The next afternoon, Lin Yan and the other players left the hotel and prepared to head to the Kaohsiung Exhibition Hall.
"Will the audience be as hot today?" Xiao Hu sat down next to Lin Yan.
Mongoose noticed that Su Cheng, White Crescent, and Doom were discussing today's BP. He was about to sit next to Lin Yan to discuss how to torture Li Xianghe today when he realized that someone else had beaten him to it.
He glared at Mi Dehu with resentful eyes and then sat on the other side of the aisle.
I was the one who came first … Also, why did a RNG person like you get on our bus?
"Brother Ran, Han Wenliu's interview yesterday was too much. He really put the audience on the spot," Jack turned around and said.
Because Lin Yan's influence in the esports scene was growing, he was receiving more and more attention. Fans were willing to translate these post-match interviews into Chinese and English and post them on various platforms.
Last night, Lin Yan's interview video had already spread on domestic and foreign forums.
Chinese marketing accounts naturally wouldn't give up on this opportunity to ride on the hype. They crazily reposted the interview and spread it further and further.
Many people had gathered in the comments section of the Intercontinental Tournament. They used English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese to ridicule the Chinese audience.
Lin Yan thought that the audience would be more restrained today, but he didn't expect them to be even more aggressive.
Today, when the first LPL team, WE, fought against AHQ from the Taiwanese division, the audience was extremely noisy. The small stadium was filled to the brim with cheers.
Whenever WE was shown on the big screen in the stadium, the audience would boo.
The headphones couldn't completely block out the noise. WE players' faces paled.
"Oh no, why did it backfire?" In the LPL lounge, the salesperson sitting next to Lin Yan muttered.
In this situation, it was impossible for a pro player to not be affected at all. Their performance would definitely be affected.
For example, in this match, despite the difference in skill between WE and AHQ, WE and AHQ were evenly matched. WE even made two obvious lane control mistakes.
At the 29th minute, Xi Ye and Kassadin took the opportunity to kill Ximen Yeshui in the top lane. The balance of the game was broken, and WE took advantage of the difference in numbers to activate the Dragon.
"Even though Ben and 957 died in order to cover the retreat of their teammates, WE still managed to keep the three big dragon buffs!" Seeing that the big dragon buffs were taken by WE, Miller, who was on the commentary platform, finally calmed down.
Baron Nash's death allowed WE to widen the economic gap between them and AHQ.
Team WE's players calmed down and methodically executed their familiar operations strategy, slowly bringing down AHQ.
After 37 minutes of intense battle, WE finally defeated their opponents and won another point for LPL!
"Phew …" Coach Hong Mi of WE heaved a long sigh of relief.
Brother Feng looked at White Crescent. "We're guaranteed second place, right?"
"Now it's three wins and two losses. Even if LMS wins the next few matches, they won't be able to surpass us," White Crescent said after making a list on the computer.
"But LCK hasn't lost a single match. It's going to be hard to deal with." Hanyi looked at the upcoming match schedule. "If YM wins against SKT in the next match, we can still beat LCK's MVP …"
He clapped his hands. "There's still a chance."
Lin Yan packed up his peripherals and took a glass of ice water to be inspected by the staff.
"The audience's reaction today will be very intense. Calm down and perform as well as you can," Su Cheng reminded Lin Yan before the YM players went on stage.
"Don't worry, it won't be a big deal." Lin Yan was very confident. "I've never been afraid of these tricks."
He went on stage to change his peripherals. Without the obstruction of his earphones, he could clearly hear the deafening boos from the audience.
These people were obviously targeting Lin Yan's comments in yesterday's interview.
The combined voices of two thousand spectators could be considered to be very loud.
Even after the audio was filtered, the boos could still be heard in the live stream. The audience could not stand it anymore and voiced their opinions.
[As expected of the LMS division. The quality of the team is as high as the quality of the audience. Hehe.]
[Shouldn't we teach Wan Wan a lesson in this year's international tournament?
Let them have a taste of their own medicine?]
[Oh no, oh no, YM won't have a mental breakdown, right?]
Many people were concerned about YM's mental state. They were worried that they would be like WE in the previous match.
YM's opponent was not a weakling like AHQ. If they gave SKT a chance in the early game, it would be very difficult for YM to turn the tables.
However, what surprised them and the live audience was that YM's five-man team remained calm in the face of the boos. Lin Yan even had a smile on his face. It seemed like he was not affected at all.
The live audience was getting more and more frustrated. They did not believe that the boos had no effect on YM.
They created even more noise, trying to disrupt YM's mentality, especially Lin Yan's.
