You actually want me to...

Fusion: Chapter 111: Is it really that outrageous?

In this game, Roland, as support, built Spellthief's Edge.

It's actually quite simple; it's all about restoring mana.

For Gragas with his passive ability, mana is essentially equivalent to his health. Regardless of the lane, Gragas will need to frequently use his Q, so Spellthief's Edge, which increases damage and provides mana regeneration, is a good fit for him.

The difference between this thing and Japanese women is actually quite distinct.

Leona has strong initiation capabilities, but weak counter-initiation and protection abilities. Although Gragas' E skill can restrict him during the laning phase, in team fights, Leona's long-range pinpoint burst damage is definitely the most threatening way to initiate a team fight.

Gragas, on the other hand, is more balanced. He is quite good at initiating, counter-engaging, protecting, and sustaining. In fact, if you are playing support in solo queue, Gragas or Swain is a pretty good choice for climbing the ranks, especially Swain (many random junglers don't think about ganking bot lane in the early game, which often allows Swain to stack his passive in the bot lane).

Max Q first, then W. If you're ahead, use Iceborn Gauntlet; if you're behind, use Gargoyle Stoneplate. If you're confident, you can go straight for Zhonya's Hourglass. If you have a strong carry, go for Knight's Vow. The item build is flexible and versatile, and it's cheap enough.

Of course, most importantly, he can help Jhin secure lane control.

The two junglers started out in staggered positions. From the vision they built in the early game to the end of the game, they didn't see the F6 being attacked, which gave them a rough idea that the opponent started with the blue buff and headed down to put pressure on TES's bot lane. However, it's understandable that the top laner Gnar was trying to gain lane priority against Jayce, which was really overthinking things.

However, in this game, the situation began to deviate from JDG's expectations because Roland suddenly picked up the support champion, Gragas.

In the early game, they aggressively used skills to secure lane control, then the top laner took lane priority to help the jungler get the river crab, while the bottom lane duo went to get the bottom river crab together after pushing the lane, forcing a double river crab start.

This tactic is almost a strategy specifically developed by TES for playing jungle carry, and it has proven effective time and again.

There's actually a lot to say about the river crab.

As the difficulty of jungle monsters increases and the experience gained decreases in Season 10, the importance of the Scuttle Crab has also increased accordingly. This increase is not only reflected in its own experience and economy, but also in the fact that jungle carry players need to farm more jungle camps in the early game, while the Scuttle Crab can act as a half-trinket ward to reduce the vision pressure on teammates.

For players who choose a utility jungler, the team composition usually already knows which river crab they can touch after the draft phase. They estimate the positions of both sides and directly trade river crabs. If they can fight for it, they can fight for it; if not, they can just let it go.

However, when junglers like Nidalee, Kindred, and Graves, who heavily rely on items, appear, the fight for the Rift Scuttler becomes fierce. This is because if a utility jungler doesn't get the Scuttler, they're at a slight disadvantage, but as long as the difference isn't too great, they're still useful. But if I pick a jungler like Graves, and I lose gold, I become completely useless, essentially losing twice the amount.

JDG understood TES's strategy, but the minion wave had already been pushed to the tower by the opponent.

If you help the jungler secure the kill, the bot lane will lose at least half a wave of minions and lose the initiative; if you don't help the jungler, Kanavi's early game momentum will be halved.

A calculated, open strategy, a truly open strategy.

After thinking for a while, Loken finally reluctantly gave up the minion wave and ran to the river to try to provide support. On the other side, seeing that the enemy bot lane had given up, Roland and JKL decisively stopped attacking the river crab and found a safe spot in the jungle where they could advance or retreat.

Then... they started calling for reinforcements.

"Quick, quick, Brother Ka, just use Smite! We have Syndra, we can take the Rift Scuttler from them, and that Rift Scuttler has a skin."

"That's a mark! But you're still the more cunning one, kid. Wait, I'm coming right away."

"Bro, if you're passing by, could you pat the floor and help me get control of the line?"

"If you need my TP (transfer/redirect), just let me know. Of course, I hope it's best not to."

Once Lee Sin used Smite, he slammed the floor in the mid lane, and the bottom lane river immediately turned into a 4v4 standoff. Kanavi did have Smite, but the other side had Syndra.

If you dare to fight, I'll push forward and then use my W to take down the river crab.

If you don't fight, well, I'll just keep playing along. I'm playing a utility Lee Sin, while you're playing a carry Kindred. Who's afraid of who? Once my second Smite is ready, I'll use W to gank, then Q Smite and Q to take him down.

