Before the semi-finals even started, QG was already building momentum for a substitution.
IG Club,
Although Li Fu was unreasonably steady, others were still a little panicked.
After arranging several training matches with the eliminated LGD and Snake teams during the day, Chris found that their bottom lane was still a shortcoming that could not be improved.
Even though the main focus of the training match was to not collapse, after LGD was eliminated by IG, Imp held his anger and made a ruthless move in the bottom lane, actually destroying IG's bottom lane.
Defeated by a defeated opponent, Xiao Shiguang's face fell.
How embarrassing it would be if this were made known to others!
Fortunately, training matches do not keep records and only last fifteen minutes. When IG found that the bottom lane collapsed and they could not play anymore, they quit the game directly.
Coach Chris also sighed and walked over to comfort Xiao Guang, "Don't be discouraged, just treat it as stress resistance training."
This sounds a bit hurtful.
Are you already feeling the pressure before the fight even starts?
But thinking of QG's bottom lane...
Uzi and Doomsday,
God and His servants.
Xiao Shiguang suddenly sighed again.
Well, just resist the pressure. You will have to resist it sooner or later anyway.
Not only that, because QG's mid laner was replaced by Dade, coach Chris also stayed up late to re-plan the tactics.
Looking at Chris and the entire IG who were facing a formidable enemy, Li Fu wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. In fact, many things have changed now, just like IG entered the semi-finals.
Can the future trajectory remain unchanged?
to be honest,
Li Fu was a little unsure.
So he didn't act as a prophet and say much, just let everyone do whatever they wanted, just to be prepared.
…
The next day, April 17th in the afternoon.
RNG vs WE;
IG vs. QG.
Except for EDG which was eliminated in the top six, these most popular teams in LPL gathered in the semi-finals this afternoon, which immediately pushed the flow of people at Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center to a peak so far this year.
The audience enters and the commentator takes over.
As soon as three o'clock in the afternoon arrived, the war horn of RNG against WE was officially sounded.
The IG team has also arrived and is sitting in the backstage waiting room watching the semi-final match between RNG and WE with very serious expressions.
Because if they can beat QG again today, the winner between these two teams will be their opponent in the LPL Spring Finals at the Mercedes-Benz Arena a week later.
Of course, the premise is that they also have to win today.
"Why are you shaking when watching other people's games?" Zizi asked Rookie puzzledly.
"My sister is shaking!" Rookie's face turned red.
"Are you still talking? My hands are numb from all that shaking you." He said with disdain.
"Fuck, why did you put your hand on my leg? Take it away." Rookie said with disgust.
"I'm fucking nervous too." Zizhi was speechless.
Rookie couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard that.
Are you nervous?
Maybe a little bit.
Because his opponent today is Dade.
In the 2013 OGN Spring Finals, Dade used three consecutive Zeds, achieving stats of 4 kills, 1 death, 3 assists, 12 kills, 4 deaths, 6 assists, and 10 kills, 0 deaths, 3 assists, helping MVP Ozone win the championship.
In the 2014 OGN Spring Tournament, Dade's Yasuo Ban/Pick rate reached 21%, with a win rate of 100%!
This mid laner who was once at the peak of his powers in OGN suppressed Fat General for a whole year and was unable to make a comeback. If it weren't for the final defeat in the S semi-finals, that man would undoubtedly be the "strongest mid laner" that year.
No, it should be said that even if we failed in the S game.
But Dade from Samsung Blue Team was still the world's No. 1 mid laner in many people's minds that year.
Rookie is also among these people. He has always felt that Dade and Pawn have their own strengths and weaknesses, but in terms of "online suppression", no one in the LCK that year could match them.
When Rookie came to LPL, what he was best at and most praised for was his laning suppression.
In the past, among all the mid laners in LPL, even if he faced Fat General, as long as the BP heroes were not a problem, Rookie was confident that he could suppress the opponent.
But I happened to face Dade.
Rookie felt a little unsure.
Zizi saw the sad expression on Rookie's face and opened his mouth, but didn't know how to start.
After all, he was a little panicked?
Suddenly, an idea came to Zizhi's mind!
