This Lee Sang-hyeok is very strong, but he lacks self-awareness.

Three days after WE eliminated OMG, the LPL Spring Split Finals began.

Unlike the traditional EDG vs RNG showdown of previous years,

This time, the two teams facing off are EDG and WE.

Although WE has experienced several setbacks in recent years and is no longer as strong as it once was,

But after all, they were once a legendary League of Legends team, boasting 60 billion fans.

Facing EDG, the absolute dominant force in the LPL in recent years, is sure to be a highlight.

The venue was packed with people early on.

Not only do they have male die-hard fans of the team,

There were also quite a few female fans dressed in cosplay outfits.

When the EDG members arrived, their eyes darted around rapidly, unable to keep up with the sights.

During the break, Nofe began announcing today's match lineup.

"Let's start Scout and Ai Luoli in the first game today."

Noticing Lin Xiu's somewhat displeased look, Abu immediately chimed in.

"This arrangement is mainly based on the fact that you played a huge role in the last match against RNG."

"Plus Scout's post-game interview, they definitely assumed you two would be our starters today,"

"I will definitely watch the video replays of games four and five repeatedly."

"These past few days, their players have probably been dreaming about Lin Xiu and Faker's playstyle and tactics."

"We'll deliberately prevent them from coming prepared in the first round; we'll use Scout and Illusion to disrupt their plans."

"You and Xiao Li should analyze and review the game carefully off the court, and be ready to go on the court at any time."

Lin Xiu and Faker nodded slowly after hearing this.

Scout patted Faker on the shoulder as well.

"Xiye on the other side is quite impressive, but I actually think he's not as good as Xiaohu. With our skill level, we're more than capable."

Nofe then picked up the conversation and began analyzing the tactics for the match against WE.

"Yes, actually, you can't find an absolute strong point among WE's five players. If you look at one individual, they are not as good as RNG at all."

"But the more you analyze WE, the more terrifying this team becomes."

"I guarantee that if RNG were to play a best-of-five series against WE, the result would be 0-3, or at most 1-3, with WE winning."

"This team is too cohesive and airtight, making it very difficult to break through from the lanes. My advice is to hold your ground in the lanes and wait for team fights."

Lin Xiu shook his head secretly upon hearing this.

Compared to EDG's pseudo-operation, which is a hodgepodge of LCK techniques, WE's operation is truly Korean-style, airtight.

If you're not absolutely certain of victory and try to break through WE's lane, you're more likely to get ganked and crushed by the jungler.

Nofe's initial assessment is correct.

but,

It's very difficult to fight WE in a team fight.

At least this EDG team can't do that.

WE in S7 consistently maintained a very high level of performance.

SSG, who crushed SKT 3-0 in the S7 finals, were caught off guard and suffered a crushing defeat in the first game of the semifinals by WE.

At one point, it seemed like WE had a chance to reach the finals.

WE's team fight resilience is definitely much stronger than Nofe imagined.

Moreover, EDG's biggest problem right now is not the players' skill level or their tactical reserves, but their ingrained cowardice.

It's common to see EDG have an advantage for the entire game, but then hesitate and get dragged down by their opponents, resulting in a comeback victory.

Unclear tactical objectives, indecisive decision-making, and an inability to decisively end matches – these are the biggest problems EDG currently faces.

In Lin Xiu's view, all of this was due to the lack of a variable that could break the deadlock.

"Lin Xiu, do you have any thoughts or anything to add?"

Seeing Lin Xiu shaking his head, Nofe turned around and asked the newcomer who had saved the team in the semifinals.

Lin Xiu stroked his chin, his tone indifferent:

"No problem most of the time. But one thing: don't let the enemy Galio get there."

"Also, we need to focus on the enemy's bot lane. Once the player 'Big Brother' takes over the game, his ability to find a safe environment to deal damage is more terrifying than anyone else's."

"Although he can't match Uzi in lane, he's much more consistent than Uzi once he gains an advantage."

"You can't really expect him to die suddenly and then we'll be the ones picking up the scraps."

When Lin Xiu mentioned his brother-in-law, everyone present felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Mystic, brother-in-law

This player may not be the strongest in the laning phase, but given even the slightest opportunity to get ahead with items, his team fight performance can make any opponent despair.

Lin Xiu knew perfectly well that his brother-in-law wasn't at his full potential yet.

When the Ardent Censer version is developed for the Summer Split, Mystic will be able to suppress Uzi in major tournaments.

"Lin Xiu is right. Let's shift the tactical focus down a little further." Nofe nodded.

Scout frowned and offered a different opinion.

He believes EDG should focus on him, prioritizing his development and rhythm.

