Chapter 528: Just enjoy yourselves

Maybe it's because in that VG match Liang Yan pushed the audience's excitement threshold too high, making the hype of the following matches far weaker than the first two; even the live commentators sounded unenthusiastic, and they kept bringing up VG every few sentences.

Well, at the start of the fourth match, the commentators again mentioned the pre‑match support rate for that VG game, praising the audience's keen eyesight, saying this batch of viewers made the most accurate predictions.

Actually, the lack of enthusiasm also relates to the matches not being that intense. The third match was GAM versus TSM, which to keen observers looked like a clash of weaklings.

Although this cockfight was still entertaining to watch.

In the qualifying elimination stage, GAM lost to TSM by a narrow margin, then after beating SUP to secure the last spot in the main event, GAM came out for revenge, using a thirty‑minute chaotic slaughter match to school TSM; the few TSM fans present burst out in angry curses, and the camera caught several of the most excited fans, who looked like they would have rushed onto the stage to duel the TSM players one‑on‑one if security hadn't held them back.

The fourth match was FW versus G2.

Flash Wolves really couldn't handle today's schedule; both opponents were top championship contenders, they lost the first match badly, with their star player Karsa completely crushed. Going into this match against G2, as mainstream predictions suggested, they lost even more embarrassingly, lasting about thirty‑five minutes—longer than the VG match—but the gameplay shows it wasn't that FW fought back or G2 couldn't finish quickly; rather, G2's players were just playing around, seemingly competing to see who could get more kills, so they didn't want to end it fast. To be blunt, FW was treated like a toy.

After this match, the few netizens still supporting FW were utterly disheartened, realizing that even if they managed to qualify, they'd just be making up the numbers.

The fifth match was KT versus GAM, a clean and swift victory, so LCK netizens felt vindicated, boasting on their own forums, not knowing who they were trying to spite:

【Just bullying weak teams, who can't do that?】

【Just beating a weak team, what's there to get excited about? Laughable.】

【Nothing worth watching; I already knew we'd win, I didn't even bother to watch.】

【Hmph, KT played okay this match, but they'd better not lose tomorrow!】

Comments like that are just self‑amusement.

VG's second match was the sixth match, also the day's final match, against TSM.

Everyone had been watching boring one‑sided matches in the lounge for hours, their backsides sore from sitting, when they returned to the stage; Fu Lan Duo finished adjusting her equipment, stretched widely, yawned, and said:

"Guys, can we wrap this up quickly? I want to get off work early."

Gangzi, who had played the previous two matches, shifted in his seat:

"There's a guy hanging on the other side I really hate; I have to crush them!"

Easyhoon asked: "Do you know him?"

Gangzi said: "I don't know him."

Easyhoon asked again: "Have you run into him in ranked?"

Gangzi said: "No."

Easyhoon wondered: "Then why do you dislike him?"

Gangzi gave a hollow chuckle twice: "The race knight, that jungler—no one provokes him, he just spams map‑wide ults, damn idiot. Hey, you should know, this caused quite a stir back then; Riot banned him for a while."

Easyhoon glanced at the IDs of the five opponents in the room, then recognized him: it was the enemy jungler, Svenskeren, who had been banned by Riot before the S4 World Championship over an ID issue.

But the funniest part is, TSM's roster includes three Asian‑looking players.

"Then there's nothing more to say—we have to crush them."

"Let's pick a lineup that makes invading easy!"

"Last year Jiao Shen thoroughly crushed him; let's do it again this year, hahaha."

"What do you think, Long Ge?"

"Just enjoy yourselves."

"Spread the word—coach wants to tank!"

"..."

Here the VG five clenched their fists, while over on the TSM side, several people's expressions were relatively stern, as if facing a formidable foe.

Actually, it's no surprise—among the six participating teams, TSM's strength is at the bottom; they didn't even beat the wildcard GAM in the opener, their chances of advancing are slim, and they surely know this, possibly already feeling they have no shot, but since they bear the hopes of their region's fans, if they were still joking around, showing a careless attitude, the NA audience would definitely not let them off the hook.

So even if it's just for show, TSM must appear to be giving it their all.

Pick‑and‑ban began; this game VG was on the red side, banning after the first round.

Both sides quickly used up their three bans; TSM didn't ban Alistar, VG, having a counter, naturally didn't either, but they banned Jade Emperor, intending not to let the enemy jungler avoid combat.

However, VG originally thought that if the enemy put out Alistar, they'd have to pick it themselves; unexpectedly, TSM's first pick was the male gunner, revealing their intent to force the jungler into a farming role, avoiding direct confrontation with the fearsome "one‑star jungler", but they forgot how FW died.

In VG's view, the Alistar composition is undoubtedly the meta pick; since the enemy didn't take it, VG naturally wouldn't hold back, immediately locking in Alistar and Vi as their first picks.

At once, the North American commentators fell silent.

Meanwhile, the live audience erupted in a huge cheer.

It's obvious that VG intends to run the lock‑down composition that dominated the knockout stage of last year's World Championships.

And Alistar is even stronger than Titan!

Behind the TSM commentator desk, head coach Parth looked as miserable as if he'd swallowed a fly; faced with VG's undisguised lineup intent, Parth could only field a multicore composition, mixing in his understanding of how VG played the Alistar system in the playoffs.

"Male gunner and card?! Isn't that the lineup we used when VG faced WE in the playoffs?"

"Wow, someone's copying our homework!"

"But it doesn't seem quite the same…"

Miller pondered,

"In that VG match, EDG's Alistar was played mid by Scout, while this VG Alistar is clearly going top, since Syndra has already appeared. And furthermore…"

"And TSM probably won't be able to get the crocodile!"

"The blue side is leaving top lane for the second round, which will feel awful and surely draw focus. Plus TSM banned Jesper themselves, which is kind of…"

"No problem, Hauntzer never played Jesper anyway; he didn't pick it in spring either."

"Ah this…"