Chapter 719: Scheme of Sowing Discord

The tree champion had just been reworked, and its return to the stage only happened in the seventh week of the regular season. Although there was some experience dealing with it in practice matches, the vast majority of players had not yet formed an instinctive reaction to the tree's new ultimate. By the time Ning realized he should block the tree roots for the Rookie who had flashed into a wall, it was already too late.

"Both of them were caught by the tree's ultimate in the narrow little path!"

"Jiao Shen turns, uses Arcane Shift to jump in! With a Shadow Step he closes the distance, then uses his ultimate to copy a skill and steps on both of them! Sheng Qiang Ge steps up, lands a Q that instantly kills Rookie, then follows with a Distortion Strike that snares Ning."

"Theshy has already landed and is rushing over here, but Rookie is already down and Ning is about to die!"

"Misfortunes never come singly; on the other side, the Bull Head flashes in with a double‑kick, following behind Theshy, the Western Emperor who wanted to come support also doesn't know whether it's because Rosy's hero proficiency is insufficient or he failed to react in time to unleash his ultimate to dodge, and is directly kicked into the air by the Bull Head's double‑kick."

"The most aggravating thing is Xiao Duan being so cheap; before going up he even bangs the basin twice! It even made Baolan the princess so angry she laughed."

"However, Gangzi's Varus didn't even get near the tower; he just charged a Q against the wall and followed with an E, needing no basic attack, and the two abilities alone took down the Western Emperor."

"Baolan's Lu sees the Bull Head tower‑diving and turning back to lift up; Theshy sees this and turns back as well, but Xiao Duan happens to turn and run, causing Baolan's W to whiff."

"Theshy's Jax activates Counter Strike and rushes over, but seeing the Bull Head's sturdy build and thick frame, he ultimately doesn't flash in to stun, gives chase for two steps then gives up."

"\"Jiao Shen took Ning's head! Both are dead! On the other side, the Western Emperor's Rosy likewise couldn't escape! One side 2v3 got double‑killed, the other side 3v2 also lost one! IG this wave! Collapsed! \""

"\"Moreover, the fight isn't over yet! VG's three members, after killing Rookie and Ning, are now flanking toward the bottom lane! \""

"Theshy and Baolan were hooked by a Bull Head, they reacted and turned to run toward the second tower, but it was already too late; VG's top, mid, and jungle players surged out from the gap in the jungle beside the second tower, cutting off the retreat of IG's top and support."

"\"Theshy and Baolan were driven back under the tower, there are a lot of minions, the cannon cart hasn't died yet, I feel…… we can't get away. \""

"\"It's over, it's over, IG this wave was completely blown apart! \""

"More than ten seconds later, Theshy and Baolan also followed the three brothers to their doom, though in the end Theshy flashed to exchange for the Bull Head that was tanking the tower."

"However, trading away one VG support for IG's losses in this fight is utterly futile."

"\"One for four, oh my god, VG is too brutal! \""

"\"Indeed, they were too harsh; both sides had lineups very similar to the previous game, yet the outcome was completely different—IG collapsed just a few minutes into this game! \""

"\"I don't think Xiao Tian is weak; he's played many matches before, and VG could still keep their winning streak, which already shows this newcomer's level is actually fine. But how to put it? Just like we saw in the Intercontinental Tournament, VG with Jiao Shen and VG without Jiao Shen are two completely different teams! \""

"\"Exactly, VG with Jiao Shen is like Lü Bu having the Red Hare Horse, Liu Bei gaining Zhuge Liang—their combat power undergoes a qualitative leap! \""

"……"

"SKT Ji Di."

"The image on the curtain switched to the team fight replay."

"The splendid, variegated image reflected in Kkoma's eyes as a riot of color, but Kkoma's mood was shrouded in a gloom."

"Damn, still no good, huh……"

"Kkoma let out a soft sigh, stood up, picked up the remote, turned off the live‑stream projection, then turned to look at his own team."

"\"The outcome is decided; the later stages will probably be a one‑sided stomp, nothing much to see. But I have a question for everyone: comparing the first few minutes of these two games, what fundamental difference do you see in the combat style and concrete execution of the two VG lineups? \""

"Everyone looked at each other, none daring to voice an opinion lightly."

"Kkoma didn't rush them, giving everyone ample time to think slowly."

"After a while, Bang hesitantly raised his hand. Kkoma glanced over, lifted his own hand, and Bang slowly began: \"I can't put the details into words, but I feel that when Firrrrrre takes the field, VG becomes more…… cohesive. \""

"Kkoma asked: \"You mean their tactical execution is stronger? \""

"Bang thought it over, then nodded hesitantly: \"Pretty much. \""

"Kkoma then said: \"That's certain, because when Firrrrrre is on the field he is VG's sole commander, and the rest of VG have already formed an instinctive obedience to his orders—we already knew this, no need to repeat. \""

"After saying that, Kkoma's gaze swept from Bang's face to the others: \"Any other ideas? The World Championship is not far off; we now desperately need fresh ideas, whether right or wrong, so feel free to speak up boldly. \""

"Xiao Huasheng raised his hand: \"I think Firrrrrre being on the field won't noticeably change the other VG members' strength, but he will give them more confidence, making them dare to play more aggressively in team fights. \""

"Huni immediately chimed in: \"Yes, during the Intercontinental Tournament I noticed that when Firrrrrre missed the group stage, their top laner looked like just an average player, but when I faced him in the finals he became daring to fight. \""

"Kkoma glanced at Faker, who had been silent all along."

"Faker thought it over and said: \"This phenomenon does indeed exist, but for us it's actually meaningless, because if we ever face VG again they won't be able to field a different jungler, nor will they bring a substitute jungler. I believe the crux of the problem is how we can break VG's virtuous cycle, making their teamwork less flawless—that's what we should be thinking about. \""

"\"Then what do you think we should do? \" Kkoma countered."

"\"We still have to target Firrrrrre. \""

"Faker obviously already had the answer, replying without the slightest hesitation,"

"\"Invade the jungle to catch him dead, lure him into making mistakes in team fights, counter‑gank when he ganks—anything works, as long as we make him seem unreliable, VG's whole team will naturally collapse. I know this will be hard, but I believe this is the only way for us to reliably beat VG, and I even suggest that we devote all our remaining time to researching tactics against Firrrrrre……\""

"Faker's idea, when condensed, is actually just three words:"

"\"Scheme of Sowing Discord. \""