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

Chapter 529: A well-deserved ban/pick! Five bans on jungle heroes!

Niu Guli's Camille made an ultimate flanking maneuver, so he was positioned deepest inside the defense.

Showmaker's Irelia tried to enter the fray halfway through, but was intercepted by Pantheon and Lux, leaving her unable to advance or retreat.

Unfortunately, at that moment, DWG's backline was already being attacked by Graves.

Kai'Sa is dead, so Canyon's Karthus is Graves' next target.

Alistar simply couldn't control the damage output of Graves and Kennen.

"Kennen, the Heart of the Berserker, has killed Karthus, the Deathsinger!"

Flandre's Kennen finally secured the first kill of the game, marking the collapse of DWG's team fight.

The two backline heroes had already been eliminated, and Irelia and Camille were not only unable to kill iboy, but they were also in danger first.

With Camille's ultimate ability ending, Sivir's damage output is no joke; this is a Sivir with three items!

Moreover, iboy wasn't fighting alone; he had support Lux and Scout's Pantheon by his side.

Moreover, Pantheon's damage output at this time is quite high.

It's only been 25 minutes, not even 30 minutes yet, so Pantheon isn't a super minion.

Having two armor penetration items, Youmuu's Ghostblade and Black Cleaver, provides a significant boost to team fights.

However, the equipment of Irelia and Camille was still far inferior, and they were powerless to turn the tide.

Niu Guli's Camille still had a stopwatch on her, and the stopwatch's invulnerability held off three EDG players in place. This was the last thing he could do for the team fight!
While EDG's players were camping the corpse, preparing to finish off Camille, Showmaker's Irelia used Flash to escape.

BeryL's minotaur was ignored and escaped smoothly.

Zero for three!
Add a fire dragon!
EDG won a resounding victory in the team fight!

EDG won big at the Dragon Pit, but didn't rush to the Baron Pit to rush Baron.

Although EDG's lineup was not slow in rushing Baron, after a team fight, they had used up most of their skills and were not in good condition, so there was no need to fight so hard.

26 minutes.

After returning to base to regroup and check their equipment and status, EDG headed straight for the Baron pit, without even bothering to control vision, and immediately started the Baron!

After respawning, all five DWG players rushed towards the dragon pit, their last chance to fight back.

However, at this moment, Baron's health was dropping too fast. Every auto-attack from Graves and Sivir was taking away a small chunk of Baron's health.

Moreover, EDG also has the Earth Dragon buff.

EDG, being on the blue side, actually had a positioning advantage at the Baron pit.

When Canyon's Karthus finally arrived at the Baron pit, a control ward was placed, and Baron still had 1500 health points!
Thank goodness! There's still a chance!
At that moment, there was a Blast Cone right under Karthus's feet!
I can steal this dragon!

Canyon is already hypnotizing herself.

However, since he had vision of the dragon pit, EDG must also have vision outside the dragon pit. As a result, Lux used her Q skill, which accurately hit Karthus.

A full two seconds of control!
The dragon with 1500 health points seemed like a lot, but it was over in a second under the combined fire of five people. The dragon roared and Wang Yao easily took down the dragon.

But the battle was not over.

At this moment, Karthus is still under the influence of crowd control.

Subsequently, the five EDG players standing in the dragon pit rushed down the dragon without any pressure.

Lux's ultimate, Sivir's Q skill, Pantheon's Q skill Heart Piercer, and Kennen also threw a dart.

Finally, Wang Yao's ultimate skill, the final bomb, finished the fight off.

"Outlaw Graves has killed Deathsing Karthus!"

"The outlaw Graves has come close to godhood!!"

At this moment, although the other four members of DWG were around, none of them dared to step in to help.

"They won! They won! EDG took down Baron Nashor and also secured a kill on Karthus."

"As long as EDG pushes steadily with the Baron buff, they will win this game. DWG has no way to stop them!"

After seeing EDG take down Baron Nashor, Miller roared excitedly.

When LPL was in dire straits before, their commentators were under a lot of pressure.

After all, last year's S8 can be considered the real LPL year, with a genuine winning streak throughout the entire year.

From the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) to the Rift Rivals, and finally to the World Championship, they won the championship every time.

