LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 555 I've gotten used to it
"IG did it!"

When the score was finally tied 1-1, perhaps all the viewers, including the commentators, truly acknowledged that this was a final match that was incredibly exciting.

Otherwise, it would just be a one-sided stomp on noobs.

However, IG did not allow this to happen. Instead, they forcefully pushed the game to a best-of-three series, finally giving the fans in the arena a chance to breathe.

For a while.

The IG team was ecstatic after winning the match.

"This should be EDG's first loss in this World Championship."

As the Roaring Emperor watched this myth being shattered, a hint of joy and anticipation inevitably appeared on his face.

So EDG isn't invincible after all.

As a neutral commentator, while the story of the strong getting stronger is certainly exciting, the story of the weak defeating the strong is obviously more captivating in terms of its real-world appeal.

Therefore, he had no reason not to be amazed and excited that IG had won this point.

After all, their opponent is the formidable EDG, so any neutral viewer would feel this unique emotion at this moment.

Even LCK viewers on Korean online forums who were indifferent to the matter shared the same thought.

[Damn, IG won? Will EDG ever be defeated?]

[EDG isn't truly perfect and invincible; it seems GRF is just too weak. What can be done about their disappointing performance?]

[Oh, now I'm eager to watch the game again. As long as it's not one-sided, I can still watch it. It would be even better if IG could win later on.]

At least IG showed fighting spirit in this game, and they definitely won't lose confidence. As long as their confidence isn't suppressed by EDG's terrifying strength, they really have a chance to win this BO5.

And it's even more outrageous on the internet.

[What's going on? Was our God's Son, Lin Shen, just matched up against the MVP?]

[Dude, I still can't believe EDG actually lost a game. But it doesn't matter, as long as Lin doesn't lose three games in a row, he'll always be my god.]

[Stop talking. I think there are already signs that I'm turning into a hater. When will Lin Shen lose? I've been holding back for two years, and I can't help but reveal my potential as a hater.]

No, no, no, our great Forest God will definitely not lose. Of course, if he does lose, I'll go all out.

"Aqiu."

Back in the lounge, Lin Ruo calmly sneezed and then leaned back on the sofa.

The score has been tied, but it's okay.

Inevitably, the opponent played better in the second game, but the biggest problem was that there were too many teams in the early game. Even Lin Ruo admitted that he made some mistakes.

Of course, the mistakes made by the bottom lane are always the biggest.

Therefore, as the head coach, Mingkai didn't have anything to say about the game.

In short, it's about adjusting your mindset.

You've already given away points in the second round, so in the third round, you'd better be fully focused. If you give away points again, I'll come down and knock your head off.

This is where the problem lies.

After the first game, everyone thought IG and GRF were no different, but the results now show that they are actually completely different.

IG is the kind of team that has the real ability to fight back, unlike GRF who are stubborn and inflexible.

So it's time to put your mind at ease and stay focused. You can't afford to make careless positioning decisions in the second game, or blindly push the lane without considering vision control in the early game.

When everyone showed greater focus, the problems in the second game were resolved.

What awaits them now is to win the third game with an even more meticulous performance.

...

The brief intermission has ended.

When both teams finished their rest and returned to their seats, the atmosphere in the 50,000-seat Wenhe Arena had become much more intense.

With the score tied 1-1, the long-absent IG fans cheered and shouted their support, going head-to-head with the EDG fans in the audience. This is what the finals should feel like!

"Welcome back, everyone. This is the Busan Munhak Stadium, the final venue for the 2018 League of Legends World Championship, EDG vs SIG."

Guan Zeyuan, the commentator, was also very excited: "The score is now tied at one to one, and the crucial match point game is about to begin."

"Yes, after watching the first game, we thought EDG was going to sweep again, but IG actually rose from the ashes and fought back in the second game, making the score close again."

Wang Duoduo smiled.

He only wanted to express one thing.

