Chapter 218: Don't let Looper play Jayce

Welcome back!

In the LPL livestream, aside from a few overly optimistic barrage comments, the atmosphere of the entire livestream room turned tense, uneasy, and angry.

80% of the barrage comments were attacking Looper.

The remaining 20% were attacking Xiaohu.

Even Wawa, the commentator who usually projects a hip‑hop image, sounded like he was facing a formidable foe.

"The second game of the final Bo5 of the quarterfinals is about to begin with the ban/pick phase..."

Miller sat beside Wawa, straining his eyes toward the stage, trying to see the RNG players; the area was brightly lit, but it was simply too far away, so Miller could only make out a blurry silhouette—trying to discern the players' expressions was pure fantasy.

Fortunately, the on‑site screen was large enough.

The camera feeds of both teams appeared on the big on‑site screen.

Miller let out a breath; although Uzi looked solemn, his face wasn't flushed.

Unlike the RNG players, the G2 squad still wore relaxed smiles.

They were that confident.

Miller quietly withdrew his gaze and continued Wawa's words:

"I think RNG's first step is to adjust their mindset: don't underestimate the opponent again, don't panic, treat G2 as a team of comparable strength, and play each upcoming game seriously; as long as they stay composed, I don't see RNG losing this Bo5 by much."

"Indeed, this G2 rookie is really impressive; unlike many first‑timers on the world stage, he shows no stage fright and is very bold and aggressive."

"Yes, and in this game RNG is on the red side, which puts them at a disadvantage in the ban/pick phase, but we also have an advantage with a counter‑pick champion; RNG should make good use of that…"

"I think there's just one thing: stop letting Looper play Jayce."

"Right, let him play champions like Poppy or Ekko that have strong anti‑pressure abilities; that way, even if G2 targets him, his self‑preservation is secure, and even if he falls behind, such champions can still contribute in team fights."

"Exactly. Okay, the ban/pick phase for both sides has begun…"

"Wow, G2 banned two supports?!"

"Ryze and Leopard Woman have both been released, so it should be one each; let's see what G2 picks—okay, they took Ryze."

"RNG directly locked in Leopard Woman plus the female sheriff; nice pick‑ban!"

"It's a shame they lack a strong support synergy, and without the Dragon King it's hard to play the bull‑head tank; this female sheriff…"

"No problem, I think—if you dare to let Uzi play the female sheriff, you'd better teach him a lesson!"

Both teams' lineups were quickly set.

G2, blue side

ban: Dragon King, Janna, Karma

top lane: Island, Poppy

jungle: Firrrrrre, Male Gun

mid lane: Perkz, Ryze

ADC: Zven, Ezreal

support: Mithy, Robot

coach: ocelote

RNG, red side

ban: Syndra, Jayce, Rammus,

top lane: Looper, Ekko

jungle: Mlxg, Leopard Woman

mid lane: Xiaohu, Varus

ADC: Uzi, Female Sheriff

support: Mata, Hammer Stone

coach: Fly

"Both lineups are a bit off‑meta, but if you asked me which I prefer, honestly I still favor the left side—G2's lineup—because it looks solid at a glance; although they have a lottery‑type robot, RNG likewise has a Varus that's useless if it can't gain an advantage, turning it into a pure muggle."

"Yeah, I actually thought G2 would snatch Leopard Woman, since they're a team whose jungle is the absolute rhythm core, but it turns out G2 grabbed Ryze instead."

"Why pick that way? I think it's still confidence; he believes his jungle is strong enough to handle Leopard Woman using his personal skill, and I'm also worried that Leopard Woman is a farm‑heavy champion, but the jungler's playstyle is more aggressive."

With a 0‑1 deficit, the LPL commentators could no longer stay optimistic; instead, a sense of gloom spread across the commentary desk, forming a stark contrast to the blind optimism before the first game.

The atmosphere of the barrage comments in the livestream was also quietly changing.

However, at this point most RNG fans still didn't think RNG would lose; they just felt the victory wouldn't come as easily.

During the map loading phase, the venue unexpectedly rang with unified cheers for G2:

"LetsgoG2!"

"Clap clap, clap clap clap"

"LetsgoG2!"

"Clap clap, clap clap clap"

The audience shouted a line, then clapped a few times, like a rap.

In a situation where nobody expected them to win, G2 crushed RNG in a one‑sided game, especially Liang Yan's Male Gun, whose ferocity and confidence displayed in the previous match infected everyone.

The battle began.

Both sides started with a normal opening, but when the first wave of minions was about to spawn, the four RNG players from mid, bottom and jungle grouped up to invade G2's lower jungle.

Fortunately, Zven's Ezreal had saved skill points, and the enemy lacked reliable crowd control, allowing Zven to keep his distance and observe.

Liang Yan in the upper jungle noticed the enemy wasn't planning to swap jungles to start; they just placed a ward and retreated, so he also canceled his plan to start from the enemy's upper jungle and kept a normal opening.

The Poppy + Male Gun combo wanted to catch and kill a mobile Ekko early on, which is extremely difficult; moreover, Looper's top lane had already faced such treatment, so this game he would definitely be more cautious.

So Liang Yan changed his strategy this game, starting by clearing the Magic Swamp Frog and moving downward, preparing to look for opportunities in the lower jungle, then checking the mid lane situation—if AP could secure lane priority, he could go cause trouble for the Leopard Woman.

But there was no chance in the first three levels; even if Xiaohu was timid, Varus is after all an ADC, and before Ryze reaches level 3 and gains his full set of basic skills, trying to push Varus's lane is almost an impossible task; without coordination from lane teammates, the male gunner going alone to invade the female leopard's Ye Qu would hardly gain any advantage.

Liang Yan paid attention to the situation on all three lanes; having no chance to engage, he didn't force himself to look for things to do, but kept his head down and kept farming, while farming he also made detailed commands, controlling the overall situation.

Under Liang Yan's direction, Lao Zhang on the top lane had been playing aggressively from the start; although he was playing Bo Bi, he played like Jayce, from time to time he would toss a little soap at Ekko, and if the little soap landed in a good position, he would even go straight up to engage in a fight.

By trading hits while enduring the concentrated fire of the enemy ranged minions, Lao Zhang would surely be at a loss, but Liang Yan wanted Lao Zhang to create the illusion that even if he would lose, he still had to press down your health; this instead made Looper more cautious, and also gave the RNG team the illusion that the male gunner was about to go top lane to cause trouble.