The Intercontinental Championship is an attempt by Riot.
In other words, this is not a simple competition.
"Are you still thinking about the so-called Asian match?"
The IEM Korea representative stared at the night sky outside the window in silence.
In the silent room, his most trusted subordinate walked behind him and spoke after a brief silence.
“…”
The Korean representative turned around and nodded without comment.
“That’s not good.”
For IEM, Riot's intention to hold the so-called intercontinental competition is obvious.
On the one hand, they want to completely cut off IEM's influence on the e-sports project of League of Legends, and on the other hand, they also want to stimulate regional conflicts and increase attention.
For Riot, there is the MSI once a year, plus the S game once a year.
Really... too little!
E-sports is not traditional sports after all.
If you want to make this cake sweeter and more delicious, you need to learn from successful cases.
The method adopted by Fist is very simple and crude.
They know that there will always be conflicts between regions, such as LCK and LPL, and Europe and North America.
Stimulate this conflict, then gain greater attention and further enhance the influence of the event.
This is what Riot wants to achieve.
This is actually a good thing for the region. After all, by competing with more top teams from other regions, the region will have a clearer understanding of its current level of strength and will not be as ignorant of the S game as in the past.
For the audience, they can watch a tense and exciting BO5 match with the rival division, and both teams are ranked in the top four of the division.
Such competitions also ensure quality and will not be boring.
It is undoubtedly a good thing.
However, this is very bad news for third-party event organizers such as IEM.
At the beginning of the birth of each competition area, there were rounds of silent and bloody games.
OGN?
LCK?
Korean fist?
Riot headquarters?
It's all part of the game.
The current situation has been formed through constant consultation and exchange of interests between the two sides.
No one is willing to say no to benefits unless there are greater benefits.
But now, Riot is no longer satisfied with the current situation.
Using the Intercontinental Championship to launch a dimensionality reduction attack on other Korean local event organizers will make it even stronger.
Firmly grasp the rights to host all events related to the League of Legends project!
This is the ultimate goal of Riot hosting the Intercontinental Championship.
It wants to firmly grasp the right to speak in the League of Legends events.
Facing the fierce force, IEM actually has no way to deal with it.
Because all rights of interpretation belong to Riot.
Riot has not breached the contract, and you, IEM, can still hold League of Legends events.
But, someone has to be willing to participate...
Without any influential competition, it would be difficult to support a brand new league environment unless the prize money reaches the same level of investment as Valve has made in Dota.
This is the fist's conspiracy.
It is the rule maker.
Not convinced?
Then don't play.
Therefore, the person in charge of IEM Korea at this moment is not thinking about how to help IEM save the situation.
He is thinking:
How can I surrender to the fist quietly?
As the person in charge, he is well aware of the popularity of League of Legends in South Korea.
Except for a large number of StarCraft and Warcraft players, the vast majority of players have already switched to League of Legends.
As for Dota? Koreans don't play it that much.
Because it was Riot, not Valve, that reached an agreement with OGN at the time.
Valve is very domineering, and any event broadcasting rights must be under its supervision.
And OGN obviously cannot accept this.
If Riot completely removes League of Legends from IEM, one can imagine what will happen to IEM.
This is also the reason why the person in charge wants to surrender to Riot.
It’s an honor to be a dog at Riot Headquarters!
"Stir up as much emotion as possible."
After thinking for a long time, he said with a smile.
"If they lose, then LCK will also be in trouble, right? Leave this problem to them. Once LCK loses, they can only try to eliminate the impact as much as possible, and IEM will become their best choice again."
The subordinate answered "yes" without hesitation.
But he spoke with some doubt.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Um?"
The person in charge sat down and spoke gently.
"Go ahead."
"Can I still follow you no matter what the outcome is?"
The subordinate spoke cautiously.
The person in charge's eyes moved slightly, "Of course."
Watching his subordinates leave the room, he turned back again and stared into the long night.
In such a dark night, there was strangely no sound of thunder.
"Want to create opposition?"
He muttered to himself.
"So are you satisfied with this gift?"
He actually didn't think LCK would lose at all.
Once LCK wins, with the popularity of the Intercontinental Championship, South Korea's IEM will immediately suffer a huge blow.
At that time, it will be the time for him to advance based on his current "merit".
"We are one of the participating teams in this intercontinental competition."
In the RNG base, Bai Xing tapped the table gently, without a trace of warmth in his eyes.
"We must control public opinion and portray us as a weak person who dares to challenge the strong."
"We will continue to use the all-Chinese team for publicity, so that even if we lose, it doesn't matter because we have tried our best."
“Sometimes, we don’t necessarily have to win.”
