April 7th, YM versus TOP. It was the last regular season match of the 2018 LPL Spring Season.
From the opening battle with YM to the ending battle with YM, Teng Jing had given them enough face.
The match between master and disciple before the match had attracted a lot of attention, especially from many TOP fans. They really hoped that their home team could win this match.
There was no other reason than to prove themselves and to fight for the ranking in the regular season.
Now, YM had 17 wins and 1 loss. The only loss they had made people not know whether to laugh or cry. LGD had lost all the way in the first half of the season, but after they confirmed that they would not be able to make the playoffs, they started to play like water ghosts.
YM had played too much at that time. Jack insisted on snatching the title of the number one Sindra in Lin Yan's team. He had chosen a lineup without an ADC.
In the end, the two mages who did not have any positioning were marked by Wild King's Blind Monk. In the end, they were dragged down by the water ghosts with a score of 0: 2.
However, this did not affect their luxurious record. YM had already locked in first place in the division, and TOP had no intention of fighting with their big brother for the ranking.
The one blocking TOP was the National Film Academy.
The second-ranked EDG had 12 wins and 7 losses. TOP was third, 11 wins and 7 losses.
Both teams had the same number of losses. If TOP won the ending match, they would have the same number of wins as EDG. However, TOP had a big lead in terms of points and could successfully rank second in the East Region.
In other words, this match was not important to YM. However, in TOP's eyes, the ending match would determine how far they could go in the playoffs.
Backstage before the match.
Zhuo Ding mumbled and repeated the instructions of his coach and teammates. He swayed his thin and weak body into the YM lounge.
At this time, Red Rice had already finished the pre-match meeting. The door to the lounge was wide open, and many official cameramen squeezed in.
"Yo, isn't this Zhuo Ding?" Jack looked arrogant. "I haven't seen you for a month, and you're already so fat?"
When they first met, their bodies were about the same size. Now, Shiba Inu was two times fatter than Golden Left Hand. His calves were about the same thickness as Zhuo Ding's thighs.
Zhuo Ding smiled shyly. He only relaxed when he saw that his good brother Xiao Tian did not become a bun.
He looked around and saw Lin Yan sitting on the chair playing with his phone. He quickly went over and massaged his shoulders.
Lin Yan, on the other hand, enjoyed it very much. He leaned back and continued to chat with his girlfriend.
Upon seeing this, Zhuo Ding became even more motivated. Both of his hands tapped on his teacher's shoulders, almost looking at his hand.
Lin Yan felt comfortable all over after being pinched.
"What's the matter?" He turned off his phone with a smile and turned to look at Zhuo Ding behind him.
Golden Left Hand was still too innocent. He couldn't hide anything from his face at all. With just a glance, it was obvious that he had something to ask of him.
But what could a person of his age possibly need his help with?
Money?
Zhuo Ding was still using Xiaomi 6. He loved Braised Chicken when he ate, and he did not spend extravagantly on food, clothing, and other necessities.
He was not like Mr. Kang, who liked to fight in the middle of the night …
Lin Yan thought about it carefully and felt that Zhuo Ding was not here to borrow money.
Knight's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"Brother Ran, can we face each other again today?" He mumbled.
Zhuo Ding paused, remembering the difficult task given to him by his coach and teammates. His tone became even more serious. "Don't play fancy games. Fight with all your strength."
"Really?" Jack chuckled. "King K, you've never been beaten before, right?"
Xiao Tian also laughed. "Zhuo Ding, Brother Ran's punches are first class. Don't get beaten to tears again."
Knight hesitated when he heard this.
After the Demacia Cup S6, he met Lin Yan, who had just been crowned as the king of Los Angeles.
He was beaten until he was dizzy and disoriented. At that moment, he, who was used to the rhythm of ranked matches, finally saw how terrifying the players at the top of the professional scene were.
Zhuo Ding sometimes had nightmares about that German Cup.
His young and immature self had no advantage in front of Lin Yan. He couldn't beat him in lane head-on, his roaming efficiency was low, he often strolled along the river and checked his steps on WeChat. In team battles, he would either get lost or die suddenly …
All his thoughts were seen through. He couldn't even hit his skills in lane head-on. In the end, he couldn't get any feedback. His hands kept shaking, and even the support players were scared.
In that best-of-five, Zhuo Ding played the lowest performance of his professional career. It was a complete midgap.