It wasn't that Scout was deliberately targeting Lin Xiu; it was just his true feeling—he needed absolute resource allocation.

In the entire LPL, the only mid-laner Scout really takes seriously is Rookie.

Xiaohu counts as half, I guess.

Now Faker has been added to the list.

He was confident he could beat everyone else.

If you can dominate him, why not shift the tactics to his side?

Lin Xiu smiled and offered a way out: "If Scout is confident he can carry, playing mid is also an option."

"After all, Xiye is unlikely to pose a significant threat to Scout."

Scout glanced at Lin Xiu in surprise, not expecting Lin Xiu to speak up for him.

Faker, standing to the side, remained silent, lost in thought as he watched WE's draft picks and bans in the semifinals.

He could feel the tension and pressure emanating from Scout, his burning desire to prove himself, which reminded him of those anxious nights in the simulation.

So although Faker doesn't think Scout can beat Xiye,

After all, this player is just too well-rounded and consistent.

But Faker still didn't say anything in response.

"I can C," Scout emphasized again, speaking loudly.

Nofe glanced at the silent Lin Xiu and Faker.

He nodded slightly.

"Alright, Scout, it's up to you this game!"

As the EDG players headed off to their match, Lin Xiu patted Scout and Meiko on the shoulder, saying, "Good luck, it's all up to you."

Scout gave Lin Xiu a deep look and nodded.

Faker stepped forward and whispered in his still somewhat broken Chinese, "Good luck, the enemy mid laner isn't strong."

Half an hour later, Guan Zeyuan and Jide were already in the commentary booth, and the Spring Split Finals officially began.

"The rosters for both teams have been released. WE's lineup consists of players that everyone is already familiar with, while EDG's lineup is full of interesting surprises."

Contrary to expectations, Lin Xiu and Faker were once again substituted and did not appear in the starting lineup for the first game.

"EDG still fielded the Scout and Clearlove combination."

"Although they didn't perform well in the last match against RNG, the combination of these two players has been outstanding throughout the Spring Split."

"As for what happens today, let's wait and see!"

Upon hearing this, the live stream chat exploded with comments:

[What?! Has the EDG coaching staff lost their minds? Don't they remember who saved their team in the last match?]

[Scout, the master thief, secretly started again? Abu, you're amazing!]

[It's over. The same old formula, the same old taste. Get ready to watch EDG get ground to death by WE.]

[A fan commented: Seeing Clearlove on stage made my heart sink. It's not that I'm being mean, I'm genuinely afraid Condi will dominate Clearlove.]

[WE's 60 billion fans send their congratulations: Thank you EDG for not letting Lin go! This game is in the bag!]

[Could you please stop boosting the morale of others while diminishing our own? Is WE really that strong? We won both of our regular season matches!]

[Yeah, WE? They're just a nobody. They even lose a game against OMG. If it were us, it would be an easy 3-0!]

Lin Xiu and Faker sat in the backstage lounge, watching the draft picks on the big screen.

In the first game, WE, on the blue side, selected: Fizz, Elise, LeBlanc, Ashe, and Braum.

EDG's lineup is: Gragas, Jarvan IV, Syndra, Caitlyn, and Thresh.

"Brother Li, what do you think?" Lin Xiu turned to ask Faker beside him.

Faker stared at the Fizz on the screen, his brow slightly furrowed.

"This lineup has too much AP, but its burst damage is very high. If Clearlove's Jarvan IV builds tank items, EDG will have a very difficult time in the early game."

"Furthermore, although Scout's Syndra is strong, as long as LeBlanc keeps pushing the lane and roaming, Syndra will be trapped in the mid lane."

Just as Faker predicted, three minutes into the game, Condi's Spider used the mobility of starting with red buff and leveling up to level two, along with 957's Fizz, to tower dive and secure the first blood on Mouse.

"First Blood!" The system kill notification sounded.

"What is Mouse doing?!" Abu couldn't help but shout in the lounge.

Lin Xiu calmly explained from the side:

"There's nothing we can do. The Fizz's Ignite and Teleport, combined with the Spider's burst damage, make the kill threshold too high."

"Furthermore, both of them have skills to avoid turret damage. Unless Mouse can always stay at full health, once he is low on health and enters the kill threshold, it will be useless even under the turret."

"It's so hard to find a replacement!"

The situation then devolved into a protracted stalemate.

The factory manager's Prince is indeed playing steadily, making steady progress in ganks and jungle clearing, but he's playing too steadily, making it difficult to create any killing opportunities.

He repeatedly crouched in the grass, but he was always a step behind Condi's rhythm.

Faker's palms were sweating as he watched from the sidelines, constantly wondering if he could have predicted Condi's gank if he didn't have full map vision.

Then, imagining yourself as the jungler, how you would counter-gank Condi.

