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

"Oh dear, when will this ever end?"

In EDG's video call, Abu's voice was full of helplessness.

The infection of the jungler and support quickly brought EDG back to reality from their victory.

The two, Nobu and Fury, who entered the isolation room, couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

"It hurts," Meiko said, her voice a little muffled, with a throat lozenge in her mouth. "My throat feels increasingly uncomfortable."

Zhao Lijie took the thermometer out of his armpit, checked it, and then said, "Your temperature is normal now."

Although No and Fu's symptoms were not obvious, only a dry and sore throat, judging from the development of the other people's conditions, it was only a matter of time before they developed a fever.

Moreover, judging from the schedule, EDG even hopes that this fever will come quickly, and that they can recover before the semifinals begin.

The symptoms of COVID-19 vary from person to person, and the two junglers don't seem to have very severe symptoms, so they might recover quickly.

"This quarantine room is so uncomfortable." Flandre was also in the quarantine room, complaining about the surrounding environment: "They won't even let us open the windows? It's so stuffy."

Although Flandre hasn't been diagnosed yet, he's the only one left in the team, so he definitely can't escape either. It's best to just isolate him directly.

“That’s how it is.” Mingjing looked at the familiar room layout in Meiko’s camera lens and smiled, “Just stay put.”

Mingjing and Viper had finished their quarantine and could finally train normally in the training room, but unexpectedly, when the two of them came out, their three teammates went in. The huge training room was empty except for the two of them, and it didn't feel much different from the quarantine room.
"Let's take advantage of everyone's still in a good mood and quickly hold a meeting to discuss this."

Maokai's voice also came through the voice chat, "The quarterfinals really showed a lot, we need to catch up with the version quickly."

The World Championship is all about how well a team fits the current meta, and everyone at EDG knows this perfectly well.

Last year, EDG was able to win the World Championship with an invincible performance mainly because they perfectly matched the version of the game.

Viper plays Graves and Luna with ease. Even with the custom nerfs to Lucian in solo lane, he quickly mastered the champion and added him to his arsenal, preventing him from becoming a weakness.

However, this year, due to the durability patch, EDG was already not very compatible with the version, so now they need to hurry up even more.

The video chat naturally transitioned into a meeting mode, and Maokai used the internet to show everyone the materials compiled by the coaching team.

The above details the hero data for the four best-of-five matches in the quarterfinals, as well as a comparison with the group stage data.

"Actually, there aren't many new heroes appearing in the knockout stage, and only one major group is worth noting. But the changes in the win rates of various heroes are something worth paying attention to."

Even without Mao Kai saying anything, Ming Jing, who is extremely sensitive to data, had already gotten a general idea of ​​the data.

It's clear that after reaching the elimination stage, the priority of Aatrox and Caitlyn has increased significantly.

Not only has the ban rate for Sword Demon increased, but its win rate has also climbed from just over 50% in the group stage to over 80%.

As his body recovered, Mingjing's mind regained its former clarity, and images of the Sword Demon's appearance kept flashing through his mind.

The only game that Aatrox lost was the match between T1 and DK, where Zeus, playing Jayce, forcefully shut down Nuguri's Aatrox's spinning top. This was a matter of superior skill and skill, a passing of the torch for the title of the world's best top laner, and not a problem with Aatrox himself.

In addition, the data for female police officers is similar, with a significant increase in both win rate and ban rate.

This is the kind of situation that only occurs in the elimination stage.

However, it's worth mentioning that the female police officer's only defeat also came from T1, with the T1 duo completely crushing DK's female police officer.

Thinking of this, Ming Jing raised an eyebrow and discovered something he hadn't noticed before because of his fever.

T1 seemed to be practicing against DK.
They not only swept DK 3-0, but also deliberately released heroes like Aatrox and Caitlyn during the sweep.

And they won all of them.

In other words, it means being able to handle things with ease.

It now appears that the T1 may be even stronger than initially thought.

"In addition, the data for champions such as Azir, Sylas, and Sejuani are also worth noting."

Maokai pointed out the data one by one, and then said, "Anyway, in general, there weren't too many unexpected results in this year's quarterfinals, and the environment hasn't changed much."

There's really nothing to say about this year's quarterfinals.

Both T1 and GEN, two top Korean teams, were swept 3-0, leaving them with no need to reveal their trump cards.

