LOL: The world’s best red-temperature mid laner!

During the hero selection phase, TES on the blue side picked Sejuani on the first pick.

GEN, on the other hand, locked down Poppy and Varus on the first and second floors.

The commentator said, "Poppy? Is it Poppy jungle or Poppy support? Kiin's top lane Poppy seems pretty strong too. GEN can play this champion in all three positions, so it's hard to say right now."

TES got the Crocodile and Kalista on the second and third floors.

Rita analyzed, "The crocodile is a safe choice. I don't think there are any better options. Let's play it safe."

GEN got Xin Zhao on the third floor.

The two sides entered the second round of ban/pick.

GEN banned Akali and Yone.

TES banned Lena and Tahm Kench.

GEN has locked onto the ice on the fourth floor!
Miller exclaimed, "Varus and Ashe in the bot lane? This laning duo is quite dominant, even though Top Esports got Kalista in the bot lane."

"But against this combination, Kalista will have a hard time winning and it can easily turn into a one-on-two situation."

TES got Rumble and Qiyana on the fourth and fifth floors!
Rita analyzed, "Rumble should be a support! Then there's no problem. Rumble as a support has his own damage output, and after level six, his ultimate is a huge threat to short-legged heroes without mobility."

"As for Qiyana, she'll definitely be a mid-laner. It's a bit of an underdog. This is Qiyana's first appearance at this MSI, and we can expect to see her perform like Yi Shen."

At this point, only the fifth floor of GEN remained unexplored. The director's camera focused on Chovy, who looked somewhat hesitant.

The commentator, Wawa, said, "Qiana has been nerfed quite a bit recently. If you're just focused on laning, there are many champions that can beat her."

"But looking at the lineup, GEN needs a core mid-lane damage dealer. Could Azir be considered?"

After some hesitation, GEN chose to lock onto the Painter in the mid lane!

Miller analyzed, "The Alternate Painter... relatively speaking, Chovy the Alternate Painter does play better than his Tsar."

"His Tsar has no problem in the laning phase and has a strong farming ability, but there's always something off about him in team fights."

The lineups for both sides have been finalized:

[Format: BO5]

【TES】VS【GEN】(1:0)

Top Lane: [Desert Butcher] VS [Saint Hammer Keeper]

Jungle: [Wrath of the North] VS [Xin Fury]

Mid Lane: [Elemental Queen] VS [Alien Painter]

ADC: Kalista VS. Arrow of Retribution

Support: [Mechanical Enemy] VS [Frost Archer]

Once the game started, Xiaotian began giving instructions: "In the early game, I'll gank the mid lane more often to target this Yi Huashi."

Lü Yi replied, "Just play normally, I'll be fine in the mid lane."

369 then said, "Top lane, the enemy has a Poppy specialist."

Meiko complained, "Wait, how come the enemy top laner is a master of every champion? He was a master of Quesant when he played Quesant, and now he's a master of Poppy too?"

Lü Yi joked, "Actually, he has a special skill against 369. As long as he faces 369, the conditions will be met, he will get a buff, and his strength will increase."

Neither side intended to engage in a level 1 team fight. As the minion wave spawned, Lü Yi moved to the mid lane to begin laning.

Chovy's alternate artist level one was quite proactive, coming up to put pressure on Lü Yi.

Lu Yi chose to kite, and after the minion was low on health, he used Q to finish it off, then dodged the skill by moving around.

The commentator said, "Although GEN lost the last game due to the mid-lane gap, Chovy doesn't seem to have lost confidence and is quite proactive."

Miller analyzed, "I feel that GEN's decision to choose the red side in this match was mostly to give Chovy a counter-pick position."

"We've already shifted resources towards the mid lane; let's see how it goes."

The second wave of minions arrived on the lane, and the two began to contest the minion wave. Chovy's Alternate Artist leveled up to level two first and used it on Lü Yi.

After upgrading, Lü Yi pushes forward and attacks with a skill advantage.

Chovy chose to retreat first, wait a moment for her skills to cool down, and then approach again. This time, as soon as the Painter made her move, Lü Yi used her W skill to move closer and fired a Q, hitting the target while simultaneously dodging the Painter's skill.

Rita commented, "Right now, the mid lane still feels like a probing phase. I think it's perfectly acceptable for Qiyana to be a little pressured before level three."

“He needs to reach level three and have a full set of skills to be a threat.”

On the top lane, 369's Renekton is being teased by Kiin's Poppy.

This Poppy really knows how to exploit the maximum range of Renekton's abilities.

This caused 369 to miss several Q skills, and Poppy can also gain a shield through her passive, allowing Poppy to accumulate a health advantage.

In the bottom lane, Kalista and Rumble were being pressured under the turret, which was very difficult for them.

Ashe slowed Kalista with her W skill, and Varus charged in with his Q skill. Because she was slowed, it was difficult for Kalista to dodge, and she lost a lot of health.

