Chapter 497: I came, I saw, I conquered (6)

The result of the first skirmish was that both sides exchanged one kill.

But swapping the support for the top laner, VG clearly came out ahead.

Moreover, EDG couldn't take down the tower, and the level‑6 big mouth cleared the wave with a sunfire barrage; EDG had no answer— theoretically they did, since they still had a Mang Seng with flash and ultimate available, and Changzhang could actually try to play and kick the big mouth back.

The problem was that after that 4396 game, Changzhang had completely lost confidence in his Mang Seng play.

You ask him why he had to pick it?

Nonsense, obviously to prevent the enemy from picking it!

The announcement of the first tower's destruction appeared on the public screen, and Changzhang comforted his teammates:

"It's fine, we'll take the small dragon."

Zet, who had no say, silently followed up, and together with Changzhang they took down the small earth dragon.

"This exchange, EDG still lost."

"Trading a small dragon for a first‑blood tower is definitely a loss."

"But there's nothing we can do; VG's bottom lane is a big mouth, and a level‑6 big mouth clearing waves is too slippery—EDG really can't push."

"The good news is Zet got a kill on Thresh."

"Hmm."

The commentators are like that; viewers just need to look at the gold difference, but the commentators have lots to consider— even if the crystal is about to explode, they still have to find something to fill in.

……

"This doesn't feel right—trading like this makes EDG lose too much."

Lao Zhang said in his own livestream. When he first became an assistant coach, he asked Tang Anna, who had likewise transitioned from a pro player to an assistant coach and eventually to head coach, for advice on how to be a good analyst. Tang Anna taught him one method: learn to stand in a neutral position to analyze the match; when reviewing all recordings, do not pre‑set a stance, so that conclusions drawn from data analysis become more objective and accurate.

Therefore, the present Lao Zhang, whether watching replays or livestreams, is more accustomed to analyzing the situation from a neutral standpoint.

"When EDG fights in teamfights, they need the front line to soak damage, because their composition itself lacks strong burst; although VG also doesn't have a very tanky front line, their shield is very strong and can absorb a lot of damage, so for EDG to win a teamfight against VG they must first have the front line hold up, create output space for teammates, at least kill one VG member and trigger Jinx's passive, only then do they have a chance to win the teamfight."

"And Gragas is the only front‑liner in EDG's composition that can soak damage; the problem is EDG seems to want to give up on Gragas, which is wrong. If Gragas falls— although he already has— a poorly developed front line can't withstand VG's double‑speed dash, and even if he didn't fall early and we kept playing like this, by late game VG's composition would still be stronger; EDG is supposed to gain an advantage in the early‑mid game via small‑scale skirmishes in the top/mid jungle, and if they now abandon top lane, that's putting the cart before the horse."

Someone in the chat politely asked:

【Why is VG's lineup stronger in the late game? Clearly EDG has more cores, so shouldn't a multi‑core lineup be stronger in the late game?】

"A four‑protect‑one setup is definitely stronger than an early‑game multi‑core plus a late‑game big core."

Lao Zhang answered the chat's question, but he only gave the conclusion without further explanation.

Because he thought it was common sense.

……

The venue.

The commentators' voices, steady yet with a hint of tension, echoed through the arena.

"Sheng Qiang Ge took down a first‑blood tower and a first‑blood kill, the top‑lane matchup opened a huge gold gap, and A Guang's Gragas can no longer lane against him."

"Yes, so A Guang now roams whenever the wave isn't pushed under the tower, trying to find chances to give his teammates a bigger advantage."

"But VG's vision is excellent, and Marquis's playstyle is rock‑steady, so he won't give any openings—roaming like this is ineffective, pure waste of time."

"A Guang can't help it either—Changzhang isn't going top anymore, it feels like they've decided to abandon top lane; in this situation A Guang utterly dares not to step up to lane, for he'd easily be solo‑killed by Kled, so if he doesn't want to die he can only stay under tower. Rather than afking under tower, he might as well go out for a walk. So I think A Guang's decision is truly fine."

"Hmm, go for a walk, stretch, move the body, right?"

"Besides, look for opportunities—how would you know there aren't any if you don't try?"

No one had asked Mouse for his opinion; after the first tower fell, the team naturally decided to abandon top lane, and of course there was no need to explain it to Mouse—everyone in EDG would naturally proceed to run the game in that direction.

In EDG, top lane is destined to be a thankless, unrewarding role—no matter how aggressive the top laner who comes to EDG, they must learn to endure hardship.

Mouse has also grown accustomed to this playstyle.

Changzhang kept holding the bottom lane, while Mouse went out to roam, holding Zhong Lu; when Kled pushed the wave over, Mouse leisurely returned to top lane and collected the minions under tower.

Scout took advantage of Mouse, yet never gave anything back; whenever there was a chance to roam, Scout's choice was likewise to go down.

Because Scout knows Mouse's carry potential for this match has been neutered—even if he helps, he can't make a decisive impact on this game.

However, even though EDG focused all their attention on the bottom lane, VG's bottom tower remained as steady as Mount Tai; whenever EDG tried to do something bottom lane, that inconspicuous green tree monster would always show up there first.

Ivern coming to the bottom lane wouldn't do anything drastic either; he just wanders in EDG's vision, shows his face, occasionally comes up to help push the lane, giving VG's duo a chance to fast‑push the wave.

The VG duo pushes the lane then immediately retreats to base, giving no opening at all.

This cycle repeats; although EDG has a lane advantage bottom lane, they still have no way to deal with VG's bottom tower.

As for top lane, even the director doesn't like to show top‑lane shots, because whenever the camera switches over it's just the two top laners farming alone, occasionally they meet— and Gragas simply retreats, only coming out when the wave reaches under the second tower. Such scenes aren't worth watching, so the director can only give more screen time to the other lanes.

Time went on, and before anyone noticed the game clock hit 13 minutes.

After much effort, EDG spotted Ivern picking up crabs in the upper river and wanted to seize this rare chance, having Mouse's Gragas teleport to bottom lane to stir things up, hoping to break the stalemate.