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

Chapter 667 You're right, but this is the four-time champion Kshine!

Time flies by.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, the competition in each region was extremely fierce.

The outside world has gained a new understanding of the strength of these teams.

After a month and a half of Spring Split matches, viewers have come to understand what 'paper strength' truly means.

Some teams, like those costing hundreds of millions to build, seem like they're guaranteed at least a runner-up finish in the World Championship, but they still struggle in the Spring Split.

Some teams may seem to have average rosters, but they can still surprise people time and again, even achieving incredibly long winning streaks.

EDG, RNG, and FPX are among the best, leading the standings throughout the season.

From January 19th to February 19th, EDG played a total of five matches in one month.

EDG won all five of their matches!

The 16-0 record that Wang Yao mentioned earlier has now been two-thirds achieved.

The outside world's evaluation of this brand-new EDG team is getting higher and higher, but of course, the doubts are also increasing day by day.

no way.

There are many reds.

The players and coaching staff of EDG team didn't care at all about this.

They just want to continue the team's winning streak and make it into the playoffs.

Today is EDG's 11th match in the Spring Split!
……

At the Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center, inside the EDG eSports Club's competition venue, countless spectators eagerly awaited the start of the match.

Upstairs, the EDG team was gathered in the training room discussing tactics, draft picks, and other matters.

The factory manager stood in front of everyone, holding a small notebook in his hand and talking incessantly.

"This match is against JDG. Although their strength has declined compared to last year, they are still not to be underestimated."

"We haven't lost a single game so far in the Spring Split. JDG has only lost to RNG, so don't underestimate them."

"Next, I'll reiterate the issue of personnel selection, so listen carefully."

"..."

Seeing his head coach so focused, Wang Yao quickly sent a message in the chat box and then put down his phone.

But as soon as I put it down, a 'ding' sound came, and I looked down.

[Xiran's wife: Good luck in the competition!]

Wang Yao smiled slightly and chose not to reply to the message.

Because he knew that once they started talking, it would go on and on, and the competition was about to begin, so he could still tell what was more important.

At this moment, the stadium was packed with people, and the stands were noisy.

"Why hasn't it started yet? I'm in a hurry!!"

"JDG vs. EDG, today's match is definitely going to be interesting!"

"Ahhh! I feel so uncomfortable if I don't see Yao-ge for a day!"

"Kshine is facing Flandre, and it feels like... Flandre is going to get crushed."

"Here they come! Master Yao has taken down the State Grid traitors with a single strike. Lin Weixiang and Xiao Tian were both crushed. Now it's Saint Gun's turn!"

"..."

While they were chatting idly, two official LPL commentators also took to the commentary booth.

"Alright, welcome to the 2021 League of Legends LPL Spring Split. We're about to start the third day of the sixth week of the regular season, with JDG and EDG facing off."

"Hello everyone, I'm commentator Wang Duoduo."

"I'm Tong Xi."

A simple self-introduction sparked a heated discussion among viewers in the live stream.

Unlike female commentators like Zhou Shuyi, Rita, and Gugu, Tongxi has strong professional skills and can often predict both sides' draft picks and even tactics.

Good looks and high professional competence naturally attract a lot of fans.

On the other side, Wang Duoduo's voice came again.

"Today's match is full of highlights! Mid laner Yagao is facing off against Rookie, and top laner Flandre is going up against Kshine, which is also very exciting."

Tong Xi nodded and said:
"In my opinion, apart from the top lane, the combat strength of both sides in the other three lanes is actually quite even."

"EDG, which just won four consecutive championships, still retains most of its championship roster, and everyone's skills are still up to par. On paper, I think EDG is stronger."

"Without further ado, let's hand the screen over to the two teams."

"Alright, please welcome both teams to the stage!"

As soon as Wang Duoduo finished speaking, the image on the big screen switched from the commentary booth to the stage.

As the away team, JDG took the stage first.

The five players and head coach Hongmi greeted the audience and then went to their respective positions.

A sharp explosion rang out from below the stage.

"Ahhh! Go JDG!"

"Holy Gun Bro, charge!"

"You're the best, Movie Watcher!"

"..."

Amid cheers, EDG made their entrance.

"Kshine!!"

"I'm Yao-ge's dog! Yao-ge, kill me mercilessly!"

"You're right, but this is the four-time champion Kshine. His champion pool is unmatched, his laning skills are extraordinary, his attention to detail is unparalleled, he can carry, he can play consistently, and he can lead his team to a comeback victory... (ten million words omitted here)"

"..."

