November 3rd, Incheon Munhak Gymnasium.
In the cold wind of November, the audience from LPL rubbed their hands, breathed out warm air, and sat in the venue.
This is an open-air venue, and therefore... it's really a bit cold.
However, even though the temperature is not high, their enthusiasm remains unabated.
The venue was not full.
There are Korean audiences, but not many.
This is also a very normal thing. There is no Korean team in the final. What are the Koreans watching?
Only a small number of Lee Sang-hyuk and SKT's Korean fans are willing to come and watch the game in person.
But even so, the attendance rate is still not low.
The reason is that there are too many LPL viewers.
Today is the final between EDG and IG!
At Korea’s home turf!
Many able-bodied audience members gritted their teeth and chose to come to the scene to cheer for the contestants.
Many people have called on Tieba, Weibo and QQ groups to encourage audiences who are able to go to the event to go there.
The ten people who played in the competition today finally reached the finals in this S game in a foreign country after nearly a month of competition.
They have worked so hard, how can we not support them?
We cannot allow the contestants to find out, after winning or losing, that there is not even a single family member supporting them at the scene.
This is the audience's simple logic.
In the cold wind, Xu Yuan, who was already wearing a down jacket, got off the bus and couldn't help but put his hands in his pockets.
"Is it this cold?"
He tried his best to hide his mouth under his collar and let out a muffled sigh.
“There should be air conditioning in the venue, right?”
Lee Sang-hyuk also felt a little cold and put on the hood of his down jacket.
"Outdoor, probably not."
Kkoma shook his head.
"But there should be air conditioning on the stage."
Xu Yuan imagined this scene and couldn't help laughing out loud.
“Why not in an indoor venue?”
Smeb scratched his head and spoke bluntly.
"Because there are no such large indoor venues, how can South Korea compare with China?"
kkoma looked helpless and spoke to the photographer who was accompanying the team.
“This segment cannot be broadcast.”
The photographer gave an OK sign.
The two sides of the entrance passage have been blocked by two lines of Korean police, creating a separate path.
Seeing the contestants arrive, countless spectators couldn't help but cheer.
"EDG! EDG! EDG!"
“Come on EDG!!!”
"Come on Savior!! Come on Faker!"
"Good luck Ono! You must win!!"
"Brother Mai, hit me hard!!"
"The garlic turtle is going to bite me hard today too!!"
Xiaotian had a smile on his face at first, but when he heard the cheers that belonged to him, his smile suddenly faltered.
The whole paragraph collapsed!
Byd, other people’s fans cheer for their fans as a nickname, why do my fans look like black fans?
What the hell is biting me so hard? I'm not a dog.
Iron Black!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
But Xu Yuan laughed out loud, which made him look resentful.
Xu Yuan stopped laughing, "Xiaotian, I'm a professional player. I'm not laughing at you. I just suddenly thought of a funny joke."
Xiaotian sneered, "Oh? Can you tell me more?"
Then Xu Yuan stopped talking.
Xiaotian is so angry that his teeth are itching, you can at least make up a joke!
Enter the venue and go all the way to the dressing room.
In fact, there is no need to put on any makeup, at most you just need to take care of the contestants' image.
After all, some players really need this step, such as RNG's jungler Mala Cha Ji.
Without the makeup phase, he would probably have to go on stage with a greasy head every day, which would have somewhat affected the LPL.
"Hey, isn't this Yuanzi? I haven't seen you for a few days. How come you are so tired?"
As soon as Xu Yuan walked in, he heard Ah Shui's teasing voice.
They arrived earlier than EDG and were also putting on makeup at this moment.
"Stop barking, just wait and see if I'm going to torture you or not."
Xu Yuan sneered, walked behind him and ruffled his hair.
"What are you doing, ouch."
Ah Shui quickly tidied up her hair.
This was just a small episode, but it eased the originally tense atmosphere a little.
The players from both teams chatted for a while, finished putting on makeup and returned to their own lounges.
“IG seems quite confident.”
kkoma clapped his hands to gather the players together and said with a smile.
"We played against FNC."
Xu Yuan sat on the sofa with his hands behind his head and legs crossed, showing his true colors as a team leader .
Phew.
Xiaotian couldn't help laughing.
This is a bit too much, but it's really okay.
Maybe IG gained confidence because of the match against FNC.
"No matter what, you still have to be serious."
kkoma's expression became stern and he glared at Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan didn't say anything, of course he knew it.
I guess no one here knows IG better than him.
