There were already crowds of people outside the venue.
Countless fans waving or holding team logos, with anticipation and nervousness on their faces, entered the venue one after another.
When the contestants' bus appeared at the back door, the scene immediately erupted into thunderous cheers and cheers.
"Go IG! Kill Brother Shai for me!!"
"Come on, Broiler! We must win today! We want to get the number one seed!"
"Prince Ning, charge, charge!"
"Brother Li will win! EDG is invincible!"
"Abyss God, kill me ruthlessly. I will win today!"
"Come on, garlic turtle!"
There was nothing fancy about the cheering, except for that for Xiaotian.
At this time, Xiaotian was holding the door of the bus and walking down. After hearing about the garlic turtle, he couldn't help but sigh.
"I don't know which idiot gave me this nickname."
To be honest, Xiaotian thinks this nickname is a bit too stupid.
Look at the opponent’s nickname, King Ning!
Although this nickname was initially used to mock Ning Wang's poor playing skills, it has now become a compliment as Ning Wang's performance has gotten better and better.
It sounds very domineering.
But what about me? A garlic turtle.
In the words of a Riot designer, this is really not coooool at all.
Everyone has the surname Gao, so why are their nicknames so different?
"It's okay, today you are Bulbasaur."
Xu Yuan patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"…If you don't know how to comfort me, you don't have to comfort me."
Xiaotian rolled his eyes and sighed helplessly.
He actually understood what Xu Yuan meant and said that he had evolved now.
But... evolving from Garlic Turtle to Venusaur, what the hell is this evolution!
One by one, the contestants entered the venue through the contestant channel. Fans along the way were cheering crazily and pushing forward from time to time.
The security guard was really exhausted.
Considering EDG's current popularity, this is really normal.
After finally entering the venue, Meiko breathed a sigh of relief.
“We are really popular now.”
He sighed sincerely.
After S6, Mingkai’s kick almost killed EDG fans.
I didn't expect it to be even more exaggerated now.
“Do you feel any pressure?”
Xu Yuan noticed the serious expression on his old partner's face.
"Well, with so many fans, we really need to fight hard."
Meiko exhaled, her eyes firm.
"Today I have to make good use of my hidden backup energy."
"Kid, this is not funny."
Xu Yuan said with a serious expression.
"What kind of a joke is this?"
Meiko was also speechless. Sometimes he simply couldn't understand Xu Yuan's jokes.
Xu Yuan smiled but said nothing.
There's no way you can understand this. Lao Da is still very healthy.
Walking all the way to the dressing room, Xu Yuan saw the IG players the moment he opened the door.
They sat quietly in front of the mirror, waiting for the makeup artist to help them put on their look.
However, they also saw the arrival of the EDG members through the mirror.
"Coming?"
"You guys so early?"
"Come earlier and discuss tactics. You'll be done later if you see whether my buddy can do it or not."
"Hehe, you're not awake yet?"
The atmosphere wasn't tense or even serious.
IG and EDG have played the most training matches and their players are most familiar with each other.
Although they are rivals on the field, it doesn't mean they can't be friends off the stage.
Xu Yuan was chatting casually with A Shui and a few others, and highly praised Bao Lan's performance in the Rank duo in the past few days.
Baolan was a little distressed. He could feel that Xu Yuan's praise of him was sincere, but the duo match a few days ago...
He felt that his hitting was a bit outrageous.
So much so that now when Xu Yuan praises him, Bao Lan feels that Xu Yuan is being sarcastic.
Time passed bit by bit, and after finishing makeup, both sides returned to their lounges and began to prepare tactics.
"Okay, welcome to the 2018 League of Legends Summer Finals..."
The commentators were in place, and the players from both teams began to appear on stage.
Xu Yuan was as calm as ever. Even though there was huge cheering when he went on stage, he was used to it.
As for nervousness? Impossible.
"So cool! Yuan!"
"Ahhh my abyssal treasure, I'm just a dark crawler !"
"Ghost, he's so calm!"
Xu Yuan sat down in the chair and began to adjust the settings.
At this time, the final promotional video recorded before the game also began to play.
The big screen that was originally playing the advertisement suddenly went dark. When it lit up again, a steady voice sounded.
"Some people say that you should take a rest after winning the championship."
"But I think winning the championship is just a new starting point."
As the screen gradually lit up, a young man appeared on the screen, staring into the distance.
He stood on the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, looking into the distance.
“The so-called world’s number one is nothing more than challenging your opponent to challenging yourself.”
The scene suddenly moved, and behind him, Ah Shui had his hands in his pockets, looking at his back with a calm expression.
