You actually want me to...

All discussions are premature; to reach that point, one must first have their own abilities recognized.

The following day, when the TES team finally arrived at the competition venue, the Demacia Cup group stage officially began. Due to the tight schedule, the Demacia Cup was held in two venues, and the group stage rankings were to be determined within two days.

In their first match, TES faced LGD in the group stage.

As the five main players took to the field one after another, Roland sat in the logistics room beside White Crescent, watching the match. Roland was familiar with this feeling; he had experienced the same thing when he first joined LDL, the only difference being that LDL didn't have as many viewers as the Demacia Cup.

【Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[Left Hand + Karsa, TES has made some good additions to their jungle position this year.]

[Huh? Why isn't Aban playing? Is that new bot lane duo playing instead?]

[That's normal. One is a team, and the other is a solo player who hasn't had any experience playing together. The solo player will definitely have to be a substitute first.]

Having not experienced the trials of the main tournament, although the audience knew that TES had someone like Roland, they were actually completely unclear about the strength of TES's bot lane trio. Moreover, judging solely from experience, it is indeed normal for a solo duo to be inferior to a duo.

As TES's only significant opponent in the group stage, White Crescent paid close attention to this match. However, it seems he overestimated his opponent a bit. LGD's lineup in the Demacia Cup was not as luxurious as TES's. Apart from Peanut, the jungler, and Kramer, the other players were mostly unfamiliar faces.

As expected, TES won the game easily.

Despite winning the game, White Crescent's expression wasn't good. This was because the team's new bot laner, P-Emperor, was completely dominated by Kramer during the laning phase.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of P-King's situation, White Crescent did not use any changes in the lineup for the next two group stage matches, and instead continued to start with the same five players.

The opponents in the second and third games were rather weak, one being V5 and the other GD, and TES easily crushed them by a large margin.

Although TES won all the matches, judging from White Crescent's silence, TES's current state clearly did not meet his expectations, and they can only continue to practice.

“A-Ban.”

"what?"

"You'll be playing the first game against VG. Let's test it out a bit, and you should understand what I mean."

"Huh? Oh." Although Roland was quite surprised that his debut was straight into the quarterfinals, he would just do as the coach arranged.

To be fair, the Prophet is indeed a pretty good support. The fact that he was able to keep the bottom lane from collapsing while supporting P-King already shows that he is a player who can raise the floor of the bottom lane.

However, what White Crescent wants to see now is the ceiling of TES, so he needs to see what the situation would be like if Roland, who is full of offensive desire, were to be fielded.

Because TES's next opponent in the bot lane is someone who was once hailed as the top of the three new generation AD carries, and is also the best whetstone for TES's rookie bot lane:

VG_iboy

First Encounter: Chapter Ten: The Four Kings of Top Lane (Dark Version)

On the night the competition ended, the performance of the players from each team in the Demacia Cup also sparked some discussion, although the topic did not generate much buzz.

Firstly, the Demacia Cup has a relatively low prestige, as many teams don't field their full rosters, resulting in generally low viewership. Secondly, the broadcasting rights for the Demacia Cup are held by Hunan TV, and at the end of 19, very few people are willing to specifically tune into that streaming platform to watch the matches.

As for how to tell if a topic is popular, just look at whether a certain e-sports program is trying to capitalize on the popularity of the event. If it isn't, then it's not popular enough.

He was actually a little upset about starting today. He genuinely didn't like P-Emperor, the e-sports Xiao Yan.

Being bad at esports is the original sin.

In his previous life, TES gave P a lot of opportunities, but he just didn't live up to them. Even after JackeyLove joined, he posted a Weibo saying: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate a young man's potential."

Honestly, if you really have this kind of thinking, shouldn't you keep it in mind, be wary of yourself, and work hard silently? Despite the team giving you so many opportunities, you haven't made any progress. In fact, as soon as you're replaced, you deliberately jump out and make sarcastic remarks about the team. With a personality like his, AD carry Roland is really not as good as supporting Qiuqiu.

But there was nothing he could do; he had no say in the team and could only obediently follow orders.

The following day, when the TES team returned to the venue, they had officially evolved from a group stage team to a quarterfinals team.

Here, they will compete with VG for a spot in the quarterfinals.

It was also through the big screen of the live streaming platform that the audience finally saw TES's new support player who created a legend.

[Wuhu, Aban is on stage!]

[Waaaah~ Ah-ban, my Ah-ban.]

[Is this guy really the same person as Han Yiban? But why is he playing support? Wouldn't top lane be better?]

[Stop kidding, all the top laners this year have been monsters, please leave him alone.]

Because Roland's main account has appeared so frequently in various highlight reels, most of the comments on the screen during Roland's appearance now are expressing sympathy for him.

That's just how people are.

If someone supposedly very strong appears, netizens will find countless stronger players to compare and surpass them. But if someone suddenly appears and gets repeatedly killed and becomes a background character, then countless netizens will only empathize with you and laugh even more when they see you get outplayed next time.

It's all about realism.

Getting back to the main point, in the year of S10, almost all the teams had super teams. Although VG was mostly known as an easy team to play, this year VG really invested heavily.