The competition system for the Intercontinental Championship has now been released, and Shirahoshi, as the boss, is very clear about one thing.
Foreign wars do attract more fans than civil wars.
But if we lose a foreign war, we will be cursed even more harshly than if we lost a civil war!
Can the current RNG defeat the Korean team?
Shirahoshi didn't know, but he didn't need to think about it.
Make all preparations and take control of the public opinion environment first.
Netizens are actually very stupid, and so are the audience.
To put it bluntly, they are just a bunch of rabble. Any random internet trolls can make them dizzy and rush forward.
We just need to give them a goal. Even if they lose, the first target of the tsunami will be others.
It’s none of RNG’s business.
RNG tried their best.
Of course, winning is better.
Shirahoshi is also a fan of RNG, a rational fan.
"What do the players say?"
Thinking of this, Bai Xing asked about the current situation of the team members.
“I’m very excited and I really want to win!”
The subordinate said without hesitation,
"No matter which player they are, they are training very hard now. They really want to win the Intercontinental Championship."
"That's right, let's shoot more clips and post them on our Weibo so that our fans can see how hard we work."
Bai Xing nodded in satisfaction.
"yes!"
The undercurrent has begun to surge uncontrollably.
"This is really disgusting... Why did you bring this kind of thing to our place?"
In the EDG base, Xu Yuan picked up a piece of Korean kimchi with some disgust, and looked at Smeb who was eating vigorously at the side with an incredible look on his face.
Xu Yuan now speaks Korean. After all, he didn't speak Korean to Smeb at the beginning just to see Smeb's attitude.
After all, if Smeb really wants to achieve results, he will definitely learn Chinese.
If Xu Yuan showed his Korean proficiency at the beginning, Smeb might think that someone would translate for him and he would not learn it.
However, in reality, in top-level competitions, any opportunity is fleeting.
By the time Xu Yuan finishes translating, the opportunity may have disappeared.
In order to prevent this kind of communication delay, Xu Yuan deliberately did not speak Korean to Smeb.
Today, Smeb can speak some more common Chinese.
"Have you eaten? I have."
It's probably limited to this extent.
However, he was already able to tell the information about the game very quickly.
After all, the names of many resources are not difficult to remember.
Smeb said nothing and just ate his meal.
Only after he had eaten all the food did he let out a long sigh, squinting his eyes and showing a comfortable expression.
"belch--"
He burped and then spoke.
"Because Deft told me before that EDG's food is very bad. I was worried that after coming here, I would have to eat instant noodles every day, so I brought some kimchi with me."
Xu Yuan's mouth twitched.
Mr. Dai, you have really done a lot of harm to others.
Although the food at EDG was really bad before you left.
But after I came here, EDG’s food has improved a lot!
Slander! Pure slander!
Xu Yuan took a look at the kimchi jar and suddenly his expression became a little subtle.
There is a line of words on it: made in China.
Korean kimchi, made in China?
ox!
All I can say is that CN is indeed a vast country with abundant resources and many talented people.
They know how to make money.
"The Intercontinental Championship is coming soon. Do you have any special feelings?"
Xu Yuan mentioned the Intercontinental Championship with a smile.
"After all, you were still playing in LCK last season, and now you have to help LPL play in the Intercontinental Championship not long after coming here. It must be a bit weird, right?"
"No."
Smeb shook his head.
“I don’t really feel a sense of belonging .”
This is the truth.
For Smeb, the LCK audience never placed their hopes on him.
They have SKT, they have Samsung.
KT? Not familiar.
KT is often attacked by fans of SKT or SSG teams because of trivial matters.
SKT fans like to say, "The strength of LCK is actually the reputation of SKT. SKT is the team that best represents LCK."
In a sense, it is true.
However, as Smeb came from ROX, he naturally has no sense of regional honor for the LCK involved with SKT.
He has only one goal, to defeat SKT!
Rather than saying that I feel weird, I should say...
He's already looking forward to it.
SKT!
This time, we can finally compete again on the international stage!
I will tear your teeth to pieces!
Thinking of this, Smeb stood up immediately.
"I went to training."
Something is wrong. Why is he more stubborn than me?
Xu Yuan's eyes became sharp.
He took a few bites and immediately walked out of the cafeteria.
I don’t know if the Korean Godox is online yet, hurry up and add some weight to me!
In addition to EDG and RNG, the other two participating teams are also very excited.
MSI is a competition that only the first place can go to, and the two teams WE and OMG actually want to play against the Koreans very much.
In other words, there is no team that doesn't want to fight against Koreans at this time.
Which player doesn’t want to play in international competitions?