He is the one who knows best how strong IG is.
But he is confident that our EDG is stronger.
"In the first game today, we can try FNC's strategy."
After the players calmed down, kkoma made the first tactical choice.
"Didn't FNC lose miserably?"
Smeb was a little confused.
"That's a problem with FNC's performance, not a problem with their tactics."
kkoma shook his head.
"Their tactics, to put it bluntly, are to let the mid and top laners withstand the pressure, and then train IG's relatively weak bottom lane to open up the situation."
"There is nothing wrong with this tactic itself. The problem is that their midfield and top teams can't handle it."
kkoma will not think that FNC’s ideas have no merit just because of their failure .
In fact, he actually admires FNC.
At least the other party's judgment is very similar to mine, and he has really put a lot of effort into studying IG.
It was just that we were limited by the players' abilities and failed to win.
After all, no matter how good the tactics are, they still need players to execute them.
FNC's mid and top simply can't wait for the bottom lane to gain momentum. Can this be blamed on the tactics?
Just like RNG’s mid and top teams have not been able to stand out in this World Championship, can this be blamed on tactics?
No matter what tactics FNC uses, their mid and top will be thoroughly beaten by IG's mid and top.
But EDG won’t.
Out of trust in his own players, kkoma thought this tactic was worth a try.
This is also the tactic they have always liked to use when playing against IG.
IG's mid, top and jungle are indeed very strong. It can even be said that their suppression power in this version is above all other teams. Even EDG may not be able to gain an advantage against them.
But to say that IG can easily beat EDG's mid, top and jungle is a bit of an awkward praise for IG.
If the players perform well, EDG's mid and top may have a slight advantage, a tie, or even a slight disadvantage.
But, that’s all.
Unlike the mid, top and jungle, EDG's bottom lane...
Much stronger than IG's bottom lane!
Not to mention the gap between A Shui and Xu Yuan, IG's support Bao Lan at this time... is too easy to target.
After getting Luo, there is a chance to play Dragon.
After getting Braum's Minotaur, I fought like a human being.
As for the other heroes, I can only say that... I suspect I can play them.
The strength of the bottom lane group is the sum of AD and support, and it is obvious that IG's bottom lane group is their breakthrough point.
Of course, in general, this breakthrough is not big.
Although if Baolan can't get his signature hero, he will look a bit green in this top-level game.
But because I am naturally afraid of death, I don’t get many opportunities.
Facing a team like FNC, before he could even get dizzy, FNC couldn't hold on any longer.
What kkoma needs to do is to tear open this wound.
Tear! Tear them all!
On the other side, IG was also making tactical arrangements.
We’ve made it to the finals, who doesn’t want to win?
Even IG, which has never had much tactics, has started to work on its tactics seriously.
Under such circumstances, time passed little by little, and soon it was time for the opening ceremony of the finals.
As the lights suddenly came on, the audience was cheered up.
The audience in the live broadcast room were also excited.
“Here it comes!”
“It’s finally here!!!”
"I'm so, I'm so nervous!"
Far away in LPL, Puzi skillfully turned off the camera and lit a cigarette.
His eyes were somewhat complicated.
"Who does the main wave support? How can the Xiba group support them? Both sides are good brothers of the main wave."
He read out the barrage.
"If I really want to support someone, I'd support Jack."
"Zhubo doesn't want to see Yuanzi win the second championship, because Zhubo himself will never have the chance to win the championship in his lifetime!"
I can only say that Puzi only plays with reality.
"Welcome everyone to the 2018 League of Legends World Championship. What is about to take place is the highest level of S8 competition. The final winner will hold the Summoner's Cup and become the new king of this year!"
"Today's champion candidates are EDG and IG, let's wait and see!"
The Korean commentator smiled brightly and spoke powerfully.
The reason why EDG is introduced first is naturally because at least EDG’s mid laner is Lee Sang-hyuk.
"Hello everyone in front of the screen and on the scene, welcome to the final stage of the 2018 World Finals. The final between our region's No. 1 seed EDG and No. 2 seed IG is about to take place."
On the LPL side, today's commentator Colonel Guan also had a bright smile.
“Both teams have been very dominant to this day!”
"IG is getting better and better in the knockout stage. I believe they can still fight against EDG."
"Please wait for a moment, the game is about to begin!"
The European and American commentators seemed even more excited.
“How exciting!”
"Two teams that are very dominant in the world competition will decide the final champion today!"