Why not ask the magical conch...oh no, Brother Fu?
He turned around excitedly, but the next second, the smile on his face froze slightly.
In the corner of the waiting room, Li Fu, who was leaning on the sofa, had dozed off without knowing when.
Rookie, who was standing next to him, noticed Zizi's movement, turned his head curiously, and looked in the direction of Zizi's gaze.
The next second, Rookie was also a little dumbfounded.
The two looked at each other and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
Is this the steadiness of a veteran?
But isn't this too damn stable?
…
In the front desk, the battle between WE and RNG has begun.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. As the leader of Group B, RNG lived up to the momentum of the king's team and won the first two games to get the match point. The terrifying suppression power could be felt through the screen.
After the two games, all the WE players had sweat on their foreheads, and the fans in the stands also clenched their mineral water bottles.
Damn it...it won’t be 3-0 again, right?
However, the claim that the 2.0 version of WE is the revival of the universe team is not groundless after all.
When they were pushed to the edge of the cliff, they woke up instead, and bounced back to win two games in a row, dragging the game into the deciding round.
No way, Sir!
Don’t try to make a comeback from 2-0 down!
Now WE fans put down the mineral water bottles in their hands, and it was RNG fans' turn to be dumbfounded.
In the fifth life-and-death game, RNG replaced Zhu Jiawen (Namei), whose form improved in the second half of the regular season, with the original starting AD Wang Cheng (Wuxx).
Wuxx lived up to expectations and used an MVP-level Lucian to help RNG win the semifinals.
"Congratulations to RNG for defeating WE 3-2! They are worthy of being the leader of Group B!"
"Congratulations to RNG! Congratulations to them for entering our Spring Finals first."
"Yes, then everyone take a break, we will soon enter the next round of the semi-final BO5 between QG and IG."
“…”
IG backstage waiting room.
Everyone sitting there was watching the live-action footage of WE, which had a full BO5 but ultimately lost the game. The five young men seemed to have not yet recovered from the huge defeat of coming back from 2-0 down.
The five people in the group all sat in front of the computer in a daze.
That feeling,
The audience may find it difficult to understand.
But IG, which had lost countless times before, knew it all too well.
It's really not pretentious.
If RNG wins two games in a row today and doesn't give WE any chance at all, they can just beat WE 3-0.
So even though failure doesn't feel good, when you're shut out and realize the gap in strength between the two sides is too big, you can actually compromise with yourself.
I am not as skilled as others and have to admit defeat. What else can I do?
But WE lost the first two games.
Two more games in a row.
Finally lost...
It lets you see hope and then crush it, turning short-term pain into ultimate smoothness. This is the most torturous mentality.
"Brothers, if we lose two games, let's give up the third one." Zizi suddenly muttered in a low voice.
"Shut up your crow mouth !"
Chris glared at him unhappily.
At this time, Chris turned around and tiptoed to Li Fu, who was leaning on the sofa and dozing, and started the wake-up service.
"Brother Fu! Hey Brother Fu, wake up."
Everyone then realized that this guy was still sleeping when the game between WE and RNG was so intense.
Oh shit!
People like this must have never been nervous about exams when they were in school, right?
Unexpectedly, the next second, Li Fu rubbed his sleepy eyes, and the first sentence he spoke left everyone speechless again.
"Hmm? Off work?"
"What shift are you going to get off?"
Coach Chris was also at a loss for words, "We haven't even played the game against QG yet."
Su Xiaoluo, who was standing next to him, saw this scene and began to sneer in his heart.
familiar!
He was so familiar with this swelling smell!
Once a player starts to become arrogant, he is not far from destruction, let alone a veteran who seems to have not much time left in the professional arena.
Are you going to refuse to renew the contract?
Wait...
One day he will come to ask for his help.
Su Xiaoluo suddenly became confident again.
“Boom boom boom—!”
But at this moment, there was a hurried knock on the door.
After Chris shouted "Come in", the person who trotted in was the LPL on-site staff.
Seeing the IG members packing up their things and taking their peripherals to get ready to go on stage, the man quickly smiled and waved his hand.