Today's match was really exciting; the final did not disappoint.

"Compared to their performance in the LPL Summer Split, EDG has maintained their consistent performance in this World Championship, but IG has indeed evolved."

I remember making a remark.

He believed before the match that IG would be able to struggle against EDG, because IG had indeed changed in this World Championship, and today's performance proved everything.

thus.

It wasn't just him; everyone was looking forward to the third game.

This final is destined to be the most exciting BO5 match of this year's World Championship.

no way.

All the other best-of-five series ended 3-0.

How could this 3-1 victory not be exciting?

Oh, RNG did win their quarterfinal BO5 match against GRF 3-1, but is it comparable?

With both sides making some preparations, the draft phase of the third game of the finals quickly began.

Looking at the draft screen and the first two heroes that both sides had already banned, Guan Zeyuan, who was analyzing from the commentary booth, immediately said: "Even though the blue and red colors have been swapped, the ban strategy of both sides is not much different from the last game."

"EDG's first two picks were Urgot and Alistar."

"IG is still the same as always. Even on the red side, they have to ban Camille obediently, and also lock out Taliyah."

I remember being able to tell.

Camille has been banned for the third time in this final match.

Neither side wants to give up.

After all, the top and second-best Camille junglers are probably in the finals, so picking them means maximizing early-game initiative.

This is unbearable for both sides who prefer a fast-paced early game.

Therefore, it must be pressed.

"Should we press the Sword Demon button or not?" Wang Duoduo analyzed from the side.

"If IG doesn't press the button, I think EDG will definitely lock the first floor."

He thinks IG should be shut down.

However, IG did not do so because they wanted to gain the initiative in the jungle.

If Aatrox is banned, EDG's first pick will most likely be the jungler.

EDG's decision to ban Kindred as their third ban shows their targeted strategy. If they then ban Aatrox, the opponent will have an early advantage in the jungle position.

Therefore, IG chose not to press the button.

This undoubtedly gave EDG a boost in confidence for their next move.

The BP process has ended.

EDG, positioned on the blue side, quickly locked down the Aatrox champion on the first floor.

"It's an obvious choice. If the red side lets it go, I'll definitely take it. Giving GimGoon Aatrox will at least ensure the top lane is safe."

Guan Zeyuan said.

IG's subsequent first-floor pick did not surprise him at all.

Zhao Xin is the obvious choice.

Otherwise, why would IG let Aatrox out? It's so that they can pick Xin Zhao, who has the most initiative, when Kindred, Taliyah, and Camille are all being suppressed.

After the first two games...

The performance of the jungler almost entirely determines everything.

Naturally, in this game, IG wanted to make the most of this aspect, giving Ning the best room to perform, while also limiting the performance of EDG's core player, Lin Ruo.

With Zhao Xin on the field, at least in this aspect, they have gained the advantage they should have.

At this point, EDG's jungler options are either to continue picking Gragas or pick Nocturne, but either way, they will be at a disadvantage in the early game due to being invaded to some extent.

Lin Ruo originally planned to take one of them, but IG's sudden choice of Braum on the second floor made him change his mind.

"Huh, aren't you going to take Luo?" Wang Duoduo looked on with a hint of surprise.

Wouldn't it be great if Zhao Xin and Luo were to lead a fearless charge?

But after thinking about it...

Wang Duoduo probably understands why IG suddenly stopped picking Rakan.

Their overly aggressive team composition already put them at a disadvantage in the first game, so wouldn't it be better to have a versatile hero like Braum who can initiate team fights and provide protection when they're pushing forward?

Instead of having absolutely no way out.

Just like the draft in the previous game, IG believes that the reason they were able to win was because of the balance of their lineup.

We have Kindred.

Can it provide a high degree of assurance for the team's margin for error?

Therefore, IG believes that to implement this strategy, they can relentlessly attack other teams because their opponents simply cannot stop their offensive.