However, if a small intercontinental tournament goes wrong this year, and the loss is extremely ugly, the atmosphere in the live broadcast room and the public opinion in China can be imagined.

Fortunately, EDG withstood the pressure and won the game, putting the pressure on the LCK region in the final showdown.

Thirty seconds later, the five EDG players returned to base to regroup and replenish their equipment and status. Those who could build Guardian Angels did so.

If it doesn't work, hang a stopwatch, ready for the final push.

DWG was unable to defend at this point. Although their lineup was decent in team fights, it had a drawback: their range was too short.

Kai'Sa is a short-range ADC; apart from Karthus, who has a longer range, the others have difficulty even clearing minion waves.

Mid lane second tower, high ground tower, and nexus tower.

With the Baron buff, EDG was unstoppable, sweeping all before them.

At this point, the equipment of the two sides was no longer commensurate. Even the poke damage from the support Lux would take away a significant amount of health from DWG's squishy champions.

The final time was 27 minutes and 14 seconds, and DWG's Nexus exploded instantly.

Seeing the huge "victory" logo appear on the screen, Guan Zeyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Let's congratulate EDG!"

Miller also breathed a sigh of relief: "Congratulations to EDG! In the match point game against LCK, they withstood the pressure and helped LPL secure a valuable victory against LCK!"

"Kshine and EDG's performance in this match was as stable as ever."

"After several seasons of team building, EDG is now practically invincible. They're the kind of team that, once they gain an advantage, doesn't give their opponents any chance!"

Guan Zeyuan nodded in agreement: "Yes! This is also one of the most important characteristics of a strong team. After EDG gained an advantage in the early game, they really didn't give the opponent any chance."

"If the rhythm is disrupted, DWG might actually drag it out until after 30 minutes, at which point Scout's Pantheon will be useless!"

Rita also laughed and said, "Kshine's Graves performance is too consistent."

"It's really hard to know what else Wang Yao's hero pool has to offer. Controlling the jungle, ganking, counter-ganking, controlling the dragon, invading—he has done everything a Graves player can do."

"..."

At this moment, after shaking hands, the members of EDG and DWG came to the center of the stage, bowed to the audience, and left the stage.

Once backstage, the EDG players breathed a sigh of relief, looked at each other, and smiled in unison.

There's no way around it, the pressure today was just too much.

Before this match, LPL's record was 1-2. If EDG lost this game, it would mean that LPL had lost.

If JDG hadn't performed exceptionally well in the previous game, EDG wouldn't even have had a chance to play.

This put too much unnecessary pressure on EDG when they played today.

If LPL loses, even EDG and Wang Yao won't be spared. When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent!
Fortunately, although the process was a bit bumpy, the final result was good, and EDG brought the game back into a crucial battle.

The pressure is now back on the LCK region, namely, the crucial fifth game in the next match.

As expected, EDG will be playing in the LPL region.

If it weren't for EDG playing, no one else would agree to it.

But who will the LCK region send to play?!

SKT? DWG? GRF? Or KZ?!
Back in the main lounge, the entire EDG team was immediately greeted with a warm welcome.

This victory for EDG has truly given them a chance to catch their breath.

To be honest, LCK's dominance in this Intercontinental Cup almost triggered PTSD in the veterans of the other three teams.

Fortunately, Wang Yao is still the same Wang Yao, preventing the LCK region from gaining maximum momentum and directly disrupting their rhythm.

As Wang Yao was the last to enter the LPL's rest room, a huge cheer erupted inside.

"Brilliant!!"

"Brother Yao is awesome!"

"Wow, that's powerful! That's fierce!"

"LPL is awesome!"

At this point, LPL had tied the finals 2-2 and had just won the fourth game, putting psychological pressure on the opposing team.

However, after their initial excitement, everyone in the lounge quickly calmed down.

Because this is not the end; there is still the final battle to be fought.

There's no need to elaborate on which team will field in the final game for the LPL; nobody's even mentioning it. Instead, everyone's analyzing the strategies employed by the opposing LCK region.

"Hey Yao, which team do you think will be on the opposing team in the last game?"

Although IG's JackeyLove wasn't playing, he still approached Wang Yao and asked him a question.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yao said, "It's most likely DWG, or maybe SKT."

