompanied by two GIFs, looking quite serious.

"Furthermore, it's really bad that someone impersonated the player and played in a scrim against the LCK's top seed. Nobody knows if the tactics will be leaked by an insider. In terms of professionalism, they are indeed a bit scary."

"???"

Caps's outrageous remarks caused the buzz surrounding RNG's performance in the upper half of the map to explode even further.

However, the explosion point had shifted to the lower half of the zone.

Are LCK's tactics too outdated?

Is there a call for all teams to refrain from scrimming with LCK teams?

Are the teams advancing from the lower half of the bracket predetermined?
Is someone impersonating an SKT player and playing in training?
FNC won the S1 World Championship, but at that time, League of Legends competitions were not very popular, and the venue was even an internet cafe. Later, as League of Legends competitions became more and more established, although they entered the S-series many times, they never made it to the finals.

Before the end of S8, most viewers and players had the impression that the Eu region was very good at making a fuss and was quite arrogant.

Caps's inexplicable outbursts made the LCK region feel a deep sense of malice.

Not only will FNC ride on RNG's coattails, but I'll also provoke the anger of local fans!

However, Caps remained silent about this, ignoring the numerous friendly greetings from LCK fans on Twitter, as if the tweet wasn't posted by him.

Seeing FNC's slick moves, C9, who were playing against SKT, seemed to have found the secret to their popularity, and their cross-dressing AD carry even imitated it quite well.

Sneaky: "Many people predicted before the match that C9 would be swept 3-0 by SKT, but as @Fnc esports club @Fnc.Cpas said, the LCK region has died in its glorious past. Now I want to announce that after the quarterfinals, all LCK teams will be directly relegated!"

Compared to Caps' humility, C9's arrogance shocked everyone, but it's also understandable. Among all League of Legends teams worldwide, how deep is the background of C9?
In 2018, Forbes' global esports team value ranking showed that Cloud9 (C9) was worth a staggering $21 billion, with its professional players earning a total of $310 million. More importantly, they were sponsored by the American Air Force. We don't need to elaborate on how wealthy the American Air Force is, right? No matter how big your company is, can you compare to the financial power of the American Air Force?

This immediately triggered an attack on the female AD carry's Twitter account that was several times more intense than Caps's. It seemed that the team was putting pressure on him, or perhaps they realized that this sweeping attack was indeed particularly harsh. In less than half an hour, the tweet was deleted.

However, the screenshots have already been saved by countless people and shared in the comments section of the female-dressed AD.

The LCK region, which was originally the host region, felt disgusted by the trash talk from these two teams, as fans were secretly pleased that the LPL region had been assigned to the upper bracket.

A torrent of abuse ensued, with countless LCK fans turning into snipers, relentlessly attacking Sneaky and Caps.

Of course, Caps didn't expect that just two tweets would have such an impact, thanks to the crossdressing AD. In their astonishment, the owners of the two teams put their heads together and came up with a clever plan.

Tuesday night at 11 p.m., the familiar time, a video was simultaneously retweeted by FNC and C9's official Twitter accounts, the source being a member of the team.

In the video, the players from FNC and C9 gathered together, eating and discussing how to deal with the LPL region. As for the LCK region, at the end of the video, Sneaky's cosplay addiction kicked in, and he cosplayed Bang crying in S7.

If the previous text was somewhat provocative and ambiguous, then this video is blatant contempt.

The two teams' antics were entertaining to LPL viewers, who watched it like a monkey show. But how could the LCK teams involved ignore it?
Countless SKT fans erupted in anger, and even LCK professional players, led by Bang, felt their anger rising.

"FNC at least won a championship, what right does C9 have to be so arrogant!"

"Lee Sang-hyeok, go and crush this C9 team, let them know how powerful we are!"

"Anyone want to team up and solo kill a C9 member? Count me in."

"."

"Damn it, are they dogs kept by the LPL region?"

After finishing a practice match, the SKT players were filled with indignation, and even Faker couldn't hide his anger.

It's just that the LCK region didn't win the World Championship in S7. From S3 to S6, in those four years, when did the European and American noobs and the North American experience babies dare to be so arrogant?

"They say our tactics are outdated, but if it weren't for..." Bang said, then seemed to realize something and quickly shut his mouth.

"It's alright, go ahead and say it. If necessary, we don't need to hold back in the match against C9 anymore. It's time to show these people the fangs of the LCK's number one seed."

Kkoma, his face gloomy and his expression somber, looked at the tactical board in his hand and spoke.

C9's provocation of SKT might be for the sake of generating buzz, but SKT's disdain for C9 is a genuine disdain based on their skill level.

Although Brother Li appears refined and easygoing on the surface, he is actually a very proud and arrogant person.

In the entire League of Legends professional player circle, there are only a handful of people who can catch Faker's eye. Hearing kkoma's words, Faker, sitting in the center, seemed to want to say something, but after opening his mouth, he swallowed it and chose to remain silent.

As he clicked the mouse, Li Ge's gaze inadvertently swept over the skinny guy sitting next to Bang in the training room.

"Thanks a lot."

The words murmured from Brother Li's mouth. As if sensing Brother Li's gaze, the skinny man turned his head and smiled.

But her smile seemed to be holding something back, and she looked slightly pained.

"Hehe. C9, FNC, these teams seem to have forgotten something."

