"Congratulations to YM for winning the first round!" Mille raised his voice amidst the cheers and shouts. "We're temporarily leading the semifinals with a score of 1: 0!"
Watching the ten players from both sides leave their seats, he could not help but exclaim, "YM's teamwork has reached perfection. Their teamwork is amazing!"
"Especially Xiao Tian's Wine Barrel. Together with Brother Ran's W Flash Taunt, they instantly wiped out SKT's two junglers!"
At this time, the caster had also replayed the last match's decisive teamfight in the Dragon's Pit. The moment Gario's Taunt flashed into the Dragon's Pit, Wine Barrel smashed into the pit and at the same time, blew up SKT's formation.
The explosion allowed Gario to control SKT's Princes and Rambo to the edge of the Dragon's Pit, making it easier for Jack to deal damage.
It was perfect!
"Tsk … I have to say, Xiao Tian's Wine Barrel is quite strong." Doll Classic gasped. "Should SKT try to restrict him in the next match?"
[Rambo from 08, I'm dying of laughter.]
[Here's the problem. How bad is his attitude? How can he be beaten by Huni?]
[Someone is brainlessly criticizing him again. How can S5 and S7 be the same?
What's the point of bringing this up?
Isn't his attitude about Raven not being able to beat Centaur and Olaf not being able to beat Raven?
Can you blame him for that?
His jungler must be his problem.]
Lin Yan, who had just returned to the team's lounge, glanced at the television screen. Jin Gong was the MVP of the previous match. His 815 KDA was too eye-catching, overshadowing everyone else's stats.
"It's not fair, it's not fair!"
Phyllostachys Pubescens felt wronged and could not help but complain softly. "How can the MVP be given to a top laner?
This stinky dog only knows how to kill. If I didn't help him, he would've been killed! "
"Hmm?"
Jin Gong, who was thirsty and had gone to get a glass of ice water, heard Xiao Tian mention his name and asked subconsciously, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay." Mongoose's expression changed the moment he saw Jin Gong. "You're so good. Even if I didn't help you, you could've killed Huni alone."
"He's just so-so." Jin Gong sat down on a chair and evaluated his opponent. "He's not as good as Duke."
Despite winning the first round, White Crescent's nervousness did not subside. He knew that this was just the beginning of a BO5. He would not know if his team could win the match until the last second.
In the last round, his BP had been tricked by Kkoma. If it weren't for his teammates' outstanding performance, he would have been the scapegoat.
"Previously, they gave Galio and Lulu to us, making it difficult for Liu Qingsong to bring out the hard support. We'll take the blue side in the next round. I plan to do this for the BP …" He clicked on the pen spring.
The five-minute break between matches was not a long time. White Crescent had just sorted out his thoughts and his teammates when a staff member knocked on the door and asked them to get ready to go.
"Actually, we can make Galio swing as well." Lin Yan expressed his inner thoughts before he left.
"Mid-top swing?" White Crescent frowned slightly. "But we're not …"
It was not a good choice for Galio to be a top laner. Other than the warriors who could not win against them in lane, after reaching Level 6, he would be on the sidelines and would not be as effective as a mid laner.
"It's not a mid-top swing." Lin Yan waved his hand. "I think it might work if he swings with a support."
He had thought of this idea when he exchanged heroes with Liu Qingsong. If Lulu could swing with a mid-top support, why couldn't Galio?
There was W Flash's unsolvable puzzle, and R [Hero's Entrance]'s protection …
White Crescent fell into deep thought, and Lin Yan did not say anything. Regardless of whether his idea was right or not, even if Galio's support was feasible, they would not use it today.
Liu Qingsong had never played Galio before, and he was not Ning Wang. Naturally, he would not play other positions in ranking matches.
Su Cheng helped to fill the paper cup with water, and then gave Lin Yan a plate of dark chocolate. "Eat this first …"
Lin Yan had not eaten for the whole day to keep his brain active. After the match, his face was pale, and chocolate could effectively replenish his energy.
"Do you have more?
Give me a piece too. "Jack was greedy when he saw the food.
Lin Yan tore open the wrapper and stuffed the chocolate into his mouth. The bitterness instantly filled his mouth, violently invading his taste buds. The fragmented sweetness that had slowly brewed before could not cover up the bitterness.
"F * ck, this is too bitter …" Jack snatched his words away, and his swollen face scrunched up again. He looked like the picture of a rookie eating salted duck eggs that had been circulating on the internet.
"The purity is only 86%. It's mainly used to increase blood flow in the brain," Su Cheng explained. "There's flavanols in it."
Increasing blood flow in the brain could improve a person's reaction and cognitive ability to a certain extent, making the mind sharper.
After Su Cheng finished speaking, she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "Remember to continue playing in the upper half of the match. Huni's mentality is unstable. If you keep grabbing him, he'll get more and more anxious."
"I know, I know."
Lin Yan nodded. He finished the water in the paper cup, washing away the bitterness in his mouth, and took another cup.
In the previous match, their strategy of surrounding Rambo was very successful.
