You've only been playing for half a year, and you've already reached the finals?

"Tsk tsk, a clean sweep of 3-0." Ming Jing couldn't help but squint slightly as he looked at the result. "It seems like T1's quarterfinal appearances every year are quite remarkable."

Mingjing still remembers last year's World Championship, when they encountered the powerful RNG in the quarterfinals. In that BO5, in addition to their signature bottom lane priority, T1 also brought out new research projects such as Zilean support and Poppy jungle, which directly changed the draft pattern of the subsequent BO5.

Although T1 was eventually eliminated by DK, their performance was unforgettable, and Poppy jungle remains a popular pick even now.

Now, T1 has met DK again, and they showed no mercy, completing their revenge with a 3-0 victory!

Mingjing looked at the DK members' dejected expressions as they tidied their keyboards, and felt a pang of sadness.

Since his debut, DK has always been his biggest rival. Every time the competition comes to an end, DK's players are waiting for him at the finish line.

However, no competitive sport can remain strong forever. Due to personnel changes, version updates, and other factors, DK eventually lost its dominance.

From winning the league's spring and summer titles last year and finishing as runners-up in international competitions, to struggling to win a single title this year and being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the S-series, this huge drop is actually extremely terrifying for Ming Jing.

But after punching, Showmaker slumped back into his chair with a look of relief on his face.

For Showmaker, reaching the quarterfinals might be an even better result than finishing as runner-up.

"This doesn't feel good," Meiko said, crossing her arms and looking at Showmaker's expression. "What if we end up facing T1 in the finals?"

T1's clean and decisive performance today was so impressive that even they had to exclaim in amazement. Can Top Esports and RNG withstand it?

"Don't rush, let's watch the semifinals first." Ming Jing waved his hand, "RNG has won before too."

During MSI, RNG defeated T1 to win the championship.

Interestingly, in the MSI finals, the blue side won five consecutive games. RNG won the first side selection by betting a coin at the start of the game, allowing them to play an extra game on the blue side and ultimately win the championship.

It can be said that in that version, the two teams were very close in strength, with the difference even less than the difference in win rate between the red and blue sides.

However, after MSI, the designers worked overtime to release the much-hated durability patch, which brought about a dramatic change in the landscape of professional competition.

It's hard to say which side is stronger now.

Logically, durability patches should enhance a team's resilience, and for a team like T1 that focuses on offensive pressure, it should be a nerf. However, they seem to have been largely unaffected and have even turned the durability patch into a positive force.

Seeing this, Maokai and the coaching team also put in extra hours to study the game. T1's matches are definitely worth studying and should not be missed.

Of course, the quarterfinals are only halfway through, and the next two matches are equally important.

October 23th, the third day of the quarterfinals.

Today, Mingjing and Viper's condition has improved further. They have basically stopped having a fever and only have a cough. However, their tests are still positive, so they still need to be isolated.

After eating the dinner sent by Riot Games, Ming Jing promptly turned on the live stream to watch today's match.

In the upper bracket, GEN will face C9.

This match was obviously predictable; nobody thought the LCK's number one seed would lose to North America.

However, this was a match in EDG's half of the bracket, so Mingjing still paid some attention to this game.

Even from this glimpse, we can get a sense of GEN's combat strength.

Interestingly, GEN and C9 have met in the quarterfinals for two consecutive years.

What a tragic couple!
As for the result of the match, it was indeed roughly in line with Ming Jing's expectations.

Since its inception, GEN has been known for its standard Korean-style Xuanwu formation. Their strongest point is macro play, and there is always a ward waiting to be placed in the equipment slots of all five players.

Although they lost to the champion EDG in the semifinals last year, their extreme playstyle still left a deep impression on countless viewers; it was famously hypnotic.

This year, GEN has received two more buffs.

The first round was Chovy's transfer.

Chovy is undoubtedly the best mid laner in the LCK right now. He has top-tier farming and carry abilities, making him a perfect match for the GEN team.

The second is the durability patch released in the middle of the year.

This patch, which increases the tankiness of everyone, is practically tailor-made for them.

This is precisely why the team was able to rise to prominence in the Summer Split with an invincible momentum, winning their first LCK championship trophy since being renamed GEN.G in S8.

What is certain is that this year's GEN has undergone a complete transformation.

This can also be seen from the competition results.

Although GEN swept C9 3-0 to advance last year, there were actually quite a few twists and turns in the match. They even fell into a significant disadvantage in the first game, but gradually stabilized the situation and turned the tide by utilizing their solid operational skills.

But this year is different.

Chovy seems to have reached a high level this year. Even when facing the veteran French player Jansen, he has no pressure and can crush him like a chicken.

In the first game, Azir played against Sylas, managing to farm, pressure, and harass the opponent simultaneously, leaving no stone unturned and completely immobilizing them.