Knight felt that after more than a year of being on the battlefield, his strength had definitely improved, but it definitely wasn't to the point where he could challenge Lin Yan head-on.
He thought about it. If he was beaten up again …
He probably wouldn't cry.
Probably not.
Knight calmed himself down and remembered what Zoom, the top laner, had taught him.
He clenched his teeth and puffed out his chest. "Come at me. I'll prove who the world's number one mid laner is on this stage!"
"Okay." When Lin Yan heard this, he stood up and patted Zhuo Ding's shoulder. "I'll fight you seriously."
From what he saw, Zhuo Ding first showed some joy, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, then immediately drooped down. He pursed his lips and looked unhappy.
His expression changed at lightning speed. Lin Yan thought it was ridiculous. Those who didn't know better would think that Zhuo Ding had secretly learned the Sichuan Opera's face-changing when he went to OMG Chengdu to play a game.
"It's too spicy." Knight was still embarrassed. "I'll go first. I'll get ready."
As soon as he walked out of YM's lounge door, he couldn't control himself anymore. His body shook like a sieve, and he covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud.
"How was it? How was it?" The chubby Zoom was still waiting outside. When he saw Zhuo Ding walk out of the room, he quickly went up to greet him.
"It's done!" Zhuo Ding's words made Zoom's heart drop.
He looked happy. "Well done, Zhuo Ding!
You've done a great job! "
"That's right … I don't think it's going to be easy." Knight sighed.
Zoom comforted him. "It's okay. It's just a regular season game. Don't worry about it."
The two of them put their arms around each other's shoulders and walked to the TOP team's lounge. The atmosphere was very cheerful.
Everything was under their control.
In the last round of the group's round-robin competition, YM played the snake game to the extreme. They often chose lineups with no front row, no ADC, and even no AP. Everyone would switch positions and play. They put aside the results and focused on creating happiness.
Practice matches usually went on as usual, but the coaching staff no longer focused on the regular season. They were already studying their opponents for the playoffs.
Red Rice's move made it very easy for the players. In the past month, every time they ran to Zhengda Square, Lin Yan and the other team members would enthusiastically discuss what lineups to use later.
For them, without the pressure of results, this kind of competition was equivalent to a vacation. They played very happily, and the audience also felt very happy. After all, YM could always come up with new tricks for themselves.
To be able to win like this, it was not because YM played well, but because their opponents were not good enough.
The only teams in the entire Eastern Division that could pressure YM were EDG and TOP. After Red Rice left, WE's performance was quite good last year. After Red Rice left, the strength of the core players also fell off a cliff. Now, their record had fallen to the edge of the playoffs.
As a result, TOP panicked when they faced YM in the finale.
The more you play with snakes, the more scared I am!
TOP's competition department and some fans who did not know the truth had completely different expectations for this game.
The fans hoped that the team could take advantage of YM's time to beat the world's strongest team and make them proud.
Last night, TOP routinely posted a Weibo post about their starting lineup for tomorrow. Most of the comments below were encouraging them.
There were even YM fans who cheered them on. They wanted TOP to win quickly so that YM could suffer a little. It would be best if they could have more meetings so that the team members would pay more attention and stop thinking about Lin Weixiang, that B-knife girl.
TOP's competition department saw the comments and felt that the fans wanted them dead.
They just wanted to lose this game now because the team was also studying their opponents for the playoffs.
If the team beat YM, they would be in second place in the Eastern Division.
It seemed like their ranking had risen, but in reality, the playoffs would be even more difficult!
According to Teng Jing's rules, the second place in the Eastern Division would face the winner of the third place in the Western Division (RNG) and the fourth place in the Eastern Division (WE) in the playoffs.
If nothing unexpected happened, their opponent for the top 4 would be RNG.
How could they fight?
If they lost this game, TOP would fall to third place in the Eastern Division. They could first fight the fourth place in the Western Division (BLG), then the second place in the Western Division (RW).
This path was relatively easier. Although RW had been very strong recently, they were still a new force like TOP. They did not have much experience in the B5 playoffs. If TOP fought hard, they could even make it to the top four in the Spring Season.
Although it was not their first time in the playoffs, Zhuo Ding still felt that it would be a success if they made it to the top four this year.