But EDG can hold them off, so we have to honestly change our strategy and not be too stubborn.

Well, let's just let it go. Will we reduce the number of raids? We'll do just that.

This is what it means to put down.

EDG naturally locked Luo up on the second floor.

Lin Ruo also had new ideas about the jungle position.

If the enemy support is missing a Rakan, then when I enter the fight, I'll be missing a major threat.

Therefore, when everyone was watching to see if EDG would bring out Nightmare and Galio to replicate IG's lineup combination from the first game.

Suddenly, a Void Monster appeared on the BP interface; it was Rek'Sai, the excavator who graduated from Lanxiang Vocational School.

"Rex?"

I remember a look of shock on my face.

If this isn't just risking one's life, then what is?

What kind of champion is Rek'Sai? Can she be compared to a front-line jungler like Xin Zhao?

This is a hero who's so strong that once you go in, you can't get out; he's only slightly better than Spider.

However, in terms of early-game combat power, Rek'Sai is really not afraid of Xin Zhao.

Without further ado, Guan Zeyuan gave him a thumbs up: "Lin Shen, you dare to do this? You're really going all out."

Picking Rek'Sai as a jungler makes you tough in the early game, but you're too easy to die if you go in late game.

However, it seems that Rek'Sai, a burst damage champion, is only responsible for going in and trading one-for-one with the enemy carry.

Of course, this also depends on Lin Ruo's ideas regarding item builds.

Resurrection Armor is meant to be sold in the first place.

It would be good if we could switch, but it would also be good if we couldn't switch and instead draw fire.

But once the excavator appeared, IG's thinking changed.

We can't back down. You guys are all operating excavators now.

Therefore, Lissandra became IG's answer for the third pick, and the strength of the mid and jungle sides had to be determined.

Both sides will proceed to the second round of selection.

IG eliminated Galio and Malzahar in quick succession.

The goal is to weaken EDG's mid lane dominance. Since they can't gain much advantage in the jungle, they must dominate the mid lane.

Immediately afterwards, the fourth floor picked Lucian to further strengthen the early game.

"IG is really giving it their all."

Looking at the draft picks on both sides, Guan Zeyuan could only draw this conclusion: they were really giving it their all.

I get an excavator here, and you get Lucian there.

If another one comes up in the top lane, then picking Braum means we're basically going for a four-protect-one strategy.

Oh no.

Bloom has to go too, what's the point of guaranteeing anything?

However, after seeing EDG's fourth and fifth picks, Guan Zeyuan felt that he had been too conservative.

Lucian is already out, so who can beat IG in the early game?

Therefore, EDG adjusted their draft strategy. We stopped focusing on the early game, as long as our jungler is strong enough in his lane, we can ignore the other positions.

So let's get Xia on the fourth floor first, to ensure stable combat power later on.

But that doesn't seem to be enough.

Alright then, let's choose another Victor on the fifth floor.

Tell me, is it stable or not?

Because EDG picked Viktor, IG also had to make some adjustments.

Because Viktor isn't a popular champion to play in the mid lane this patch.

That's right.

EDG will most likely pick Viktor in the top lane. In that case, no physical damage champion can out-damage Viktor, or at least will have a hard time gaining an advantage.

When playing Viktor top lane, you can only use AP champions; any other choice is not a good option.

This greatly limits IG's options.

Since it's an AP champion, IG is starting to consider a more conservative approach.

Even at a conservative level, AP heroes in the late game are definitely not a viable pick in this lineup.

Therefore, the real answer lies in AP champions that can be strong in the mid-game, and we also need to consider whether TheShy, as a top laner, actually knows how to play them.

After comprehensive consideration.

Ryze became the best answer, bar none.

At least this champion provides a boost to the early game lineup, and the key is that TheShy knows how to play him, so he won't have too much trouble against Viktor.

Therefore, IG picked this hero without hesitation in the fifth-floor counter position.