Since they hadn't put on their headphones yet when they went on stage, the contestants were able to hear the audience's comments clearly.

Jiejie and Rookie tried hard to suppress their laughter, but Meiko burst out laughing. After the others managed to hold back their laughter, they quickly followed suit.

The ten players put on their headphones and entered Summoner's Rift.

After a quick test of latency and FPS to confirm that everything was fine, I re-entered the room and started the ban/pick phase.

As the blue side, JDG immediately banned Fiora, Irelia, and Darius.

Although EDG played many matches, Wang Yao still used these three champions the most.

Now that the season is halfway through, most teams are not stubborn.

Since EDG's top laner is strong in lane, then we should target Wang Yao relentlessly, leaving him with no heroes to play.

But doing so is completely futile, given the state of Wang Yao's hero pool; those who know, know.

Meanwhile, the business negotiations between the two sides are still ongoing.

JDG focused entirely on their top laner, while EDG opted to target their AD carry.

The female police officer and Xayah were both banned, and then the mid-lane card was banned.

Upon seeing this, the voices of the two commentators came from the commentary booth one after another.

"Three bans on top laners is a rare occurrence in matches."

"However, as far as I know, in the 10 BO3s that EDG won, Wang Yao used a total of 7 different heroes. Even if three are banned, he still has plenty of options."

"Yeah, EDG's decision to ban the AD carry and mid laner might be to focus on the bottom jungle, which will put a lot of pressure on JackeyLove."

"Let's see what JDG will choose on the first floor."

On this side of the stage, Redmi is discussing the selection of contestants with the five participants.

After a brief discussion, the blue team locked in Ryze, the Rune Mage, on the first floor.

The choice then fell to EDG.

"So, Lao Song, do you want to go first?"

"I'll play in the second round. It seems like they're going to play a roaming style, so I'll wait a bit longer."

"OK, let's just go with the choices we planned before, Hecarim and Jinx, no problem, right?"

"no problem!"

"OK OK!"

Soon, EDG locked in Hecarim on the first floor and Jinx on the second floor, putting the choice back in JDG's hands.

This time, they took out Aphelios and Jarvan IV without any hesitation.

Both sides' draft picks were very reasonable and disciplined, based on the current meta and the players' champion pools, so the process was naturally very fast.

When the pick was given to EDG again, their third pick Rookie locked in Thresh, and both teams' basic lineups were complete.

In the official live broadcast room, netizens were discussing it extensively.

"Ryze, Jarvan IV, Aphelios, JDG is clearly going to fight in the bottom half of the map."

"The classic LPL tactical system is to dominate the bottom half of the map and then leave the top lane to fend for itself."

"But... is this choice really okay? Flandre was definitely skilled before, but he's getting older and his skills have declined. He probably can't beat Yao in lane, right?"

"High probability? It's a 100 million chance they can't beat them!"

"..."

At the same time, both sides have completed their second round of bans.

JDG did not continue to target the top laner, but instead banned Rookie's two signature champions, Syndra and Orianna.

This version of LeBlanc and Azir are of average strength, so both are banned. Toothpaste is confident that he can hold off Song Yijin in the laning phase.

On the other hand, EDG targeted the support role by banning Nautilus and Leona.

Then it was EDG's turn to select players on the fourth floor.

At that moment, Tongxi's sweet voice suddenly came from the speaker.

"Looking at EDG's lineup, I think the mid laner is unlikely to be a traditional carry, but rather someone who prefers to roam."

"Ryze is locked out by Toothpaste, and Twisted Fate is also banned, so Galio might be the next pick."

As soon as he finished speaking, EDG immediately locked in Galio.

A gasp went up from the audience!
That wasn't all; the sweet voice came again.

"As for JDG, since Graves has been released, their top laner will most likely still lock in Graves."

"But there aren't many good support champions. As a second choice, Alistar and Braum are the best options, or Sett is also a good choice."

As expected, JDG picked Graves as their fourth pick, and after hesitating for a while, the fifth pick picked Alistar.

Now it was the audience's turn to be unsettled.

"Holy crap! You guessed that accurately?!"

"Could there be a delay? I heard that matches are always delayed."

"Dude, are you mentally challenged? We're there! We're right there!"

"I'm so happy! There's no delay in the online live stream, there's no delay at all in the live broadcast."

"I can only say that her understanding of the game is indeed impressive; she's not just a pretty face." "Tongxi is the best! Tongxi, I love you!"

"What do you mean? Are you predicting Yao Ge's choice?"

"Predict! Predict!"

