Chapter 137: The Battle for First Place, Rematch with T1! The Unexpected Fifth Level-7

"Alright, welcome back to the live broadcast of the eighth day of the 2022 World Championship. We are about to begin the final group stage matches!"

"Our LPL region's number one seed, EDG, will also face their final test of the group stage today!"

"I have to say, EDG played beautifully in the first round, defeating the formidable T1 to maintain a perfect 3-0 record. As long as they win one more game, they will basically secure their spot in the knockout stage."

Madison Square Garden was packed and lively.

Everyone wanted to see how Group A, recognized as this year's "Group of Death," would determine its final rankings today.

The moment the countdown on the arena's giant screen hit zero, the lights instantly went out, and the EDG members were greeted by a roar from the crowd as they emerged from the player tunnel!

The first match was EDG vs. G2.

During the pre-match hype segment, the big screen played highlights from the first round of matches between the two teams.

When the "Portal Trick" from Ye Bo's Sylas "solo flight" was replayed, the volume of the theater crowd surged to a new level.

After the first round, viewers of the World Championship had already witnessed the strength of this rookie player.

With bold and imaginative plays, paired with a fierce laning style and strategy, he had successfully captured a massive group of Western fans in just three games!

And G2 was holding back a massive breath of frustration.

For this crucial first match of the second round of the group stage, they decided to pull out their trump cards right from the start!

Experience from the group stage over the past few days proved that in this format of playing three games in a row, the first game for every team is extremely important and heavily impacts morale.

"Seraphine!? It looks like G2 has a secret weapon prepared for this game!"

"Wait a second... Darius!?"

"The first Darius at the S12 World Championship! As expected of G2, they really know how to put on a show!"

The various commentary desks were all extremely shocked by G2's lineup.

Although Ye Bo was also somewhat surprised, his expression remained unchanged.

He had conducted in-depth research on the teams in all the other groups.

Naturally, he had invested twelve times the energy and time into his own opponents.

While it was impossible to fully predict the opponent's draft, he still had plenty of preparations and contingencies.

Take, for example, this seemingly abstract lineup from G2.

Top lane Darius, jungle Graves, mid lane Galio, and bot lane Seraphine + Alistar.

Ye Bo had anticipated that the opponent would prepare for the bot lane, and he had actually considered the Seraphine option!

It wasn't just because Seraphine was a champion G2 frequently used in their domestic league.

It was also because G2 had already exposed a clear gap in their bot lane during the first round; even if they realized the importance of lane priority in the current meta, they would struggle to counter it through champion picks alone due to the skill gap in laning!

Of course, he truly hadn't expected the Darius pick.

After all, throughout the entire S12 summer, there wasn't a single recorded professional match of Darius worldwide, so there was no way to verify it.

This is the charm of the World Championship; every team has their own hidden trump cards.

Don't look at G2 as if they were just 0-3 "experience babies" from the first round who posed no threat.

But there had already been more than one precedent where, if you underestimated or ignored them, you might just end up crashing and burning!

There are no weak teams at the World Championship; even if you have a massive advantage, or even a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five, nothing is certain until the final game is won.

This was what Ye Bo told himself.

That was why he treated every match with equal seriousness, even against the Vietnam team.

And it wasn't just G2 that had tricks up their sleeves.

"Oh my! It's happening!"

"EDG is also putting on a show, Pyke mid!"

"Ye's Pyke mid, it's been a long time since we've seen it. Wait, no, I remember the last time he picked it, it was also against a Galio... it was Scout's Galio!"

The commentator clearly hesitated when saying that last name.

The chat in the livestream reacted like a reflex, immediately beginning to mock those brothers who were already "at the bottom of the sea."

But in reality.

Ye Bo picking Pyke certainly wasn't for the sake of "putting on a show," but for three specific purposes.

First, G2's lineup was indeed suitable for a Pyke pick to counter their roaming.

Second, because in the tactical system he had prepared for today, Pyke was already on the list of potential picks, just not the top priority.

Third, Ye Bo also wanted to test a theory.

Sure enough.

The moment he entered the game, the prompt box that popped up before his eyes confirmed his hypothesis.