"There was a problem with the rotation of QG's starting lineup. The league project team is reviewing it now. The 5 o'clock game has been postponed to 7 o'clock."
???
Hearing the staff's words, everyone at IG was slightly stunned.
What's going on?
Chris' heart suddenly moved slightly.
He remembered the discussion he overheard when he arrived at the venue today among the on-site staff about whether the QG registration procedures were formal, and he couldn't help but frowned slightly.
Is there something wrong with this?
But QG has been hyping up the new dream team of Dade and Uzi for the past two days. The tone has been raised so high? Basically all the fans and audiences of QG and Uzi are looking forward to it.
Could it be further delayed?
Seeing the stunned look on everyone's faces, the staff member couldn't help but bow and apologize again, "I'm really sorry, please be patient and wait for a while."
"It's all right."
Coach Chris also reacted.
When the staff member who notified him passed by, he turned around, clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Since we have to wait a little longer, why don't we take advantage of this time..."
"Why not take a nap for a while?" Li Fu suddenly said.
After saying that, he pulled out a blanket from his backpack, covered himself with it, changed into a comfortable position and lay down again.
Chris: …
What I want to say is that we should hold another pre-match tactical analysis discussion.
But Chris thought again, they have already studied so much in the past two days, and cramming now would not seem to have much effect except making their minds and nerves more tense.
Chris couldn't help but smile bitterly, then pressed his hand and said, "Okay, let's take a break."
…
However, IG is taking a break.
As soon as the commentator on the stage mentioned that the game would be postponed for two hours, many long-awaited fans and viewers at the LPL site and in the official live broadcast room were stunned!
"What the hell? Why is it delayed for two hours?"
"The computer is broken? Didn't RNG and WE just finish their match?"
"Hurry up, hurry up! I want to see Lord Dog and Dade kill each other!"
"That's right, hurry up!"
"Is IG doing something? Principal Wang has started to transfer money?"
"Principal Wang: Close your eyes and press 0. It doesn't matter how many times you play, it's all fate. I just want to make it to the finals once."
“…”
The live broadcast room was filled with comments of ridicule.
At the same time, in the QG waiting room backstage, the accompanying team leader and management were extremely anxious.
Doinb didn't come to the scene today, they were already prepared to push Dade up.
However, when the time came, the LPL League project team and RIOT Riot manager reviewed Dade's registration report and stated that Dade did not meet the procedures and could not play.
"Process, process! Bullshit process!"
"We've brought all the damn people here, but both mid laners are not here, and he won't let me go? Is there any law?"
The new manager of QG club unbuttoned the collar of his shirt inside his suit, put his hands on his hips, and breathed heavily with anger, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Several managers nearby also looked at each other in confusion.
Since a large amount of capital poured into LPL in S5, the competition has gradually become more formalized, and many things have to follow procedures.
At the beginning, they were also worried that Dade's return from leaving QG would be delayed due to registration and reporting time issues, so they created hype online in advance and mobilized countless LPL viewers to put pressure on the league project team.
You can't, as a league, go against the wishes of the audience, right?
But who would have thought that Dade had already been sitting in the waiting room with the team today, but when the time came he was blocked and not allowed to go on.
The reason is very valid.
A player who wants to play in LPL must register with the official in advance and submit information for review, just like starting work.
But Dade was just recalled from South Korea by the management five days ago to serve as an emergency response after the split between QG's mid and jungle. He is almost like a mercenary and will play in the LPL game today.
Where do I find the time to report for review?
Time is running out now.
The alliance project team only gave them two hours of grace.
It was obviously impossible to let Dade go.
One of the management staff had an idea and couldn't help but interrupt, "How about we ask Mortred to come up?"
Mortred is one of QG's substitute mid laners and had a plaster bandage on his hand yesterday.
It’s hard to say what kind of injury he suffered. QG’s new manager said he “could be injured”, so he got injured.
After hearing the words from this Wolong in the management, the new manager of QG was immediately furious!
He yelled at him:
"Have you grown any brains? Have you grown any brains? You just posted a photo of your injury on Weibo yesterday, and today you asked someone to remove the plaster bandage and go on the court. Are you a fool? Or do you think all LPL viewers are fools?"