Now, the pressure is back on the Duke.

That's how sunk capital works. Originally, it might only cause a jungler to collapse, but then the bot lane abandons their lane and can't secure the kill, so the bot lane also collapses. Others don't have to do anything and just drag it out, and as it drags on, JDG's rhythm is completely lost.

With no other option, the Duke had to go home, upgrade his equipment, and then teleport to the mid-lane turret.

Upon seeing the light, the four thugs from TES instantly dispersed.

"That felt so good! We completely blew up the top lane!"

"Nice guys, this game is a carry." Seeing that the opponent almost wasted a TP, Flandre was grinning from ear to ear.

There's no way around it; when you pick Kindred, a less popular jungle carry, you're subject to a lot of constraints. At the very least, you can't escape the passive mark.

Kindred's mark follows a pattern:

The first layer is definitely above the River Crab, then it's ranked up to the F6 and Gromp, until the fourth layer mark, which is the double buff, Golem, and Wolves. As for what comes after that, it's the Vanguard and Dragon.

So, when we talk about jungler marking, it usually means that when you clear the river crab and raptors from the second to the fourth level, the mark will likely refresh near the gromp. The mechanism is very simple, easy for you to play, and easy for the enemy jungler to see.

Therefore, skilled Kindred players usually duo queue, relying on the mid laner to gain lane priority and help them collect marks. However, JDG was truly outmaneuvered by the draft in this game, which led to them suffering such a huge loss in the early game.

When both teams' bottom lanes returned to their lanes, the opposing bottom lane duo already had more than half a wave of experience less than them. Similarly, due to their inappropriate behavior in the bottom lane, Kanavi was also obsessed with TES's bottom lane.

A minute later, as Kanavi was farming the lower jungle again, he instinctively asked in the team voice chat, "Is there anyone in the bot lane...?"

"No."

???

"I haven't even said what it is yet, how can you just say there isn't any?"

"Three minutes... It's been three minutes since the laning phase started, and the enemy Gragas hasn't used a single E skill except when I use it on him. How can he hold back?!"

The green-haired man was almost dumbfounded.

What happened to the LPL's top initiator support? What happened to the guy who's prone to getting carried away and making reckless plays? Well then, show me your E skill and let me see the pattern of how you use it. Damn it, I gave the enemy several opportunities and they all held back from using E, while Jhin kept jumping in and auto-attacking. With this kind of patience, you could tell him the enemy has quit porn and he'd believe it.

At that moment, a piece of popular science that he had read in his spare time suddenly flashed through Green Hair's mind.

When a person is under the influence of alcohol, their nervous system becomes dulled, less sensitive, and this effect lasts for a longer period.

It's not like this guy's playing with a barrel can also slow down his high-energy state.

Is this really that outrageous?

Fusion: Chapter 112: Aren't you supposed to be a support?

On the field, Roland watched the Japanese player constantly showing off her weaknesses, but he felt no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

Even when you're having fun, you have to consider the situation.

When can we finally have some fun?

When winning or losing doesn't affect the outcome, when your teammates are all around you, and when you're not playing a game, you can afford to be carefree.

But not now, not now at all.

Putting aside the fact that this was the fifth game of the finals, Roland wouldn't even consider playing if his own jungler wasn't in the bottom jungle and the bottom lane was in a vulnerable position.

In the early game, Jayce was practically dominating Gnar, and Karsa's Lee Sin was also extremely cooperative, constantly invading and counter-ganking in the top lane. If things went wrong in the bottom lane at this point, it would trigger a series of chain reactions.

Of course, the most important thing is that TES's lineup had no offensive pressure in this game.

The only consistent carry on the opposing team is Kindred. Zoe's damage is entirely based on luck. As long as vision is good, her output space can be greatly squeezed. As for Ashe, she's not even as good as a piece of barbecued pork in the late game.

On the other hand, TES...

Lee Sin and Jayce excel in the early to mid-game, Syndra in the mid to late game, and Jhin in the very late game, with relatively stable damage output, making them completely fearless in the late game. This leads to a tactical issue, which translates to the opposing team's strategy of relentless bombardment, aiming to gain a large lead in the first half and blow out the game, while TES employs a strategy of varying pace and counter-attacking.

In the early stages, I took advantage of Lee Sin's strength to cause a lot of trouble.

In the mid-game, I transform into a poke-style lineup. You attack, I defend, but don't let me see any weaknesses in you, or you'll be in big trouble.

As for the late game, once Jhin starts dealing damage, Kindred's ultimate will become quite awkward.

