The first person to go on stage was HooN. He was the head coach of WE last year. After Red Rice arrived, he became an assistant coach. In fact, he also worked as an analyst.
(I searched WE's official blog for a long time, but there was no analyst on the roster for the 2017 Summer Competition. I could only let coach HooN fill this position. I'll post the picture in this chapter.)
HooN turned on the projector and presented the information he wanted to show on the screen.
"We have to pay attention to MVP's team's support, Max. He's a player with a lot of ideas. He likes to roam and support his teammates."
HooN said, and the team's interpreter, Jun-ri, translated. As a Korean, Jun-ri spoke with a Northeastern accent.
"He used a total of 16 different support heroes in the 50 games of the Spring Tournament." He raised his eyes and looked at the dozens of players below the stage. "Everyone can look at the big screen. This is the situation of his hero usage." (See this chapter)
Lin Yan looked at the long line of data and felt his scalp tingle.
The Spring Competition version was very fixed. The support heroes were basically the output heroes of the S6 Global Finals and some of the front-row heroes who could use the artifact Redemption.
In this case, the world's top support, Wolf, only used seven heroes in the Spring Competition. The Prophet only used five heroes to complete the Spring Competition.
(See this chapter for Wolf's usage of heroes in the Spring Competition.)
This Max used a total of 16 support heroes. It could only be described as terrifying.
"His hero pool doesn't only include support heroes like Hammer Stone, Tam Lulu, but also strange heroes like Cheyenne, Fire Man, and Victor …"
"He even used Sindra and Spider as support heroes."
The players whispered to each other, and the sound of rustling could be heard below the stage.
This Max's hero pool was outrageous.
The players knew that this wide hero pool gave the team more possibilities for tactics.
HooN gave an example on the stage.
"For example, the MVP is on the red side and snatches Sindera first. The blue side wants to use the Little Murloc as a counter, but in the end, the other side shakes Sindera to the support to play. In the end, the mid laner picks Kassadin to play. A hero like the Little Murloc can't do anything to Kassadin at all.
Another image appeared on the screen. "This is the win rate of the MVP Mid Laner Ian in the Spring Competition." (See this chapter for the win rate of Ian's Spring Competition heroes.)
"He used Sindra in 12 games, and his win rate was as high as 83%. Naturally, he was very proficient with Sindra. On the other hand, it was also because of the support hero pool. After the opponents found out that they could throw Sindra to the support, they rarely chose to counter Sindra in the mid lane. Instead, they mainly used utility heroes like Clockwork and Victor, which made Ian very comfortable in the lane."
"The swinging support hero pool makes it difficult for us to deal with the MVP's BP. We have to lock down Sindera, this swinging hero, and give our midlaner the right hero." HooN's analysis was reasonable. "Then we can target him in terms of playstyle."
"Their Mid Laner, Lan, and Maha's damage output is very average."
HooN projected another picture on the screen. On it was a histogram of MVP's Mid Laner's damage output. They were ranked in the middle of the Korean League.
(See this chapter for the picture.)
It was indeed a big problem.
A support hero pool could provide a comfortable choice of heroes for the two C's. However, they could only deal average damage in the league under such circumstances. That was enough to explain a lot.
"Most of MVP's strategies revolve around support," HooN continued. "They like to let the support team work with the Mid Laner and Jungler to get kills or take the Canyon Vanguard, widening the economic gap in the early game."
"It's a bit like YM?" Xiao Ming suddenly said.
HooN heard Jun Ri's translation and nodded. "It's the emasculated version of YM."
With that said, everyone understood.
Now, YM's main strategy relied on the cooperation of Liu Qingsong, Xiao Tian, and Lin Yan. From the Mid Laner to the Canyon Vanguard strategy, the three of them were indispensable.
Although YM and MVP's ideas were similar, the individual strength of the players determined the gap between the two teams.
Lin Yan and Jack's damage output was among the best in the League since their debut. Often, they could deal explosive damage when they had the advantage.