Faker was completely absorbed in the game, as if he were actually there, but the Prince on the screen ultimately didn't counter-jungle as he had expected.

At 14 minutes, EDG went to WE's bot lane duo first, but failed to engage. Instead, they were counter-ganked by WE's mid and top laners, resulting in a 4-for-1 trade.

"That's it." Lin Xiu concluded directly.

Faker nodded to the side, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

He knew that although EDG's strategy in this game was standard, they were completely outmatched by WE in terms of raw skill and decisive decision-making.

Just over thirty minutes in, WE secured Baron Nashor and ended the game in a team fight.

0:1.

[Haha, just kidding, EDG is the undisputed champion.]

Is this the true strength of a domestic war god? He was treated like a football by WE.

What is Scout doing? He's always pushing lanes, and he's always a second too late in team fights. Doesn't he know how to team fight?

[EDG, they can't even be considered a top team in domestic competitions anymore, I can't even imagine how they'll perform in international competitions.]

The team members returned to the backstage lounge dejectedly.

During the debriefing, Scout and the factory manager argued heatedly.

"Why play when I'm not here? Why not wait until I'm here to play?" Scout was very dissatisfied with his teammates for not giving him the opportunity.

The factory manager felt that Scout played too selfishly and failed to put pressure on the jungle.

"Why are you never here? If we could decide when each team fight started, we would have won long ago!"

"You shouldn't keep pushing lanes; you should release the resources that are needed!"

The debriefing had fallen into a vicious cycle, and Abu rubbed his head, feeling somewhat exhausted.

Abu originally wanted to field Lin Xiu and Faker, but Clearlove and Scout were both dissatisfied with the previous match.

They insisted on fighting one more match.

"Abu, trust me this time, this time it'll be completely different!"

The same cast played in the second match.

To the surprise of both Lin Xiu and Faker, WE opted for a four-protect-one strategy: Shen in the top lane, Lee Sin in the jungle, Karma in the mid lane, and Kog'Maw and Lulu in the bottom lane.

"Kalma will drop an incense burner and a Holy Grail?"

Faker stared at Xiye's equipment, somewhat surprised.

WE has actually figured out the final solution for the World Championship version six months later so early!

Although the game version hasn't been adjusted to be the most suitable for incense burners yet, it's already showing signs of improvement.

"With this kind of play, Kog'Maw is unbeatable. We're going to lose."

As expected, EDG's pace remained surprisingly slow in the second game.

Although they held an advantage in the early stages, they struggled to expand it, remaining stuck in a stagnant, half-dead state.

Once Kog'Maw's build was complete, his venom melted away all of EDG's front line.

The factory manager's team replicated last year's classic scene: after a team fight, the entire team was wiped out, but he survived alone, and his ultimate ability was still available. He could only watch the opponent leave to take down the dragon.

0:2.

The atmosphere in the stadium plummeted to freezing point.

EDG's defeat was so ugly that even their fans started turning against them online.

[I'm not watching anymore, I'm going home to sleep.]

[Gone again? Forget overtime, just finish this 3-0 already, it's disgusting to watch!]

[Abu, look at the looks in Lin Xiu and Faker's eyes! They want to fight! You piece of shit!]

[After the first game, didn't you realize that WE completely outclassed the old EDG system? They outlasted you in your strengths and were just as good in your weaknesses, completely overwhelming EDG. Even if Scout had a slight advantage in lane, it was useless!]

Destroy it, quickly!

It's too late to make substitutions now; WE has completely built up their momentum.

When everyone returned to the lounge, Scout had his head down and his hands in his hair, clearly having completely lost his composure.

The factory manager sat in the corner, saying nothing.

Abu rushed up to the factory manager, pointed at him, and said...

"Mingkai, why didn't you use your ultimate skill just now? Are you having a mental breakdown?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Abu himself laughed out loud in exasperation.

Although the factory manager had his head drooping, he broke into laughter the moment he heard this tired joke.

"Hey, Xiaolin is right, WE's operations are much better than ours. Let's switch Xiaolin and Sang-hyeok in."

Abu looked at Lin Xiu, took a deep breath, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Lin Xiu...it's up to you now."

After thinking for a moment, he looked at Faker, who had remained silent.

Faker nodded slightly.

Abu sighed, "Actually, it's not a big deal even if we don't win. WE was just too strong today."

"Let's do our best to dock in Wuhan!"

Lin Xiu slowly stood up and straightened his team uniform.

He glanced at Faker, who had also stood up beside him and whose eyes showed no sign of backing down.

Lin Xiu looked at Abu, gave him a meaningful smile, and said something that Abu would remember vividly for many years to come:

"The competition has only just begun."