"A new era has arrived. Savior is undoubtedly the world's number one AD player, but someone has to challenge him."
"Then why can't this person be me?"
Meiko turned around, resting her hands on the railing, her eyes lowered.
"Are you qualified?"
The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a confident smile.
"We are the protagonists of this era."
Baolan put her hands on Ashui's body, pursed her lips tightly, and showed a determined look in her eyes.
“You don’t define the times.”
“Whoever wins gets to define it.”
Rookie walked slowly to A Shui with a smile on his face and stood with the bottom lane group.
“No matter what the result is, I think only the players who want to win can win in the end, and my determination to win is no less than anyone else’s.”
"I have been waiting for this opportunity for four years."
His expression gradually became grim.
“It’s finally my turn to step onto the big stage of this era.”
“I’m sorry, but even if it’s Faker, I will beat him without hesitation.”
Li Xianghe appeared at the railing without knowing when.
He did not turn around like Meiko, but just looked into the distance like Xu Yuan.
"Rookie, a very good player."
"But I have seen too many outstanding players like this."
"Every year, there are always various talented midfielders emerging, and their only target is me."
"Rookie, you will become another talented mid laner who falls in front of me."
Li Xianghe's calm voice sounded, even in Chinese.
He is now fluent in Chinese. After all, he works in a native-speaking area, so as long as he pays a little attention, becoming fluent in Chinese is inevitable.
After all, you always have to communicate with your teammates.
As a mid-level unit that needs to take command, he must learn Chinese.
"No mid laner can compare to Rookie. I have absolute confidence in him."
"Xiaotian, your current results are very good, but if I were in EDG, I could also achieve such results."
"Without your teammates, you are actually really ordinary to me."
King Ning smiled carelessly, patted the IG team logo on his chest, and showed a crazy smile.
I can only say that this is his personality. It is impossible for King Ning not to pretend in such a situation.
"We all have the last name Gao. You debuted earlier than me, but I think I should be your big brother."
"If I win this time, you can just call me Big Brother from now on. Whoever loses will be the Second Brother."
Xiaotian was wearing the EDG team jacket, with his hands folded across his chest, and spoke with a smile.
Although these words may not seem offensive, they are a special attack on King Ning.
Because there is no way Prince Ning wants to be second in command.
"theshy? Never heard of it."
"A qualified top laner is not just about attacking."
"He has good offensive ability, but he loses the game too easily."
“I don’t know if he’ll be able to find a job once his offensive ability wanes.”
Smeb looked calm and pushed his glasses.
Start the sharp review directly.
As someone who has suffered a lot, this is a warning in a sense.
Smeb also only played Jayce and Rambo at the beginning, but it was difficult to win that way.
The strength of teammates and the coordination of versions are both indispensable.
Question the tank, understand the tank, become the tank,
This is the path that almost every top laner must take.
A true top laner is not just an offensive top laner, but one that represents [all-rounder].
When the team needs you to carry, you can step up and carry.
When the team needs you to take on the responsibility of the front row and initiating a team fight, you can step up and be the one doing the dirty work.
This is the real [top-level top laner].
Whether you only play tanks all your life, or only play warriors all your life.
It’s hard to be at the top.
Maybe he can achieve some results in a suitable version, but when he meets a real top-level top laner, he will still be beaten like a dead dog by others, just missing that finishing touch.
Do you think I'm talking about Theshy?
No, I'm talking about Bin.
In fact, when filming the promotional video, Xu Yuan almost burst out laughing when he heard Smeb's words.
I have to say, Smeb is worthy of being a top laner, he is really accurate in predicting top lane.
Theshy was actually kicked out by WBG later.
As the camera turned, the five members of IG had also gathered.
Theshy had a blank expression on his face.
"For me, defeating Smeb is not a quest, it's just a path to take."
"No matter how much we talk, it's better to see the truth in the competition."
This is definitely not what Theshy thought, his Chinese level is not up to the mark.
No one really thinks that what the contestants say in the promotional videos are what they really want to say, right?
They don't have this treatment, and the lines are basically arranged for them by Tencent Esports.
Therefore, there is really no need to rush to compete with contestants just because of the promotional video.
I don't know when it started to rain lightly.
In the drizzle, Xu Yuan and Rookie quickly took out a big umbrella and shielded their teammates.
The camera moved to the middle of the confrontation between the two sides and zoomed in.
Under the umbrella, two pairs of eyes, calm yet sharp, appeared on both sides of the camera.
At this moment, the promotional video finally ended.
Only the last line is left.
[2018 League of Legends LPL Summer Finals is about to begin! ]
Coach kkoma returned to the back of the EDG players with a smile on his face.
"So happy? Got the red square?"
Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows and took the initiative to speak.
When playing against IG, the red team has a greater advantage than the blue team.
Because the red side has a counter position in the fifth hand, whether it is letting Lee Sang-hyuk counter Rouji or letting Smeb counter Rishai, it is an advantage.
"No, Blue Fang, I'm happy because I'm unlucky again today."
kkoma grinned.
Xu Yuan:?
"What are you so happy about?"
"You probably don't know this, but every time I'm unlucky for a while, my luck will turn around at a critical moment."
"I'm unlucky now. I'm sure I'll have better luck in the S-League finals."
Coach kkoma made a convincing argument.
"Oh my god, there is such a saying."
Xu Yuan was happy.
Eyebrow pencil is eyebrow pencil, but in order to save face, I have a rich imagination.
"Okay, okay, we are the red team!"
On the other side, Kim Jeong-soo was smiling very happily.
Getting the red side means that there is a counter position in the middle, which is crucial for today's game.
Even if we lose 3-0 today, we can still play three games on the red side.
If the red side really can't win any of the three games, then there's nothing more to say.
I just can’t do it, I give in!
BP, start!
"Taliyah."
In the first move, kkoma directly targeted IG’s jungler, Ning.
There are very few solo players in this version of Taliyah, and most of the time they play as junglers.
Her outstanding support ability and decent burst have promoted her to the current T1 in the jungle position.
"Prince."
In the first hand, IG was equally rude and took down Xiaotian's Prince.
Although in the eyes of many viewers in later generations: Does Xiaotian’s prince need to be moved?
But in fact, his win rate as Prince is really not low, and he is also skilled, otherwise FPX would not have chosen him.
That time in Iceland's game it was purely because of their own mental breakdown that their operations became distorted.
If a professional player has no problem with his mentality, it is absolutely impossible for him to make mistakes in the second combo.
"Sindra."
In the second hand, EDG directly chose to kill Syndra.
Syndra is a bit too strong in lane right now.
The advantage of the mid laner is crucial for both sides.
Therefore, it is very necessary to do BP around the middle lane.
Li Xianghe did not think that moving the mid laner meant that the coach did not trust him.
How many years has kkoma been his partner? Naturally, he knows him well.
"Ryze!"
Kim Jeong-soo immediately retaliated and also pressed down Lee Sang-hyuk's signature Ryze.
If this hero is not Lee Sang Hyuk's signature character, then there is no hero at all.
Ryze is currently quite strong and can save the world in the later stages.
"Enchantress."
kkoma looked calm and took down Rookie's Ahri with the third move.
There is no need to say much about Rookie's mage assassin. Even in kkoma's eyes, his priority is higher than heroes like Jayce who are mid-to-top players for IG.
"Clockwork!"
Kim Jeong-soo's thinking is exactly the same as his.
Both teams' top, mid and jungle players are top-notch, so it is impossible for the opponent's mid laner to play comfortably.
Pick entered the first round, and kkoma on the blue side directly grabbed Irelia.
"Irelia?"
Kim Jeong-soo narrowed her glasses slightly.
He saw what kkoma was thinking.
Irelia is now a T1 in both the top and mid lanes, and can play in both the top and mid lanes.
Smeb and Lee Sang-hyeok also know how to do it.
This is also a swing position!
Just as IG wanted to use Jayce as a swing position to create a fog for IG, EDG also chose to use Irelia to fight back.
"Jace, Luo."
Kim Jeong-soo did not choose to take Xayah and Rakan directly.
Because the key points of this game are top, mid and jungle, he wants Rakan who can initiate a team fight more than Xayah.
Jayce is a swing position.
He wanted kkoma to continue to move mid and top heroes in the second round, which would also ensure a good combination in the bottom lane.
"Oh? IG could have taken Xayah and Rakan directly, but they only took Rakan. Could it be that in IG's vision, Xayah and Rakan's priority is not high?"
Narrator Miller fell into deep thought.
The BP of both sides in this game was completely different from that in the semi-finals, and the focus was no longer on the bottom lane.
"Xia, the female tank."
kkoma took Xayah without hesitation and took out the support Leona to further strengthen the laning ability in the bottom lane.
Moreover, Leona is also a good choice to counter Luo.
"The middle and upper levels haven't been confirmed yet, do you want me to move?"
kkoma smiled.
"Then don't think I'm sure it's top."
"Come on, let's see whose player has the deeper hero pool!"
He also did not intend to expose his middle and upper lanes in the first round, because this was the only way to fight against the red side's counter position.
If you want to reduce the risk of being countered, the only way is to rely on the player's hero pool to swing.
And kkoma has full confidence in his own players.