This was an ability that MVP's Mid Laner did not have.
"So, our general idea is: ban Sindra and take the Mid Laner hero. During the Mid Laner, restrict MVP's support roaming and then use individual strength to suppress their Mid Laner," HooN continued.
"After the Spring Season and our observations during training," he glanced at the players below the stage and said, "RNG is more suitable to deal with MVP."
"Your laner's playstyle is ferocious. You can tie down the enemy's support." HooN looked at Wootz. "As long as you drag it out until the team battle, the MVP's weakness of lacking damage output will be exposed."
Ouze nodded vigorously.
Mid Laner was the ultimate skill that he was proud of. He was confident that he and Xiao Ming could suppress MVP's Mid Laner.
"There are some points worth paying attention to regarding MVP's Tier 1 arrangement …" HooN and Jun Ri got up and left the table. "The RNG analysts will talk about this."
Due to the tight schedule, the LPL joint coaching team analysts could only split up the research on MVP's Mid Laner team and work with each person to analyze a part.
The RNG analyst, Gou Ba, was a skinny and gay person. He had been working with Brother Feng before and was quite good at his job.
(Tip: He won the 2017 Best Analyst Award in the real world.)
Gou Ba once scored 2,300 points in the American server during the S2 period and was ranked in the top ten of the American server. His high rank was considered a real anomaly among analysts.
Most analysts were professional mathematicians like Su Cheng. They were Diamond players and had a certain understanding of the game and competition.
After all, being a Diamond player was not an essential ability for analysts. It would not improve their data analysis ability by much.
However, in terms of tactical analysis, a Diamond player still had an advantage.
"I've been looking through the videos for the past two days and found that when they don't have lane rights in the mid lane, there are two more common tactics …" He turned on the projector. "First, the jungler has no advantage in positioning.
"Their support will look at the bottom lane and the jungler will choose to start in the top half of the jungle.
"Once the bottom lane sees that the opponent's jungler is about to invade, MVP's jungler will choose to switch to the opponent's top half of the jungle. This allows them to ensure the jungler's development even if they don't have lane rights in the early stages."
Gou Ba paused and continued, "The way to break this tactic is to switch with him at Tier 2 and then help push the mid lane. Then, force the bottom lane to four and two."
He coughed softly, opened the teacup, and took a sip of strong tea. He looked like he had not rested well for the past few days.
"The second tactic is that the jungler has an advantage in positioning, and the support has control skills …
"They will group up and invade the bottom half of the jungle. They will use the support's control to try to force out the opponent's skills or seize the buff." Gou Ba looked at the YM players below the stage. "This is similar to YM's idea. They will force the opponent's jungler to switch to the jungle. This way, their jungler can control the bottom half of the jungle and release the support. Then, the support will work together to help the mid laner."
Lin Yan nodded.
Even though MVP was not a threat to them and the LPL Joint Coaching Team would try their best to make YM avoid MVP, he still listened carefully.
YM was very malleable now. In Lin Yan's opinion, there were more than just four and two in the early stages of the game.
After all, Gou Ba was an excellent analyst who was well-known in the industry. There were not many opportunities to hear him talk about tactics. It was good to be able to learn something.
"The solution to this tactic is for the support to move first. Because of the jungle change, your bottom lane will come online first. Naturally, you will push the jungler line first and snatch the second.
"When the support reaches Tier 2, go straight to the jungle and set up an eye at the opponent's buff. Through this eye position, you can determine the specific position of the opponent's jungler. Then, you can choose to continue to press the line or drop the line to defend the tower …"
Ouze firmly remembered these ideas. As long as MVP's early game strategy was grasped by them, it would bring a huge early game advantage to RNG. It was very likely to affect the direction of the game.
"Time is limited. This is all I can do." Gou Ba rubbed his eyebrows. "Next, YM's analyst Orange will talk about her research on MVP's strategy."
Su Cheng walked quickly to the stage with her long legs. She opened the slideshow on the USB drive.