【Easter Egg Mission: In this match, use the R ability to kill each of the five opponents once.】

【Mission Reward: "Bloodharbor Ripper" champion mastery (Mission progress 0/5)】

【Note: There is no penalty for failing an Easter Egg mission.】

Regarding the mission triggered when playing against DFM, Ye Bo, whose historical performance wasn't particularly ideal, had later looked up the keyword "1945" from the mission on Baidu to understand the reason.

And combining his experience from the previous few times he triggered missions.

Ye Bo began to form guesses about the conditions for triggering these missions or Easter eggs.

Although he still couldn't figure out what connection there was between tasks like JackeyLove and Pyke, or Scout and Galio... he vaguely suspected that the more "history" or "connection" a matchup had with a team, the more likely it was to trigger these missions.

The mission triggered by Pyke completely confirmed his idea was correct!

The reason was simple — because the team G2 had once used the champion Pyke in the same year's World Championship to play in all five positions: Top, Jungle, Mid, Support, and ADC!

At the time, "one Pyke for five roles" was considered a legendary story in the competitive scene.

And the successful verification of this conclusion meant that Ye Bo might be able to try and trigger them more proactively in the future...

"Pyke dashes forward... oh, what am I seeing?!" the North American commentator said with extreme speed and passion: "Pyke changes direction three times in mid-air to stun all five! G2 is in huge trouble in the shadows!"

"While executing a lethal roaming rhythm in the early game, Ye has once again pulled off an unbelievable engage!!"

"Unbelievable!"

North American viewers who hadn't seen Ye Bo's Pyke felt it was divine; watching those bizarrely smooth combos being executed with such ease, as if they were basic maneuvers.

G2 was definitely a bit unlucky this World Championship.

Not only were they placed in this group of death, but both times they had to face EDG in the first match.

Both times they became the test subjects for EDG's "new tactics."

That's right.

EDG was also experimenting with new tactics in this game.

Once all teams realized the importance of lane priority in the current meta and the criticality of objective teamfight strength, relying solely on picking lane-dominant combinations in the bot lane was clearly no longer enough to secure that priority.

After all, Ye Bo wasn't a support player, so he mainly discussed this information with Meiko.

Once Caitlyn was banned, there wasn't a huge gap in the wave-clearing ability of most other ADCs, and the choices for enchanter supports were limited.

Therefore.

Ye Bo thought back to the "extreme roaming" choice he used most often when he first joined the team.

It's just a pity that Taliyah wasn't very strong in this patch; her early-game skirmishing power was truly too weak, even weaker than Azir, so her pick priority wasn't high.

This Pyke pick could be considered a type of experiment.

Of course, since he already knew the opponent's true strength, EDG didn't reveal too much of their draft design in the first game, making it seem like just another counter-pick that had been used before.

And it was very clear that G2's lineup in this game had once again been "countered" by something.

25 minutes into the game, the outcome on the Rift was already decided.

The five EDG members headed out again, ready to push down the crystal.

However, because Caps seemed determined to "play it safe" this game, he went for a pure tank Galio; even in a massive deficit, he was like a real fortress!

Ye Bo only failed to collect Caps's head, as the opponent narrowly escaped a few times.

He really managed to create a stance of "never being wiped out"!

Ye Bo had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He opened the all-chat.

【Caps! 1v1?】

After a brief pause, the opponent quickly replied.

【OK, top!】

A gold lead of 15, 00 meant a comeback was already impossible.

These G2 players seemed to have triggered a passive skill; with their optimistic mindset, they naturally wouldn't refuse such an invitation.

"What does this mean! Caps and Ye seem to be having a 1v1 solo!"

"All of EDG has stopped pushing the base; they're being very cooperative, haha."

"I don't know who suggested it, but it seems that although Perkz is no longer here, Perkz's spirit remains in the team!"

【This is why everyone loves watching G2 play even when they're slumping; this is what you call playing a game!】

【To be fair, the mentality of these Westerners is actually pretty good. It must be fun to play in a team with this kind of atmosphere, unlike...】

【Is Ye going to get the MVP again this game? Speaking of which, the top 20 ranking gave him only 12th place. I want to laugh; the person who made that list must have a very red nose right now!】

【Master Ye's mechanics are truly a feast for the eyes. When it comes to putting on a show, he has never yielded to anyone!】

【Facts have proven that while signature champions can indeed defy the odds, there are gaps even among signature champions! Same as niche picks, Karthus, Darius, Pyke—the difference in skill is clear at a glance!】

The outside world naturally enjoyed these interesting anecdotes that didn't affect the tournament results.