The commentators were positioned not far from the audience, and there was also a sound recording device on site to help them understand the situation.

So Tongxi heard the discussion among the audience.

She wore a bitter smile, almost as if she were saying, "I can't do it."

For predictions to be accurate, there must be a pattern to follow.

The previous examples of Galio, Alistar, and the like were all based on analyzing common heroes in the game and making basic judgments based on the current situation.

However, no matter how you analyze Wang Yao's hero selection, most of the heroes in his hero pool are not commonly seen on the field.

Fiora is generally okay; occasionally, some skillful top laners will play her.

Darius and Irelia, these two champions haven't appeared in any competitions in ages.

These three heroes are all banned now, so what kind of prediction is this?

Seeing Tong Xi's troubled expression, Wang Duoduo immediately chimed in.

"EDG's last pick will definitely be the top laner, but since Kshine hasn't been playing top lane for very long, we don't know much about his top lane champion pool, so we can only give a general analysis."

"First of all, EDG's mid laner picked Galio, so Chicken Bro will definitely have to serve the others."

"While the jungler Hecarim is very strong in the early and mid-game, his late-game ability is relatively average in competitive play."

"I think the top laner should definitely pick a hero who is good at fighting in the early and mid-game and also has damage output in the late game."

"You're right, aren't you, Teacher Tongxi?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Tongxi nodded.

Although Wang Duoduo's words were mostly nonsense, they did manage to change the subject.

Meanwhile, the business plan (BP) process between the two sides finally reached its final stage.

Listen to the utter silence, the deathly stillness!

As a line of dialogue rang out, the image of Aatrox, the Darkin Blademaster, was projected onto the big screen.

At this moment, cheers erupted again from the audience!
"Holy crap? Aatrox's here too?!"

"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Sword Demon, long time no see!"

"It has to be Yao Ge! I feel restless if I don't watch EDG's matches for a day!"

"Indeed, other teams use Graves and Gnar, but when it comes to Yao, it's Fiora, Irelia, Darius, and Aatrox. Who wouldn't love watching that?"

"Let's take off, brothers! EDG has to win this game!"

"Charge! Charge! Charge! Yao-ge is forever a god!"

"..."

After the hero swap, the lineups for both sides were officially finalized.

Blue side JDG: Graves, Jarvan IV, Ryze, Aphelios, Alistar.

Red side EDG: Aatrox, Hecarim, Galio, Jinx, Thresh.

After giving a few final instructions, the factory manager turned and shook hands with Coach Hongmi. The two then went their separate ways off the stage and back to the dressing room.

With the end of the BP season, the coaches' tasks have temporarily come to an end.

Everything that follows will depend on the players' performance.

Soon, accompanied by the cheers of the audience, the members of both teams officially stepped into Summoner's Rift.

As soon as the game started, voices came through the JDG team's microphone.

"Keep it up, brothers!"

"Hold on, Xuanjun! I can come help you in the top lane when I reach level three."

"It's similar to a nest, but we have to wait until the nest reaches level six."

"I'll place a ward first; we absolutely cannot let him get ahead this round."

"rush!"

If the audience could hear their conversation, they would immediately realize that something was wrong.

It looks like JDG will pick Graves for top lane, let Flandre carry the team, and then have the rest of the team play the bottom half of the map.

But their real purpose was to get on the road!

The reason we let Flandre pick Graves wasn't to let him get away with it, but because it's the champion he plays best and is most confident in his skills with.

Toothpaste picked Ryze, and Kanavi picked Jarvan IV, which was indeed for support purposes, but the support position was also top lane.

In the bot lane, LokeN and LvMao are quite strong in lane, so there's not much to worry about them.

Let them play as they please. Aphelios can still be effective in team fights during the mid-to-late game, and LokeN can still carry the entire game.

All of this was planned in advance by the JDG coaching staff.

With the Spring Split halfway through, EDG has played 10 matches.

For other teams, there is an increasing amount of data available for analysis.

After much discussion and research, Redmi discovered that in every EDG match, the top laner was always carrying the team.

Whether other teams can win may depend on the AD carry, the mid laner, and sometimes even the jungler.

But EDG's success is purely based on their top laner.

Although they haven't lost a single game so far, that doesn't mean EDG has never been at a disadvantage.

And every time they were at a disadvantage, Kshine turned the tide.

Sometimes it was just him alone, sometimes he led his teammates, but it was all inseparable from Wang Yao.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Wang Yao remains the backbone of EDG this season.

Unlike other teams that abandon the top lane and focus all their efforts on the bottom lane to ensure their AD carry's development.