In the second game, Sylas played against Azir, which was even more exaggerated. Sylas maintained a constant leveling pace and even capitalized on Azir's positioning mistake, hitting with his E skill and using the stolen ultimate to push him back, thus completing a solo kill in their lane!

A series of forehand and backhand lessons completely shattered C9's morale, leaving the North American French champions dejected and even somewhat demoralized.

And don't forget, GEN also has an AD carry of FMVP caliber.

To date, only two players have won the FMVP award for the AD position. Although Ruler's custom FMVP award based on the Ardent Censer version doesn't have the same exaggerated prestige as Ming Jing's, the honor is still very real.

Throughout the three games, C9 failed to find any opportunities. They inexplicably fell behind in economy and inexplicably fell into a major disadvantage. In the late-game team fights, they also inexplicably lost the game.

GEN's pace wasn't particularly fast; even against C9, each game lasted over thirty minutes. However, their strength lay in their stability, giving their opponents almost no chance throughout the entire match!

This is something even EDG couldn't achieve.

After all, people are not machines. Under the high-intensity early-game aggression, EDG will inevitably have many weaknesses and loopholes.

But the current GEN is already very close to being a machine.

"3-0, GEN sweeps C9 again and faces off against EDG once more!"

In the commentary booth, Guan Daxiao's voice was full of vigor: "A year has passed, and GEN, as the number one seed, is once again challenging EDG! Let's look forward to this exciting match!"

At this moment, countless comments were also circulating in the live broadcast room.

An old man teases a mischievous child!

Samsung is really that aggressive this year?

[The main problem is that Da Chao is too over-the-top, it's a bit like last year's Flying God.]

[That's enough. Superpower's son can't speak without trying to pick a fight with Fei Shen, can he? Superpower should win an international championship first before he talks.]

[Don't be so arrogant, Fei Xiaozi. It's still too early to say who will win in the semifinals.]

[Does anyone really think GEN can beat EDG? They think they're hallucinating after stomping Jansen? If they really face Flying God, winning the second tower lane would be a success!]

Ming Jing glanced at the comments, moved the mouse, and closed the live stream.

At that moment, his teammate's voice also came from the tablet next to him.

"Samsung seems a bit over the top this year," Clearlove remarked. "This system is too stable, isn't it?" "Definitely!" Meiko lounged in his chair, looking relaxed. "With SuperV and Ruler as their dual carries, they're probably the strongest team in the LCK, right?"

Historically, a team with two strong carries has always been strong; there is no doubt about that.

Regardless of version changes, the output brought by the dual-C (Dual-C) system will always be the underlying logic of the game.

"But it doesn't matter," Flandre said with a grin. "We have Flying God and Viper 3, we're guaranteed to win!"

If GEN were their opponent in the quarterfinals, EDG would definitely panic, because given the form of EDG's two carries at the time, it would be difficult for them to get past GEN.

But now, the most difficult hurdle has been overcome, and the two core players are about to return to their peak condition, so there's absolutely nothing to fear.

Even among top-tier C-level players, there are differences!

"Oh, by the way," Abu said over the voice chat, "Are Tianye and Zhao Lijie doing any better?"

This morning, both No and Fu said their throats were a little dry, but their nucleic acid test results were normal for the time being.

"I feel better," Tianye said. "I probably didn't sleep well last night."

"That's good." Abu breathed a sigh of relief. "The situation is special right now, so please be extremely careful!"

"Ah."

One night passed, and it was now October 24th, the last day of the quarterfinals.

Amidst much anticipation, the LPL internal battle, the match between TES and RNG, has finally begun.

This civil war has brought joy to some and sorrow to others.

Some believe that LCK's strength has visibly increased this year, and apart from EDG, none of the other LPL teams can guarantee a win against Korean teams, so securing a top-four finish in the domestic competition shouldn't be a problem.

If the winner can defeat T1 and advance to the finals, that would be an unparalleled achievement!

Of course, many people do not agree with this statement.

LPL has won four consecutive championships since S8, making it the undisputed number one region. Why would they need to fight among themselves to secure a spot?

Why can't we let RNG eliminate T1 and TES eliminate DK, thus resolving the potential problems in half of the map in advance?
But in any case, today's game was definitely a lot of fun.

The supporters of these two teams have never been on good terms, after all, the two teams met in the finals of the Spring Split and fought a five-game battle.

In the final fifth game, Xiaohu's Poppy, who stayed up all night, became the key game-changer, repeatedly killing JackeyLove's Ziggs and helping the team secure the victory.

And the course of today's match certainly lived up to the fun factor.

Just like in previous matches, the two sides fought with incredible passion.

Top laner Breathing Bro and 369 were completely detached from the game, pure outsiders.