"The last time these two teams met was in this year's LPL Summer Finals, and the winner was EDG!"
"Will today be another victory for EDG, or will it be a battle of revenge for IG?"
"Now, let's wait for the final together!"
No matter which live broadcast platform, it has become a bit laggy due to the massive amount of barrage.
"Kill IG! Aren't they just the number one seed? It's not like they haven't won before!"
There’s nothing wrong with that, FNC does seem to be the number one seed.
"Our great EDG is invincible!"
This person should be a die-hard EDG fan, but what he said was a bit unlucky.
The last time I said this, it was with the word "qing".
Daiqing has always been an inhuman person.
The Korean audience is even more pure.
The palms and backs of your hands are all thorns!
If I have to say, Korean audiences don’t want to see EDG win the championship, nor do they want to see IG win the championship.
They just want to know one thing, can deducting 1 revive KT?
However, Lee Sang Hyuk's fans spared no effort to cheer for EDG.
What is an international star? [Tactical retreat]
As everyone watched, the music gradually became louder.
Suddenly, the screen went black.
As the countdown began, everyone became more alert.
Here we come!
"ten!"
The audience in the venue began to count down in unison.
On the screen, members of the KDA girl group that Riot strongly promoted this year began to appear one by one.
It's funny to say that this year, because of the fall of RNG, even though IG won the championship, the KDA was still displayed on the homepage of the LPL game.
So much so that people were sarcastic: How could IG win the championship? Wasn’t this the KDA championship?
"Nine!"
The original hero put on the KDA skin and struck a handsome pose.
"eight!"
Hiding in the darkness, the widow Evelyn has seductive eyes.
"seven!"
KDA's Evelynn pushed up her sunglasses and smiled wickedly.
"six!"
In the smoke, Akali appeared quietly, holding a kunai with her back to the audience, her eyes sharp.
"five!"
Accompanied by billowing smoke, Akali, with her body painted with glittering paint, picked up her kunai.
"Four!"
Kasa stood quietly, with her hand slightly stretched out, as if trying to grab something.
"three!"
Wearing the KDA skin, Kaisa smiled and showed off her perfect figure sideways, which made many viewers feel the big butt effect.
"two!"
Ahri, holding the energy ball, looked serious.
"one!"
Ahri, transformed into KDA, opened the door and walked away.
"zero!"
At the moment the countdown reached zero, the Arabic numeral 0 turned into a door.
Ahri, walked onto the stage!
This is AR technology.
Different from VR, AR technology is the mixed reality technology that was once used in the S7 Bird's Nest, which projects virtual objects onto the scene. Although they may not be seen on the scene, the live broadcast footage can be seen.
As Ali walked onto the stage, dynamic music began to play.
This is KDA’s first title song.
Because it was quite cold at the scene, Tian Xiaojuan, wearing a down jacket, walked onto the stage with three other KDA singers with smiles on their faces, and raised the microphone to open the show!
"NOW, it's KDA!"
The distinctive tone is very catchy and makes people immersed in the song almost instantly.
While the song is being sung, the projected hero is constantly dancing, which maximizes the audio-visual experience.
However, Xu Yuan, who was in the audience, showed the expression of an old man on his subway phone.
Because... this model is really just a pure lump.
Riot's modeler really needs to be laid off, such an ugly hero!
The song ended and Ali walked into the door again.
After passing through the door, Ahri returned to her original appearance.
The big screen in front of him began to show the championship scenes of all previous S games!
In S1, the members of FNC were smiling brightly, not knowing at all how many people would flock to the trophy they were holding in the future.
At that time, the S1 World Championship was still in the format of an Internet cafe championship, so FNC was also nicknamed the Internet cafe championship champion.
S2 has developed into a qualified world competition, and our country's TPA Assassin Team also happily won the trophy.
Among them, the mid laner toyz was also smiling happily.
I wonder if he will still think about this day after he goes to jail?
In S3, SKT won the championship. Faker and his teammates held up the trophy, fireworks fell, and they looked very excited.
In S4, the Samsung White players wearing hats looked at the camera shyly and waved gently.
Puzi was among them, showing a shy but bright smile.
Seeing this scene, Puzi, who was watching the game at home, couldn't help but fall silent.
After a long while, he spoke with a choked voice.
"Grass!"
Champion teams emerged one after another, and their championship scenes were accompanied by the passionate voices of the commentators.
When the scene of the most recent champion, EDG from LPL, holding the trophy ended, the atmosphere on the scene reached its climax.
