Chapter 572: What Do I Do If I Die?

FIFAHUN ultimately did not allow picking Kui Yin, but instead compromised and swapped in another hero that wasn't so extreme.

My goodness! The lineup both sides picked for this game is simply eye-opening!

It's really weird, both sides' lineups feel somewhat anti-meta, and I never expected Smeb to also play such an unconventional top laner...

The ban/pick phase is over.

At the moment the lineups were revealed, all the casters let out shocked exclamations.

VG, blue side

ban: Kennen, Lulu, Lu Xi An; Jinx, Miss Fortune

top lane: Flandre, Galio

jungle: Firrrrrre, Prince

mid lane: Easyhoon, Karma

bot lane: Smlz, Big Mouth

support: Caveman, Bu Long

coach: Loong

KT, red side

ban: Syndra, Mang Seng, Orianna; Graves, Vi

top lane: Smeb, Card

jungle: Score, Rek'Sai

mid lane: Pawn, Hu li

bot lane: Deft, Ice

support: Mata, Tham

coach: FIFAHUN

Both sides were somewhat surprised by the other's picks.

FIFAHUN had thought VG would have a more frightening lineup, at least one that looked unusual at first glance, but he didn't expect that after grabbing Galio they would just plainly pick Big Mouth + Karma; although Karma eventually ended up in mid lane, it was actually a fairly common composition.

VG's side also found it surprising that KT picked a hero to counter Galio; Liang Yan originally thought that after Lu Xi An was banned, the opponent would at least pick a top laner like Kui Yin to contend with VG, but they just took Card.

Card is of course also an unconventional top laner, but it was within Liang Yan's expectations.

It seems KT probably really didn't expect Lu Xi An to be banned.

VG's lineup indeed looks not particularly special, which is also because against KT's lineup they don't need to use overly harsh tactics; if Miss Fortune weren't banned, in the second rotation VG would give Lissandra to mid/top, then this game they could just mess around early and start pushing from mid-game onward.

However, Miss Fortune was banned, so Prince with Karma + Big Mouth is also fine.

Speaking of which, the opposing side didn't even ban Prince in the second rotation but instead banned Vi; Liang Yan thinks FIFAHUN's understanding is about that level.

As for this Card that obviously goes the AD route...

One can't say it poses no threat, but only that the KT teammate who suggested picking it probably has some misunderstanding.

Even Fu Lan Duo can see that.

At this point, Fu Lan Duo's tone was completely calm: 'It feels like the enemy wants to blow up our crystal in twenty minutes; otherwise picking this lineup is just giving it away.'

Xiao Duan: 'Qiang Ge is getting cocky again.'

Fu Lan Duo: 'No, no, I'm definitely going to be pressured; I'm relying on you.'

Easyhoon was quite doubtful: 'Unless the enemy is ahead by eight thousand at twenty minutes, what will they have later to teamfight against us?'

Liang Yan: 'Maybe someone got cocky.'

Easyhoon: 'Smeb?'

Liang Yan: 'I don't know; maybe Li Xuanjun helped him gain confidence in the previous game.'

Fu Lan Duo: 'Damn, try that so-fed Qingying Shadow yourself.'

Liang Yan: 'I'll take Shen and duel you when we get back.'

Fu Lan Duo: '...... Can it be the same?'

Xiao Duan cheered: 'Congratulations, Qiang Ge! Gee, I'm so jealous—letting Jiao Shen personally give you special training, I'm so jealous my eyes are red!'

Fu Lan Duo: 'Then you come.'

Xiao Duan: 'It's started, it's started, come on, duck bros!'

With a solemn 'Welcome to Summoner's Rift (English version)' ringing out, the game map appeared before everyone's eyes.

Liang Yan bought his starting items and stood before the wall, marking a few positions.

'Don't fight a level-one teamfight; hold your position, don't let them in.'

'Received!'

'How is Liang Yan opening?'

'Provisionally start with red and go for the top lane; see if the enemy makes a move.'

'OK.'

'Ma Ge, come steady.'

'Okay.'

The enemy also had no intention of fighting a level-one teamfight, just placing a ward in the middle of each of the upper and lower rivers and then disappearing.

Summoner's Rift was calm.

Monsters respawned; with the help of his duo, Liang Yan started jungling from the red buff in the lower half, observing the lane conditions in all three paths while clearing.

When he finished clearing F6, the enemy Ice shot an arrow from bottom lane, lighting up VG's entire lower jungle; he happened to see Mang Seng turn and head down, seemingly intending to loop back to kill the Stone Armor Beetle, but possibly coming to gank bottom.

Liang Yan had indeed planned to kill the Stone Armor Beetle, then check for any opportunity bottom lane, and if none, return to base. But at that moment, Liang Yan suddenly noticed that Smeb's Card on top was acting oddly.

This game's Card started with a Doran's Blade, and from level one kept picking fights, frantically looking for chances to poke Fu Lan Duo.

Fu Lan Duo naturally wouldn't just take hits without fighting back; otherwise she couldn't hold this lane, so she used her Q skill to trade with Smeb.

By rights Fu Lan Duo would of course be unable to win; Galio's Q is a long-range skill in the early game, usually kept for clearing the wave, and if the opponent pays even a little attention, it's hard for him to hit both the person and the minions together, but in this game Smeb seems to have gotten worse at playing, actually failing to dodge three consecutive Qs.

Thus the card's HP could barely hold up.

Thus Smeb began to retreat, as if intending to give up the lane.

To be fair, he's pretending pretty convincingly.

But he still couldn't escape Liang Yan's fiery eyes! Although Smeb pretended to try hard with his positioning, in Liang Yan's eyes it was still too fake!

Ding!

Liang Yan raised his hand and pinged the top lane, while canceling his plan to farm Stone Armor Beetles and turning his head to go up — at this moment the vision granted by KT through the Frost E skill had already disappeared — and he spoke in the team voice channel:

"Luxuanjun, hold him off a bit, Renekton is likely coming to gank you."

Fu Lan Duo's heart tightened upon hearing this; she nervously asked: "Are you coming?"

Liang Yan marked the blue buff: "I'll hit level three first."

Fu Lan Duo: "……What should I do if I die?"

Liang Yan: "If you die, I'll kill you."

Xiao Duan: "Pfft——"

Fu Lan Duo had no retort, complaining in her mind, while that nerve in her brain tensed up — joking aside, Fu Lan Duo knew this wave was important, so she also steeled herself, planning to pull off a nice coordination with Liang Yan.

Galio began to accelerate and push the lane.

Half-health card took a potion, walked into the side path toward the Triangular Grass, looking like he was going to ward to avoid being tower-dived.

Then came another ding, Liang Yan's retreat signal pinged onto Galio's forehead, which had already crossed the river's midline.

Then another ding, the second signal pinged onto the grass at the river's entrance.

Fu Lan Duo understood instantly, she used a Q skill followed by a basic attack with its passive to clear the remaining minions, then turned and walked toward the river, as if she too was going to ward.