Chapter 258: Pick me a tougher one

When this match entered the BP phase, all the lights on site turned dark red, and the background music also changed.

The spring playoff theme song of the North America region, the instrumental version of 'youwillremember', combined with the commentators' urgent tone, rendered the tense atmosphere to the extreme; the venue was practically exploding.

Even online viewers, watching through their screens, could feel that passionate excitement, and they themselves were equally fired up.

"G2's second ban is still Syndra, so both sides' first two bans are exactly the same as in the previous game!"

"SKT's first two bans are Leopard Woman + Violet, while G2's are Gunner + Syndra."

"Faker's Syndra... To be honest, I don't have a deep impression of it; I think it was the opening match of Group B in the group stage against C9, we won but I really don't recall any standout performance."

"Never mind whether he had standout performances; ever since then, whenever any team faces SKT they ban Syndra, including the quarterfinals."

"That seems to indicate he performed very well in scrims."

"Then I don't know."

"SKT hesitated a long time on their final ban."

"It feels a bit stuck."

"But since the first two bans didn't change, they should have finished discussing during the break; why would they hesitate so long?"

"Coach Kkoma is discussing with Bang; I don't know what they're talking about."

"Um... should we ban the policewoman?"

"That would indeed be a bit worrying if G2 took the Dragon King policewoman."

"Actually, many people have a misconception about bans: they think the highest priority when banning is to ban something you can't play but the opponent can. That's not the case."

"At least in Liang Yan's understanding of BP, the ban game is very complex, but the most basic logic remains the contest for the first five picks."

"Blue side should make good use of its first-pick advantage, while red side should likewise make good use of its second-pick advantage. Using this as the basis of the game, when blue side bans the first champion, it must consider that the strong champions it lets through cannot exceed two; otherwise it must ensure that the number of strong champions on the field is not less than four to avoid a loss. Meanwhile, red side, when banning, must first take up the ban slot of the strongest champion, and also ensure that the strong champions it lets through are not fewer than two but not more than four; otherwise it's better to ban them all."

"Specifically, in this Bo5 match underway, G2 clearly has the first-pick right, and Perkz's Syndra is played very well, and the Xia Lu policewoman's proficiency is also high, so why does blue side keep ending up with Syndra and policewoman?"

"This is because G2 cannot be sure how SKT will ban as the second side, so they prioritize avoiding letting out too many strong champions that would cause them a loss, and therefore ban it."

"Then why does G2's red side also ban Syndra?"

"Obviously because nobody dares to pick Faker's Syndra."

"Only after ensuring no loss does one consider hiding strategies."

"At this point, the red side's disadvantage becomes apparent."

"Blue side's first two picks lock in only three champions, so they can hide their tactical intent until the final double pick."

"While red side's first two picks are both double picks, leaving only one slot, obviously they cannot hide anything."

"This means the red side will reveal its intentions earlier than the blue side, so the blue side can then use the final double pick to counter."

"For example, in the first game, G2's red side wanted to play a lock‑head system, but SKT guessed it on the second pick and ultimately chose a multi‑core protection system in response; however, Coach Kkoma didn't consider it thoroughly enough, so the counter‑effect was not obvious."

"In short, although the red side has the advantage of picking counter‑lane champions second, in the overall tactical system it is the side being countered; and that is precisely the fundamental reason why everyone prefers to pick the blue side."

"Even now, Liang Yan has not relaxed his suspicion that SKT still has a hidden trump card."

"However, G2 now holds two match points and also has a psychological edge, so taking some risks is acceptable—he is really curious whether SKT has managed to practice a Dragon King policewoman system."

"You want to put out the policewoman?"

"Tang Anna stood behind Liang Yan and asked in surprise."

"Liang Yan hummed."

"Tang Anna felt it was a bit strange and said:"

"You're not a spy sent by someone, deliberately making us lose another game to pad the word count by playing five full games, are you?"

"... Just satisfy my curiosity, okay?"

"Sure."

"Tang Anna actually readily satisfied Liang Yan's request."

"Even without that astonishing kick from the previous game, Tang Anna has always been very clear about who the team's true mainstay is, and that is precisely why she appears here in this match."

"This is also a signal from Ka Lao Si admitting his mistake, meaning he shouldn't have talked back to Liang Yan last game; this game he lets Liang Yan's little fan girl Tang Anna play, and everything will be decided by Liang Yan!"

"At this moment, SKT locked in their final ban."

"Uh..."

"Tang Anna looked at the screen in front of Liang Yan showing Blue Side's final ban, froze for a moment, then a mischievous smile flickered in her eyes,"

"They actively banned the policewoman—what do you say?"

"Liang Yan was rather speechless."

"What else can I say—do you want to put out Ryze?"

"If you think it's possible, I don't mind."

"It's not like you're sitting here playing the match, so of course you don't mind."

"Then let's just ban it."

"Lao Zhang clicked once to select Ryze, sending it into the Red Side's final Small Black Room."

"Immediately after, SKT instantly locked in a Mang Seng."

"This move was within Liang Yan and Tang Anna's expectations."

"Lao Zhang was about to lock in Jesse."

"Tang Anna suddenly said:"

"How about we lock in Fanzi Ma and Jella together?"

"Upon hearing this, Lao Zhang immediately recalled the fear of being dominated by Duke Jesse in the lane last game, and he no longer put on a front, weakly saying:"

"What about Jesse?"

"Tang Anna said calmly:"

"If you have the guts, let him take it; it's fine, Liang Yan will help you."

Liang Yan was speechless:

"You're being generous with other people's money, right?"

Tang Anna said:

"Then you won't help?"

"……"

Liang Yan remained silent, thinking for a moment.

Helping is definitely going to happen, but as Tang Anna said, the opposing side may not dare to pick Jesse again, and this round of SKT picked a Mang Seng.

"Alright, I have no objection."

Liang Yan finally said.

Immediately after, Perkz's voice sounded in everyone's headset:

"Can you give me a stronger pick?"

Liang Yan and Tang Anna both looked at Perkz.

Perkz smiled awkwardly:

"I've never solo-killed Faker yet; I want to see if I can get an achievement."

Liang Yan turned his head and exchanged a glance with Tang Anna.

Tang Anna gestured to Lao Zhang with her eyes.

Liang Yan helplessly pouted.

Tang Anna smiled slightly, looking a little smug.