At this moment, the famous Korean host, the Roaring Emperor, had quietly walked onto the stage.
"Welcome to the 2018 League of Legends World Championship!"
"I'm today's host, Jeon Yong-jun!"
He had a smile on his face and his voice remained at a normal volume.
But the next moment, he began his signature roar.
"Now!"
"Let's welcome today's two teams, EDG and IG!"
The audience in the audience cheered in unison.
"First, let us welcome——"
“IG——!”
He paused slightly, then suddenly raised his fist and waved it toward the sky.
The IG players, with serious expressions, began to appear on stage!
"TOP, Theshyyyyyyyyyyy!"
Today, Theshy looked very serious as he walked to the front of IG and stood to the side of the stage amid the enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
"TOP, Duke!"
Duke looked calm and walked onto the stage with steady steps.
When he came on the court, the LPL audience was going crazy with the memes.
"That lord!"
"He's coming! He's coming!"
All this is mainly because Duke's project is more like a celebrity.
"JUG, Ning!"
King Ning walked onto the stage with a smile on his face.
It can be seen that he is enjoying the current scene.
For Ning Wang, who is naturally confident to the point of being a little inflated, the bigger the competition, the more excited he gets.
“Mid, RRRRR—Rookie!”
Another long introduction, Rookie walked onto the stage with a smile and a wave.
"ADCarry, Jackelove!"
Ah Shui looked a little serious and walked to his teammates as calmly as possible.
“SUP, BBBBB—Baolan!”
Baolan pushed up her glasses and walked a little shyly, but she tried to be as calm as possible.
"Coach, Kim!"
Kim Jeong-soo, dressed in a suit and tie, looked calm as he stood next to his own contestant.
"Next, let us applaud again!"
The Roaring Emperor Quan Yongjun's voice was not low at all, and he continued to speak passionately.
There was also great applause and cheers at the scene.
I have to say that this host is really professional when it comes to livening up the atmosphere.
“Welcome, EDG!”
"TOP, Smeb!"
Walking in the front was Smeb with a calm look on his face.
This is not his first time attending the World Championship, let alone his first time playing in the finals.
So the emotions are maintained very well.
Walk all the way to the other side of the stage opposite IG and stand firmly.
"JUG, TTTTTT—Tian!"
Xiaotian suppressed his inner nervousness, waved to the audience, and walked to his teammates as calmly as possible.
To be honest, he was a little nervous.
Off stage, the audience seemed endless.
In this case, the feeling is completely different from the league.
If Xiaotian had not played in MSI, he would probably be walking timidly at this moment.
"The Mid, Faker!"
When introducing Faker, Jeon Yong-jun used the prefix "The".
The cheers from the scene became louder, because this time many Korean audiences were also cheering.
Lee Sang Hyuk appeared on the stage.
There was only calmness in his eyes and a faint smile on his face. He walked steadily to Xiaotian's side.
For him now, the stage of the World Championship finals?
Been here too many times.
There's really nothing to be nervous about.
Give it your all and win the championship, that's it.
“ADCarry, SSSSS—Savior!”
Following the introduction of the Roaring Emperor, Xu Yuan smiled and walked onto the stage.
It is difficult for those who have not experienced it personally to imagine what it feels like to face thousands of audiences at the same time.
Everyone's eyes are on you, they are cheering and waving their cheering sticks.
However, Xu Yuan was not nervous at all.
Because he is confident enough in himself.
Here is the stage!
This is where he is about to start his performance.
The audience is already in place, and Xu Yuan just needs to not disappoint them.
Nervous? Not really.
He only has two words: enjoy!
Xu Yuan gently waved his right hand, walked into the EDG team with a bright smile, and looked forward.
There, there was a sea of ​​spectators.
"SUP, Meiko!"
Along with the introduction of the auxiliary, Tian Ye quietly came to the stage and stood next to Xu Yuan.
He looked calm and indifferent, with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.
"Coach, kkoma!"
Finally, of course, it’s the coach.
It is worth mentioning that IG coach Kim Jeong-soo’s English name is Kim, and EDG’s coach is kkoma.
Are people whose names start with K good at being BPs?
Then...what about kid?
Forget it, let’s not talk too much and order the food first.
All the players and coaches were already in place. After Quan Yongjun's opening speech, they walked to their seats in an orderly manner, waiting for the equipment to be debugged.
Amidst everyone’s anticipation, a promotional video for the finals was played on the big screen at the right time.