Although DK managed to pull out jungle Kayn and mid lane Swain, they were ultimately swept, so their performance is not very relevant.
As for TES and RNG, who played all five games, they didn't reveal any special tricks, probably because they really had nothing left to play, since both teams had a very difficult time in the group stage.

“Hero pool is a minor issue,” Ming Jing said. “We’ve never had a problem with not being able to master a hero.”

EDG's biggest advantage is that every player is versatile and can play any hero, performing well in both the early and late game.

There might be a situation where JieJie can't play jungle carry, but fortunately the jungle carry meta has passed, and even the strongest jungle carry, Canyon, was eliminated in the quarterfinals, so there's no real concern about that.

Ming Jing continued, "For us, the biggest problem right now is still the virus, so let's think about how to play in the semifinals."

"Well, there's really no way to do that."

Maokai shook his head on camera, "The only good news is that you and Daoxian have tested negative. The upcoming semi-finals will depend on the two of you."

Upon hearing this, Mingjing and Viper nodded simultaneously.

If the strategy revolves around two carries, it means the game will inevitably drag on into the later stages.

This, however, falls into GEN's area of ​​expertise.

If the team were at its peak, EDG wouldn't be afraid to go toe-to-toe with GEN in the late game, since the team has been deliberately practicing late-game compositions since the durability patch. But given the current situation, it's hard to say.

“Don’t worry,” Viper said. “Leave this to me.”

Park Do-hyun always felt guilty and grateful about the quarterfinals.

He knew that it was his five teammates who had pulled him through this difficult time.

Now, another hurdle lies ahead, and he naturally needs to provide his teammates with sufficient feedback.

Upon hearing this, Ming Jing smiled and added, "It's up to the two of us."

The following evening, October 25th, there were five days left until the semi-finals.

The bad news keeps coming.

Zhao Lijie and Tian Ye both developed fever symptoms, and Saint Gun also tested positive.

At this point, all three remaining starting players of EDG have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

EDG's official Weibo account has issued a formal announcement, making this situation public.

Just like the double infection a week ago, this infection situation has once again become a trending topic.

I'm seriously fed up, not again?

[The quarterfinals saw both carries infected, the semifinals saw top, jungle, and support infected; are they taking turns?]

It's better than getting infected together, at least.

What's the difference? Don't you think GEN is on the same level as DRX, a completely different team?

What other options are there? Can you point out any mistakes EDG made?

In terms of epidemic prevention, we still need to learn from Topsports.

[So Top Esports is going to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, huh? Don't be ridiculous. Top Esports' top priority right now is to swim across the Pacific Ocean.]

[It doesn't matter, I trust both Cs!] [Trust]

Countless viewers discussed the bad news, but in any case, after the quarterfinals, everyone still has a lot of confidence in EDG.

Both carries are in top form this time, and there are still several days until the semifinals, so there shouldn't be any major problems!
But to our surprise, bad news continued to come in the following days.

The competition is on the 26th, four days away.

Saint Gun, who was diagnosed just yesterday, developed a high fever overnight that persisted for a long time.

On the contrary, the two players who were previously infected, Ye and Fu, are in good condition, only suffering from low-grade fever.

In addition to the three starters, Cousin, Abu, Maokai, and substitute Zeka also tested positive and were all put into quarantine.

As the night passed, only the two C's remained in the training room, staring at each other blankly.

"I give up," said Mingkai, the cousin, lying on the bed in the isolation room, looking utterly hopeless. "How am I supposed to get through this?"

In the world championships, an environment with low tolerance for error and a constant need for evolution, the impact of the coaching staff getting infected is no less significant than that of the players getting infected.

Leaving aside issues like data analysis and daily training, the most obvious problem is that with both the head and assistant coaches in quarantine, no one can even go to the site to conduct business development (BP)!

"Anyway, judging from Xuanjun's condition, he definitely can't play in the practice match."

Abu looked helpless and shook his head. "Those of you who have the energy can play ranked matches for practice. Those who don't should rest well. There are still four days until the competition. Let's try to be in better shape."

The road to consecutive championships seems to be cursed; EDG has never had a truly easy time since entering the knockout stage.

But the club was not discouraged by this.

As I said before, as long as the two Cs are still there, there's not much of a problem.

Could it be any harder than when we were in the quarterfinals?