Not only that, the opposing Ashe even walked up to take advantage of the gaps in the turret's attacks and secretly whittle down Kalista's health.

Ah Shui was a little upset and complained, "The opposing support is so good at this game, he should just go play ADC, otherwise it's a waste of his talent."

Meiko laughed and said, "Haha, let's calm down and play slowly. The opposing team is too strong in lane, there's nothing we can do now."

Just then, the camera switched to the middle lane.

Xiaotian's Pig Girl is approaching from below! She's given the opposing Alter Artist a kill marker.

The mid-lane minion wave was pushing towards Lü Yi, but Lü Yi blocked it in front of the turret, preventing the minion wave from advancing.

The painter chose to walk towards the river, intending to catch the ward.

The opportunity is coming!

Lu Yi decisively moved closer, and at the same time, Xiao Tian's piggy girl rushed out of the bushes.

However, Chovy reacted quickly and used Flash to retreat and avoid it!
Xiao Tian muttered, "This kid's nuclear reaction is fast, there's no Flash left in the mid lane."

Lu Yi replied, "It's alright, it's fine as long as he's not dead. Now that he doesn't have Flash, we won't dare to suppress him recklessly."

In the commentary booth, Wawa commented, "Xiaotian suddenly started ganking the mid lane quickly in this game, and there was a clear change in the rhythm."

"In contrast, Zhao Xin is on the normal route... It seems like he's planning to go top lane and gank this crocodile?"

On the top lane, the laning phase between Renekton and Poppy was quite intense. Feeling that he might be ganked, 369 chose to go to the river to set up vision.

But just as he reached the river, Bobby caught up from behind.

Sure enough, as soon as a ward was placed, Zhao Xin from the other side was walking over.

So 369 approached the wall, used his E skill, and tried to get over it.

However, just as he used his E, Poppy flashed and used her W to block it!
Miller exclaimed, "What a quick reaction! Poppy interrupted Renekton's E, pushed him against the wall with a Q, and Xin Zhao followed up with damage."

"The crocodile was starting to feel the strain. He was knocked up by Xin Zhao's Q3, and Poppy dealt full damage. The crocodile flashed over the wall, and Xin Zhao and Poppy flashed together. Poppy took the kill on the crocodile!"

[GEN, Kiin (The Resilient Hammer) has killed TES, 369 (The Butcher of the Desert)!!!]

369 ranted: "Seriously, are they targeting us this much? Are they going to use two Flashes to try and kill us?"

Xiao Tian asked, "Did you use Flash too?" 369 was a little embarrassed: "Yes..."

Meiko complained: "Then the other side is making a killing. One flash for a first blood. Can you hold your own in the top lane? 69, you're not going to pick Renekton and get crushed in lane, are you?"

The game continued, and in the bottom lane, Ah Shui gradually lost patience.

If they keep fighting like this, he'll be worn down and killed by the opponent.

The best opportunity now is to fight them head-on and push them to the very end.

So Ah Shui gave the enemy Ashe a kill marker: "If the enemy Ashe keeps coming up to harass us, just kill him."

Meiko replied, "Okay!"

Meiko's Rumble was constantly controlling the temperature, looking for an opportunity to launch a decisive attack.

Soon, the opportunity came. The minion wave entered the turret, and Ashe and Varus, as before, continued to look for opportunities to harass the enemy.

Seeing that Ashe was positioning herself too aggressively and was using basic attacks to whittle down Kalista, Meiko decisively made her move!

Rumble uses W to slow Ashe as she approaches, then uses E to slow her again, and activates Q to charge in!
Rita passionately commented, "A fight has broken out in the bot lane! Ashe has found an opening, Rumble's second E hits, Rumble is at red buff level, and his damage output is very high!"

"Kalista came up to deal damage, Ashe fought and retreated, but couldn't hold on, so she flashed into the bush!"

Just then, Rumble and Varus simultaneously flashed into the bushes, intending to kill Ashe.

Meanwhile, Varus A on the side went crazy!
Miller sensed something was wrong: "Even if we kill Ice, it feels like Varus will still finish us off. Isn't this too aggressive?"

Kalista took down the Iceborn's head.

[TES' Jackeylove (Kalista) has killed GEN's Lehends (Hanbin, Marksman)!!!]

Varus used his Q skill to kill Kalista and continued to attack Rumble.

[GEN, Peyz (Archer) has killed TES, Jackeylove (Vengeancer)!!!]

Varus proceeded methodically, using three auto-attacks followed by his E skill to slow Varus. Rumble activated his W skill to retreat, then turned around and used his E skill to slow Varus again.

Miller commented, "Can he escape? Varus has a very fast attack speed, and his passive is triggered after killing a champion, giving him an attack speed bonus."

"Rumble's inside the turret's range, looks like he can survive. Varus, Q! Move! Move!"

Rumble's health is almost depleted. He needs to dodge this Q attack to survive.

However, Varus suddenly flashed in, used his Q skill, and secured the kill.