"If MVP is at a disadvantage in the early stages, they will choose to change their line in time to stop their losses …" She had a video of MVP against LZ in the slideshow.
"In the early stages of this game, MVP's jungler, Mantis, was badly targeted by LZ's Blind Monk. The top laner, Rambo, was also very badly suppressed by Khan and Jess. In the early stages of the game, MVP's economy fell behind by 500 at the 7 minute mark."
Su Cheng continued to play the video. "We can see that at the 7 minute and 17 second mark, MVP's bottom lane chose to return to the city. He then changed lanes and rushed to the top lane. Rambo prepared to return to the bottom lane under the tower."
"They made an unexpected lane change with Rambo. LZ obviously didn't react in time. Khan was directly forced to the bottom lane by MVP to the point that he couldn't even replenish his army …"
"After that, LZ's jungler and support were forced to go to the top lane to protect Jess. However, during this time, Rambo, who had changed lanes and rushed to the bottom lane, and Mantis, who was in the jungler's jungler, developed rapidly."
"Khan and Jess returned to the city in the bushes. They also wanted to change lanes to face Rambo." Su Cheng circled the screen with a pen. "However, MVP's support was here before and saw Khan's movement to return to the city."
"Then they chose to change lanes again and let the duo continue to suppress Jess."
Su Cheng continued to play the video. "Khan realized that he had fallen into a trap. He returned to the top lane under the tower."
"On the other hand, the combination of Rat King and Gera could only run from the top lane to the bottom lane on foot," Su Cheng's voice was clear and valiant. "But after going back and forth, Jayce hasn't developed for a long time. On the other hand, the MVP's Rambo Mantis duo not only completed the last hit but also gained a level of experience."
"At this time, the game has been going on for 10 minutes." Su Cheng finished playing the clip of the game. The final screen froze at the 10 minute and 07 second mark. "In less than three minutes, MVP's economy went from 500 to 300. He earned 800 gold coins by switching lanes twice."
"Hiss …" Ouze gasped. "That's a little evil."
Su Cheng nodded. "More importantly, they dragged out the strong period when Jess had just used his Serrated Dagger. Blind Monk also didn't find a suitable gank opportunity."
A group of professional players whispered in the audience, discussing MVP's unconventional lane change strategy.
"It's not an injustice to lose."
Bao Lan was a little convinced. He recalled the painful memory of being knocked over by MVP's support Cheyenne yesterday.
Lin Yan was deep in thought. He felt that YM could use this lane change strategy. He planned to go back and practice it after the Intercontinental League ended.
"This is also the reason why MVP's two C's were able to get first place in the LCK Spring Season despite their average individual strength." Su Cheng said as she replayed the clip. "Their operational ability is not inferior to the top teams in LCK."
"Let's see how to crack this lane change strategy. Everyone, pay attention to the time." Su Cheng played the clip from the beginning. "MVP's bottom lane return to the city is 7 minutes and 17 seconds. At this time …"
Ouze's eyes lit up. "Cannon Tank Lane."
"Yes, the fifth Cannon Tank Lane will arrive at the center of the bottom lane at this time and engage the enemy."
Su Cheng wasn't surprised by Ouze's reaction. A professional ADC was much more sensitive to the Cannon Tank Lane than other positions, not to mention Ouze, who could find the time to finish off the enemy in a team fight.
The professional players in the audience also understood why MVP had returned to the city to switch lanes. The Cannon Tank Lane's defense was thick and could resist a lot of damage. The enemy duo's speed would be slower. When Rambo arrived at the bottom lane, he would still be able to eat this wave of troops.
"This Cannon Tank Lane provides protection for Rambo to eat troops, but at the same time, it can be used by us." Su Cheng pulled out a marker and pulled the whiteboard of Summoner's Canyon over.
