LOL: What does "mid-lane hybrid expert" mean?

Chapter 114 Winning the Intercontinental Championship

"Two to zero!"

"A 2-0 lead! We, the LPL, now hold three match points!"

Inside the LPL studio, Wawa and Miller quickly ate a few words of saliva during a break when the camera cut to GG, and then raised their arms and cheered again when the camera switched back in.

The longtime partners exchanged a glance, both seeing the barely suppressed excitement in each other's eyes.

Even as commentators known for their "Wolf Warrior" style of commentary, their pre-match predictions were only LPL 3-2 LCK, which was still an optimistic prediction with a filter. The current score was completely unexpected for them!

Damn it, I guess I'll just admit this prediction was wrong!

Three to zero!

Even with the highest odds, no toxic dog would dare to attempt such a score!

Even though WE, who were in relatively poor form, lost to KT, OMG easily defeated MVP, who were considered easy targets, in the group stage. At worst, they won 3-1!

"We've received word that the next team to appear will be Team WE. Welcome our commentator for today's match, WE's former legend and AD carry player, Smile!"

In the guest dressing room, watching the smiling woman sitting next to her get up, 0MG veteran Ryokosa gave a wry smile and could only lower her head to fiddle with her things.

I picked out a pair of pants that were a bit tight due to the size.

[Costume designers, do you even know what "umbrella root" means? Get my umbrella guy a pair of looser pants!]

[Xiao San is really upset. Before the match, everyone said LCK would definitely win 3-0, and he and OMG wouldn't get a chance to play. Now it looks like it will indeed be 3-0, and he and OMG really won't get a chance to play.]

[The MVP team, currently sleeping in their hotel: So this is what a 3-0 score looks like?]

[No problem, no problem. Although the safest matchup would be for OMG to play against KT first, followed by WE, the number one seed, securing the MVP and finishing the game, at this point, we want a 3-0 victory!]

[No need for a fourth set, win 3-0!]

【————】

[Ugh, this is awful! A match like this would be amazing with fried chicken and cola, but I've been drinking can after can of cola and going to the bathroom countless times. And the fried chicken is still on its way! The match will be over by then!]

[The guy upstairs should get his kidneys checked out.]

【Hey, why does the map show my delivery guy went into an internet cafe?】

"The results of the third match are in! LCK's KT team will face off against LPL's number one seed, WE! The camera pans backstage to the LPL players, who are eagerly anticipating the game!"

The scene shifts to the lounge, where Li Yi is reviewing the game in a corner. When he sees the camera, he tilts his head slightly and puts his index finger to his lips.

The camera then panned to Little Tiger, who had just returned victorious, and showed early signs of comedic talent by making a rather silly "V" sign.

Xi Ye, who was adjusting the keyboard keys, was deeply confused. Was this a special task for the director today? Why did they have to play a number chain game?

"Oh?"

"Xiye made a 'three' gesture, no problem!"

Seeing this from the commentary booth, WeiXiao couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Is this 3-0? Or are we going to take you down in three games! It seems that LPL's momentum after winning two games in a row has ignited the spirit of XiYe, a player who is always humble!"

Before Xi Ye could explain, the backstage lounge erupted in chaos.

"Holy crap, Xi Meng scared me!"

"You're usually so awkward making a heart shape with your hands, but today you just went for a three-to-zero gesture?"

"Charge! Charge! Let's take them down with the 'Do As You Please' combo!"

"Our OMG team has won both of our group stage matches and already has the right to be carried. Your WE team hasn't won a single match in the group stage, so you have to step up your game now, or I'll be ashamed of you when you go up on stage to receive the award!" OMG's top laner, Xiyang, who has a good relationship with everyone, immediately pretended to put all his keyboard, mouse, and peripherals into his backpack.

Outside the circle of players, Coach Nofe looked down and went through the newly annotated tactical data in his hand again. After confirming that nothing was missing, he handed it to Coach Hongmi.

Redmi was Edgar's assistant coach, which helped EDG familiarize themselves with SSG's tactics and style in advance. In exchange, EDG's coaching staff took on the task of studying KT, especially Pawn and Deft, who were once the Korean duo of EDG. Their hero pools and operating habits were broken down into data and written down on paper.