Of course, there wasn't much suspense in the result.

Galio's inherent clunkiness made him very easy for Pyke to outplay.

Both sides probed frantically, but Pyke's hook was clearly much more accurate than the gale, and after being hit consecutively without any interference, Caps became so anxious he couldn't hold back and initiated the fight first.

But once Galio initiated, Pyke's flexibility was fully unleashed.

With a sidestep to dodge, he turned back and collided face-to-face with the Ghostwater Dive, leaving his opponent dizzy from the display.

After several rounds of back-and-forth, Galio could only helplessly be tortured to death!

Caps shook his head with a smile and typed 【gg】 in the public chat.

Ye Bo also quickly replied with a friendly gg (good game).

His teammates waiting before the base gate struck swiftly, destroying the G2 base.

"Congratulations to EDG! They've secured their fourth victory in the group stage and continue to lead the Group A standings!" commentator Guan Zeyuan grinned with delight.

Jiejie was equally excited: "After defeating G2, EDG's 4-0 record makes them the first team in Group A to qualify; they have successfully carved a bloody path out of the Group of Death!"

"Next, they can shed all pressure, play to their hearts' content in the remaining two matches, and go all out to compete for the top spot in the group!"

4-0 is already a score that locks in qualification.

Ye Bo took off his headset, feeling the swelling enthusiasm of the venue, and waved to the fans off-stage with a bright smile.

He also knew that after winning this match, his side no longer had the pressure of qualifying, and he had successfully taken the first small step since arriving at the World Championship.

But these things were not enough to satisfy Ye Bo.

While everyone on EDG breathed a sigh of relief, they all knew that the next match would be the real hard battle!

The deep voice of the English broadcast commentator came through: "It's a pity, as the second seed from the European region, there is still quite a gap between G2 and the LPL champion!"

"Next, they will face the second seed from the LCK region, T1, in turns! Let us wait and see together! Let's see if they can show off their own style!"

Ye Bo packed up his peripherals and walked back to the backstage with his teammates.

Before waiting for the second match to start, he first collected the rewards from the mission just completed.

But he didn't expect it.

Just as he summoned the prompt box, his vision was covered in golden light!

【Congratulations! "Bloodharbor Ripper" has reached the peak level seven!】

Because the mission objective was perfectly achieved, he directly obtained a level six proficiency Pyke as a reward.

But perhaps because Ye Bo's previous Pyke was already a reward from a Fated Duel, obtaining another identical reward at this time

was like two two-stars merging into a three-star!

The "Hero Compendium" immediately lit up with a fifth golden avatar.

Pyke had also become Ye Bo's fifth level seven hero!

This was an undoubtedly pleasant surprise.

In fact, the hero Ye Bo had been using most comfortably recently was Sylas, and he had always thought that would be his next level seven hero.

It was indeed quite close.

If it weren't for this hero's special settlement mechanism, where the rewards for extreme plays mostly stacked onto other strange heroes, he should have already completed the breakthrough!

Ye Bo was, of course, more than happy about this.

After all, if it weren't for Sylas, the Hero Compendium wouldn't currently have Wukong, Vex, Braum, Renata, Ryze, and many other level five heroes obtained for free!

Feeling satisfied, he turned his head to watch the second match, which had already begun, with his teammates.

He was quite looking forward to seeing if G2 could bring out something new in this match.

To be honest, G2's lineup in the first match was very intriguing and gave him new inspiration.

The selection of Darius looked very bizarre.

But in reality, there was only one goal—absolute fighting ability in the upper half of the map during the early to mid-game!

The only problem with Darius was that he was too clumsy, but his actual stats were quite exaggerated, especially once he triggered Bloodrage; unless you could kill Darius instantly, there was absolutely no chance of winning a 2v2 fight!

G2's concept was very interesting: they wanted to use the two early-game powerhouses, Darius and Graves, combined with Galio in the mid-lane, to play an extreme offensive in the upper half of the map.

Since they couldn't win in the bottom lane, they would just avoid laning!

With the double crowd control of Seraphine and Alistar, they provided a team-fight advantage and certain buff effects, creating an alternative power-spike lineup centered on the top and jungle!