Hearing this, Xiao Hei, who was sitting next to Hanzi, chuckled, "I really want to face them tomorrow. I can't wait to see them lose the match."

No one takes C9 seriously. Just like they think, SKT's goal is always the championship in the center of the stage. C9? Just a bunch of clowns.

Amidst the commotion, the day of the quarterfinals of the second half of the 2018 World Championship bracket arrived.

On Saturday, Skt will play against C9, and on Sunday, KT will play against FNC.

After a week of media frenzy, these four teams are finally going to have their ultimate showdown.

As fans continued to cross the line and launch attacks, the disturbance grew larger and larger, even escalating to the terrifying point where fans from both sides were arranging a real-life fight.

If the "grudge match" between the two sides in today's game remains unclear or is rigged, it will completely erupt into the most terrifying fan brawl in the history of League of Legends.

In countless small bars across South Korea, waves of people poured in, dressed in distinctly different clothes, their faces spontaneously painted with team logos, cheering for the teams they supported.

For domestic viewers, they also played a part in creating this tense situation. Many people used translators to impersonate others and stir up trouble on Twitter, which completely ignited the war between the Korean, North American, and European regions.

Amidst this level of enthusiasm, even RNG put aside their training to watch today's match.

There's no way to miss it. Although only one team will advance from the lower bracket, the outcome of today's match, in my previous life, was not clear.

Yes, even Li Luo doesn't know if SKT can actually rise to the top by stepping over C9.

"Who do you think will win? Faker seems to be in really high spirits today. That look in his eyes...tsk tsk, he looks a bit angry."

Inside the hotel's training room, everyone brought out sunflower seeds, fried chicken, and cola, chatting and watching the game.

"SKT, even a weakened giant is still bigger than a horse. Although their tactics have some issues this year, C9 can't possibly beat SKT. Just like G2, their chances of beating us are about the same as C9's chances of beating SKT."

Hearing Xiaotian's words, Xiaohu said in a slightly pretentious tone.

"That goes without saying, it's definitely SKT. C9's strength lies in their mid and jungle, while SKT's strength lies in their top and jungle. It's unlikely they can completely shut down Faker," Xiangguo said, both amused and exasperated.

"Not necessarily. C9 isn't weak. If their jungler doesn't handle things well, SKT will lose their rhythm and have a hard time. Have you guys seen those solid evidences that have been rigging the SKT narrative lately?" Chris, who pays more attention to gossip, mentioned a recent hot topic.

Everyone was stunned.

"I've seen it. You mean the SKT support Effort thing? That's unlikely. Effort doesn't seem like someone who can replace Faker in commanding. Those so-called solid evidences don't have any real proof," Xiaoming said, frowning.

"If we're talking about raw strength, SKT is in a mess right now. 1+1+1+1+1 should equal five, but they don't have a five; they probably only have four or three."

"Forcing these people together without any connection will only lead to them fighting their own battles and losing their rhythm." Looking at the interface where the ban/pick phase begins, kkoma is using the same old tactics, and Li Luo also feels a little puzzled.

Historically, SKT did not make it to the S8 World Championship Finals, while C9 easily slaughtered the Korean team AFS.

This also proves from another perspective that South Korea's tactics at the time were indeed countered by C9's tactical style.

If we translate that to today, even if AFS were replaced by SKT with the same tactics, given SKT's current performance, there's a high chance they would only make it to the quarterfinals.

As the ban/pick phase began, everyone abandoned their playful mood and began watching the game seriously.

In this draft, Faker was still given the mid lane position, on the red side, which means that Faker's mid lane will naturally be countered by C9 on the blue side.

Sure enough, when Faker picked Irelia, and the opposing team immediately countered with a mid-lane Kled, even LPL commentator Wawa couldn't help but comment:
"kkoma is being a bit irrational here, picking Irelia on the second floor, that's clearly giving the enemy an opening!"

Kled is a breeze to play against Irelia; even if Irelia goes top or mid, Kled can still gank the lane.

The 82% win rate between the two speaks for itself; Kkoma made another foolish draft pick.

In the first game, after the draft, SKT came up with a hybrid lineup: Ornn, Kindred, and Irelia, with Kai'Sa and Tahm Kench in the bot lane.

This lineup is very strange. Irelia and Kai'Sa, who are capable of reaping kills, are paired with Tahm Kench and Kindred, who provide protection. The team can only rely on Ornn's ultimate skill to initiate team fights.

On the contrary, C9's lineup, with Darius, Kled, and Sejuani, and Ezreal and Morgana in the bot lane, was very reasonable.

Compared to SKT, C9 can overcome the gap in player matchups by using the counters of their champions in both the top and mid lanes. Even Faker's Irelia has to be extremely careful of the impact of C9's mid laner Jensen.

As for the bot lane, needless to say, if you're not going to pair Kai'Sa with a Titan, you should at least pair her with a Leona or Alistar, right? But how afraid of dying are you to pick Tahm Kench as support to go with Kai'Sa? Isn't that just making the bot lane tank?

C9's strong teamfight control means that if they can gain even a slight advantage in the early to mid-game, they can use Kled and Sejuani to break through SKT's solid defenses and secure the victory.

Seeing the lineups on both sides, some LCK viewers were a bit confused. This lineup would not be able to win even if RNG came.

My SKT, what can I do to save you?

Thank you everyone who voted for me! Thank you so much!

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(End of this chapter)