Huni's three early deaths had little to do with his own skill. Even if Marin was at his peak, he would not be able to withstand Lin Yan and Xiao Tian's pincer attack.
However, Huni's subsequent five deaths were purely his own fault. There were a few that could have been avoided, but he refused to leave the tower, making himself look like a god of war.
Lin Yan thought to himself, 'He's not playing with Nolan or Stone Golem, right?'
After tasting the sweetness of the first match, Lin Yan would naturally continue to target him.
When he stepped onto the stage again, before he put on his headphones, Lin Yan could hear the cheers from the spectators in the Oriental Sports Center!
YM had taken the first step. If they won two more matches, they would once again defeat SKT and head to the Bird's Nest!
Under the anticipation of countless spectators, the crisp sound of BP resounded throughout the stadium!
"YM has successfully taken the blue side this round. They've taken out Jess first." After winning the previous round, Mille adjusted his state of mind and continued with his work. "They're continuing to restrict Huni, they don't want him to get a strong solo hero!"
Kkoma remained unchanged, locking down Callista.
White Crescent began to change his strategy for the second time. Instead of locking down Charlo, he sent Galio to the ban position.
"Eh, are they actively banning Galio?" Mille's tone carried a hint of doubt. "Brother Ran was hot in the previous round."
On the other side, Kkoma frowned. White Crescent's banning was beyond his expectations.
He held his laptop and repeatedly communicated with his teammates until the BP countdown was about to end. Only then did he confirm to lock down Kainan as usual.
"The last ban position in the first round, let's see what YM wants to lock down …"
Lin Yan's fingers flew across the keyboard, searching for a hero according to the initials, and then clicking confirm.
"Ryze?
YM has set their sights on Faker's hero pool this round! "
Doll nodded, pretending to be deep in thought, and then changed the topic. He did not analyze Ryze, but instead focused on Li Xianghe.
It could not be helped. With his lack of gaming knowledge, he could not analyze why YM wanted to ban Ryze and Sister Li.
"I have to say, Faker's performance in this international competition is still as hot as ever. Since the group stage, his performance has been impeccable. He's also the best player in SKT."
Mille and Remember nodded. Their partner was right. Faker's performance this year was indeed very strong. For a 21-year-old LOL esports player, it was praiseworthy.
In SKT's player area, Kkoma rubbed his forehead in distress.
He did not understand why YM had suddenly changed their BP strategy in the last two rounds. He could understand Galio, after all, he was a popular mid laner with high strength.
But what was the meaning of this Ryze?
Although in the global finals, Ryze had received an increase in damage from W [Rune Imprisonment], it was still far from being as hot as it was in the current version.
After all, the combination of R [Warp Realm Leap] and Golden Body had a huge impact on Ryze. This had weakened the roaming mage's soloing ability in the mid to late game.
As Kkoma thought of this, an idea flashed through his mind.
Although Ryze could not use R and Golden Body together, his playstyle was still focused on flanking and support in the mid game.
This was not exactly the same as Galio's playstyle, but it was completely the same.
YM had banned the two main flanking heroes and the 131-point pushing mid laner heroes. Their intentions were clear.
He thought for a moment, and finally decided to ban Wine Barrel. Xiao Tian's performance in the last round was indeed outstanding. Gulagas's multiple big moves had helped the team gain the upper hand.
"YM has decisively banned Dusk from the blue side!"
Now that the Legend of Phoenix was placed outside, YM and SKT would definitely take one each to prevent the cheating couple from running to the same side.
While Kkoma was giving Wolf Lo, he was also thinking about the second hero. He patted his mid laner's shoulder.
"Can Rock Sparrow do it?"
YM had banned Galio and Ryze. Among the mainstream heroes, only Rock Sparrow had the ability to support and carry in the flanks.
Li Xianghe habitually cracked his neck. "Tsk tsk, no problem."
"YM has chosen the support duo of Leona and Princes. They are very aggressive!" On the commentary platform, Mille was very satisfied with YM's two heroes, which were very compatible with the team's playstyle.
[It's coming, it's coming. Let's wait for the classic!]
[This is the same as YM's Dragon Ball match. They both chose a girl in the second round … Sunshine Girl.]
[Now that you mention it, it's quite similar. If I remember correctly, Cuzz's first round was also an 08, right?]
[Ghost, bringing the villains, YM wants to beat Huni to a 0/20?]
Kkoma's face was also gloomy. The red side's disadvantage in the current version of the game was obvious.
First, there was a shortage of ban slots. After banning Callista and Kenan, SKT was left with only one ban slot.
As long as White Crescent did not break up the Xialor duo, YM would always have the initiative.
If Kkoma did not ban the Phoenix Legend, YM would take Xialor first, forcing SKT to take Luo. This way, White Crescent would take Leona.
Sunshine Girl was relatively easier to deal with in lane or team battles. This way, the support role would not be a loss.
If SKT chose to ban Leona, White Crescent would take Luo first. This way, Kkoma would be helping YM ban Luo's natural enemy.
If SKT banned one of Xialor, YM, who was in the blue side, could choose the other hero. After all, Xialor or Luo's single hero was not weak.