Both teams currently employ this tactical style, avoiding pushing their top laners too high.

However, the top laner's influence in this version is undeniable. As long as a champion like Aatrox is picked, even if he doesn't make any impact in the first twenty minutes, he still has the potential to become a god in river team fights.

369 completed this transformation.

In the first game, 369 used the team's priority to pick the side and obtained the Aatrox. He wielded the giant sword in the river team fight and cut RNG to pieces, deciding the outcome of the game in one fell swoop!
Fortunately, RNG is no pushover either.

Xiaohu also began to play the role of the team's soul in the following two games, suppressing Zuo Shou in both games and helping RNG win two points in a row with perfect roaming rhythm, taking the lead in the match point!
It can only be said that Xiaohu's matchup against left-handed players is quite effective; he hasn't lost much in recent years, and this dominance even surpasses Xiaohu's tendency to falter at the World Championships.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the left-handed player was also a weak performer in the World Championships, and their weaknesses canceled each other out.
In the fourth game, TES quickly retaliated.

JackeyLove stepped up in the match point game, and his Kai'Sa, which was picked instead of banned, became the key to the outcome. In the subsequent team fight, he perfectly avoided the control effects of Alistar and Lissandra, maximized his damage output, and helped Knight finish off the enemy.

"Two to two! Let the battle song begin!"

Regardless, the anthem of the World Championship is always passionate, especially since this is an internal battle between LPL teams. The popularity of the live stream continues to rise, gradually resembling the grand spectacle of EDG's decisive game a few days ago.

The live stream camera alternately switched between the two rest areas.

The TES team members were not slacking off and were discussing their next strategy.

Although JackeyLove didn't say anything, a determined expression appeared on his face, showing that he was determined to win the next round.

In the fifth game, both players returned to the court.

Because RNG got to choose sides as the loser in this game, TES had to be placed on the red side, losing the right to contest for Aatrox and had to ban him.

This is definitely not good news for TES, and they have no choice but to take a risky approach.

Their answer was to trust JackeyLove, the absolute core.

The moment Draven and Nautilus were revealed, the suspense of the match instantly reached its peak.

RNG seemed to have anticipated this choice, and their subsequent draft picks came out extremely quickly!

First, they picked Lena to counter the Draven-Nautilus combination, then Akali and Vi in the mid and jungle, paired with Kai'Sa in the bot lane, and went straight for a head-on clash!
With the lineups on both sides determined, the pace of this game is destined to be fast, and the outcome will most likely be decided in the mid-game.

I just didn't expect that this game would end even faster than I thought.

The duel between the two junglers became the key to determining the outcome.

When everyone thought the key to victory lay in the bottom lane, Wei unexpectedly chose to gank the top lane instead.

The top lane matchup was Fiora versus Gangplank. Normally, no one would choose to gank top, since neither of the top laners had any crowd control abilities.

But sometimes this counter-logic works.

369 didn't expect to be caught and fell into the trap immediately. The moment he was hit by Fiora's W, he ate an orange to remove the slow, which left him helpless against Blade of the Ruined King's sudden W flash attack. He was stunned on the spot!
Even if the captain still had Flash, it was meaningless when he was controlled and severely damaged. Breathing Bro's Fiora landed a QA combo and secured the first blood!

That first blood instantly changed the nature of the game.

Neither of the top laners had any ability to break through the situation before the 20-minute mark. Normally, Top Esports wouldn't need to even glance at the top lane for the first 20 minutes.

But now that Fiora has secured First Blood, she immediately recalls to base and buys Sheen. Combined with her mindless poke-and-poke playstyle, 369 simply can't hold on in lane, creating a huge gap!

The poor performance in the top lane directly impacted the overall situation, forcing Xiaotian to go to the top lane to clean up the mess.

The subsequent outcome is self-evident. Taking advantage of Xiaotian's absence in the top lane, RNG's mid and jungle made a brilliant gank in the bottom lane, intercepting and killing JackeyLove's Draven in front of the second tower.

Draven's 200 stacks of passive were all destroyed!
After this, the outcome was no longer in doubt. RNG held firm and secured the winning point, narrowly winning 3-2 and advancing to the semifinals!

With this, the semi-final matchups were finalized.

Upper bracket: EDG vs GEN
Lower bracket: T1 vs. RNG
The EDG players didn't seem to have any objections to the result.

These two teams won't directly face EDG, so either team can win. In fact, EDG would prefer RNG to advance, since RNG did beat T1 at MSI.

Now we'll see how the semifinals go.

On the very night the match ended, EDG finally received good news.

In the routine nucleic acid test that evening, both C and C finally showed negative results.

But bad news followed.

The two players, Wild and Support, who had experienced audio malfunctions yesterday, finally tested positive and were admitted to isolation rooms as required. (End of Chapter)