Compared to the close cooperation within the LPL lounge.

LCK, on ​​the other hand, is demonstrating their social skills at every turn.

KT head coach Lee Ji-hoon has just returned from Edgar's place, bringing with him a suggestion he doesn't really intend to adopt.

Despite the false information he provided to SSG that directly led to RNG's blunder in the draft phase, Edgar still maintained his composure and offered a way out during the draft discussion: "WE's Galio didn't actually need to be banned in a hurry; there are more solutions than you might think."

He even specifically pulled up the recording of the LPL league match between WE and EDG, and said that the Malzahar hero chosen by Li Yi was able to effectively counter the "do whatever you want" aggressive engage system.

Although Lee Ji-hoon, as a junior, smiled and agreed, occasionally chiming in with a few words to show his humility.

But when he turned around, he let out a cold laugh.

Just kidding, if I don't ban Galio, do you know what kind of public pressure I'll face?

Besides, as the absolute core of the KT team, how could I possibly pick a useless hero like Malzahar for Pawn?

If Coach Edgar thinks Malzahar is good, then let your mid laner Crown play him more, even three games in a row.

"Here we go, let's begin the business process!"

"Coach Lee Ji-hoon's main strategy is to avoid being stubborn! Galio, Jarvan IV, and Kog'Maw—WE's three most reliable core champions since the Spring Split have all been benched, and then they picked Ashe, Mystic's favorite champion, on the first pick. This draft was incredibly targeted!"

The camera cuts to WE's players' bench, where Coach Hongmi's face is slightly ashen. He originally thought KT would continue to focus on the AD position, but he didn't expect the opponent to accurately lock down their top, mid, and jungle from the very beginning.

It has to be said that Lee Ji-hoon did his homework very well in this game. Coach Redmi originally wanted to bring out WE's second hidden early-game offensive system as a change of tactics, but KT had obviously seen through his idea and directly banned the core mid-laner Xiye's Lucian in the second round of bans.

"Why make things difficult for yourself? Even if you win this small round, you'll still have to swim back in the end—"

Hongmi cursed inwardly, glanced at Li Zhixun who had a serious face, and calculated his age: He shouldn't be older than me, right?

"Coach, what should we pick for our mid laner?"

Xiye's words temporarily suppressed Redmi's sudden bullying urges.

"What do you want to choose?"

The WE team was taken aback by Coach Hongmi's sudden question, as they didn't recall their head coach leaving decision-making power to the players.

"Um...is Annie okay?"

Xi Ye mustered up her courage and asked a question.

Now it's Coach Hongmi's turn to think.

His original intention was to give Xiye a champion that could synergize with the jungler Nightmare in the last two picks, but Xiye's best champion, Lucian, was banned, and in fact, Orianna was the only viable champion in the current meta.

However, the Nightmare Orianna composition didn't have a high win rate in their scrims, and Xiye himself wasn't confident enough. Instead, he suggested trying out his secret weapon, Annie.

The problem is that this is the final match point game; losing it would mean WE has lost all three matches in this Intercontinental Cup, and his coach, Redmi, is...

He'd lose face completely in front of his fellow LCK players, his underwear practically stripped bare. Would he dare bet this game on a mid-laner's spur-of-the-moment, off-meta champion like Annie?

Time ticked away.

With the player selection countdown underway, Redmi suddenly recalled something Nofe had told him earlier: "Sometimes blindly following the meta is not as good as trusting the players."

Whether it was the Malzahar and Jhin that Li Yi picked in the previous match against WE, or the Caitlyn and Morgana that the Dog-Shi duo performed brilliantly in the last game, it seems to prove that his Redmi's overly rigid thinking does need some change.

"Choose?"

Choose!

"On the fourth floor of the red side, WE has locked in Annie for mid lane. Although this is Xiye's signature pick, it doesn't quite fit Coach Hongmi's style!"

Smile, who stays home every day but never misses a WE match, is naturally familiar with Redmi's style: "Coach Redmi doesn't really like unconventional, academic-style picks. He rarely uses these risky champion choices in crucial games!"