Because you can't predict how much damage Jhin's auto-attack will do to you, there's a high chance of encountering terrifying situations where you think you're not going to die even with half your health remaining, only to be taken down by a critical hit from the enemy ADC.

Considering that he will be playing as a semi-frontline tank in this game, Roland has chosen Aftershock as his rune. He will also buy magic resistance boots later when he has enough gold. Although this reduces his initiative, at least he can survive. And the reason for choosing this rune is that he is already successful if he doesn't die. It is much better than cooldown reduction boots + Electrocute.

Because Karsa played a long-absent utility Lee Sin and forced Gnar to use his teleport early on, TES had a lot of initiative in the early game.

Six minutes ago, the jungler practically lived in the upper jungle, protecting the mid and top laners.

Both supports moved towards the mid lane after their first recall. The only difference was that Roland went around a bit and placed a defensive ward in the bush opposite his own red buff, a position where he could see if anyone was coming up from the dragon pit.

This is very important.

Teams with Jayce are determined to secure the first Rift Herald. Similarly, if the opposing team can prevent TES from taking the first Rift Herald, it's like winning by a third.

As we all know, in the 8-minute team fight, the jungler is supposed to go to the mid lane to help clear the wave at 7 minutes, allowing the mid laner to recall and upgrade their equipment. Therefore, before 6.5 minutes, Karsa must first get to the bottom lane to protect Gragas and Jhin as they push the wave and recall.

This is a fairly formulaic process.

Because the opposing bot lane also needs to return to base, aside from the 30 seconds for lane movement, JDG's bot lane actually only has less than a minute to deal with the pushing tower wave. Meanwhile, the side lane minions take 25 seconds to go from the crystal to the outer tower. If we also consider that the support needs to arrive in advance to occupy vision positions, and the AD is in danger without support protection, then they have even less time to spare.

In other words, if the jungler can come down to protect TES's bottom lane and push a wave in this six and a half minute round, JDG can only clear one wave of minions at most, and then have to go back to base to rush to the front, or clear two waves of minions and rush to the front without going back to base to upgrade their equipment.

Regardless of which pick the opposing bot laner chooses, TES will not lose out.

Either you let me not lose lane, or you fight me while you're behind in equipment, or you give up the Vanguard to fight the Elemental Dragon. Who told you to make so many sacrifices in the early game to contest the River Crab? Even if I give you two waves of lane, you still won't reach level 6.

The more important the competition, the more meticulous the operational planning becomes.

Faced with this situation, Kanavi chose to take an unconventional approach.

If they can secure a kill in the mid or top lane, they have a chance to force the enemy back in this eight-minute skirmish.

Syndra in the mid lane has Cleanse, and the jungler can easily provide support.

The only player who might have a chance is Jayce, played by Flandre in the top lane. Having figured out his strategy, Kanavi started walking along the wall from his own jungle, intending to jump up from the Baron pit.

Don't be surprised, there are only a few positions where junglers gank top.

Going up into the river is the least concealed and least successful approach. Jumping into the river from your own jungle would have a slightly higher chance of success, but there's a high probability that there will be a ward in the bush in the top lane river.

So we had no choice but to go around to the back.

Given the uncertainty of the enemy's vision, Kanavi's gank on the top lane wasn't difficult to predict. It was the ward Roland had placed that played a crucial role at this moment.

"Kindred is coming to get you, retreat quickly!" Roland, who spotted Kindred on the minimap, frantically started marking retreat signals on the map.

"Nice, the board's vision is really helpful."

Upon hearing his teammate's reminder, Flandre immediately slipped into the bushes. He first pretended to use the bushes to move in and out, seemingly trying to poke the enemy, and then used the bushes' vision to retreat directly, firing a shot from the bushes towards the minion wave. Finally, he happily ran back to the tower to become its nemesis.

Yeah, it's just pretense.

This move of hiding in the bush wasted several seconds of Kanavi's time. It wasn't until Gnar's Q skill was off cooldown and he threw it into the bush that he finally realized the enemy had already retreated.

"You have a view?"

"Impossible. I saw him disappear into the river, and he didn't go long." Duke, also a top-tier top laner, immediately stepped forward. Although he didn't have lane priority this game, the losing side had more free time, and he had been paying attention to Flandre's item inventory.

"So the place I came from was auspicious? If we exclude the upper and middle sections, then it must be the time when the barrel came over?"

"Something's not right. This guy doesn't even have this good vision control when he's in the bottom lane."

After a fruitless roam, Kanavi could only steal a F6 camp from TES, hoping to trade the Rift Herald for the dragon while also greedily acquiring the Gromp's mark.