Chapter 675

The bus carried a carload of human elites with an average annual salary over a million, driving toward the venue.

"Let you guys play against RNG, you lane against Faker, how's it going? 50-50?"

Fu Lan Duo asked xiaohu like that.

"I'm not afraid of laning against him; it's roughly even."

Xiaohu answered in his distinctive voice, and he was actually talking and laughing,

"I often encounter him in ranked games, okay?"

"So can you beat him?"

"Sometimes I can win, sometimes I lose; I'm not bragging, but judging purely by skill, he's not actually stronger than me. However, he's stronger in other aspects, so overall he's definitely stronger."

Xiaohu was actually honest, neither belittling himself nor underestimating his opponent.

Everyone on the bus listened, and they couldn't help but feel a bit eager for RNG to actually meet SKT, to see whether xiaohu could really lane evenly against Faker.

But unfortunately, RNG's starting lineup did not encounter SKT.

But rather……LZ!

Everyone arrived at the venue; not long after, the staff delivered the LCK starting roster. Wensen received the list, glanced at it, instantly froze, and looked at RNG in shock.

Seeing Wensen's expression, the RNG members knew their opponent was not simple; coach FireFox urgently asked: 'Who is it?'

Wensen took a deep breath, his expression solemn: 'Dragon Pearl.'

Holy shit!!

Awesome!

Damn! I said last night that if we could clash with LCK's First Seed, it'd be awesome, and we actually ran into them!

Even if we're the underdog taking on the stronger team, losing wouldn't shame us, brothers—hahaha~

Huh?

Wensen was stunned on the spot.

Upon learning that their first opponent was LCK's openly strongest team, Dragon Pearl, RNG showed no tension or panic; instead they looked somewhat fired up. This reaction surprised everyone present.

What's the situation?" Ze Ze Tai asked Zhu Xiaolong with a bewildered face, "Are they eager to fight Dragon Pearl? How exciting……

Zhu Xiaolong likewise looked bewildered, then chuckled, looked at Liang Yan and said: 'Not bad; this way, regardless of win or lose, our pressure is somewhat less.'

Liang Yan slowly nodded twice, but his attitude seemed rather vague.

As a veteran, Liang Yan knew that this year's Dragon Pearl was actually just a team in name only, a 'Shockwave'... oh wait, that's not right; the accurate description should be——

LCK's EDG? Civil War Phantom God?

Pretty much like that.

It's even a downgraded version of EDG, because Dragon Pearl is only strong when playing in LCK matches; at the World Championship, they can't even beat teams from their own region.

Liang Yan's impression is deep; in the timeline he experienced, Dragon Pearl met LCK's SSG in the S7 quarterfinals and got swept 3-0! Although SSG's post-bubbles growth played a part, Dragon Pearl's weakness was plain as day.

So Liang Yan neither affirmed nor denied Zhu Xiaolong's words, because deep down he didn't think Dragon Pearl was LCK's strongest force, naturally there was no talk of pressure.

However, speaking again, if LCK's strength hasn't changed much since their practice matches with VG, then VG, no matter who they face, actually carries no pressure for Liang Yan.

RNG began discussing the lineup with everyone; upon hearing that VG had scrimmed against Dragon Pearl a few times, they immediately asked VG's opinion, apparently wanting to let Koro1 go up against the current LCK season's top laner Khan, because they thought Khan is an extremely aggressive player; although Koro1's condition is worrisome, compared to the reputation "strong laner top laner must crush lane" letme, Koro1 would still be more suitable.

Everyone thought this idea feasible and voiced their approval.

But Liang Yan thought it over; although he felt it a bit pitiful for Koro1 to come all the way to Kaohsiung and not play a single match, if Koro1 went up and got crushed by Khan, the situation afterward would likely be even more awkward.

Furthermore, Liang Yan thought letme was more suited for this match; this judgment came from objective analysis and foreknowledge—he knew Khan was actually perfectly countered by letme's playstyle, and interestingly, the later epithet "All Are Equal" for letme was earned precisely on Khan, in the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational final where letme played three Ornn and one Shen, leaving Khan completely helpless; one could even say Khan's decline began after that match.

"Let Yan Junze go up." Liang Yan suggested, looking at Yan Junze, "No matter what Khan picks, I recommend picking Shen to counter him."

Upon saying that, everyone present was greatly surprised, including letme himself.

"Letme playing strong top laner will definitely crush lane……" Tabe thought Liang Yan didn't understand letme, so he whispered a reminder.

"Moreover, he only plays tanks, and tanks are weak this patch." Zhu Xiaolong also added quietly.

Others also chimed in with their opinions.

Letme's reputation in the LPL is actually rather poor, being labeled with things like "RNG's weakness" and "only plays tanks," and among these negative stereotypes, the worst is that although he's usually steady, if the opposing top laner is strong, he becomes utterly timid—maybe he won't be solo killed, but he'll suffer an exaggerated CS gap, sometimes even getting lane killed and having a huge CS disparity.

Although Khan had three disappointing years in the LPL, everyone present was aware, to the point that someone in this room once described him as "that Korean top laner just drifting in the LSPL," but it's undeniable that today's Khan has become a top-tier top laner that everyone must reassess. The title "LCK's number one top laner" was earned by Khan through his own skill in the LCK summer split, not just hype—as for how much of Khan's record is due to the genius jungler Cuzz liking to gank top and help out, that's unknown to outsiders.

In short, letme at this point is not yet the "Let Emperor"; he's merely a trashy top laner who can only stomp weak teams and explodes when facing strong opponents, whereas Khan has been boosted to the LCK's number one top laner height by Cuzz and BDD working together—exactly letme's natural counter.

Liang Yan actually suggested letting letme go up against Khan?

Isn't that just sending someone straight into the line of fire?!