LOL: My talent is top-tier, my professional skills are unparalleled.

Chapter 177 The Focus Before the New Year! The Pig-Dog War!
"Holy crap! You played well, Yao-ge, I'm a noob!"

Lin Weixiang, who was just complaining about Wang Yao's mistakes, instantly changed his tune after seeing Wang Yao's Syndra instantly kill the enemy mage with a combo. He then smiled obsequiously and said...

"If I had known Yao was so good at mid lane, I would have switched to jungle and become a dog for the mid laner!" Saint Gun said with a grin.

"What's going on in the mid lane? The enemy's bottom lane tower is only down to half health, and you're already 8-0 and godlike. How did you take off so fast?" Liu Qingsong said, puzzled.

Wang Yao simply smiled indifferently at this.

The joy of instantly killing an enemy hero with a single burst of damage is something that the AD carry in the bottom lane can never experience.

These past few days, Xiaotian, Holy Gun, Jin Gong, Lwx, and others have all been impressed by Wang Yao's carry performance, and their doubts about him have all vanished.

From initial skepticism to current envy, the EDG team can only marvel at Wang Yao's esports talent, which allows him to seamlessly integrate into both the mid and bot lanes.

After finishing the ranked game, Manager Abu brought a stack of documents into the training room. The schedule for the regular season of the new S8 season has been officially released.

The LPL East and West division groupings are as follows:

Western Conference: EDG, WE, OMG, Snake, BLG, VG, and FPX.

Eastern Conference: RNG, IG, JDG, Suning, Top, LGD, and RW Xia.

The format remains the same as before: a double round-robin best-of-three series within each group, followed by a single round-robin best-of-three series across different groups, with final rankings based on points.

In the playoffs, teams are matched up against each other, and the top team in each group advances directly to the semifinals.

"This grouping... is pretty good!"

Wang Yao's eyes lit up.

This year's Western Conference group, apart from EDG and WE, is basically full of weak teams that are relegated, which gives EDG's new roster plenty of opportunities to train!
In the East, there are also enhanced versions of RNG, the trident of IG, and RW Xia, making the competition extremely fierce.

The worst part is that there's also a perennial underdog team like LGD in the East, who can drag strong teams down at crucial moments, which is really frustrating.

Fortunately, EDG is in the west.

"Who is our opponent in the opening match?" Wang Yao asked Abu.

"Could it be RNG? Is the official team pulling another 'pig vs. dog' move?" Meiko, who knows Tencent Esports' quirks well, guessed.

“Yes, it’s them again.” Abu nodded, clearly having anticipated this outcome.

The "Pig vs. Dog" rivalry before the Lunar New Year has been a long-standing tradition in esports. This year, RNG has been sharpening its knives and making a frenzy of signings during the transfer period, all in an effort to defeat EDG and reclaim its position as the top team in the LPL.

Moreover, the recent buzz surrounding Wang Yao's switch to the mid lane has given many Royal Never Give Up fans plenty of room for wild speculation.

If Uzi defeats EDG by stepping on iboy's head, will it force Wang Yao to return to the bottom lane?

If that's the case, then Wang Yao's e-sports career has finally gained its first scandal!

Sure enough, when the specific match schedule information was released online, the official Weibo accounts of EDG and RNG immediately became lively.

"This year's battle between pigs and dogs is especially interesting. What do you guys think? Will Yao Ge dominate the mid lane and be forced back to the bottom lane by the dog?"

"I'm so angry and cold. It's all KT's fault for kidnapping my junior. Now they've forced Yao to play in the mid lane. Well, I guess I'll just have to reluctantly stomp on Xiaohu!"

Little Tiger bared his teeth: "Don't come any closer!!!"

"The fans are in an uproar! They dare to doubt the prestige of the Spring Tiger Emperor? Watch me, General Tiger, smash your K God's head to pieces!"

"..." Just as netizens were expressing their opinions, the LPL Spring Split promotional video was also released, and Wang Yao was undoubtedly the protagonist in the promotional video.

The short film, which is less than a minute long, features 40 seconds of footage featuring Wang Yao. It's more like a personal promotional video for Wang Yao than a promotional video for the LPL Spring Split.

This demonstrates Tencent's strong support for Wang Yao!
Coincidentally, the documentary about LPL's first championship team also premiered on Bilibili.

This documentary about EDG's journey from the bottom to the championship in 2017 also has a powerful title: Silver Dragon Knight, Broken Sword Reforged!
The 90-minute documentary provides a complete yet concise record of EDG's path to victory, from their desperate struggle in the summer finals to lifting the trophy at the Bird's Nest. The stories along the way are incredibly moving.

At the end of the documentary, the LPL official also released some bonus footage, which mainly showed the players' daily hobbies and interests.

For example, Wang Yao loves reading books, Mei Kou loves watching anime, and the factory manager loves football.

This documentary is a reminder of last year's glorious moments for fans of EDG, but for Royal Never Give Up fans who are eager to criticize EDG, it's a slap in the face.

Therefore, even before the Spring Split's "Pig vs. Dog" battle began, the internet was already abuzz with tension, attracting a large number of LPL viewers.

"Fine, fine, you're trying to mess with RNG's mentality, aren't you? You started with a 2-0 comeback and a 3-2 defeat, RNG fans, just you wait!"

Uzi: Hehehe, while you're away from the bot lane, watch how I kill your ADC!

Kshine: Hehehe, while I'm away from the bot lane, watch how I kill your mid laner, and then I'll come back to the bot lane to find you!

"You RNG, what kind of championship do you have to dare to compare yourselves to EDG? RNG fans are just like those songstresses!"

"..."

It's that time of year again for the pig-dog feud. Even though the competition hasn't officially started yet, the discussion on various forums and online communities has already been heating up.

This kind of heated discussion is exactly what Tencent Esports wants to see. After all, they can only make money if esports becomes more like a fandom. This year, EDG has generated a lot of buzz, even attracting many girls outside the esports scene.

The competition is fast approaching, and the opening match of the S8 LPL Spring Split will officially begin on January 15th!
In the evening, the EDG players headed to the new competition venue, the 9th floor of Zhengda Plaza in Pudong New Area, Shanghai.

This bustling plaza, situated on the banks of the Huangpu River and adjacent to the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Jin Mao Tower, boasts an unparalleled advantage in attracting visitors.

With its convenient transportation, diverse entertainment venues, and a constant stream of e-sports enthusiasts, this place is a popular destination.

After the best-of-three match between Snake and OMG ended, host Ren Dong loudly announced the final match of the night.

The audience erupted in cheers, eagerly anticipating today's highlight.

"From the harsh winter to the spring when everything is reviving, all LPL teams have regrouped and are embarking on a new year's journey."

"In the brand new S8 season, we also welcome a brand new EDG team, as well as an even stronger RNG team!"

"Now let's look forward to tonight's pig vs. dog battle! We hope the players from both sides will put on a spectacular showdown!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in cheers. They had been eagerly anticipating this highly anticipated match before the Lunar New Year.

Immediately, the director switched the camera to the commentary booth, where the commentators tonight were the Haier Brothers and the beautiful commentator Rita.

"Mouse, who transferred to the Snake Esports team, has been performing quite well, but the upcoming match is the real showdown today!"

The doll smiled and said, "Hopefully, this year's pig-dog war will bring us more surprises!"

As the exciting and energetic background music began, the LED screens behind the players' seats on both sides flashed with an animated effect, followed by the official photos of the players from both teams.

Five boys dressed in black team uniforms appeared in the eyes of the crowd. Apart from Flandre on the top lane, the other four EDG players were familiar faces.

(End of this chapter)