Chapter 855: Well, that's a long story…

Although the two turning-point team fights were indeed due to their illness, that wasn't the main reason they lost the match. Gao Tianliang cautiously gave his opinion: "I think... the main reason is that their lineup is poor, lacking a bit in engage."

Liang Yan was satisfied with Gao Tianliang's answer.

The reason EDG was reversed in this game was that illness was merely a symptom; the lineup problem was the root cause.

Why does CNB always win so steadily in the qualifiers?

Because when they do picks and bans, they always remember one thing: they need a front line that can withstand damage, and they need strong engage! In this version, these two things are actually one and the same; together they amount to the few hottest heroes in the top/jungle positions: Piggy, Prince, Wine Barrel, Big Tree, Big Bug, Shen, Galio, Crocodile...

EDG's lineup lacks a damage‑soaking front line and also lacks strong engage.

The top laner Nall is a warrior; little Nall is fragile, big Nall can barely tank but requires extremely high crowd‑control resistance, and Mouse is obviously not up to it.

Changzhang's excavator can initiate, but in this version the molten slag jungle knife was nerfed, its cost‑effectiveness is too low, so many people opt for the warrior knife instead—meaning he isn't tanky; a non‑tank initiator only gets one chance to engage, and Changzhang is a coward, usually only daring to go in after a teammate has engaged; if you let him make the first engage, unless he has a perfect opening he'll just be wandering around.

Liang Yan didn't know whether EDG's lineup was chosen by Nofe himself, discussed by the players, or remotely controlled by A Bu behind the scenes; if Nofe picked it, it's understandable, since Nofe has only been with EDG's lot for about a year at most, and there's a language barrier between him and the team, so it's normal he doesn't fully grasp the players' traits; but if the players decided it together or A Bu remotely controlled the choice, then that's a serious problem.

After cooperating for so many years, how could they not understand themselves and the players?

When picking champions, the players' styles—which are actually the playstyles formed by their personalities—are absolutely a factor that must be considered first.

EDG picked a lineup that didn't fit the meta, costing them ten thousand gold, the Baron buff, and two earth drakes, yet they only managed to take down SSG's top lane turret line.

Having a huge advantage yet being unable to teamfight is the consequence of lacking an engage tank.

SSG, despite being ten thousand gold behind, could still pull off a perfect teamfight, the key being their Big Bug. Why is the Big Bug so hot in this patch? Because as the second‑in‑command, it follows up on the initiator with incredible potency—both of its basic abilities are area crowd control, and one of them is the silence that the current meta's core, the Incense Burner Monster, fears most.

Teams that hadn't yet figured out the correct patch direction, after watching today's EDG legendary classic match, should have realized it; if they still haven't, they can only be eliminated. From this angle, they all ought to thank EDG.

As for Scout, who is currently being swarmed by EDG fans on Weibo, the criticism he receives is deserved, but he is not the main reason EDG was reversed.

Online public opinion naturally exploded.

Ten thousand gold, three earth drakes, and a Baron being reversed—this is unprecedented in the history of professional League of Legends matches.

The reaction in the LPL needs no saying; even Western netizens couldn't help but exclaim:

【EDG, how old are you!】

From Season 5 to Season 7, EDG has made Worlds every year, bringing countless joys to people worldwide; this year they're even better, right out of the gate serving up a platter of delicacies—truly a great bunch!

The famous streamer "Heretic Adult" (Europe edition) bluntly said in his own livestream: "I suggest Chinese viewers not curse EDG; if you scold this team into disbanding, what then? Worlds absolutely cannot lack EDG, otherwise who will make up for the fun that global netizens are missing?"

……

Thanks to EDG for the fun, but the group stage continues as usual.

After C Group's two opening matches, the next up are the matches of Groups A and B.

In the third match, SKT steadily took down FNC, securing their second group‑stage point. Worth noting: Faker actually picked Lu Xi An in this game.

Facing FNC's treasure‑of‑a‑newcomer mid laner Caps, scouted from the Turkish region, Faker adopted a bullying‑the‑weak approach, dominating from lane to team fights.

Ultimately, Faker also earned his first MVP of this season's S7 with an impressive KDA and a damage share as high as 32%.

Returning to the lounge, Faker and Kkoma stared at each other, exchanging glances:

Could it be that I/you are a genius at playing Lu Xi An?

This match, however, happened to give a confidence boost to several other teams that were already wavering; originally, when EDG's ten‑thousand‑gold lead was reversed, many teams noticed Lu Xi An's short range and inability to push towers, and couldn't help doubting his strength.

As a result, Faker suddenly showed a trick, giving everyone a reassurance—it wasn't that Lu Xi An lacked strength, but that EDG just didn't know how to play him!

Even the EDG staff, after watching this SKT game, felt that Lu Xi An wasn't the problem; the reversal was just a fluke, and as long as they stay careful to avoid illness next time, they'll still win easily.

Lu Xi An's own strength is absolutely fine; otherwise, how could they have built up that ten‑thousand‑gold advantage plus two earth drakes and a Baron earlier?

Exactly, that's how it is…

Fourth match: RNG vs FW.

LPL fans thought that by winning this game they could turn around the mood that EDG had ruined beyond repair.

But no one expected that RNG would also falter, actually losing to the provincial team!

The already bad mood got worse, and netizens couldn't help but lash out:

【Yesterday the attack lineup was fine, today you come out and pick a little dog for the little dog?】

【Coaching staff, please answer: why give the little dog a big mouth? Skate shoes have a 100% ban rate, Lu Xi An is also blazing hot—obviously this version values early‑game tempo more, so why pick such a heavy late‑game lineup?! If you can't pull it off, go to hell, Fire Fox!】

【I don't get it—why didn't you pick the enemy's Xayah and Rakan when they were both available?!】

【EDG's ten‑thousand‑gold lead got reversed, you lost to the provincial team—no one should laugh at anyone else.】

RNG really can't laugh.

Their lineup is actually fine; the late‑game composition in this patch isn't weak either—this point was already verified by SSG on EDG, and the fact that they collapsed early yet could still recover later is solid proof. Moreover, they've scrimmed many times against VG, and according to their research on VG, VG is likewise practicing a late‑game lineup.

Since they understand everything correctly, why did they lose?

There are many problems, but as RNG's head coach, Fire Fox feels that all issues can be blamed on one cause—underperformance.

More specifically, it's inflated confidence.

Yesterday they beat FNC easily, and the team got a bit carried away; they played too loosely early on, allowing FW's jungler Karsa to reap rewards from several early forays, giving RNG too many chances.

The RNG members returned to the hotel with heads down, and Fire Fox privately talked with Zhu Xiaolong, further confirming this point.

"But there's a problem." Zhu Xiaolong looked at Fire Fox, his eyes filled with confusion and curiosity: "The enemy's Xayah and Rakan are both out there—why didn't you, the Red Side, take them?"

"Well..." Fire Fox gave a wry smile: "That's a long story to tell…"