Wolong, a member of the management team, suddenly shrank his head and was speechless.
I was muttering in my heart:
Wasn't it you who allowed him to get hurt? And you arranged another substitute midfielder to counter Korea.
Now, the injured substitute cannot play, and the one who returned to Korea cannot make it back in the two hours.
Or... let Doinb go?
But when he thought about what the new manager said, "Disobedient dogs must be beaten", and that he didn't even bring Doinb with the team to the scene today, he swallowed these words rationally.
For a moment, the air pressure in the waiting room was frighteningly low.
On the sofa not far away, Uzi sat there with his face covered with his hands, not saying a word.
Why?
Why is it so difficult to win a championship?
Is this really a curse?
He put his hands down and glanced at the chaotic management, and suddenly he felt an inexplicable sense of disgust in his heart.
He took a deep breath, suddenly stood up and said:
"Four against five."
"Stop arguing, how about four against five?"
The voice of these two sentences was neither too loud nor too soft, just right for everyone in the waiting room to hear.
The first reaction of QG's new manager was,
Who the hell are you kidding?
But when he turned around and saw that the person who said this was Uzi, the one with the highest value in QG, he immediately swallowed the words back.
He walked over, gave a wry smile, and patted Uzi on the shoulder. "Four against five is just humiliating yourself. It's meaningless and it's uncomfortable for the audience to watch. It's unnecessary."
When Uzi heard this, he imagined a four-on-five situation in his mind.
You know, in professional competitions, it’s not about the anchors bullying the noobs in the low ranks, writing a script to let teammates AFK, and then killing four against five, while the audience and friends keep giving 666.
The LPL professional league is a five-person team game.
One less person won't do.
Then suddenly,
The anger in Uzi's chest dissipated again.
He sat on the sofa somewhat dejectedly, with his head lowered, and the light cast a shadow in front of his head.
…
Time passes by every second.
The patience of the audience at the scene and in the live broadcast room was gradually worn out, and their expressions became somewhat impatient.
Someone seemed to have received some gossip in advance and started to lead the rhythm in the live broadcast room, which attracted a lot of scolding from QG and Uzi fans. However, more people were still waiting with full expectation.
Finally, the second hand passed 6:59 in the evening.
It's seven o'clock!
However, on the LPL semi-final stage, the five players from IG have already gone on stage to debug the equipment.
The opposing QG was empty.
No contestants took the stage.
Recalling the rumors in the live broadcast room, at this moment, countless anxious QG and Uzi fans kept looking backstage at the empty player channel...
In an instant, everyone's heart skipped a beat.
Gradually sinking into the abyss.
soon,
Another minute passed.
Just as countless spectators and fans were becoming more and more anxious, some people even stood up and shouted, "Why hasn't QG come up yet?"
Without warning,
The scene on the big screen on the stage changed.
IG 3 to 0 QG!
At that moment, countless QG and Uzi fans at the scene suddenly turned red in the face, their eyes widened, and even their hair began to shake. They felt extremely absurd as if they were being made a fool of.
B05 in the semi-finals...
It was over in just a minute?
What the hell is going on here?
Everyone expressed that they could not accept it.
At this time, the person in charge of the league's event project, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, also walked onto the stage.
He first bowed and apologized to the audience who had been waiting for two hours.
Then he clearly explained which LPL process the registration of QG's new mid laner did not comply with, and the review could not be passed. As there was no mid laner available to play, the QG team was forced to forfeit the game.
But the fans of QG and Uzi, whose patience has already been exhausted after waiting for such a long time, don’t care about these things.
All they knew was that some people who had agreed to play were blocked from participating in today's semi-finals.
What does this mean?
This shows that there is something shady going on!
Who is behind this?
Whoever benefits from this is the culprit!
For a moment, countless furious QG and Uzi fans at the scene turned their eyes to the IG players who were also confused in the competition seats on the other side of the stage.
Not only that, at almost the same time, a huge public opinion storm was set off in the LPL official live broadcast room and on major portal forums such as Weibo and Tieba on the Internet!
Exploded!
It totally exploded!