Chapter 775: Hurry home!

Around 15 minutes into the second game, both sides fought fiercely over the Xia Gu Xian Feng, clashing in front of the Dragon Pit on the upper river lane, triggering the first 5v5 teamfight.

At that moment, everyone on both sides had completed their first core item.

The support also had a Censer.

VG initiated the fight; Liang Yan's Prince flashed in with a Grand Entrance, forcing Zet's Mobility Boots flash, then suddenly turned around with an EQ to launch Meiko's Wind Girl from six hundred units away.

Fu Lan Duo coordinated perfectly with him, immediately following up with an Explosive Barrel, blasting the Mobility Boots that could have been snatched away by the support's Spirit Ball into the sky.

Changzhang was shocked, realizing VG's true target was actually to kill Meiko. In panic, he didn't think further, directly performed a Pig Head Rush, using Pig Strike to launch the advancing Lo, then swung his ultimate at the approaching Syndra, aiming to break VG's control chain while preventing VG from bursting someone down.

However, Easyhoon remained calm, dodged Changzhang's ultimate with a flash while closing the distance to Meiko; Syndra, holding Magic Penetration Boots, Luden's Echo, and the Murder Ring, unleashed a Torrent of Energy, directly blasting Meiko's Wind Girl to pieces.

Changzhang felt utterly hopeless.

The Censer monster was instantly killed, EDG's teamfight collapsed rapidly; after another big worm died, they scattered like monkeys whose tree had fallen, fleeing in all directions.

Sima Laozei's Tristana jumped forward, guns blazing, but unfortunately Tristana's W skill consumed too much mana, and her early mana pool was indeed short. Moreover, EDG's members fled in a dispersed manner, not all crowding into one direction, making it harder for VG to pursue.

After killing Scout, Changzhang and iboy had already vanished.

After the teamfight ended, EDG suffered a zero-for-three trade.

Backstage, A Bu leaned back, slumped entirely into the gaming chair, and closed his eyes.

Forget it, let it be destroyed.

Anyway, the S7 spot is already secured—do whatever you want!

……

"Actually, after watching these two games today, there's something I've never figured out."

"On the analyst desk, Guan Zeyuan spoke puzzledly. As the other analysts turned to look, he continued: 'You see, VG picked two lineups based on the Censer system, right? The core is definitely the bottom lane, right? But you haven't noticed that in the early-mid game of these two matches, Jiao Shen never once helped the bottom lane! In the previous game he kept ganking mid; in this game he didn't gank mid either, nor did he help bottom—he just kept pressing Mouse to gank! So I really can't understand: if the Censer system's core is the bottom lane, why does VG keep fighting in the top, mid, and jungle?'"

"Long Hair: 'Exactly, why?'"

"Miller pondered, shaking his head slightly."

"Guan Zeyuan then turned to Shen Chao: 'Professor Shen Chao, you're more professional—could you explain this to us?'"

"Uh..."

"In the expectant gazes of the three analysts, Shen Chao thought for a moment, then likewise shook his head, smiling apologetically and saying: 'I also can't figure it out, and I'm curious too.'"

"Something that even most pro teams couldn't grasp—although Shen Chao is a retired player, how could he possibly see it right away?"

"Because, following normal logic, all tactics of the Censer system should indeed be designed around the bottom lane; even if you don't intend to make the bottom lane super fed, you still need to ensure your support finishes the Censer not too much later than the enemy's—otherwise, any gap of over a minute means losing the River Vanguard."

"Moreover, in both games VG's bottom lane faced an extremely strong early-game Mobility Boots."

"Could it be that VG isn't afraid of the bottom lane collapsing outright?"

"Why not help even once?"

"This really isn't Liang Yan calculating to give EDG a chance by playing loosely, nor is it VG's understanding of the Censer system being completely opposite to other teams'; rather, when facing Mobility Boots, you have to play this way."

"—Facing EDG's Mobility Boots maybe you don't need to do this, but to win against SSG's Mobility Boots you have only one option: abandon the bottom lane."

"VG used the tactic they employ against SSG to fight EDG—it's like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken."

……

"At 18 minutes, Liang Yan summoned the Xia Gu Xian Feng in the bottom lane; four members grouped up and pushed, fighting another skirmish that ended in a one-for-two exchange, still a VG win. They then pushed down two of EDG's bottom lane towers with their numbers advantage, pushed the minion wave onto high ground, and quickly retreated."

"At 20 minutes, the Dragon spawned; VG had already seized the advantageous river position and cleared EDG's vision, placing their own true and false wards at key spots."

"EDG's jungle support came together nervously to ward, spending two flashes as the cost, performing three rounds of warding, but each was quickly cleared by VG."

"The vision of the upper river lane was under VG's control for a full four minutes, and EDG bore an unimaginable huge pressure. When they lost vision in the Dragon Pit for over half a minute while VG had three or more members out of sight for over twenty seconds, EDG finally couldn't hold on."

"\"Damn it, let's fight them!' Meiko shouted through gritted teeth; his originally delicate face was twisted by the heavy pressure into something ferocious."

"\"Let's do it.' Changzhang said in a low voice that even sounded a bit frivolous."

"The two shot-callers in the team agreed; what the others thought no longer mattered, as all five EDG members grouped up and charged into the upper river lane."

"However, VG was not actually stealing the Dragon."

"Just as EDG's members, upon finding the Dragon Pit empty, fell into confusion, VG's three top-side jungle players appeared like ghosts in the bottom lane."

"At that moment, the bottom lane minion wave had naturally pushed to the vicinity of EDG's already-destroyed second tower base; VG's three members cleared the wave extremely fast, estimating that EDG's next bottom lane wave wouldn't reach high ground. This meant VG could directly destroy EDG's bottom lane high-ground tower."

"With the Prince plus two-item Tristana's tower-pushing speed, if unopposed, they could raze EDG's base in under half a minute."

"Meanwhile, at the same time, VG's support Lo and mid-laner Syndra, after pushing the mid lane wave, began moving to clear EDG's rear wards."

"EDG's members suddenly realized, and several domestic players instantly had a string of idioms and classic stratagems from Sun Tzu's Art of War pop into their minds."

"\"Pretending to control vision and steal the Dragon was a feint; stealing the base was VG's true intention! \""

"\"Those who play tricks are too dirty!!! \""

"\"Go home! Hurry home!!! \""

"\"Meiko shouted shrilly. \""

"\"The bottom lane high ground is surely lost, but if we fall back now, at least the gate tower can be saved. \""

"\"What if we split some people to go back while we stay to fight the Dragon……\""

"\"Mouse stammered, but before he could finish, Meiko loudly cut him off: 'What the hell, fighting a Dragon? How are Syndra and Lo supposed to fight here? Hurry back home!!!'\""

"\"Saying this, Meiko himself was the first to press the recall button. \""