This was an open conspiracy. White Crescent was already dead, and Kkoma would definitely be at a disadvantage.
SKT's team was also discussing how to deal with this in the team voice chat.
The two heroes, Big Mouth and Verus, did not have displacement skills. It would be difficult for them to avoid Leona's continuous crowd-control. In the end, they could only choose another version's strong ADC, Little Pao.
At the start of the second round of BP, SKT thought about it and sent Qing Gang Yin and Sindra to the ban position.
The former was used by Lin Yan to fight against Crown Sparrow in the group stage. It was very effective. Jin Gong had also used Camille to great effect in the previous round.
Sindra could put too much pressure on Sparrow in the lane and was a great threat to Faker's lane control.
"YM will ban both Piggy and Excavator. Their goal is clear. They won't let Little Peanut get a strong jungler!"
Piggy mainly focused on team battles, while Excavator was a strong weapon for jungle invasions.
One was used to restrict SKT's most mature mid-late game operations in team battles, while the other was used to restrict Little Peanut's best jungle invasions.
"Zach …" When Mille saw SKT's hero, there was a hint of joy in his hesitation. "This is one of the few junglers left outside!"
Mille was very happy, but Little Peanut was very unhappy.
This was because Zach had been weakened too badly.
In version 7.15, W [Unstable Matter]'s damage had been weakened by 15 points, while Q [Extended Strike]'s cooldown had been increased by one second, and its HP consumption had doubled.
Zach, who was already weak in the early game, was now completely ignored.
This was the opposite of Little Peanut's ideal playstyle. He had originally planned to use carnivorous junglers to continue invading the opponent's jungle and prove who was the best jungler in the world.
However, Kkoma had chosen Zach for him, which meant that they had to give up all their resources and bet on team battles in the mid-late game.
The familiar feeling of being shackled once again surged in Little Peanut's heart. He felt that his hands and feet had been tied for the past year, swinging back and forth between team tactics and personal style.
It was as if he had a split personality. In the previous round, he had been the core of attacking the jungle, but in the next round, he had to be a tool and wait for team battles.
Who could withstand this?
Little Peanut looked at the BP image on his screen. He was very unhappy, but he had no reason to refute it.
In the first round, he had indeed been the spearhead of the attack. He had also gained a lot from the Level 2 invasion, but he had been immediately crushed by YM's change of pace.
In terms of position in the team, he was not as good as Bang. Otherwise, Li Hom would have snatched the last position in the first round, and not let Bang take the small cannon to make him feel more comfortable.
"YM's last two choices, Nar and Rambo!" Remember thought for a moment. "If Rambo fights Rock Sparrow in the mid laner …"
"His pushing speed is a little slower," Mille analyzed from the side. "After Level 6, his ability to provide support to the flanks is also a little weaker."
"The advantage is that he is very strong in team battles in the jungle. As long as the R [Constant Temperature Burn] is placed properly, he can turn the situation around."
SKT did not care about Lin Yan's mid laner Rambo. They were still discussing what to choose for Huni for the last counter position to deal with Jin Gong's top laner Nar.
Huni himself came up with a bold idea.
"Shengxun, are you sure?"
Kkoma was dumbfounded after listening to his thoughts. SKT, which he was the coach of, usually followed the old school way of thinking. The lineups they chose tended to be stable and stable. YM's midlaner heroes like Rambo and Qing Gang Ying were somewhat unorthodox to him.
At this moment, Huni's idea was even crazier than Lin Yan's.
"No problem, just let me choose. I'm confident that I can beat him." Huni chewed on his gum, his tone relaxed.
Kkoma cursed in his heart.
'Bro, can you stop messing around?
If you were to say that you were a troublemaker during the transfer window, I wouldn't let you be SKT's starter even if I had to fork out this year's salary.
'You're really my ancestor.'
Kkoma slapped himself on the forehead with an extremely vexed expression.
However, when he saw Huni's determined look, he knew that he could not go against his wishes.
After interacting with him for a year, Kkoma had a good grasp of Huni's temperament. He was like a child who had to be obedient. If his words were too harsh, he would get angry, and his anger would inevitably affect his competitive state.
Normally, a Korean coach like Kkoma would not care about Huni's thoughts. 'Whatever hero I give you, you just have to use it obediently.
'Years ago, I had to carry Faker to the water dispenser, and you still want to look for a hero from me?'
However, that was not the case now.
The reason was simple. There were no more substitutes for the water dispenser.
Huni was destined to follow SKT to the end of the competition.
Kkoma suppressed his anger, but he could only agree with Huni's idea.
At this moment, he saw the happy smile on his top laner's face. His eyes looked very pure.
Thinking about it carefully, he could counter in the lane, and his teammates' teamwork was not too bad … Kkoma kept reminding himself.
"SKT's last pick …" Seeing that the countdown was about to end, he started to feel uneasy.
A man who symbolized happiness appeared in SKT's hero selection window!
"Yasso!
Top laner Yasso! "
After a brief moment of silence, the 18,000 spectators in the stands exclaimed like a tidal wave!