There was no other way. There were too many monsters in the LPL this year. YM aside, there was the rising IG, RNG who had gradually recovered after Ouze's return, the old but strong EDG, and the new Rogue RW …
In the fierce playoffs, there were many strong opponents. If TOP, a new team formed less than a year ago, could make it to the top four in the Spring Season, it would be a satisfactory result.
And in order to maintain their third place in the Eastern Division, they had to lose this game against YM.
But according to YM's temperament in the last few games of the regular season, there was a high probability that they would continue to work hard in the finale.
If TOP used their normal lineup, there was a high probability that they would win the game. If they did not use their normal lineup and played along with YM, they would be letting down the fans who encouraged the team to win the game on Weibo. Although many fans did not realize the seriousness of the playoffs, they still had the heart to fight for the club.
TOP, from the coach to the players, had a little bit of pride in their hearts. They did not want to deliberately lose the game. If they lost the game, wouldn't it become a replica of the Oscar night?
In this way, Zoom thought of a way. Wouldn't it be fine as long as YM used their full strength?
They could not win anyway.
In the end, TOP decided to let Zhuo Ding sacrifice himself for the greater good. They sent him to provoke Lin Yan and make YM take it seriously.
This way, TOP could successfully lose the game and maintain their ranking. YM could maintain their dignity as first place in the regular season. The audience could also watch a hearty battle in the finale.
The only unlucky one was Knight, who was going to be taught a lesson by Lin Yan.
Zoom had successfully created a world where only Golden Left Hand was injured!
…
"Good evening, Summoners. Next up is the final game of the 2018 LPL Spring Season …"
The commentators for today's finale were Remember and Ze Yuan. Their current status in the commentary world was lower than Doll Mille and Long-hair. They were the backbone of the circle.
"In the last game, RNG defeated RW. Although it won't have any impact on the final ranking, RNG also proved to the fans that they are in hot form now!"
Ze Yuan nodded seriously. "That's true. Uzi is now carrying the team's flag, and the team members are becoming more and more tacit. They're very likely to cause a huge commotion in the playoffs."
After talking about RNG's victory in the previous game, they quickly changed the topic to the finale.
"Compared to the Western Region, where the difference in results is huge, the Eastern Region's ranking will be decided in the last game of the last day!"
Ze Yuan said loudly, "The match between YM and TOP will determine the final ranking of the Eastern Region!"
Remember nodded. "In addition to the ranking, the other highlight of the game is the matchup between the two midlaners. When Knight debuted in YMA, he was known as Brother Ran's successor. The two of them have a close personal relationship, and it feels like they're both friends and teacher.
"And this season, Knight's performance has been quite outstanding. As the absolute core of TOP, his stats are magnificent …"
The director also showed Lin Yan and Zhuo Ding's final makeup photos. On the screen, Knight's expression was cold. His left palm was facing upwards, forming a claw. On the other hand, Lin Yan's right hand made the same gesture. The two's poses were mirror images, as if they were carved out of the same mold.
Only then did the audience realize that the two midlaners were linked in their final makeup photos.
[Eh?
The last time the two teams met, the midlaner's final makeup photo wasn't this one.]
[How many final makeup photos did the officials take, and they're just going to take it all for themselves?]
[Why aren't you making it quick?
Are there any photos like Lin Weixiang and Liu Qingsong's?
Phyllostachys Pubescens and Brother Ran's are good too. Let me take a look.]
But the discussion about the final makeup photos only lasted for a few seconds. The stats below the two midlaners' photos quickly attracted all the audience's attention.
Lin Ran's KDA (7.7), 15 Minute Economy Difference (+ 1557), Damage Conversion Rate (146.7%), Damage Output Ratio (29.1%), and Party Participation Rate (79.1%) placed him at the top of the list. His average damage output placed him at the second place. Song Yijin had once again snatched the top spot.
[There's no ripple in my heart. Isn't this a basic operation for Ran?]
[I'd find it strange if Ran wasn't first in these stats.]
[Maybe one day, I mean, maybe, when Ran's stats hit rock bottom, you'll still support him?]
[It's fine. As long as he retires fast enough, he'll never be a jerk.]
[Speaking of which, if Factory Director Ran retired after S5 MSI, he wouldn't have been kicked out of 4396 by Little Peanut. People have to retire in the nick of time.]
On the other side, Zhuo Ding's stats were also in the top three. He didn't look as invincible as Lin Yan, but he had one stat that left him in the dust.