Rookie exclaimed in surprise, "DWG? Didn't DWG just lose? I don't think they'll let DWG and SKT play." Several team coaches chimed in, "I think it'll be DWG or SKT. GRF and KZ are clearly weaker."

"Besides Deft, everyone else on KZ is a rookie; we can't let them shoulder the main responsibility!"

“GRF even lost to us. SKT hasn’t beaten EDG this year. If I were from the LCK region, I would also pick DWG. DWG only lost one game to EDG, so they have to give it their all.”

After hearing the coach's words, everyone suddenly realized that it was indeed true.

Putting everything else aside, SKT faced EDG at the MSI Mid-Season Invitational this year, and from the group stage to the finals, they didn't seem to win a single game.

The bot lane support Mata is getting old and his skills have really declined. The new support can't fill the gap, and most importantly, the jungler Clid is almost driven to PTSD by Wang Yao.

Khan delivered a series of legendary performances against Wang Yao, and even started to play with filial piety when facing LPL teams. Logically and emotionally, the LCK region dared not field SKT.

KZ's players are too young, GRF even lost to JDG, not to mention EDG.

After all the calculations, the LCK coaching staff really didn't have a choice.

Meanwhile, in the LCK region's exclusive rest room, the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Just as the LPL analysis suggests, the LCK is in a very awkward position. Who will play in the fifth game?!

The people from GRF and KZ knew this wasn't the time for them to step forward, so they sat silently in the corner.

They nodded like chicks pecking at rice whenever someone said something.

The two sides in this power struggle are naturally SKT and KZ. Who should shoulder the responsibility?

Logically, SKT should be the ones to shoulder this responsibility.

Because they are the champion team of the LCK Spring Split, and their performance has been decent since the start of the Summer Split, with Faker being a three-time world champion, this important task should be considered "the one everyone expects".

But SKT also had their own difficulties. It wasn't that they didn't want to play, but they really couldn't win!

From the MSI Mid-Season Invitational to the Rift Rivals, they have tried every method, tactic, and lineup, but they have lost every time!
DWG responded, "Don't look at us like that. Although we have emerged as a dark horse this year, we are still essentially a new team, having just entered the LCK league."

What right do we have to shoulder this heavy responsibility?!
With time running out, and under pressure from the staff, LCK reluctantly finalized the starting lineup.

Under Coach Kim Jung-joo's sinister gaze, the entire DWG team prepared to take the stage.

Kim Jung-joo really didn't want to face Wang Yao. Last year, when Wang Yao played mid lane for EDG and faced off against IG, he truly felt the terror.

They completely crushed and utterly dominated peak IG; who could withstand that?!
They are unassuming in training and domestic leagues, but when it comes to world-class competitions, they are like completely different people!
……

The halftime break for the last match is a little longer, but it will eventually start.

Rita smiled brightly at the camera:

"Hello everyone, welcome back to the first game of the best-of-five series of the 2019 League of Legends Asia Rift Rivals Finals, which is also the final decisive game of the day!"

"The teams representing both regions are DWG from the LCK region and EDG from our LPL region."

Miller: "That's right, it's still these two teams. Even though DWG just lost the last game, the LCK region still chooses to believe in DWG without hesitation."

"And for our LPL region, of course we still choose EDG and Kshine!"

"However, we shouldn't put too much pressure on EDG. As long as they can maintain their composure, I think EDG has a very high chance of winning!"

Miller was much more relaxed at this moment, and spoke cheerfully.

Guan Zeyuan then adjusted his glasses and began analyzing DWG.

"I wonder if DWG has adjusted their form yet, and what tactical changes they will make."

"But I'm sure that if DWG maintains the style they showed in the last game, I believe Kshine will deliver the final blow!"

"But what I'm curious about now is what hero Kshine will pick in the final game!"

The camera then panned to the two players in the competition area, and the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Wang Yao remained expressionless and motionless, staring at the screen.

Actually, apart from Flandre occasionally smiling, the rest of EDG had pretty much the same expression.

On the other side, DWG was even more serious, with everyone looking solemn!
These players thought SKT would carry the team in the final game, but they didn't expect it to be them again.

Actually, they were a bit confused about the final decisive match, which was a new team that had only recently been promoted to the LCK league.