Liu Qingsong and Lin Yan were discussing what to eat for dinner. The original volume of the live audience was loud enough that he had to whisper into Lin Yan's ear to ensure that he could hear what he was saying. Now that the volume had increased again, Lin Yan could not hear what he was saying.
Liu Qingsong walked to his seat with a sour expression. He plugged his keyboard and mouse into the USB port on the table and put on his earphones to communicate with his teammates. "F * cking noisy enough. Come over and wish his father a happy birthday."
After that, he dominated YM's team voice chat for half a minute.
There was a saying that one could not judge a book by its cover. This saying was completely applicable to Liu Qingsong.
He had a delicate face, and his keyboard was pink. At first glance, he looked like a well-behaved boy.
At first, Lin Yan was fooled by him.
However, after half a year of interacting with him, he realized that Liu Qingsong was a big troll.
Unlike Xiao Tian, who used sarcasm to annoy people, Liu Qingsong was good at playing the straight ball. He went up and spat directly without any hesitation.
Today, the audience had clearly annoyed him. Now, YM's team voice chat was full of silenced content that could not be broadcast or written.
"Good!"
Xiao Tian almost applauded him. "As expected of you, Young Master Tear. The more pink the keyboard, the more vicious the scolding, right?"
Jack habitually chewed his gum. His whole body was paralyzed in the gaming chair. His two short legs were restlessly swinging. He turned his head to look at Lin Yan.
"If I don't play well one day, Liu Qingsong will retire before the audience even scolds me."
"That won't happen." Liu Qingsong waved his hand. "As long as you play EZ and don't jump in Luo's face, we're good brothers."
Jack's face flushed with shame at his words.
In the previous mock competition, he played a game of EZ. The whole time, he had a weird face. Not only did he get killed, but he also jumped in Luo's face to attack. He was killed several times.
Lin Yan explained to Jin Gong the profanity that Liu Qingsong had just scolded.
"Oh …" Jin Gong nodded. Liu Qingsong's string of profanities was too obscure for a Korean like him. "Chinese is really broad and profound."
When he spoke, it still smelled like mutton skewers. Lin Yan didn't find anything wrong with it at first, but after a little thought, he felt that something was wrong.
Why did he feel like Jin Gong was driving?
The team voice chat was full of laughter.
The mentality of the five people on the field was as high as their game. The audience's boos had no negative impact on them at all.
Phyllostachys Pubescens cared about the audience's evaluation of him, but that was only after the competition. During the competition, he was extremely arrogant. After all, he was someone who could say "I am who I am, I am the God" in a post-match interview.
The SKT members entered the stadium from the other side of the player's passage. The audience gave them applause and cheers.
Lin Yan glanced at them and realized that most of the spectators in the bend didn't bring any SKT support items. They were just there to cheer.
He saw through the group of spectators at a glance — they were pure passersby.
SKT was just a tool that they used to disgust YM. These people also knew that it was unrealistic to rely on the LMS region to win against YM. They turned around to support SKT, YM's biggest opponent.
White Crescent arrived late.
After witnessing what happened to the players in the player's passage, he knew that he didn't have the ability to withstand pressure.
Thus, he thought of a clever plan.
He asked the referee to pass him a headset. The standard soundproof headset cable for Fist was long enough. White Crescent put on the headset at the entrance of the player's passage and then coiled the cable as he walked.
This way, the crowd quieted down. White Crescent was pleased with himself.
'I'm such a clever little devil.'
After he went on stage and confirmed that the team was ready, the BP segment of the match officially began!
Today's two commentators, Doll Mille, were energized. Their main task was to commentate on this highlight match.
"SKT has chosen the blue side. They'll ban Piggy first!"
Since SKT's starting jungler was Little Peanut, kkoma had no choice but to ban Piggy. Little Peanut's current playing of this hero was really mediocre.
(Little Peanut's usage of heroes in the 2017 Summer Season is described in this chapter. Piggy used 1 game, win rate 0%)
White Crescent banned Zach as usual.
"SKT has sent their plane into the ban zone, while YM has chosen to ban Lucian. This ban zone feels a little like a mid-season match," Miller commented from the side.
Doll quickly added, "That's right. In fact, the highlight of this match is also a replay of the MSI finals. Everyone wants to see how the first seeds of the two divisions compare in strength a month after the start of the Summer Season."
The third ban spot was given to Spider by SKT, while YM banned Law by YM.
"Kkoma plans to give Little Peanut the T0 Jungler Wine Barrel to ensure his dominance in the jungle." Doll analyzed while looking at the BP panel of both sides. Then, he seemed to have discovered a new continent.
"What's the meaning of this Zerath?