"Go, go!" Zeka cheered his teammates on over the voice chat, "It's up to you guys!"

Since Zeka appeared in the quarterfinals and helped his team win, he has been extremely eager for the championship.

He really wants a Sylas skin.

Days passed by, and the competition drew closer.

Before we knew it, it was August 30th.

The semi-finals have finally begun.

The first match to begin was the big battle between EDG and GEN in the upper bracket!
Myung Kyung and Park Do-hyun sat down in the empty rest room, still discussing their next strategy with the team via tablet.

It can only be said that the impact of this virus on the team is indeed not as fatal as it was a week ago.

Both jungler and support had been running a low-grade fever, but they remained relatively clear-headed and were still able to participate in the communication between the two carries.

This is certainly good news. After all, the jungler and support are inseparable from the two carries. If the two can maintain their form, the burden on the two carries will be much lighter.

Flandre's symptoms were quite severe, but he has improved in the past few days. He is far from being as bad as the two carries last week. Moreover, Flandre's tactical position in the team is not high. He can barely manage with a dose of ibuprofen.

Ironically, it was the coaching staff who were in the worst form.

My cousin and Maokai are in particularly serious condition. Their throats are so sore that they have difficulty speaking, and they are delirious from the fever, making it impossible for them to do business development.

However, Mingjing is a gold medalist in the Mathematical Olympiad, and his mind is full of data, so temporarily filling in for BP's task is not a problem.

Again.

I believe in the double C.

"bang bang bang"

There was a knock on the lounge door.

Mingjing and Viper stood up at the same time, looked at each other, and then walked onto the stage together.

It's still Atlanta State Agricultural Stadium, and the stands are still packed with people.

The North American host, with a thick beard and long hair, had a powerful voice and was giving the opening remarks for the competition.

"First, let's welcome LCK's number one seed—GEN.G!"

"Top laner Doran, jungler Peanut, mid laner Chovy, bot laner Ruler, support Lehends, coach Score!"

Amidst flashes of light, GEN players emerged from the backstage entrance onto the stage, waving to the audience.

Because South Korea's epidemic prevention measures are not very strict, Korean teams have basically all tested positive once this year. As a result, they don't have much trouble at the World Championship and don't even need to wear masks.

You can see that the GEN players all have relaxed smiles on their faces, clearly indicating that they are determined to win today's match.

Their confidence is certainly not without reason. As the LCK champions and number one seed, they are well aware of how much they have benefited from.

They are not afraid of even a fair and just match against EDG, let alone EDG's terrible performance.
"Next, let's welcome the 2021 World Championship winners, LPL's number one seed—Edward Gaming!"

"Mid laner—Phi! Bot laner—Viper!"

Compared to GEN's massive and imposing lineup, EDG's formation was much thinner.

Two teenagers, bathed in the light, walked onto the stage.

The two were of similar height and build, and even their steps were equally firm.

Although there were fewer people, their momentum was in no way inferior.

Meanwhile, the cheers from tens of thousands of North American audience members remained strong and sustained, giving a warm response.

"PHI!"

"PHI!"

"PHI!"

Unexpectedly, the Atlanta Arena seemed to have become Ming Jing's home court at this moment, with countless people shouting Ming Jing's ID loudly, the three English letters exuding a powerful momentum!
Ming Jing was slightly surprised by the situation, but he quickly recovered and bowed slightly to the audience, which was met with an even more enthusiastic response.

Viper, watching the scene unfold before her, didn't feel neglected; she simply thought it was normal.

As someone who experienced the quarterfinals against DRX firsthand, Viper understands better than anyone just how outrageous Mingjing is.

He stepped up during the team's time of crisis, returned to the bottom lane after a year's absence, and saved the team with a powerful performance.

This kind of exaggerated performance is enough to conquer any venue.

With C9, the last remaining North American team, eliminated, North America is now Mingjing's home ground!

Amidst cheers from the audience, Mingjing and Viper turned and took their seats.

In the EDG player bench, each of the top laner, jungler, and support players had their own championship hero figurines displayed in their seats.

Ming Jing put on his headphones and soon heard a series of coughs in the voice channel.

"You two are finally here," Meiko's voice came quickly. "I was almost falling asleep waiting."

“I was the same way before,” Ming Jing chuckled. “Get ready, BP is about to begin.” (End of Chapter)