The coach brought in Kkoma, a veteran coach who has led SKT for many years. Just his personal value is equivalent to bringing in a world-class player.

Don't doubt Klose's skill in drafting; in terms of drafting alone, he has rarely been at a disadvantage.

Top laner Cube, this guy's got some skills.

During the original Demacia Cup, his performance was arguably one of the strongest dark horses in the tournament, with phenomenal statistics. But what happened after the Demacia Cup? This guy started having problems.

To put it simply, if we were to rank LPL top laners into a "Dark Four Heavenly Kings" lineup from a hindsight perspective, then...

First place: Ah, right?

Second place: Cherries

Third place: Newbao

Fourth place: Cube, Biubiu, and Shy are competing.

Yes, this guy is just that outrageous. He's a typical example of someone who hits his peak right from the start. In the Wu Song Fighting the Tiger picture, he belongs to the "Wu Da" column, only one step away from the bottom "Shaobing" column.

This guy's basic skills are not bad, but he is particularly prone to getting carried away. Since TheShy joined the LPL, the top laners in the entire LPL have changed from a steady state to an aggressive state, but this guy's aggressiveness is a bit too outrageous.

We'll skip the jungler and support roles and focus on the "Peerless Double Banana" duo of carries.

One is the former crown prince of EDG, and the other is the mid-lane savior of IG who was called upon in a time of crisis. The combination of these two can be said to have single-handedly upheld the name of the "Galactic Battleship" and is also the biggest challenge for TES in this quarterfinals.

Facing a team like VG, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. Although Roland had been playing in LDL for over a year, this was his first time facing an LPL team, and he was clearly fidgeting in his chair.

Are you nervous?

"A little bit." Roland smiled after hearing Ka Ge's reassuring words.

"Yeah, it's okay. Just play according to your own ideas. I was very nervous at first, but now I don't feel anything." At this moment, 369 also took the opportunity to make his presence known. Zuo Shou was about to say something, but when he saw him speak, he stopped himself.

Unfortunately, his personality dictates that he's not a good communicator.

"OK, all right."

With encouragement from his teammates, Roland felt a little better. However, time didn't give him much time to adjust, and as both teams were ready, the match officially began.

First round of bans:

VG: Gangplank, Ryze, Senna

TES: Mordekaiser, Akali, Olaf

In the current version, the Senna-Tahm Kench combo and Mordekaiser are absolute scourges in competitive play. Picking them means you've already won half the battle. As for Gangplank and Olaf, I respect their banning. Although you might not believe it, in Season 10, 369 was indeed a recognized Gangplank specialist.

One round of PICK:

VG: Gragas, Irelia, Leona

TES: Miss Fortune, Qiyana, Elise

The classic mid-jungle duo of each version is strong. In this version with overflowing damage, the AD carry heroes in the mid lane are all incredibly powerful, while the jungler has started to become more functional.

In the second round of bans, Vladimir, Thresh, Lucian, and Xayah were all banned.

At the last two points, the dilemma arises.

At this point, picking a top lane tank to fill the front line is inevitable, and that's when Ornn's role comes into play. However, the problem is that this guy's Ornn is extremely bad, which caused White Crescent to immediately fall into a dilemma.

Can Ornn get 369?

"can."

"Then take it."

Since the players have said so, White Crescent has no choice but to believe them and immediately lock in Ornn. VG is not to be outdone, with Karsa and Rumble as their top, mid, and jungle duo, clearly aiming to challenge White Crescent.

That's the advantage of the new team: they're absolutely fearless.

Whatever you're strong at, I'll fight you for.

Left Hand + Karsa might be the strongest mid-jungle duo in the LPL? We'll have to fight them first.

Leaving the last support position, White Crescent also turned its attention to Roland.

"What come up with?"

"It depends on the need. If we don't need one for team fights, I can actually pick Poppy. Wouldn't Poppy break the enemy's legs?" After saying that, Roland suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He turned around and saw White Crescent staring at him with a dark face, which startled him.

"Titan, Titan, okay? I'm Titan King this time!"

Roland only felt the gaze disappear after locking onto Titan. It's not entirely White Crescent's fault; one of TES's weaknesses is a lack of initiation points. Expecting 369's magical sheep to initiate is less reliable than hoping Karsa's Elise can Flash and E the enemy AD carry in the middle of the enemy team.

If Roland really gets Poppy this game, then we're truly doomed.

With this, the lineups for both sides are officially confirmed.

VG: Top lane Rumble, Jungle Gragas, Mid lane Irelia, Bot lane Kai'Sa + Leona

TES: Top lane Ornn, Jungle Elise, Mid lane Qiyana, Bot lane Miss Fortune + Nautilus

The competition has officially begun.

First Encounter: Chapter Eleven: The First Appearance of the Arena Fraudster

In Roland's first game, both sides opted for a normal start.

The two sides lined up in a single file, each thinking that they would just guard the vision of their own jungle area. Only Roland was slightly different. He circled around a bit and followed 369 to stand at the entrance of the triangular bush in the upper half of his own jungle.

"If you come here, what if the enemy tries to ward from the bottom lane?"

"Let's just see how it goes. It's a gamble after all. If this goes well, we'll make a fortune."

"That's true, but the thought of you being a support player makes me feel weird."