This once again proved that in League of Legends, no hero is useless or incapable.

Every hero possesses a scenario that belongs only to them, a highlight zone that belongs to them.

The only thing that is ever incapable is the person.

G2 did have some issues with individual player skill; for example, the top lane was arrested by Pyke several times, and the drawback of Darius being easily ganked was infinitely magnified.

However, the strategy was absolutely flawless!

Unfortunately, it still left Ye Bo somewhat disappointed.

Because G2, having returned to the stage with no possibility of advancing to the quarterfinals, were all smiles, and their expressions looked much happier than TES.

By the time the draft started, they even let themselves go, with the bottom lane actually picking an entertainment combo of Yasuo and Yone!

Caps even imitated the previous match on the spot, picking a mid-lane Pyke in return.

Even if T1 had originally wanted to play seriously, once they saw the opponent's draft, they naturally began to sheath their blades and fought with a standard approach.

The outcome was naturally without suspense.

"Let us congratulate T1!"

"But G2 is really having fun; this brother combo actually has some merit, they almost killed Gumayusi several times!"

"So, the qualification spots for Group A are now determined; EDG and T1 have respectively locked in their quarterfinal spots, and neither team has any worries about qualifying!"

"Next, let's see who will be the true king of Group A; let us wait and see!"

It was a bit of a pity not to get any useful information.

With only DFM left before the final showdown, it was clear that neither T1 nor EDG would use anything special while playing against them.

Oh, wait.

Actually, Ye Bo had originally thought about using it.

He had a hypothesis—if he used the hero obtained from that mission to play against DFM again, would it be possible to trigger a new mission?

But considering that if his draft expectations went smoothly,

this hero might be the clever trick for today's system, and it would be more effective to use it for the first time when the opponent was unprepared, so he ultimately dismissed the idea.

Wool-gathering can be done another time~

The four matches ended.

DFM and G2 had a competition between "Western food" and "Japanese food," and in the end, it proved that Japanese food was more appetizing.

Finally, the last match arrived, and the atmosphere at the venue became increasingly heated.

Although both sides no longer had the pressure of qualifying, this was actually within everyone's expectations and was a normal situation.

Everyone was looking forward to seeing it.

Whether T1 could recreate the plot from last year's S11 group stage, where they lost one game to EDG and then won two in a row.

Or if EDG could continue to overcome their opponent and break T1's historical record of "eternally qualifying as the first seed in the group stage"!

Without a doubt, this would be the most anticipated duel of the day!

"Let us welcome the players from both sides to the stage!"

The two teams stepped onto the stage for the third time.

The screen slowly dimmed until it faded, showing the interview clips before the second round.

This time, it used clips of the AD players from both sides.

"In the first round, we lost to EDG, but I think the issue with the lineup selection was quite significant," Gumayusi said with a slightly chuunibyou coldness.

"I believe our team's strength is outstanding enough, and I am very happy to have the opportunity for revenge and to take back the top spot in the group stage!"

"In this World Championship, we will definitely restore the glory of T1!"

Following the disappearance of that serious-looking square face.

Immediately appearing next was the expressionless, and clearly much more pleasing to the eye, Viper.

"After winning against T1 in the first round, I heard that our top laner's interview question didn't seem to give an answer that everyone was satisfied with."

"I will relay his true thoughts on behalf of our top laner."

"At least in that match—our mid-laner was stronger than the one on the other side."

"I believe we will become even stronger in the second round."

The venue was instantly ignited by these words.

【Holy crap, that's so explosive! You really dare to say that!】

【Nothing wrong with that, I think. Can't say it? That match, Faker was clearly not as good as Master Ye!】

【My goodness, Viper's Chinese, he's only been here for less than two years and can speak like this? How come some people have been here for seven or eight years and still...】

【Bold! And what does seven or eight years count for? Some people have studied for 22 years and still don't understand!】

【Hehe, I can only say EDG fans, don't get cocky. Wasn't it the same plot last year? The first round was just you letting them win, just wait!】

EDG, come on, charge hard! I can't wait to see the faces of these people!

The Madison Square Garden spotlights turned on, and the stage lighting was instantly maxed out.

The ten players in the seats on both sides had already taken their places, stepping into the recruitment battlefield.

The key matchup to decide the top spot of Group A, begin!

(End of this chapter)