Solo kills.
As of today, Zhuo Ding had scored 33 solo kills in 18 big and 45 small matches in the TOP regular season!
On the solo kill list, Lin Ran, The Shy, and Rotisserie were ranked at the bottom. Their solo kills were around 25.
At present, the IG competition was over, and unless Lin Yan scored seven more solo kills than Zhuo Ding in the finale, Knight was destined to become the solo kill king of the S8 spring competition.
"Knight's solo kill count is a bit strong." Remember laughed. "I remember that at the beginning of the season, he scored five solo kills from FPX's mid laner, Abing."
"Yes, Abing's results in TOP aren't ideal." Ze Yuan pondered for two seconds. "But objectively speaking, the competition schedule does have a certain impact on the solo kill count."
"Due to IG and YM's high win rates, there aren't many small matches, so the number of solo kills accumulated will definitely be lower."
As soon as he finished speaking, the BP image appeared on the big screen in the stadium!
"YM has the priority to pick sides in this game, and they first banned Ryze on the blue side!"
Red Rice originally intended to do a BP and give the team members a convenient hero, but he didn't expect Zhuo Ding to come to the lounge and issue a challenge to Lin Yan in the middle lane.
In that case, he also took it seriously and let the group of little brothers on the opposite side see his strength.
"TOP's first ban position is given to Qing Gang Yin. With the changes in the version, Camille's priority in the top lane is getting higher and higher. The swing between Brother Ran and Jin Gong is also very fatal!"
Now the top lane ecosystem was dominated by tanks, and Vampire, who could easily and steadily develop against tanks, often appeared.
Unfortunately, Qing Gang Yin could carry the tank alone in the later stage; and when dealing with vampires, he could use E [Hook Rope] to get close and passive adaptive shield to constantly exchange blood, and even have the opportunity to kill them alone.
In this way, although Qing Gang Yin had not been strengthened recently, he still became the most popular top lane in the version.
Red Rice chose to ban the version's strong ADC, Dusk, in the second ban. This could destroy TOP's arrangement on the red side and prevent them from taking Dusk first and second.
"TOP banned Olaf …" Ze Yuan was not surprised. "This hero also ushered in a strengthening in version 8.5, and it was too strong in the early stage, so it was inevitable that it would be targeted."
The last ban position in the first round was given to Captain by YM.
"Huh?" Remember frowned. "This is the hero that banned Jin Gong himself?"
Ze Yuan was also very puzzled. "Although Captain ushered in a weakening in the previous version, he is still very strong in the top lane. After all, the two talents of Stealing Omen and Indestructible Grasp are very compatible with Captain Q's [Gunfire Negotiation]."
He proposed another idea. "Could it be that banning Captain was to give Jin Gong crow?"
The Tactician Commander had undergone a rework in version 8.4, and Old Crow had completely retired from the stage of history. Now it was Noxus Commander Swain.
When the rework first started, Crow's strength was not very high, but he could not resist a wave of strengthening in Lin 8.5. Now, Crow stood at the top of the top lane food chain.
"Impossible," Remember retorted when he heard Ze Yuan's words. "Crow fighting Captain is easier whether it's in a lane or in a team battle. No matter how you think about it, there's no reason to ban Captain."
TOP's coach for this season was Poppy (Bobby), who had jumped ship from RNG's youth training department. He stood behind Zhuo Ding and flipped through the notebook. He had the same question as Remember and Ze Yuan.
The ban of Captain was indeed inexplicable.
"Could it be that they sent Crow to the mid lane?" Zoom proposed his own idea.
Bobby continued to deduce based on his team's thoughts. This way, banning Captain made sense. YM was most likely giving Jin Gong the frontline tank.
"Ban Crow, it's not easy for us to deal with him," Bobby said to his team members.
Hearing his coach's decision, Zoom felt it was a bit of a pity. His Crow was quite strong, but he did not expect to take the ban position in this game.
"YM's blue pick is still Hammer Stone!"
Remember briefly analyzed. "They want to ensure that Liu Qingsong has enough influence on the map in the early and mid stages. They want to use Hammer Stone's perfect ability to link up with their jungler and mid laner."
Now, as long as Hammer Stone was outside, Red Rice would not hesitate to grab it.