Because of Viktor's presence, the counter pick they specifically reserved for the top laner can only be a passive choice.

But it doesn't seem too bad.

"Brothers, we need to play it safe this time." Mingkai's first priority after selecting the lineup was to tell everyone that they had to stay on high alert.

This lineup isn't as strong as the last one.

If a team with such a strong early game like Lucian still collapsed like that, then if this team composition collapses again in the early game, then it's simply unplayable.

Of course, this tense point does not include Lin Ruo.

There are certain things to do before selecting an excavator.

In this game, Lin Ruo essentially reverted to his most basic playstyle: ignoring the bottom lane and focusing solely on ganking the top lane.

In fact, this is the only way. The only advantage of this lineup is that the top and jungle players can fight.

Lissandra definitely can't go to the mid lane. In the early game, Lissandra needs to have enough damage and control. In a 2v2 situation, Scout's Aatrox is not very useful at all.

Therefore, Lin Ruo's thought process in this game was very clear.

The same principle applies to IG.

It's more important to gank bot lane than top lane. After all, Lucian has been picked, so how can we ignore bot lane?

That certainly won't work.

If IG absolutely needs to take down a tower in the early game, it has to be the next tower, without exception.

This was a match point game.

The head coach of IG was also giving frantic instructions. If it weren't for the referees reminding him, he could have talked for at least another ten minutes.

At least after leaving the players' bench, both head coaches stopped arguing.

After the two sides shook hands and left the field, the match officially began.

"Alright everyone, the draft is finalized. EDG is on the blue side. Top lane Viktor, jungle Rek'Sai, mid lane Aatrox, and bot lane duo Xayah and Rakan."

"Red side IG, top laner Ryze, jungler Xin Zhao, mid laner Lissandra, bot lane duo Lucian and Braum."

"The third match is about to begin. Both sides are ready. Let's get into the third game of the BO5 finals."

Guan Zeyuan finished speaking.

Cheers and shouts of encouragement rose and fell throughout the venue.

This time it wasn't just a single voice; you could clearly hear support from EDG or IG, indicating that fans from both sides had shown their full confidence.

As both teams entered Summoner's Rift with ten players each, the cheers were deafening, and the game was already showing signs of a head-on confrontation right from the start.

EDG's level 1 strength is completely inferior to IG's, so IG maintained an absolutely aggressive approach in terms of positioning.

With Braum and Lucian, I have everything. If I don't rush to pick one at level 1, wouldn't it be a waste of my pick?

Therefore, it's reasonable that the three junglers of IG initially showed a tendency to band together.

EDG was also prepared.

What if I can't beat them? Then I'll just quickly call for reinforcements.

At the start of the game, they called Viktor down, and the four of them, excluding Scout and Aatrox, immediately stood in the bushes behind the red monster.

IG has hacked it.

Then Lucian was forced to use a heal, and the final invasion ended in failure.

No matter how good you are in the early game, you can't possibly fight three against four.

IG members didn't expect that they would be outmaneuvered from the start, with the opposing team completely ignoring vision in the top half of the map and instead gathering in the bottom jungle from the very beginning.

Well, at least TheShy's Ryze took the opportunity to place a ward in the blue buff area, which is the only good news brought by IG's invasion.

Whether it will be effective or not remains to be seen.

Knowing TheShy's personality, Ning frantically warned in the voice chat: "Be careful in the top lane. This Rek'Sai will definitely come to gank early on. If he can't catch her, then this game will be much easier for us."

of course.

If we can catch them, the opponent will have a much easier time in this game.

Prince Ning wasn't one to gamble much, and thought it best to keep an eye on the road ahead.

Unfortunately, the bottom laner was forced to use a skill disadvantage right after reaching level three.

Obviously, having one less healer at the start of the game has a significant impact, and the EDG bot lane duo capitalized on this, using the Xayah and Rakan combo's agility to initiate fights at the opportune moment.