Redmi was very bold; he only had one tactic for JDG in this game: to completely shut down Kshine!

Apart from JDG, no one knew their thoughts, including EDG.

After buying their travel gear, Wang Yao and the others quickly headed to the river.

Although Meiko played Thresh, his signature support champion, this time they didn't choose to engage in a level 1 team fight.

To avoid disrupting their plans, JDG also started the game normally.

And so, JDG stood in a line on the left side of the river, while EDG stood in a line on the right side of the river.

They just stand facing each other across the river, occasionally exchanging emojis.

Soon, the game time reached 1 minutes and 25 seconds.

The jungler led the bot lane duo back to the jungle, while the mid and top laners returned to their lanes to wait for the minions to arrive.

1 minutes 30 seconds.

The laning phase has officially begun!
The on-site director was very knowledgeable; he immediately focused the camera on the road.

As a three-time world champion top laner, Flandre's Graves proficiency is quite high.

He knew that this hero couldn't control the lane due to his passive ability, so he started pushing as soon as he came online.

Saint Gun's idea was simple: by the time the minion wave pushed towards the enemy's turret, he would be around level two or three.

With his attack range advantage and E skill, he can take advantage of Aatrox's tower farming to relentlessly harass him.

It doesn't take too much effort.

If we can take down about a third of the enemy's health, we can then push back the lane and coordinate with the Prince to secure a solo kill.

JDG had already planned everything. In their view, Wang Yao, who picked Aatrox, was like a fish on a chopping board, completely at their mercy.

So what if you're good at laning?

Their entire team's target is Wang Yao alone. Does Wang Yao really think he can fight against five people all by himself?!

Meanwhile, Wang Yao was unaware that he was being watched by the entire JD.com team.

Of course, none of these things matter to him.

As long as you play your laning phase well and bring out your current strength, you will most likely win the game smoothly.

Over here, Wang Yao seized the moment when the Graves was about to use his basic attack, walked right up to his face, and unleashed his passive skill, "Death Sentence."

Despite his age, Flandre's reaction speed is still very fast.

He clicked the floor to move forward, waiting for the next basic attack while constantly closing the distance to the Sword Demon.

Graves' attack range is 425 yards, while Aatrox's range, even with the extra range provided by Death Slash, is only 225 yards.

The huge difference in attack range makes it impossible for Graves to be kited.

There are exceptions to everything.

After Wang Yao unleashed his first basic attack, he did not immediately retreat to create distance.

He controlled the Sword Demon to dive into the enemy ranks, and then used Darkin Blade to smash the greatsword down at the Graves.

Saint Gun is very calm. With years of experience as a top laner, he can accurately control the range of Aatrox's skills.

If you move backward from this position, you might get knocked back, but moving towards the inner circle is definitely not a problem.

Immediately, Graves walked straight towards Aatrox and, taking advantage of the moment when Aatrox was stunned while casting Q, successfully landed an auto-attack.

However, due to the obstruction of the minions in front of him, the bullet from the basic attack did not hit Wang Yao completely; it only grazed him, and the Sword Demon's health barely dropped.

Seeing this, Holy Gunner immediately pressed the E key, Graves used Quick Draw to reload, and Aatrox fired another shot at close range.

With this shot, all four bullets hit Wang Yao, and the Sword Demon's health dropped rapidly.

Not only that, thanks to the Fleet Footwork rune, Graves quickly created distance and dodged Aatrox's second Q!

"Holy crap! Flandre's laning phase is pretty good!"

"Awesome! No wonder he's a three-time world champion top laner from EDG; his roster rotation is top-notch!"

"It seems like Yao hasn't played Graves top lane much. Normally, retreating would be the best option."

"Indeed, the Aatrox champion has a very long recovery time when he uses Q, which gives professional players a lot of time to do."

"They lost so much health at level one, it feels like it might be difficult to win later on."

"..."

The JD.com fans below were excited.

They didn't expect that the top lane, which they least favored, would actually gain an advantage first.

Backstage, the factory manager and Mao Kai frowned slightly.

They had witnessed Wang Yao's laning phase countless times in matches, training, and ranked games, and they knew his laning prowess well.

In their opinion, no active professional player is stronger in the laning phase than their own top laner.

But what's going on today? How did he get beaten so badly even when facing Flandre in lane?

The two felt that something was wrong, but they couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

In any case, Wang Yao's strength couldn't have suddenly decreased. There must be a reason why he fought so badly in the first wave of blood exchange!

(End of this chapter)