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

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of people in the stadium, the draft picks for the fourth game were officially finalized.

On the big screen, EDG's lineup looked extremely mismatched:

Top lane Shen, jungle Jarvan IV, mid lane Kassadin, bot lane Ashe and Taric.

In Season 7, an era that emphasized bot lane carry games, this lineup was practically an antique dug out of a junkyard.

"Protecting their mid laner... Is EDG really going to play like this?"

Remembering, his voice trembled as he stared at the purple Voidwalker icon, the consequences of such a tactical failure flashing through his mind.

"This reverse 4-protect-1 strategy has too low a margin for error!"

"Kassadin takes much longer to develop than Kog'Maw."

"We all say Kog'Maw needs three core items to be powerful, and Kassadin needs to be level 16!"

"If Kassadin gets caught and killed twice in the early game, or falls behind in farm, these four EDG players are just four super minions, completely ineffective!"

Guan Zeyuan also took a deep breath, his tone heavy:

"WE's lineup is too solid: Karma, Kha'Zix, Nautilus, Kog'Maw, and Lulu."

"Although I've said it countless times, this four-protect-one lineup is really well-rounded."

"This is a top-tier lineup that maximizes control, burst damage, and late-game protection."

"What's more, the opposing mid laner is Kassadin. If I were Xiye, I'd be laughing in my sleep right now, because before level 16, Kassadin wouldn't even have the right to talk loudly in front of him."

The chat room exploded with excitement at that moment.

[Has Abu gone mad? Or has Lin Xiu seized power? How could they release a draft like this?]

[It's entirely possible that a madman like Lin (Lin Gou) could actually instigate the coaching staff to create such a bizarre lineup!]

[Lin Gou streamed himself playing in low-elo games and even let Faker play Soraka mid lane. He's such a jerk!]

[Ashe and Gem, isn't this just feeding Kog'Maw to the enemy team in the bot lane? No early-game pressure, no late-game damage.]

[EDG is gambling, betting that Faker can create a miracle like he did with Zed in the last game.]

But Zed is an assassin, and Kassadin is a late-game mage! How are they supposed to survive before level 16?

[It's over, might as well give up. I can almost see a 3-1 ending.]

Even Xiaohu, who was watching the live stream, was stunned. He stroked his chin and muttered:

"Kassadin? I'd believe it if Easyhoon were playing this, but I can't trust Sang-hyeok's Kassadin for now."

"Su Hanwei's Karma can really keep you pinned under your tower until you want to quit the game."

Upon entering the loading screen, Lin Xiu remained unusually calm in his voice.

"Brother Li, this is your only sword. We will become your shield, we are your sand soldiers."

Lin Xiu's voice was perfectly calm and even.

"Don't worry about the bottom lane or the jungle. You only need to do one thing: last hit every single time. Even if you miss, make sure you get experience and absolutely do not die."

Faker nodded, his hands resting on the keyboard, his extreme calm once again taking over his body.

The game officially begins!

Just as the commentators predicted, the first ten minutes of the game were an ordeal for EDG fans.

In the mid lane, Xiye's Karma displayed terrifying dominance.

He knew that Kassadin was a pushover before level six, so he relentlessly used his Q skill, Inner Flame, to lower Faker's health.

Kassadin could only rely on the shield from his Q skill, maneuvering his abilities while struggling to last-hit minions under the tower.

Surprisingly, Kassadin's last-hitting was flawless, and he even out-farmed Karma.

"That last hit was insane," Remember exclaimed.

"Kassadin was pinned under the tower, unable to move, and this was before First Blood even happened. If Condi's Kha'Zix had ganked him, Kassadin would have been completely out of the game."

Not only in the mid lane, but also in the bottom lane, a stalemate has been reached.

Kog'Maw, who should have been timid in the early game, surprisingly played quite well against Ashe and Taric, and started to get aggressive.

"WE's tactical execution is too strong; Mystic's Kog'Maw is developing incredibly smoothly," Guan Zeyuan analyzed.

"Although Zet's Ashe kept sending hawks into the jungle and did manage to spot Condi several times, preventing Condi from launching surprise attacks, this was merely defense. Defense alone cannot win a game."

The negative emotions in the comments section began to accumulate:

[This is so boring it makes me want to sleep. Is this what they call "four protect one"? Four people protecting one cowardly guy being pushed under the tower?]

[Is this what you call "doing whatever you want"? Stray dogs!]

What is Lin Xiu doing? Is the prince wandering around the jungle? Is he too afraid to gank?

[How do I capture this prince? He doesn't harm anyone on any path!]

With both the mid and bot lanes at a disadvantage, and the top laner a tanky opponent, the game is practically over.

Some radical fans even started stirring up trouble in the live stream, claiming that EDG was throwing the match.

However, unseen by the public, Lin Xiu and Faker were quietly working together.

"Brother Faker, in the next wave of minions, Karma will use her Q to finish off the low-health minions."

Lin Xiu's prince had already silently made his way to the river bushes in the middle lane. "Now!"

Just as Xiye habitually used RQ to clear out the Ferrari, Lin Xiu's Prince didn't hesitate at all and immediately used EQ to flash!

"Bang!"

This EQ flash was so fast that no one could see the movement, and it launched Karma, who was preparing to retreat, directly into the air.

"Touch him!" Lin Xiu roared.

Faker's mechanics were incredibly smooth. His positioning was impeccable, and he executed a QWA combo followed by Thunderlord's Decree, precisely controlling the damage to the kill threshold in the early game.

"First Blood!"

The moment the system announcement sounded, a long-suppressed cheer erupted in the stadium, but it was quickly drowned out by more boos.

"First blood! Although we're still behind in CS, this kill is so satisfying for Kassadin!" Remember shouted, pumping his fist.

"But that's not enough!" Guan Zeyuan remained calm.

"Kassadin getting a kill only slowed down the pace of the pressure; Kog'Maw is already 30 CS ahead of Ashe. Once Kog'Maw gets Blade of the Ruined King, EDG's four bodyguards simply won't be able to withstand that percentage-based damage."

The situation remains tense. Although WE secured a kill in the mid lane, their four-protect-one strategy is progressing steadily.

Titan was rock solid in the top lane, Kog'Maw was farming like crazy in the bottom lane, and Kha'Zix was annoyed by Ashe's E in the jungle, but he controlled the dragon tightly.

"This match is so depressing to watch."

I remember sighing,

"It feels like both sides are holding back their trump cards, but WE's chances of winning are clearly increasing exponentially over time. Unless that Kog'Maw gets killed, how can EDG possibly win?"

Lin Xiu looked at the screen, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

He glanced at Faker, who was methodically farming minions and gradually catching up in level, and said in a deep voice over the voice chat:

"Brothers, hold on. All this calm is for Kassadin's explosion."

"Remember, this time we are the Sand Soldiers."