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

Chapter 72 Earning Him to Go Up the Mountain

WeChat group chat.

Training Room No. 2, the prison squad (4).

Aodi: [?]

Aodi: [Why did you pull me?]

Mouse: [Coach Nofe just said that we should watch Li Yi play ranked games more often in our spare time to learn from his strategies.]

Having just faced off against his idol Marin and won MVP thanks to Galio's outstanding performance, Aodi was still in a state of excitement.

Only then did he take off his headphones and turn around to confirm with Coach Nofe.

"Yeah, you two top laners really need to learn more about Li Yi's split-push strategy."

"After all, when facing truly top-tier teams, you have no chance to hesitate, and Li Yi can't remotely control you throughout the entire game."

Coach Nofe had to admit it.

The things Li Yi casually mentioned in these two training matches, such as sideline advancement, vision control, and when to press and when to retreat, seem to be clearer than what he has repeatedly emphasized in the past few months.

In fact, he was well aware that because he hadn't been on the field for a long time, he had become accustomed to judging the players' performance from a coach's God's-eye view.

But from the players' perspective, there are some things they can't see.

This is precisely why, as League of Legends becomes increasingly professional, more and more recently retired veteran players are appearing in coaching staff, specifically to mentor newcomers in their former positions.

Do they understand tactics better than the coach?

Perhaps not.

But the coaching staff's explanations from God's perspective about when to fight and what the consequences would be if they didn't retreat are not as practical as saying, "I did it too."

Therefore, Coach Nofe has been looking for a solo laner who can help his teammates improve.

As for why it's not Scout?

First, the language is stilted, barely enough for everyday communication.

Secondly, he has a terrible personality. When he loses a game, he tends to create a negative atmosphere and shift the blame. How can you expect him to help his teammates improve?

Thirdly, he possesses exceptional talent. Scout is a rare player who seems to be born knowing how to play the game. This talent makes it difficult for him to understand why some players don't grasp things that seem obvious to him. It's like how someone who is naturally good at swimming can hardly understand why there are people who can't swim.

But Li Yi is indeed somewhat different.

Coach Nofe even went to watch his LSPL videos and found that although Li Yi's playstyle had already begun to show his personal style at that time, his laning details and mid-game operations were much rougher than they are now.

Combined with his usual hard training.

And its current performance.

This gives Coach Nofe reason to be certain that Li Yi is a rare player who relies on hard work and dedication.

Players who get soaked in the rain every day on their way here know very well how to hold an umbrella for teammates who are also of mediocre talent.

  

While Nofe couldn't be sure how high Li Yi's playing career would go, he would definitely be a great coach in the future.

WeChat group chat.

Love Lolita: [Another one?]

Mouse: [The coach sent him to learn from Li Yi, so he's a bit different from us who were forced into this situation.]

Ai Luoli: [Are you leaving after you finish studying?]

Mouse: [It's hard to say, I'm just worried about withdrawal symptoms.]

Aodi: [What does that mean?]

Mouse: [For example, Li Yi usually remembers when the opponent uses Flash and key skills, and he is also the main caller in team fights.]

Yesterday, when he wasn't playing, both Meiko and I felt a little dizzy.

Ai Luoli: [So you mean you can figure out split pushing when playing with Li Yi, but not necessarily with Scout? Some people might accuse you of throwing the game because of this?]

Aodi: [I understand the logic.]

Aodi: [But I'm just training in a different location, why are you all trying to force me to take sides?]

The first week of the Summer Split has ended.

Aside from RNG, who hadn't yet recovered from the Demacia Cup, being defeated 2-0 by OMG, the only surprising result was EDG's shocking upset loss to the bottom-ranked Snake team.

The day the competition ended.

The comments under EDG's official Weibo account were relatively calm, mostly consisting of phrases like "adjust well" and "their condition is not quite right."

But only one day later.

Some fan groups have already recovered and started vying for the high ground in public opinion.

Since Scout couldn't beat Li Yi in win rate, let's compare the basic stats! Then they discovered that Scout also couldn't beat Li Yi in basic stats like team fight participation rate and damage taken per death.

So, a radar chart with only customized data was produced, but it was quickly spotted by sharp-eyed old pigs.

[Equal last hits per minute? Equal damage output per minute? Scout, a player who averages 36 minutes per game, how dare you compare your last hits to Li Yi, who averages 27 minutes per game?]

This radar chart is laughable. They even put a 2-to-0 ratio for single kills. What can I say?

[I have a suggestion for Scout's fans in the Super Topic: there's one statistic where Scout is absolutely ahead of all mid laners from the four major regions.]

Is it due to poor average CS (creep score)?

No, it's the jungle monster occupancy rate.

[It's true, this jungle clearing per minute leaderboard is full of junglers, and when Scout was added at the end, I couldn't believe my eyes ———]

Seeing that they couldn't outperform others in terms of statistics on the field, several influential figures suggested looking at the off-field aspects, implying that some people might have problems with their training attitude.

Because they subconsciously believe that a player like Li Yi, who plays a rather haphazard style on the field, must also be a lazy bum who slacks off in training off the field.

Unfortunately, EDG's official account happened to release a daily vlog on that same day.

In the video, almost all the shots of Li Yi showing his face are during ranked training, while Scout is often not in the training room even during the day.

Let's verify again using both server accounts.

Li Yi's accounts are climbing the ranks intensively every day, while Scout's ranked record stopped on the day he lost a game while practicing Malzahar — so who exactly invented this mid-lane Sion?

As for attacking teammates who deliberately concede defeat.

This argument is even less tenable.

Although this match was considered an upset, it wouldn't have surprised anyone who watched EDG's Spring Split.

From misjudging lanes to mindless team fights, these mistakes, which seemed to have been corrected at the Demacia Cup, were repeated today just like in the Spring Split.

I can't just say that.

Scout's teammates were already plotting a power struggle during the Spring Split, so they prepared a script in advance, just to secretly sabotage Scout during the Summer Split, right?

Seeing that there was really no reason to refute it.

Scout fans had no choice but to make a final concession.

Since Li Yi excels at lane support and team coordination, why not let him start as the top laner? This would ensure the strength of the mid lane while also providing someone to direct the play.

This suggestion was immediately met with widespread approval.

Are the influence levels of the mid lane and top lane the same?

Are you guys crazy? Why would you want to change positions for a lineup that's consistently winning the Demacia Cup?

Do you guys even want EDG to do well? I really need to check your backgrounds.

[I knew Scout's fans, while perhaps a bit obsessive, shouldn't be this numerous. Turns out, a quick check revealed several are followers of the RNG hashtag. RNG fans, stop hating Yi Shen who's stepping on your heads.]

[I absolutely must see Li Yi start in the next match! Otherwise, EDG management, you're in for a world of trouble. I have depression.]