Chapter 201: GG

More than an hour later.

Apart from Liang Yan, who had already anticipated this, the match's direction from the start shocked everyone—Snake swept two games, 2–0, pushing SSG to the brink.

Not only did LCK netizens explode, but LPL netizens also went berserk.

In the LPL livestream, the screen was full of comments saying: "Is that it?"

Is that all the Crown has?

Is that all Samsung has?

Is that all LCK has?

Those with strong game-reading skills would notice that, in these two matches, the lineups chosen by both sides, compared to the group stage, had become more extreme.

No hard support.

No tank.

Either they're just tools, or it's all damage!

All squishy!

In the third game, under duress, SSG boldly adjusted its ban/pick strategy—banning no other positions but three AD carries in a row: Caitlyn, Jhin, and Zyra, then locking in Ezreal on the blue side.

It was exactly the same ban/pick strategy they used in the second round of the group stage against RNG.

But this time SSG's tactic worked, easily winning back a game, and the worst part was that Snake's bot‑lane champion pool problem was confirmed by Samsung.

In the fourth game, SSG continued to ban three AD carries and took another game.

In the fifth game, Snake substituted players—Ke Li Si Tuo out, Martin in. This time SSG did not ban three AD carries again, but…

"Oh no, Martin! He's going to be killed in lane by Ruler!"

"It's over, a double kill…"

"Snake's bot lane has completely blown up."

"What's going on? How come changing players still doesn't work?"

"It feels like Martin hasn't played in a while—his mechanics are a bit stiff, and maybe he's too eager to prove himself, so his rush makes mistakes more likely…"

33 minutes.

"We got it!!!"

"Wild fans! Snake's savior!!!"

"But I can't get away either! Bard's ultimate lands and pins Martin and the tank! Can anyone escape?! If no one gets out, this dragon buff was snatched for nothing!!

"It's over, over—no one can get away, we can't hold the dragon……

41 minutes.

"SSG is again at the gates.

"Ruler just finished his six‑item build, and everyone has the dragon buff—this is their strongest wave. Can Snake hold it? If they hold this wave, there's still hope later; actually the lineups aren't far apart in the late game, so if they drag it out Snake still has a chance to turn things around...

"But Snake can't see the An Zhenmen position, Martin's positioning feels a bit dangerous—don't go forward any further, Martin… An Zhenmen engages! He goes in with a flash‑eye‑R spinning kick that knocks Martin down from high ground!"

"Martin melts instantly!

"An Zhenmen is also killed, but he has a Guardian Angel! Everyone on SSG rushes onto high ground!"

"Sheng Qiang Ge suddenly turns and steps on the circle!

"He steps on three people!!!

"Kill Ruler! Kill Ruler!

"Don't run, what are you running for?! Yeah! Focus fire on him! Just focus fire on him! Kill Ruler!

"Not enough damage, not enough damage—teammates are a bit slow to follow; Crown pulls off a reverse Stone Gaze that hits three, only Sheng Qiang Ge dodges the control with his ultimate—but what about the others? Caitlyn, though low on health, has a Bloodthirster; a single net‑shot headshot brings her back to half health, then a second shot crits, instantly restoring her to very healthy—this lifesteal is absurd! Ruler walks and auto‑attacks, outputting insanely; although he sold his boots, the three attack‑speed items—Hurricane, Green Fork, and Cannon—all grant movement speed, so those chasing Snake keep clicking and every shot crits; the pace collapses first, and the wild fans follow in the dust."

"It's over, blown up."

Miller took off his glasses, unable to bear watching, his voice choking with emotion,

"One more wave and it's over."

42 minutes 19 seconds.

Snake's base exploded.

"G! G!!!"

Not far from the LPL commentary desk, on the LCK commentary desk, three LCK commentators excitedly shouted the classic line signaling the end of the match.

"Three‑two! Congratulations, SSG!!

"They made it from 2‑down to 3‑up, advancing to the semifinals!!

"From coach to player, SSG united as one! Starting from game three they surged forward, ultimately sweeping three straight to create a miracle comeback!

The venue roared with cheers.

Liang Yan sat in the dark stands, his calm, unwavering gaze fixed on the Snake players on stage, heads bowed as they shook hands with the victors; a faint light flickered in the depths of his eyes.

At the moment Snake led 2‑0, Liang Yan couldn't help wondering if he had misjudged—perhaps Snake really could beat Samsung.

But when Samsung banned three AD carries again in the fourth game's ban/pick phase, Liang Yan knew that possibility was gone.

Snake had indeed learned a lot from G2, but they weren't G2—without Liang Yan guiding them personally, their system was incomplete, their tactics had holes, the players had major flaws, and the training staff was a makeshift outfit……

Overall, compared to the traditional powerhouse Samsung squad, Snake fell far short—even though a surprise tactic could catch them off guard, once the momentum faded and they failed to beat Samsung in game three, there was basically no chance left; objectively, though, Samsung's coaching staff's insight is truly terrifying.

Of course, this might also be because Samsung had long suspected—and basically confirmed—Ke Li Si Tuo's champion‑pool problem, but they didn't dare go extreme until cornered, when they decided to go all‑in.

Liang Yan, however, had seen it early on and had hinted to Snake, but they seemed not to listen—or perhaps they thought a few practiced champions were enough, so they never drilled harder, leaving the problem unresolved.

Besides that, Snake had many other big and small problems.

Taking everything into account and comparing with Samsung, Liang Yan concluded that Snake couldn't win this best‑of‑five; the quarterfinals were Snake's endpoint.

No matter how others view this result, Liang Yan finds it acceptable.

It looks like the quarterfinals, but with a slightly better draw they'd be at semifinal level; to go one step further would be the finals, and Snake is still quite far from that height.

Can Snake maintain this intensity next year?

Liang Yan's prediction leans toward negative.

After all, each generation's version has its own god; this version being strong does not mean the next version will be strong, and Snake's current strength actually has a large part built on the foundation of excellent version understanding.

Snake lacks a stable, strong team core, lacks a professional and excellent training team, and even lacks stable financial support; under such conditions, wanting to keep the team's strength at the forefront is hardly easy.