Is Ran going to play such an unpopular hero against SKT? "
In Jin Gong's hero selection window, Zerath Sanpao's figure appeared.
"Quick, let me show my hand too, hehehe …" Xiao Tian did not expect Jin Gong, who was usually a quiet person, to be so playful. "Brother Jin Gong, you're so flirtatious."
Jin Gong grinned. He had forgotten to shave that morning, and the slightly messy stubble made him look even more weathered.
White Crescent was a little helpless.
He had already thought of which hero to pick up. Just as he was about to say it, Jin Gong started to put on a show.
Zerath flashed in Jin Gong's selection window for 24 seconds before switching to Princes.
"Xiao Tian is flashing Zerath again …" No matter how stupid Doll was, he realized that something was wrong. "YM did this on purpose for the audience to see!"
"That's right." Mille laughed. "Yesterday, Ran's Zerath's performance was too dazzling. Moreover, he played the host of the LMS division, Lightning Wolf …"
This was blatant mockery.
The Wan Wan audience also realized YM's purpose in flashing Zerath. Their boos and angry shouts once again increased by several levels.
Lin Yan heard the boos from the outside world become clearer and clearer through his headphones. He became more and more excited.
He liked to see those people's faces full of anger but unable to do anything.
If you have the ability, come up and fight me.
Xiao Tian also flashed Zerath for 24 seconds, which was the same as the kill ratio and minutes in the previous game against Lightning Wolf. As professional players, they were full of details.
"Will YM get Hammer Stone and Princes in the end? Or will they be more inclined towards the early and mid-game jungle offense?"
Kkoma pondered as he paced back and forth.
"Callista and Bull's Head, Chieftain. You guys are more aggressive in the bottom lane." He patted Wolf's broad shoulders.
This was the BP decision made by kkoma and the other three head coaches in the same division.
During this period of time, the coaches of the four LCK teams had also put in a lot of effort. They also wanted to fight for the honor of the first Asian League Championship.
After careful calculation, it had been a full year since the LCK division had won the World Championship trophy. In their eyes, this Intercontinental Championship was a great opportunity to restore LCK's glory.
This was because the Intercontinental Championship was more of a competition of the overall strength of the division, not a single team fighting alone.
In the eyes of the Korean coaches, the overall strength of the LCK teams was obviously stronger than the LPL teams.
They couldn't beat YM alone, but they weren't afraid of the combined strength of the four teams.
Under these circumstances, the dominant LPL leader, YM, naturally became the focus of the four Korean coaches.
It would be best if they could win, but even if they lost, they had to skin YM alive.
After a few days of research, the four coaches tentatively came up with a plan to deal with YM.
The first thing to do was to take advantage of the bottom lane and fight against a composition that wasn't easy to kill. In the current version, Callista and any of the hard supports could achieve this goal.
This way, they could use a strong lane to restrict Liu Qingsong's roaming. Secondly, it wouldn't be easy for YM to kill him quickly. They could buy enough time for their teammates to come and help.
Lin Yan still showed Xerath for 24 seconds with a happy smile on his face. The audience below the stage gritted their teeth in anger.
If it weren't for the fact that they didn't have Nongfu Spring, they would have thrown bottles at the stage.
Lin Yan finally locked onto the hero that White Crescent wanted.
"Rambo!"
Mille calmed himself down. "This way, they're starting to make Princes and Rambo the middle lane."
In the second round of BP, White Crescent banned Sparrow and Clockwork, while kkoma banned Dusk and Ice.
"Let's take Verus first. There aren't any other good heroes." White Crescent frowned.
Policewoman was the strong ADC outside, but it didn't fit with YM's main lineup. Princes, Roland, and Rambo were all aggro heroes and couldn't provide Policewoman with strong protection and damage output. Heroes like Verus, who had ultimate control skills, were more suitable for YM's lineup.
"Shen and Lamia, SKT has decided on their final lineup!"
Kkoma smiled handsomely. He had perfectly gotten the lineup he wanted in this round. Now it was up to YM to split the lane.
His last two picks, Shen and Lamia, made up for the remaining two moves in the 'plan to deal with YM'.
The second point of the plan was to choose a hero with full control of the mid lane.
Lamia was undoubtedly one of the best choices.
As long as she returned to the city and used Goddess' Tears, other than heroes like Sewer Dragon King who could push her minions, the other mid laners couldn't win against her. They couldn't push Lamia, who was known as the Magic Machine Gun.
By controlling the mid lane, they could tie down Lin Yan.
If Lin Ran stayed in the middle lane and had no way to support his teammates, he would be much less of a threat if he could only farm.