Raising it means switching to a flashbang.

If you don't use Flash, your health will be reduced significantly.

This forced Prince Ning to focus his attention entirely on the downstream route.

The Xayah and Rakan duo are indeed strong in the laning phase. He can't just let the situation develop unchecked; at the very least, ensuring that the bot lane duo has basic lane control is a fundamental requirement.

Then we can only stop paying attention to the top lane.

This brings us to the part where you have to test TheShy's wilderness survival skills. But why test TheShy of all things?

Are you expecting TheShy to voluntarily squat in the bush in front of the second tower?
Lin Ruo didn't know.

All I know is that when he went there, TheShy was still reluctantly AFK in the bushes.

So stubborn?

Lin Ruo was at a loss.

TheShy was sent back to base in just four minutes. The main strategy was to tank towers to the extreme, since Rek'Sai champions have no shortage of burst damage in the early game.

After being caught once, TheShy developed the habit of consciously crouching and hiding in the bushes.

It has to be said that TheShy wasn't that famous back then, so he was more obedient.

As for what will happen when they become more famous, that's hard to say.

Under this rhythm, for the first 10 minutes, the two sides were almost in a state of non-aggression, each ganking their own top lane and bottom lane, keeping to themselves.

The situation wasn't too bad.

Although Ning Wang didn't manage to gank the bottom lane once, his impact was still significant. Knowing that Lin Ruo was unlikely to come to the bottom lane, he had no need to do anything sneaky.

Push the lane and then stand behind the second tower, kill the Krugs, and then force the EDG duo under the tower to leave so they can't farm the lane.

This is Ning's ganking strategy, ensuring the development of the bottom lane duo.

Then, when the time was right, he called Lissandra and they came straight to Vietnam.

The 8-minute mark was IG's best time to gank bot lane, but Scout used Aatrox's skillful play to help the bot lane avoid the attack.

Because Aatrox has a Guardian Angel after dying from his ultimate in this version, Scout isn't as afraid of Lissandra's sudden attacks.

Knowing that Lissandra would definitely want to go to the bottom lane to help, Scout, who had just logged back in, went to the jungle to wait for her. Sure enough, he caught Lissandra in the bush behind the red buff as she was about to go to the bottom lane.

Almost one combo took away half of Lissandra's health. Although Scout was forced to use Flash because Xin Zhao was also nearby and stealing the red buff, he managed to deplete Lissandra's first ultimate, thus successfully avoiding IG's attack on the bottom lane.

The Xayah and Rakan duo got a much-needed breather.

This also slowed down IG's pace considerably.

Ning was forced to open his eyes to the world, and then he saw that the top laner had been ganked a second time.

Excavators are still too easy to grab people.

Even though TheShy had Flash, Lin Ruo still easily secured a second kill in the mid lane.

Who can blame them when they have the E skill to tunnel and get closer quickly? And at the same speed, the excavator underground has a faster movement speed.

So all Lin Ruo did was stick close to Ryze's footsteps. You don't have to dodge, but I'll come over and knock you up right away.

When TheShy was forced to use Flash prematurely, Lin Ruo, operating the excavator, followed up with Flash, leaving Ryze with no chance of escape.

Ryze died twice in the early game, which obviously put TheShy in a very difficult situation.

However, EDG's bot lane duo is still holding strong at this moment.

This is what makes the Xayah and Rakan combination special; the two have a very high potential for synergy when paired together.

This situation is undoubtedly extremely difficult for IG, a team that needs to play in the early to mid-game.

IG secured the first Infernal Dragon within 10 minutes by utilizing the bottom lane priority, which was the biggest consolation for them, but such consolation was clearly far from enough.

Prince Ning knew he still had to focus on the bottom lane and take the fastest possible action.

At this moment, Lin Ruo, who had already completed her mission in the top lane, also knew to come to the bottom lane.

Things won't be so simple once you start doing them.

(End of this chapter)