Kim Jeong-soo noticed this and a smile appeared on his face.
"Is that so?"
"I'm not afraid either."
IG is not RNG, and they have just as much confidence in their mid and top player Kim Jeong-soo as they do in kkoma.
Isn't it just swinging?
Come on!
The third hand, directly confirmed, Shen!
"Blue Steel Shadow, it's confirmed!"
"This is also a swing, a swing in the top and jungle! The first round has been completed, but the mid and top of both sides are still undecided!"
"Because we all know that the hero pools of both mid and top players are extremely exaggerated!"
Colonel Guan was somewhat amazed.
The swing position is not something that is so easy to have, unless both the mid and top laners in the version of the mid and top heroes can play it.
Coincidentally, the midfielders and top players of both teams today are almost the top midfielders and top players at the moment.
That’s why they have the luxury of such a swing position.
Many teams don’t have a single swing position because they don’t have such strong players.
And Kim Jeong-soo even made a double swing BP of Jayce and Shen!
This is enough to show his trust in his own top, mid and jungle players.
BP entered the second round, and it was Kim Jeong-soo's turn to move first.
After a brief thought, he pressed Galio.
Although compared to Zoe, the hot mid laner in this version, Galio no longer has the terrifying dominance he had before
However, the opponent is Faker.
This top veteran mid laner knows exactly what to do with a hero like Galio, which means his thinking will be very clear.
Moreover, in terms of laning, Galio does not have much pressure and it is still easy for him to fight in the laning phase.
If Galio is not moved, IG's team battles will be at risk.
"Sword Demon."
kkoma was not surprised and chose to kill the Sword Demon in the fourth hand.
The red team chose first in the second round. Even if Kkoma released the Aatrox, it would be difficult for him to get it. However, the Aatrox is one of the most powerful top lane heroes.
That’s why kkoma chose to press it.
"captain!"
Kim Jeong-soo had a blank expression on his face and chose to kill Smeb's Gangplank in his last move.
In the summer season, the Captain’s priority is still not low, and the output he provides in team battles is also sufficient.
The most important thing is that there are not many heroes who can beat the Captain.
Although Kim Jeong-soo could have chosen Vampire for Theshy to play, and then everyone could have played a late-stage development game.
However, this is a bit of a waste of Theshy's laning ability.
When playing against EDG, you must not be too weak in the early stage!
Therefore, the vampire who had little ability to cooperate with the jungler in the early stage was directly eliminated by Kim Jeong-soo.
"Nar."
After much thought, kkoma chose to kill Gnar in his final move.
No matter which path Jayce goes, the Irelia he captures will definitely take the same path with him.
So we have to consider how to choose the remaining position.
Gnar doesn’t have many natural enemies right now, so kkoma doesn’t plan to let him go.
"Aatrox, Galio, Gangplank, Gnar... these are already the top three heroes, right? Even Galio can be considered a top hero. When he first came out, he played as a top unit."
"Today's clash between top, mid and jungle was really exciting!"
Colonel Guan was a little excited.
As Yuanza, he knows very well what EDG is best at.
Relying on Xu Yuan's outstanding personal abilities, he plays the top and jungle system.
This is one of the systems that EDG has already practiced and achieved success with.
It seems that IG's current thinking is almost the same as EDG's.
They are also a team that plays the mid-jungle system.
This is a strong confrontation. This is why Guan Zeyuan is excited.
"Haha, are IG's top, mid and jungle really that good?"
"I heard that IG was killing like crazy in the training match. They helped to play in the training match during the S7 World Championship and beat RNG."
"Nonsense, RNG's top, mid and jungle are nothing but shit except for Xiangguo?"
"EDG's top, mid and jungle may not win. What are you doing here? The two old men in your top and mid positions, please stop fighting on the field!"
"It's okay. I believe Yuanzi's bottom laner will definitely arrest Ah Shui again today!"
Many people are skeptical about IG's top, mid and jungle.
Because although they were good at bullying weak teams, they still lost to EDG in the regular season.
EDG is the king of bullying weak opponents and performed even more aggressively.
Now facing EDG's top, mid and jungle again, no one knows what kind of effect they can achieve.
"EZ."
Kim Jeong-soo decided on the fourth pick and gave EZ to Ah Shui.
Since the game has to revolve around top, mid and jungle, then EZ, who can perform well in the mid to late game, obviously meets his requirements.
And it is difficult for EZ to have problems in laning phase unless he gets sick.
I don't think the opponent will try to catch the bottom lane in this game, so this EZ is very safe.
"EZ? Humph."
kkoma snorted, not surprised.
"Grand Barrel, Yasuo!"