There is a saying, although it is ugly: being in the top nine is better than being at home.
But don’t say it, really don’t say it!
This is the truth. Those who go are definitely better than those who don’t.
At that time, OMG was actually an all-Chinese team, but this thing is like underwear, some people choose to wear it inside, and some people choose to wear it outside.
As for WE, who lost to EDG in the spring season, they also want to stand out in the big competition.
This year's four LCK teams are already very clear.
The first team is naturally SKT, the LCK S7 Spring Split champion.
Although they lost to EDG, it was obvious to the naked eye how difficult the game was for EDG at that time. SKT's system was so outstanding that many teams were killed directly when they faced it.
It's hard to have much resistance.
The second team is naturally KT.
Although KT's strength seems to have declined a lot due to Smeb's departure, it is only apparent.
After searching for a transfer period, they found a top laner who was performing equally well and had begun to show his potential: Khan!
The original Khan was also going to return to LCK in the summer of 2017, but this time was different. He was going to join Longzhu Gaming, a team that was still in the middle and lower reaches of the league at that time. Longzhu Gaming was abbreviated as Longzhu and was later renamed KZ/DRX.
However, this time due to Smeb's departure, KT had a vacant top laner.
After a fierce tryout competition, Khan, who has begun to show superior strength, successfully joined KT and is now the starting top laner for KT in the summer season.
And in the summer regular season, they have gradually begun to gain some fame.
Therefore, compared to KT in the spring, it is hard to say that KT in the summer season is completely weakened. It may even be stronger than in the spring.
It all depends on how much they have worked together.
Khan’s personal ability is not bad!
Originally, he was the undisputed top laner in LCK at a certain period.
The third place...is naturally SSG.
SSG, the Samsung team, was later renamed GENG.
It was also the original...S7 World Championship, defeating SKT 3-0, showing an undoubted gap in strength.
The top laner is Cuvee, the jungler is Ambition, the mid laner is Crown, and the bottom lane is Ruler and Corejj.
This is also in Xu Yuan’s mind, EDG’s biggest rival in S7!
Because their top and jungle rhythm is so good.
Many people may say this.
S7 is the Censer version. As long as AD can carry, won’t it be easy to win?
In fact, in this version where AD needs to deal the most damage, AD does not need much laning strength, but needs team battle ability.
Let's take a very simple example:
You said that AD can win if they can carry, so is Bang that much worse than Ruler?
No matter how strong the ruler is, he can't be so strong that Bang can't win a single match, right?
The reason why SKT was beaten by Samsung with such an exaggerated score of 3 to 0 in the finals was because Samsung's top and jungle always had the advantage.
When the C positions on both sides were similar, Samsung's top and jungle became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
In every game, SKT's top and jungle were dizzy due to Samsung's use of the military line.
It was a complete operational victory.
Huni is totally unable to beat cuvee. No matter what hero cuvee chooses, he can't beat him!
He is indeed cuvee's good eldest son and extremely filial.
In this situation, due to the version reasons, others have to play around the bottom lane, which causes cuvee in the single lane to act recklessly.
Combined with Samsung's terrifying control of vision, it was only natural that SKT lost.
But there is a problem here.
Known posture is a contributor to Huni's net worth, pure son.
It is also known that Huni is no match for Cuvee, and his filial piety is exaggerated.
So...cuvee is a gesture?
The fourth team, MVP.
This team is quite interesting. Although it is also a veteran team, it does not have many star players.
The top laner ADD is quite capable and later joined the BLG team. He is considered a relatively qualified top laner.
The jungler's ID is a bit abstract: beyond
Of course there was nothing wrong with it at the time, but Xu Yuan almost choked with laughter when he saw this ID.
Because in later generations, the word "beyond" has basically become a swear word.
Beyond is equivalent to forced raising.
There is nothing much to say about the mid laner, his ID is lan, and actually it is a basket.
The bottom lane team is Maha and Max, and they are also two pure mixed guys.
Overall, it can be said to be the weakest LCK team.
But after all, he is ranked fourth, which means he is just a fourth seed.
In the history of League of Legends, only DRX has achieved such results.
Today's fourth seed, even if it is an LCK team, is completely helpless and has no hope of winning the championship.
You don’t really think that all fourth seeds are DRX and have a chance of winning the championship, right?
The review is: Now is fantasy time.
The reason why a miracle is a miracle is that it cannot be replicated.
The fourth seed in the Cap Championship?
Haha, just listen to it.
SKT, KT, SSG, MVP.
These are the four participating teams in this year's Intercontinental Championship LCK.
On the LPL side, there are EDG, WE, RNG, and OMG.