"Yes, actually Coach Redmi prefers a well-rounded lineup with both offense and defense. Annie, a hero who only attacks and doesn't defend, is indeed a bit of a mismatch." Miller also recalled Redmi's draft preferences since VG.

"I don't think there's any need to be so pessimistic!"

The rather optimistic Wawa tried to understand Xiye's thoughts: "The reason why Annie's pick rate is low in the Summer Split is actually because the version favors tanks, which is not suitable for a burst-damage champion like Annie who doesn't have sustained damage. But actually in this game, the opposing player Smeb played Jayce and Deft played Ashe, both of whom are squishy champions without mobility. I think Annie can still be effective when paired with Nocturne's 'light-out' ability."

The voice just fell.

The blue team locked the counter on the fifth floor and selected a corner.

[It's over, it's over, Fat General's Kassadin!]

[Wow, that's classic! Wasn't that "EDG—need—me" match where they picked Kassadin against WE's Xiye?]

[Annie is completely outmatched in this matchup. After level six, if Kassadin finds an opportunity to pounce on her, she could potentially get solo killed.]

Even his smiling expression in the commentary booth didn't seem quite natural.

After all, he clearly remembered that in the decisive game of the S5 playoffs between EDG and WE, it was the fat general who was hospitalized due to a back injury who was called upon to take the stage in a time of crisis, picked Kassadin and led the team to victory, leaving behind the famous meme "Go and invite the Buddha".

"The fat general picked Kassadin and showed a determined look, but Xiye—Xiye has already started to smile?" The Haier Brothers looked at Xiye's sudden, inexplicable smile and were a little confused.

Five minutes later, the answer was revealed.

Everyone finally understood what was going on. Xiye chose to start with Doran's Blade, and with his 625-yard auto-attack range, he avoided drawing minion aggro while auto-attacking Kassadin, who started with 19 armor, so hard that he couldn't farm the lane!

[Here it comes! I bet this starting item strategy was CupKing's idea too, because he previously played LeBlanc with a Long Sword as a starting item against Kassadin!]

[This strategy of starting with Doran's Blade to exert early-game pressure was already tried in Season 3. Cup Emperor is the first to steal it; any further steals will be prosecuted.]

When teammates play well, it's "the Cup King's command"; when opponents play well, it's "the Cup King's invention."

[First there was Ruofeng opening up three lanes with his card, now there's Cup King inventing everything in the Rift, so what, is your Cup King's Cup Arthur's Cup of Life?]

Ten minutes before the vanguard team fight, the mid-lane turret had already lost nearly half its health. The former bear-smashing boy recalled to base with a huge economic advantage, and without pausing as he swiped the mouse over the shop, he directly pulled out his favorite first item, Mejai's Soulstealer.

Sima Laozei, who used to be Xiye's bot lane teammate during his time with WE and loves building Mejai's Soulstealer, was watching the game from backstage. As the stacks on his Mejai's Soulstealer went up like crazy, a relieved smile finally appeared on Sima's face.

explosion!

An explosive team fight that happened without warning!

KT players clearly didn't expect WE's aggressive initiation strategy to be so decisive.

The moment Nightmare turned off the lights, Annie, who had secretly teleported behind the enemy formation, landed and unleashed Tibbers' Wrath from a completely undetected position, instantly killing the pilot who had come to engage the team fight at a disadvantage.

Then, Condi easily accepted his own brother, Rift Herald.

Amidst the wails of LCK fans, the Herald was summoned to the mid lane and smashed the mid tower, which was already at half health from Annie's attacks. The lack of vision in the jungle at this point gave Annie even more room to ambush and kill.

In the mid-game, KT entered a very unbalanced split-push phase. Unable to establish vision, they could only rely on Ashe's E.

【Eagle Soars Through the Sky】 Briefly illuminates a side lane, so Karsa, who needs to develop to level 16, has to compete with his own top laner Jayce for the position.

Mata's confident choice of the championship skin Thresh proved particularly awkward in this disadvantageous situation. His only purpose was to throw a lantern into the bushes he dared not venture into, to see if any Annie was trying to stack four more Mejai's Soulstealer's Barrels.

at last!