After the initial shock came indescribable pressure.

Because if they win this game, they will be the heroes of LCK; if they lose, they will have to shoulder most of the blame. There are both risks and opportunities.

As the commentators introduced the game, the fifth draft phase officially began, and everyone put aside their own thoughts and focused entirely on the match.

As the region with the best group stage record, the LCK region has the priority to choose sides in the finals (135).

So in the fifth game, they used this privilege, and DWG chose the blue side.

Overall, based on big data analysis, the blue team still has a slightly higher winning rate!
"Alright, both sides are ready, so let's not waste any more time and look forward to this final showdown!"

Go DWG!

"Showmaker, you have to do your best! Crush that guy over there!"

"Nuclear, it's time for you to carry!"

"Niu Guli, charge!"

"Just keep playing like this, I believe you can win!"

As soon as he finished speaking, fans on both sides cheered again, encouraging themselves and their respective teams.

However, this is South Korea's home ground, and most of the fans are from LCK.

"Go EDG! Go EDG! Go Kshine!"

Although there was only a small area for LPL fans in the venue, their cheers were just as loud as those from the full LCK crowd.

That black and white flag stood out conspicuously amidst the sea of ​​people!
At this point, the drafting and blocking (BP) on both sides had already begun.

In this game, EDG went directly to the blue side, while DWG was on the red side.

EDG's strategy here is to remain unchanged in the face of any change. Since the opposing team hasn't changed, there's no need to change the draft either.

Jayce is banned, Tahm Kench is banned, and Vladimir is banned!

DWG banned all three of their best heroes, showing no stubbornness whatsoever.

DWG's first round of bans also targeted Wang Yao, who had performed exceptionally well in the previous match, by banning the champion Graves.

Wang Yao revealed a trump card, so naturally the first thing to do was to ban the new trump card.

They then banned Sylas, but this ban wasn't specifically aimed at Scout in the mid lane.

Instead, they prevented Wang Yao from obtaining Sylas.

The last pick was to ban Neeko, which limited Flandre from using her in the top lane and also restricted Wang Yao from using her in the jungle.

Three bans on junglers!

After the ban/pick phase ends, EDG has the first ban and first pick option.

Sa and Sa.

Karma locked!
Without any hesitation or pause, EDG locked in Karma.

Karma is the queen of lane sustain in this Intercontinental Cup, with a ban rate of 88.9%, making her an absolute Tier 0 pick in a single lane.

Moreover, it can be played in the mid or top lane, but if EDG picks Karma, it will most likely be given to Scout, whose Karma is also exceptional.

"Oh? EDG's strategy is very clear: they're targeting DWG's top and mid laners, banning Jayce and Vladimir respectively."

"No problem, and then EDG picked Karma first, a champion that's become incredibly popular again in this Intercontinental Cup!"

The doll analyzed the draft picks and bans from both sides.

"EDG also picked their signature Karma composition!"

"Karma is a very versatile champion. In fact, Kshine can play any jungler. This is probably the best system that EDG uses."

"Ah."

Miller nodded and said, "In that case, the pressure on DWG's mid and jungle will be immense. I wonder what champions they will pick to counter that."

The next moment, DWG countered by locking in Galio and Jarvan IV as their mid-jungle duo.

"Oh? The Prince-Galio composition! This doesn't quite seem like DWG's style!"

Wawa was a little shocked after seeing DWG's choice.

Miller also didn't understand DWG's thinking: "Yeah, I can understand Canyon picking Jarvan IV, but there are still a lot of champions available for the mid lane."

"Akali, Orianna, Zoe, and Showmaker are all viable champions, but he picked Galio, who isn't particularly outstanding!"

But Rita saw it clearly: "Although it doesn't quite fit DWG's style, the Jarvan IV and Galio combo is really effective!"

In fact, this was a tactic that the coaches of several LCK teams, including DWG and SKT, came up with after a long discussion.

Since playing a resource-controlling jungler will result in Wang Yao feeding you in the jungle, you can only play some simple and straightforward heroes.

The Prince Galio duo naturally came into everyone's view.

With Sylas, Neeko, and Graves—strong junglers that Wang Yao had used—banned, DWG went all out without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)