As for the LMS region?
They are just here to make up the numbers. Everyone knows that the highlight of this Asian competition is not them.
There may still be a lot of suspense in EDG's match against SKT, but EDG basically did not hold back when it beat the LMS team.
Even though the LMS region can fight against South Korea, its winning rate against the LPL region is not high.
There is a lot of discussion about this topic online.
Compared to the somewhat vague concept of regional confrontation in the past, this intercontinental competition can be said to have put all the contradictions on the surface.
South Korea VS China.
It's that simple and crude.
The top four teams from the three major divisions will compete against each other, which is the best verification of the overall strength of the divisions.
For LPL audiences who have attached great importance to overall honor since ancient times, it is difficult for this intercontinental competition not to attract their attention.
And because, except for EDG, the other three teams have never played against the LCK team, the fans very rationally chose to work together.
Again, what if you lose?
After all, although the current LPL has won the MSI trophy, it has no reason to claim to be the number one league.
You don’t even have an S crown, are you worthy?
The shadow that LCK left behind for LPL still exists, of course.
"The LPL audience needs to work together this time! Any insults against the four teams in the Intercontinental Championship are prohibited during the Intercontinental Championship!"
Such an announcement was posted on the homepage of Tieba.
The atmosphere now is more united.
After all, there will be no civil war this time, only competitions with teams from other regions.
Then there is naturally no need for fans to attack each other.
Everyone's common goal is to reach the finals and play a tense and exciting BO5 with LCK.
If you want to reach the finals, you can’t do without the performance of any LPL team in the group stage.
The first place in the group stage will directly advance to the finals, but the second and third place in the group stage will still need to play a semi-final BO5, and the rules will follow the final rules.
Speaking of this, we have to mention the rules of the finals.
To sum it up simply in four words: Tian Ji's horse racing!
When it comes to the BO5 stage, both competing regions need to provide the appearance order of the final four teams before the game.
It's all kept confidential.
This means that even if a region is relatively weak, as long as it is not seriously weak, it will have a chance to win.
Use the worst team against the strongest team in other regions, and then make perfect use of Tian Ji's horse racing principle.
You can even win without even going to the fifth game of BO5.
In the first four games of BO5, all teams must play once. Once one team gets three points, the game ends immediately and there will be no fifth game.
The fifth team in the BO5 will be decided by the coaches of the four teams.
This generally means that the strongest team in the default division will compete.
Therefore, whether it is for LPL or LCK, it is very important to be able to get first place in the group.
After all, although the possibility of LMS failing in the semifinals is low, it does not mean that it does not exist.
As for the situation where LMS advances first and LPL and LCK compete for second and third place...
If someone really thinks it is possible, then he might have slid down a big block of ice while sliding down the mountain.
"No more words, come out, you idiots, and tell me the truth! I will not insult RNG in this Intercontinental Championship using my real name. Can you idiots do that?"
"Nonsense, it's been a few intercontinental games, we are all brothers, who has the time to scold you?"
"Yes, you guys should calm down for a while, so that I can still cheer for EDG in the group stage."
"I will abide by the ceasefire agreement from now on and will cheer for other LPL teams in the Intercontinental Championship!"
"Okay, okay! That's it. We're already hard to beat, so let's stop bullying and work together to kill the Koreans first!"
"Haha, I really don't know what you guys are thinking. Can LPL beat LCK? You must first stabilize the country before you can fight against foreign enemies, don't you understand?"
"I just checked the B above. Faker is level 10, LCK is level 12, pure tadpole and Korean, @Anti-Pressure Bar Management Team 1. Sima Zhang Aiyu should start working!"
"Don't worry, I've already done ten things. I'll also ban you from speaking for a day as a warning."
The online dispute did not affect EDG's winning streak.
As the team gets better and better at running in, EDG's rhythm is now becoming smoother.
It wasn't until the beginning of July, when there was about a week left before the Intercontinental Championship.
EDG still maintains a terrifying undefeated record, including small games.
During the period before the Intercontinental Championship, Xu Yuan was also paying attention to the Korean server.
Because he is waiting for someone.
Someone who should have become famous during this period of time.
Not long.
As he expected, an ID named [ZhanQiSuSuSu] suddenly appeared among the ranks of the Korean server kings.
Xu Yuan smiled and clicked on his battle record.
As expected, the heroes chosen are basically Twitch, Kog'Maw, Frost and Varus.
In every game, the support player will have a piece of equipment:
Burning|Hot incense burner!
"Finally... are you here?"
Xu Yuan stared at the equipment and took a deep breath.
The incense burner monster is coming!