"The duo doesn't need to switch lanes. Instead, push the minions into the tower. At this time, the jungler will move closer to the bottom lane. Instead, he will go directly to the bushes behind the next tower." Su Cheng drew a map on the whiteboard. "When the enemy's top laner comes online, directly 3-attack him."
"After killing him, the three of you continue to destroy the tower." Su Cheng was quick-witted and spoke faster. "At this time, your top laner will kill the Cannon Tank Lane at 7 minutes and 17 seconds. Then, go to the bushes in the top lane for a while. It doesn't matter if you lose a few troops. Just wait for your teammates to destroy the tower and distribute the money."
"Because you didn't switch lanes at the bottom lane, you saved some time. Naturally, you can destroy the tower faster. Our top laner has already killed the Cannon Tank Lane. If the enemy destroys the tower, they will face a situation where they don't have enough troops. If nothing goes wrong, we will definitely get the first blood tower."
Su Cheng drew a line from the bottom lane to the middle lane tower. "Then, turn to the middle lane tower."
"Including the mid laner, you have four people, and the enemy's defense in the middle lane is not enough to resist you …" Her voice was sonorous and powerful. "If the enemy duo wants to continue to destroy the top lane tower, you can team up and destroy the middle tower. If the enemy duo rushes back to the middle lane, we will get the first blood tower at the bottom lane for free."
"The top laner will not lose the team economy because of destroying the tower." Su Cheng closed the marker pen and looked at the thick line she drew on the summoner's whiteboard in front of her. She nodded in satisfaction. "Instead, it will put the enemy in a passive situation."
"That's all for the analysis of the MVP team," Su Cheng said finally. "In summary, there are three steps:
First, ban Sindra from the BP to prevent the enemy's mid laner from swaying and strive to get the right to the middle lane hero.
Second, the first-level design in the early stages of the game. The opponent wants to ensure the development of the jungler because they have lost the right to the middle lane. There is a high probability that they will use the two strategies mentioned by Gou Ba's analyst. You can target them.
Finally, if there are no mistakes in the first two steps, the opponent will be at a disadvantage in the early stages. It is very likely that they will implement the strategy of changing lanes in seven minutes. Then, just do as I say. "
"In this way, there is a high probability that you will have an economic advantage of about 3K in ten minutes." Su Cheng shrugged and smiled. "You don't need us to teach you what to do next, right?"
"This is basically playing cards in the open." Xiao Hu smiled evilly. "If we still lose, then I will retire on the spot."
The sound of applause in the training room echoed in the huge room.
This was the players' recognition of the efforts of the LPL joint analyst team.
HooN, Gou Ba, and Su Cheng worked together to completely lock down all the rhythm points of the MVP team in the first ten minutes. They completed the entire process from the suona to the crematorium and sent the MVP team off happily.
The analysts of the three LPL teams had already shown their skills. Only the IG analyst had not made any moves.
It was not that the other three had formed a small group to exclude their colleagues. It was mainly because the IG analyst's skill level was a little green.
In terms of data analysis, it was difficult for him to use MATLAB to extract the raw data of the graph. Even a freshman like Su Cheng's skill level was higher than his.
In terms of tactical analysis, he was a gold player who had just left the terminal stage of cancer. It was difficult for him to see the minions, let alone analyze the tactics.
When the four analysts arrived in Kaohsiung for the day meeting, the other three were shocked.
They did not expect that there would be such a person who would ask them for the BP data of the LCK league. He was completely a greedy person.
(Interested readers can search for 'IG Gold Analyst'. His detailed deeds can be found on Tieba Hupong Zhihu.)
Su Cheng, Gou Ba, and HooN were all indignant about the dark circles under their eyes from working day and night.
The three of them worked together and sent him to a few head coaches to be responsible for simple data collection. He would be used as a logistics support.
Therefore, the IG analyst did not participate in the research of the MVP team's tactics.
The head coaches of the four teams went on stage one by one to review the recordings of the semifinals and point out the problems of the players.
When they were done, it was already eleven o 'clock at night.