KT finally caught an opportunity!

Nightmare initiated by using his ultimate (R) to try and catch Jayce, who was split pushing in the top lane. However, Jayce reacted quickly and used his lantern to escape. Meanwhile, Ashe's E illuminated the dragon pit, catching the WE bot lane duo who were fighting the dragon!

It was an opportunity, and KT decisively rushed Baron!

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for KT! WE's bot lane duo couldn't make it, and Nightmare didn't turn off the lights! They..."

Determined to rush to the end, even with Annie teleporting in, no one backed down!

Tibbers' Wrath crashes down with a deafening roar!

The damage from a fully stacked Mejai's Soulstealer landed in the crowd like a small nuclear bomb, and the giant bear's landing instantly reduced the health of several KT members by a large margin.

"Annie's damage was explosive! KT's health was almost gone, so they had no choice but to rush in. Xiye immediately flashed in to trade kills with the low-health Ashe! Now it's up to Condi to steal the dragon!"

"pity!"

Just as Condi's Nightmare was about to pounce into the dragon pit, Thresh's [Pendulum of Doom] swept in the opposite direction, forcibly pushing him back half a step, preventing him from entering the range of a fight.

"It's too late! KT should be able to secure the Baron Nashor without a problem—hmm?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

KT jungler Score's Smite dealt a full 800 true damage, which landed on Baron Nashor, who only had a little over 700 health. Instead of killing him, it left him with about 50 health!

[Nightmare's Dream Path] Flies out!

The red team (WE—Condi) has killed Baron Nashor!

[Haha, Baron Nashor has leveled up!]

The Dragon's Son has arrived! Get out of the way!

Baron Nash was afraid his own son wouldn't have enough time, so he quickly promoted himself! Haha!

Is there any jungler in the world more unlucky than KT's former captain, Score? Last year, he was down to two health when Ro-Tiger stole Baron Nashor, and today, even after using Smite, Baron Nashor inexplicably leveled up.

So it seems the Tigers' downfall to the number one seed is Score's fault. Without you, there would be no 4396 from our team.

[了————]

"I got it!!!" x3

"Even the god of competition is on our side, what do you have to fight us with!" Miller's voice was almost hoarse. "My brother-in-law arrived to finish off the remaining damage, WE stole the dragon in one fell swoop, and wiped out the opponent in the process!"

"Leg Bro immediately used Teleport, the bottom lane minion wave is positioned very well, I think we should try to push!"

Three to zero?

Is it really going to be 3-0?

At that moment, everyone else in the backstage lounge and millions of viewers in front of their screens held their breath. Only one thought remained in everyone's mind: May our minion wave advance faster, and may the enemy's respawn time be longer!

"Destroy the tower! Destroy the tower!"

"Don't let the minions reach the mid lane; just take down the inhibitor turret and you'll win!"

"I'll hold them off! You guys just focus on the tower!"

The shouts emanating from countless Summoners in front of their screens remarkably overlapped with the team's in-game voice chat. It was as if, at that moment, every hand gripping the mouse had become the same, and every auto-attack aimed at the Nexus carried the same unwavering resolve!

As the KT members respawned one after another, the players and minions in their red jerseys fell one by one in front of the main crystal. Condi...

Before the Nightmare finally collapsed, Crystal had only 50 HP left! Only 50 HP left!

"Artillery vehicle!"

"Coach Redmi's sixth pick is surprisingly these two cannon vehicles!"

The UI borders around the screen disappeared, and the scene of the exploding crystal began to slow down. It seemed like KT was about to replicate their miraculous comeback from 50 health.

Disbelief was written all over everyone's faces. Only after the shadow of the "ghostly figures" completely dissipated did they realize that two people wearing WE...

The cannon in the Miracle Red Team uniform!

Congratulations WE! ×3

"The god of competition never favors those who crave victory; he only favors those who deserve it! EDG, RNG, WE, OMG, you all deserve this victory, LPL deserves this victory!"

"Three to zero! We are the champions!"

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