Chapter 24: Don't Try to Manipulate Me

With the conclusion of the early matches, the time reached 7:00 PM. The game between EDG and VG had already begun.

Wawa and Miller, who had just finished casting the previous match, remained steadfast at the commentary desk.

"Hello to all the Summoners here at the venue and those watching our broadcast on screen. Welcome to the 2017 League of Legends Pro League Spring Regular Season."

"We have already seen the first match between RNG and IM. The result may have exceeded many viewers' expectations; RNG, on whom we placed high hopes, ultimately fell to IM. After changing their top and support players, RNG undoubtedly needs more time to build synergy."

"That’s right."

Commentator Wawa nodded and took the lead. "The upcoming match is EDG versus VG. Much like RNG, EDG has also introduced two new players this season: Fireloli in the jungle and Ling in the AD position. So, will the result be like RNG..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Wawa, known for his penchant for snarky remarks, let out an unkind laugh.

Miller, a veteran fan of EDG, gave a wry smile and said objectively, "Even without Clearlove, EDG is still a legacy powerhouse in the LPL. Thinking they would collapse just because they swapped two players is unrealistic. Everything depends on their adaptation and synergy."

"As for VG, with the addition of the championship mid-jungle duo from SKT, their combat strength has certainly improved significantly. It’s hard to say right now who will come out on top."

Wawa hummed and picked up his prompt card. "An interesting piece of data: just two days ago, EDG's AD player Ling successfully reached the top of the new 'Challenger's Peak' server on the Chinese client, becoming the first-ever Challenger and leading the current ladder. At the same time, he also managed to reach the top rank on the Chinese server of another game, Overwatch."

"What is your take on this, Miller?"

Miller shook his head awkwardly. "Honestly, I can't even evaluate it. Ever since I became a human, I’ve never heard of such a thing, you know?"

Wawa laughed heartily and began to stir the pot again. "So here is the question: as a professional League of Legends player who successfully topped the Overwatch ladder, should we call him talented, or should we say he isn't taking his work seriously?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with attitude; I feel it's pure talent. You might say he isn't taking his job seriously, but the man genuinely reached rank one on the Challenger's Peak server. Perhaps Overwatch is just his way of relaxing, and who knows, maybe he just accidentally climbed to the top," Miller reasoned.

"No, why is the commentator surnamed Wa on stage always trying to bait me?"

In the center of the arena, even though thousands of fans were cheering like mad, Lin Ruo, who had just sat down in the player’s booth, heard every word from the commentary desk clearly.

Tian Ye, who was already a captain at a young age, sighed. "Oh, don't let it get to you. Put on your headset to block out the noise; the draft is about to start."

Behind the five of them, Nofe paced back and forth, muttering the word "focus" from start to finish, occasionally glancing at the entire VG squad opposite them. Especially the former SKT player Bengi, who was in the jungle; he had led ROX to clash with them at last year's World Championship.

Now, it was a small world; he hadn't expected to run into him the moment he arrived in the LPL.

"Focus, focus," Nofe repeated, continuing to harp on his teammates.

Lin Ruo grew weary of it and couldn't help but ask, "Coach Nofe, did Xiao Tie only teach you this one sentence?"

Hearing the person in front of him speak, Nofe, who couldn't yet understand the meaning, put on a smile and instinctively looked toward his compatriot, Scout.

Scout licked his lips in embarrassment, signaling that there was no need for translation.

The group put on their headsets, and shortly after, the pick-and-ban phase began.

VG was on the blue side, and EDG was on the red side.

VG started by banning the newly released, overpowered champion Camille.

Turning to the red side's turn, Mouse followed the coach's earlier instructions and banned the signature Jayce of the opposing rookie top laner, Onion. In the current era dominated by the "Big Three" top lane tanks, the lane-dominant Jayce was the only champion capable of breaking the shackles.

Miller’s voice rang out again from the commentary desk: "EDG seems to have done their homework. They’re worried about VG building their draft around the top laner, so they banned Jayce first."

"VG is doing the same; Camille, LeBlanc, and Rengar—the first three bans are all targeting the players individually," Wawa added.

As it came to EDG's third ban, Scout asked, "What should we ban?"

Nofe was contemplating whether to ban the mid laner Easyhoon's strong champion, Syndra.

Lin Ruo said firmly, "Ban Cassiopeia directly. The opponents will definitely pick their bot lane first; they won't pick Ryze, so we'll take it when it comes to us."

In the new patch, Ryze possessed extremely strong wave-clear and roaming capabilities, making him the best choice for the mid lane. Cassiopeia was one of the few champions who could suppress Ryze in lane. By banning Cassiopeia, Ryze effectively lost his natural counter.

After considering it, Nofe nodded. Like Lin Ruo, he chose to trust Scout's laning ability.

After the first round of picks, both sides entered the selection phase.

VG locked in the strong bot lane champion Varus on the first pick, wanting to prioritize lane control and dragon control. While Ryze was important in the current patch, he was far from being a first-pick priority on the blue side. In other words, the champion was still in an experimental stage.

Then, on the red side, EDG picked Maokai and Ryze.

Back to the blue side, VG picked Zyra and Orianna.

Miller didn't stop talking throughout: "EDG has a very solid double-AP tank setup, but on VG's side, Varus and Zyra in the bot lane are a very strong lane-dominating combo."

Wawa hit the nail on the head: "In this situation, it looks like EDG needs to pick an AD quickly on the third pick. If they don't pick one now, VG will definitely target the bot lane with their two remaining bans. Once Ashe and Caitlyn are banned, it won't be easy to grab lane priority."

Miller rarely shook his head, offering a different opinion: "But if you pick an AD, VG will counter by banning Miss Fortune, and there won't be any supports left that can contend with Zyra."

Their words left the audience at the venue stunned. For the EDG bot lane, it seemed a dead end had been formed; they were destined to fall into an unequal disadvantage in lane.

Back to the draft, compared to the hesitation at the commentary desk, EDG locked in Caitlyn almost instantly.

The second round of picks began.

Miss Fortune was the first to be banned by VG.

EDG countered by banning Nautilus and Elise.

VG's final ban was used to restrict the enemy jungler by banning Rek'Sai.

Picking resumed, and EDG grabbed Lee Sin first, followed by VG picking Poppy and Kha'Zix.

In the blink of an eye, it was the red side's final pick.

Miller frowned: "I'm very curious as to what EDG can pick in this final support spot to break the deadlock?"

"They can't break it; just go with a hard-engage support and coordinate with Ryze for forced ganks."

"That would make the bot lane too uncomfortable, and if you're going to pick a hard-engage support, there's no point in picking Caitlyn. Picking Jhin to set up shots from behind would obviously be better."

Hearing this, Wawa looked dazed. It seemed EDG still wanted to fight for lane priority in the bot lane; they had no intention of backing down at all.

So what on earth could they pick to counter it?

Wawa stared intently at the big screen. A moment later, a champion that caught him completely by surprise appeared before his eyes.

Ha-ha, that is indeed a wise choice.