The third point was to choose a control tank who could protect and support his teammates in the mid lane. Big Tree or Shen would be fine.
This kind of hero wouldn't die easily in lane battles, and could provide good control in small team battles like the Canyon Vanguard.
"YM has locked onto Excavator. Princes should be the top laner, and Rambo should be the mid lane to deal with Lamia!"
The lineups of both sides were decided.
SKT: Top Laner Shen, Jungler Wine Barrel, Mid Laner Lamia, Bottom Laner Callista + Bull's Head Chieftain.
YM: Top Laner Princes, Jungler Excavator, Mid Laner Rambo, Bottom Laner Verus + Hammer Stone.
When they entered the loading screen, a series of shouts came from the audience. "SKT Fighting!"
"Oh …" Li Xianghe heard the cheers from the audience, and he was a little smug. "Looks like our fans are all over the world."
"Xianghe, what are you talking about?"
Wolf squinted his small eyes and scanned the audience. "Look below the stage. These people who are cheering for us don't even have any SKT support items, not even one."
"We're just tools." Bang had a deep understanding of this. "The teams in their division are too disappointing. If they want to win against YM, they can only rely on us."
"Ah Ssi … Why are they here instead of cheering for their teams in their division?"
Huni was also annoyed. He felt that the audience was pressuring him. "Does the match between us and YM have anything to do with them?"
"Shengxun, don't talk about it." Kkoma patted Huni's shoulder before taking off his headphones. "Don't give away too much in this match. Don't play like you did in the mid-season match. Can you be more serious?"
Huni's face darkened again.
'Why do you have to bring that up?'
The system beeped. Both teams entered the match!
"SKT is trying to invade YM's blue zone. They're trying to get Xiao Tian to go to the top half of the map to get buffs." Mille glanced at the situation. "It looks like YM's first-tier squad is not very strong. They'll have to give up."
Lin Yan had no choice but to watch SKT invade.
Their first-tier squad was not as strong as SKT. If they insisted on defending the jungle, Bull's Head and Shen Qiang would be able to break through.
Kkoma, who had just returned to the lounge, was very satisfied with the movements of both teams' junglers. He high-fived his colleague beside him in celebration.
SKT had made the right first move.
They had successfully forced Xiao Tian, who was in the red zone, to the top half of the map. This way, before the jungler returned to the city for the first time, Phyllostachys Pubescens would not be able to provide any help to the bottom lane.
This had effectively cut off the coordination between Xiao Tian and Liu Qingsong.
Next, the mace duo would fully utilize the advantage of the Hover-boots and Bull's Head to suppress the opponent's health. They could even cooperate with Little Peanut's Meat Egg and Onion Chicken to clear the bottom lane tower.
This rhythm was perfect.
YM's support coordination was cut off, and the Snake Lady in the middle lane would definitely be able to push Rambo's minions in the early stages.
In this way, YM's proud four-man two-man system was perfectly neutralized.
Moreover, they were not afraid of YM fighting to the death. After all, Lu Shen's teleportation and big moves could be used to support them at any time.
Thinking about it carefully, it was wonderful.
Kkoma looked at the live broadcast from God's perspective and felt that they had a high chance of winning this match.
Lin Yan controlled Rambo to wander behind the minions. He could only try to use his Electronic Harpoon to cover the minions.
The first three levels of Snake Lady's fight against Rambo was too easy. She relied on the coordination between E Twin Venomous Fangs and Q Toxic Explosion, which made it very difficult for this kind of positionless hero.
Lin Yan looked at the Blue Crystal in Li Xianghe's equipment bar and knew that things weren't good.
The Goddess's Tear only cost 750 gold coins now. Faker's Blue Crystal was clearly trying to synthesize the Goddess's Tear as quickly as possible, then rely on the mana to continuously push the minions in the middle lane to achieve the goal of tying Lin Yan down.
Now, Li Xianghe only needed 400 gold coins to synthesize the Goddess's Tear. What did that mean?
As long as he took down all the artillery minions in the third wave, he would have enough gold coins.
If he wanted to delay Faker's return to the city to resupply, he had to go up and suppress him so that he had fewer minions.
That way, if Snake Lady didn't have 400 gold coins by the time the artillery minions were finished, it would be very difficult for Li Xianghe to return to the city in a short period of time. He had Sprint, and if he returned to the city when the normal minions were in the early stages, without the help of teleportation, he would lose a lot of minions. His ideal return point would naturally be delayed until the sixth wave of artillery minions arrived.
But the key question was: How could Lin Yan stop Faker from developing?
It was impossible to win in a head-on clash.
Deep in thought, Lin Yan suddenly thought of a good idea.