The players continued to play two rounds of ranked matches before going to bed. The head coaches went to another empty room to discuss the BP data and the order of appearance.
A few of them looked tired, but their eyes were shining.
"The first team to appear tomorrow will definitely not be SKT or MVP. Those are their strongest and weakest teams," White Crescent expressed her opinion. "I think the probability of LCK sending out a three-star or KT is higher."
"Then YM can't go first. I think it's better to let you guys fight SKT." Brother Feng took off his glasses and gently pinched the bridge of his nose to soothe his face.
"I think we should let YM go first." Hanyi had a different opinion. "If nothing goes wrong, they'll hide the MVP until the end. We'll let YM win one match and then fight for the two matches in between. Even if we lose, we can let RNG fight MVP and drag it out until the fifth match."
WE's head coach, Red Rice, listened to their conversation with Junri's translation. He pondered for a long time before saying, "They'll definitely send out a three-star first. They're the most stable team in Korea other than SKT. They won't lose against weak teams, but they're not very good either. It'll be difficult for them to win against strong teams."
The head coaches looked at each other.
"So we'll go first tomorrow?" White Crescent asked her colleagues.
Hanyi and Red Rice nodded. "We'll try to win one match. That way, if RNG faces MVP in the fourth match, we can send LCK away."
"That's settled then." Brother Feng picked up the BP data file beside him. "Have you guys seen KT's BP data?
They seem to have invested too much in the ban position of the fat general in the middle lane … "(See picture)
"It's like this. His waist injury has caused his condition to deteriorate very badly." White Crescent had studied KT as a potential mid-season opponent for a period of time. Naturally, she told them everything she knew. "KT now trusts Smeb and Deft more …"
The few of them discussed their BP strategy for the next day. They came up with strategies for their brother teams in the same division. They even used a BP simulator to play the role of an LCK coach and play a BP game with the LPL team.
At four o 'clock in the morning, the door of the room was gently pushed open. Yimura walked in quietly with a camera. The first thing he saw was the empty Red Bull cans scattered all over the room.
The four head coaches and the translator were still in full swing discussing the possibility of bringing Dan Shen into the game with Rock Sparrow's big move.
He did not say anything. He only took a picture and left the room.
The four head coaches were so excited that they did not notice Yimura's sudden visit.
Only when Brother Feng confirmed that there were no problems with the BP simulator did everyone stretch and turn off their computers.
"If we win the finals tomorrow, what are we going to eat?" White Crescent suddenly asked.
"We can go to Liuhe Night Market. There are a lot of specialty snacks there." Brother Feng had a special fondness for his hometown's food.
"Eating snacks after winning the finals? Isn't that too unrealistic?" Jun Ri was a little disgusted. He laid on the soft bed and rolled around. "How about hotpot?"
"Is there a good Hunan restaurant here?" Hanyi yawned. "I want to eat chili now."
"Red Rice, what do you think?"
White Crescent closed his eyes. The excitement of the energy drink dissipated. He now felt that his eyes were a little sore.
Red Rice leaned against the headboard. After hearing Jun Ri's translation, he smiled and said in stiff Chinese, "Barbecue, I want to cook Korean barbecue …"
The night of four o 'clock in the morning had passed. At 5: 19 in the morning, the first ray of sunlight shone on the earth in Kaohsiung.
(Tips for avoiding conflict. See picture of sunrise time in Kaohsiung)
On July 9th, the final battle officially began.
At two o 'clock in the afternoon, the only two thousand seats in the Kaohsiung exhibition hall were all filled.
"Welcome to the finals of the 2017 Asia League Tournament …"
As usual, the commentators today were Doll Mille and Remember.
"Today's match is the focus of everyone's attention. It affects the hearts of our LPL audience. This is a good opportunity to prove the first division …"
Mille was halfway through his sentence when he received a message from the director.
"Both sides have submitted their teams for the first match," he said word by word. "Our LPL division has chosen YM as the vanguard for the first match, while LCK has sent out … a three-star team!"