Next to the rushing traffic, Meiko leaned on the guardrail of the Han River Bridge and looked into the distance.
"Last year, we won the first LPL championship in China, and this year, we will start competing for the championship again in South Korea."
"A few years ago, I never thought that there would be such a day."
"But now that we have come this far, the final championship will only belong to us."
His earnest voice sounded as the narration.
Baolan folded her arms across her chest and faced the camera.
Behind him, the morning sun shone brightly.
This is probably my favorite shot as a Riot photographer.
"IG has been waiting for this opportunity for too long. If we can't win the championship this time, it will be a big blow to me."
“So, I can’t lose.”
Baolan's calm but sincere voice sounded.
The scene changed, and Xu Yuan, wearing EDG team uniform, looked down at the camera, moving his wrist casually, with sharpness in his eyes.
"IG undoubtedly has the terrifying strength to win the S Championship. They are our biggest opponent in the World Championship. We already knew this before the start."
"But it doesn't matter."
"Because we've beaten them so many times and it will be the same this time."
The camera switched to IG's mid laner Rookie.
At this time, Rookie was smiling.
"There is a Chinese saying that goes, 'When a man has been away for three days, he should be treated with new eyes.'"
"The current IG is no longer the IG before the World Championship. We have completed our evolution again."
"EDG, this time, we will take revenge and leave you with the most painful memories."
Lee Sang Hyuk looked at the clouds in the distant sky.
"Evolution?"
"IG said this when they lost to us in the Spring Split."
"IG still said this when they lost to us in the summer season."
"We've reached the World Championship until now, and you guys are saying we've evolved?"
There was some confusion in his voice.
"I've played some Pokémon. Is IG some Pokémon I haven't seen before?"
Xu Yuan, who had already debugged the peripherals, couldn't help but laugh, covering his face.
Lee Sang Hyuk is a bit mean!
But it doesn't seem to be a problem.
IG has really evolved again and again this year, and was beaten by EDG again and again.
It’s very similar to BLG and JDG in 2023.
Seriously speaking, EDG has been capturing the complete IG for a whole year.
"If you enter the World Championship, you have to win the championship, otherwise what are you doing here?"
"Xiaotian is awesome? I think I'm even better. We all have the last name Gao, and I lost last time and became the runner-up."
“This time, I want to be the boss.”
Prince Ning is as confident as ever.
Although no one knows why he is so confident, he is very confident.
"There are still some differences between Gao and other junglers. This BO5 will show you what a top jungler is. If you get out of control in the jungle, just don't cry."
"I will be the new champion jungler, and you will be the new runner-up jungler."
Xiaotian in front of the camera was very calm. He stretched out his wrist and clenched it.
A domineering opening.
"I am me, and I am heaven."
When Xu Yuan heard this famous line, he couldn't help but imitate it in the team voice chat.
"I am me? I am the sky?"
Xiaotian clenched his toes tightly and the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Brother Yuan, this is a bit too disgusting. Do you have to learn this?"
Xiaotian is now full of regrets.
How did I get fooled by Riot's photographer and say such ridiculous and childish words?
Regret it now!
"Indeed! That's too much, isn't it? You are the sky."
Tian Ye's initial words "indeed" made Xiaotian think that he was speaking for him, and he felt a little relieved.
Then Tian Ye revealed his true colors and directly changed his name to "You are the Sky".
Xiaotian: ...
Numb.
"Haha, as long as you are happy."
He started.
The promotional video on camera has also been completed.
Theshy crossed his arms,
"For me, winning the championship is a certainty."
"Smeb may have been a strong top laner, but that was in the past."
"In this new era, it's time for a new generation of top laners like me to take the stage."
"I'm going to beat him in the finals."
"Goodbye, Smeb."
This is a pretty domineering statement. Although it cannot be said that it has nothing to do with Theshy, it can also be said that it has nothing to do with it at all.
All the contestants' lines are given by Riot, and Riot will then help them revise them. In most cases, the contestants are just tools.
"My era has not ended yet. Since the day I debuted, I have believed in a saying, as the Chinese saying goes, good luck will come to those who are lucky."
Smeb stares into the camera.
In the background, his voice was calm and firm.
"The strong one is the lucky one."
"Theshy, you are outstanding."
"But I am better than you."
This is the end of the promotional video.
The peripherals have been checked and confirmed to have no problems.
The coaches of both teams picked up their tactical books at the same time, and their eyes instantly became serious.
The game begins!