This was a strong hero that YM had used other people's hero pools to get for Liu Qingsong. There was no reason not to pick it.
However, Bobby was prepared for this. "Let's pick Verus and Princes. Sorrow, try your best to watch Brother Ran. Don't let Knight suffer too much."
Sorrow pouted and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll stay in the mid lane this game."
He could tell who was the real boss of the top team. As long as Zhuo Ding was comfortable playing, the whole team would be revived.
"Vampire and Policewoman. YM has directly revealed two late stage big cores!" Ze Yuan was excited. He knew that YM was serious and finally gave up on the Underworld lineup.
Seeing YM's first three picks, Bobby thought hard. He could not figure out what was reasonable about YM's lineup.
Policewoman's strong stage was a standard U-shape. In the early stage, she was indeed very strong against laners. In the middle stage, her growth and attack speed were too low. Coupled with the lack of Infinity Blade, her damage output was very weak.
Vampire's strong stage was also in the middle and late stage. Even if Lin Yan developed the idea of Binding Orb, he still needed a two-piece set and a pair of CD Shoes to start working.
Under normal development, Vampire and Policewoman were at their weakest around the 20-minute mark. Policewoman did not have a three-piece set, and Vampire's damage was not strong enough to protect her …
In Bobby's opinion, these two heroes did not match YM's idea of a team battle around Dragon in the middle stage of the game.
"Take Bull's Head first." Thinking of this, Bobby said to Zhuo Ding as the BP countdown was about to end. "I'll think about the rest …"
In the second round of BP, Bobby tried to drag the time as long as possible to give himself enough time to think.
After thinking about it, he felt that YM must add a mid-stage hero to support the whole team around the 20-minute mark.
Therefore, he chose to send Jace and Zooey, the two standard early and mid-stage Poke heroes, to the ban position, not giving YM any room to sway.
Red Rice nodded approvingly. He knew that the other coach had seen through his layout.
However, this was only one part of the plan. Old money like him had always dug a bunch of holes in the BP. As long as the opponent stepped on one of them, they would be at a disadvantage in the lineup.
"YM has chosen to ban Aoun and Shen …" Remember to raise your voice. "This is targeting Zoom's hero pool!"
Qing Gang Yin, Raven, Captain, Aoun, Shen … Both sides poured a lot of ban positions into the top lane, making Zoom very uncomfortable.
"Let's take Crocodile first."
Bobby also knew that he had to give Zoom a strong hero, and Crocodile just happened to meet his requirements.
Desert Fury Renekton could also easily suppress Vampire on the top lane, which could prevent YM from pushing Vampire to the top lane.
Moreover, he was strong enough in the early and mid-stage, and could also play his value in various team battles.
It was indeed a foolproof plan.
Seeing Crocodile appear, Red Rice breathed a sigh of relief.
He had released such a tempting hero, and he was afraid that the other coach would not be fooled.
"YM's last two moves, jungler Troll and … Quinn!"
Faint exclamations could be heard from the audience, and the bullet screen was also full of question marks!
"Quinn!" Remember to raise your voice. "Is YM going to show a new strategy?"
"Ah?
What is this? "Zoom felt like he had been tricked." Top lane or mid lane? "
Bobby was a little confused at first. Quinn, the hero from S5 to S6, had been used as a mid laner for a period of time, and could use big moves to frequently support the laner.
However, he came back to his senses after thinking about it. If Quinn was mid laner and Vampire was top laner, this lineup would be too strange. It was equivalent to sending Vampire up for Crocodile to kill.
As expected, this Quinn was going to send Jin Gong to the top lane.
Top lane AD station?
[Familiar smell!
Who said YM didn't do anything?]
[I'm going to laugh to death. YM's three cores don't even have control. How can they fight in a team battle?]
[I don't even know how to win with this lineup.]
"How about Clockwork?"
Bobby asked for his mid laner's opinion. "Let's play it safe in the early game. In the mid-game, you can bring Princes and Bull's Head in."
"Okay, no problem." Zhuo Ding readily agreed.
The lineups of both sides were completely confirmed.
Blue YM: top laner Quinn, jungler Troll, mid laner Vampire, bottom laner Policewoman + Hammer Stone.
Red TOP: top laner Crocodile, jungler Princes, mid laner Clockwork, bottom laner Verus + Bull's Head.
In a short while, the game finished loading, and Summoner's Canyon descended!