EDG's final two moves were determined in an instant.
It is Gragas and Yasuo, who have a relatively high appearance rate in the summer season.
This is also an old combination, but EDG has rarely used it before.
kkoma, just to keep them until now!
This lineup can be dealt with by just charging. Yasuo and Gragas are no match for any mid or jungle opponent.
And Kim Jeong-soo quickly made her final choice.
“Zoe.”
This is his ultimate understanding of the version, the three-Poke combination!
Jess, Zoe, EZ.
The three poke heroes can put a lot of pressure on the opponent before the team fight, and IG's players have excellent pulling abilities.
Don’t be afraid of team fights in the later stages!
When some light voice came out of Theshy's headset, a cheerful smile suddenly appeared on Theshy's face.
"Really, coach?"
Since he has chosen Zoe, he can only play with Jace.
Hello Jess, hello Jess!
Kim Jeong-soo rarely asks him to choose heroes like Jayce, who have a low tolerance for error.
Theshy thought that this time he would most likely play Kennen or Gragas.
Is Jace strong? Of course he is.
But this hero is bound to push the line, and pushing the line means it is easy to be caught.
This is a risk that must be taken.
If you don't dare to play Jayce, what's the point of playing Chicken Feather?
You want to suppress others but don't want to be caught. So all the good things in the world happen to you alone?
"ha!"
Seeing IG pick Zoe as the fifth pick, Smeb couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you looking down on me? IG."
Although Jayce's current strength is not bad and he hasn't been nerfed much.
However, it is still too difficult to defeat Irelia.
Especially the wave when Knife Girl reaches level 6.
Except for numerical monsters like Volibear, there are basically few top laners who can withstand it.
Known as the Ionian Riven, her main feature is burst.
Naturally, Jace couldn't stand it.
However, compared to the later versions of Jayce, the current Jayce is not completely powerless to fight back.
The reason is very simple:
Numbers!
Jayce's early-stage stats are not bad now, and he can really have a suppressing effect in the early stage.
So overall, the odds between Jayce and Irelia are 40:60.
In the early game, Jayce has a slight advantage and can easily suppress the opponent.
Once you reach level six...
Under the same development conditions, there is no difference between Irelia killing Jayce and slaughtering a pig.
How could someone like Smeb not be confident?
This Jayce can either crush him or die.
In Smeb's eyes, IG didn't treat him as a human being by choosing such a hero.
Do you really think I'm Lemte?
Although everyone has M and E in their ID, Smeb is not the same as Letme!
BP of both parties ends:
Blue side EDG:
Top Lane Irelia
Wild Barrel
Mid Yasuo
Bottom lane Xia plus Leona
Red side IG:
Jayce
Jungle Shen
Zoe in the middle
Bottom lane group EZ Gallo
"Okay, the BP phase is over. Will IG defeat EDG in today's final, or will EDG continue to show their dominance as always? Let's wait and see!"
With Wang Duoduo's smile, the competition officially began!
And in faraway South Korea, there are also many people watching this game.
The match between IG and EDG is also of great reference value to LCK teams, as it allows them to learn a lot of information.
So at this moment, many LCK teams have only one thought:
Hurry up, I want to see a river of blood!
In the KT club, Deft stared at the screen seriously without blinking.
"Just like you challenged Bang as a newcomer, now jackeylove has also started to challenge you."
He whispered.
At this moment, it is easy for him to think of the S7 World Championship.
And that time, as a newcomer, Xu Yuan completed a gorgeous counterattack against Bang.
jackeylove, will he replicate Xu Yuan’s success?
deft is not very clear.
However, no matter who the number one seed is, he will be a strong opponent that he must defeat.
The LCK summer finals have already ended. KT, where deft is located, showed their dominance and became the number one seed.
A year later, he once again knocked on the door of the World Championship.
This year marks his sixth year since his debut.
February 19, 2013, was the day he made his debut.
How far are we from the championship?
Deft, who has already wandered between the two major competition areas, no longer thinks about the answer to this question.
He only knew that as long as he could still fight, he still had a chance.
He will never give up.
I won’t be willing to retire if I can’t win the championship!
"Come on, Jackeylove..."
He cheered for Ah Shui wholeheartedly.
"Make sure to hit more of his stuff!"
The clash of the two powerful forces will definitely expose many things that cannot be discovered under normal circumstances.
The most difficult thing about Xu Yuan is that no one has been able to figure out his laning style yet.
If A Shui can help Deft discover Xu Yuan's thinking, then once Deft defeats Xu Yuan.
Deft thinks that A Shui deserves one third of the credit for this championship.
As for Uzi?
Let it be.