[GEN, Peyz (Arrow of Retribution) has killed TES, Meiko (Mechanical Enemy)!!!]

Meiko lamented, "What a pity, the enemy used Flash. I tried my best, but I couldn't dodge it."

"Neither of the two enemy bot laners had Flash."

Wawa summarized: "It feels like Top Esports' bot lane is being pushed to the limit. If they don't fight back, it's a slow death."

"This wave of fighting only made us lose more. The good news is that neither of the two opponents had Flash. Let's see if our jungler or teammates can come to the bottom lane to help us out."

Suddenly, the camera panned to show Lü Yi's Qiyana had reached the bottom lane river.

Varus was retreating, but it was too late.

After approaching, Lü Yi initiates with Q, followed by W to close the distance, refreshes Q, uses E to get close, and finishes with a second Q and a basic attack to secure the kill!

[TES, GodYi (Empress of the Elements) has killed GEN, Peyz (Archer of Retribution)!!!]

Miller commented, "Nice! That's a big kill to sum up, Kiana is feeling good now."

"That's the effect of Sejuani forcing Chovy to use Flash. If he hadn't been without Flash, Chovy could have kept the pressure on, and Qiyana wouldn't have had time to roam."

After Lü Yi secured the kill, he recalled to base and then teleported to the mid lane to continue laning.

Now that he has the serrated dagger, Lü Yi has designs on the Strange Painter.

Kiana's base damage has been significantly reduced; otherwise, her early-game kill potential would have been very strong.

Once you get a kill, aside from the equipment, you're pretty much back to the strength you had before the nerf.

Lü Yi first had Chovy harass him, push the minion wave, and control the minion wave on his side.

Xiaotian's Sejuani came to the mid lane again, hoping to catch the other player before they could use Flash.

However, daring to approach the mid-lane river, he ran into the enemy Zhao Xin.

Both of them left a ward and went back to farming jungle camps.

The commentator said, "Chovy needs to focus on protecting the mid lane now. The other laner is still quite vulnerable, especially when he doesn't have Flash."

With five and a half minutes remaining in the game, Lü Yi prepared to control the three enemy ranged minions and prevent them from reaching the tower.

In terms of health, the Alternate Painter has an absolute advantage, with two-thirds of his health, while Lü Yi has less than half.

Miller explained, "If they are not disturbed, the alternate artists have a clear advantage, after all, they have the advantage of being able to fight against those with shorter reach."

Chovy took the initiative to suppress, but Lü Yi pretended to retreat and then suddenly launched an attack, starting with a Q-flash combo!
Miller exclaimed, "She's in! Qiyana's Q-flash, so decisive! Her killing intent is set! Second Q, auto-attack, auto-attack..."

"The artist was fighting and retreating, feeling fear, but Qiyana dodged it with her E skill. It was a bit awkward; he felt like he was going to get solo killed."

Chovy ran out of skills and could only retreat. Lü Yi continued to deal damage with basic attacks, and finally used his Q skill, turning around gracefully to complete the solo kill!

[TES, GodYi (Empress of Elements) has defeated GEN, Chovy (Alien Painter)!!!]

Rita cheered, "Nice! Mid lane solo kill! This is the awkward situation for traditional mages when facing assassins. When you don't have Flash, but the assassin does, it's hard to hold your own in lane."

Miller agreed, "Indeed, and I have a question: why choose an alternate artist? Chovy actually has many more and better options. Is it because he's afraid to play mind games with Yi Shen?"

The director gave Chovy a close-up, and he looked a little regretful, as if he regretted choosing this hero.

The chat in the official live stream room was buzzing with excitement:
Showing off in front of Yi Shen comes at a price.

[I gave you a chance, but you didn't use it, Teacher Da Chao.]

[I thought he was going to choose someone skilled in gameplay, but it turns out he's an alternate artist. Is he behaving himself now?]

Teacher Da Chao is quite confident around everyone else, but he tends to get timid when facing Yi Shen.

The game continued, and six minutes had elapsed.

Chovy started playing dirty in the mid lane, using his long range advantage to forcefully push the minion wave.

Lu Yi's Qiyana went up and attacked him with a combo, but he chose to take the hits and then ran away to return to base to replenish his health and mana.

The commentator, Wawa, said, "Is the pressure in the mid lane really that high? Although he himself is less likely to die playing like this, his teammates will have a very tough time."

"Kiana can go to support after she finishes pushing the minion wave."

The camera shifts, and this time Xiaotian is in the bottom lane. The opposing duo doesn't have Flash, which presents an opportunity.

Moreover, the duo continued to push the minion wave, applying pressure.

Xiaotian came from the tri-bush and ambushed from the side. The bottom lane minions were about to enter the turret, and Varus and Ashe followed behind.

Of course, you'll see Sejuani on the side before the minion wave reaches the tower.

Feeling it was about time, Xiao Tian made his move! (End of Chapter)