Chapter 228: Superstar Tactics, Secret Weapon vs. Secret Weapon!

"K'Sante with an incredibly absurd and exaggerated play to break the deadlock! Helping V5 directly end the game, seizing the first point in the finals by taking the opening match!"

Miller's excitement had yet to fade: "Although this game didn't have the early-game tempo V5 usually displays, by gradually expanding their advantage through beautiful 5v5 team fights, the power of this special lineup is enough to give their opponents a massive headache!"

The director cut the camera feed from the game screen to the V5 player bench.

On camera, Ye Bo was smiling so broadly he looked like he was blooming; he stood up and draped an arm over Xun's shoulder, as if excitedly discussing his own thoughts on that play.

Wang Duo was incredibly pumped, remarking with feeling: "I can only say, the reason 'Superstar Tactics' exist on the competitive stage is because superstar players can truly use their individual skill to break through a defense and forcibly crack the game open!"

"V5 is, without a doubt, a team that possesses this kind of tactic!"

"JDG seemed to have restricted K'Sante this game, but then again, maybe they didn't. Even if K'Sante didn't have an advantage in the laning phase, his performance in team fights was still incredibly dazzling!"

Guan Zeyuan's tone seemed somewhat resentful: "There's a problem with this hero; even Aphelios can't scratch him, and yet he can still instantly kill an AD carry in the middle of a crowd."

Watching his idol unable to resist with his own eyes, as a commentator, he could only complain about the designers' weakness and incompetence!

The chat was still lively at this moment.

【Designer: K'Sante's move is too cooooool! So we've decided to delete it!】

【Strongly suggest changing K'Sante to a paid hero from now on; you have to top up to play him!】

【The coach still doesn't get it; to beat K'Sante you should pick Nilah! That is a true hard counter!】

【The superstar theory is definitely flawless; anyway, when in doubt, just throw the ball to the superstar!】

【Don't even start, the premise of this theory is that you need a real superstar for it to be useful. If it's some 'four protect one' artificial superstar, then if it doesn't work, it just doesn't work~】

【So the question is, what was our JDG superstar doing this game!? Did he really just finish taking kills and immediately start playing invisible?】

The broadcast feed cut to the commentary desk.

Zhou Ke'er, who had also been slapped in the face, was righteous and stern, still frantically analyzing and interpreting.

"To be honest, the biggest variable in the first game was this surprise move in the bottom lane. You can see that JDG put most of their early-game aggression into the bottom lane, even sacrificing a lot of the jungler, but it didn't yield results because it was a Cho'Gath."

"But we know, the reason a surprise move is a surprise move is that it certainly can't work every single time, right!"

"I predict three to one~~~ Let's just treat this first game as a probe!"

Xiao Cang had long been accustomed to this guy, just analyzing earnestly on her own: "But what we can notice is that JDG really didn't use their most familiar tactics this game, they weren't in their comfort zone, and I don't know if that's because they were on the red side for the first game..."

Wawa, on the other hand, played the master of neutrality: "One thing is one thing, JDG didn't actually make any fatal mistakes this game; Knight even suppressed Master Ye in the early laning phase!"

"Of course, in the end, Master Ye was still a cut above, with a clearly better performance in the team fights!"

"So let's take a short break and look forward to the second game of this final!"

Because of the tenth-anniversary halftime show and the closing ceremony, as well as the on-site activities, the group of ten players in the backstage area had not left.

Most people here supported V5, and they were currently joking around with each other.

"Wow, shouldn't the MVP of this game be K'Sante's? Just that last play alone should go to Master Ye!" Jiejie spoke up, unconvinced.

"True, true," TheShy nodded in strong agreement, clearly extremely interested in such a strange and rare maneuver.

"This, strong!"

Clearlove's tone was almost proud as he teased Uzi next to him: "Deft is pretty good, Uzi, look at him, he played in the same era as us two, and he can still play now~"

Hearing this topic, Uzi's expression seemed somewhat unnatural, and he gave an awkward smile.

Mainly because Clearlove had truly retired... but he himself had been thinking about coming back all year!

It was just that he hadn't told anyone else about this idea yet.

After all, just choosing a team was a difficult problem—strong teams are hard to swap into, and he didn't want to go to weak teams.

By now, Uzi had even made up his mind that he could accept rotation or even being a substitute; anyway, that's how it was last year at BLG.

If he could go to a team like V5 or JDG, that would definitely be the most perfect choice!

And it was obvious that the "tactical weight" of the ADCs on the two teams was different. Uzi had always believed his best hope was Deft; he considered his own playstyle to be "aggressive," which should be a perfect fit for V5!

But Deft's form was just too stable.

This was thanks to his diligence since coming to the LPL, with a training volume second only to Ye Bo in the entire team.

But the point was that not only was his form stable, but his hero pool had no weaknesses, and he could even play things like Cho'Gath that "have no AD soul."

It highlighted a "as long as I can win, I'll do anything" attitude!

Anyway, Uzi felt he really couldn't play something like Cho'Gath.

But if V5 wouldn't work, JDG wouldn't work, BLG wasn't an option, and the following TES and WBG weren't very realistic...

The more Uzi thought about it, the lower his mood sank.

However, at the same time.

There was another person in the backstage area who was also in a very bad mood.

Scout's eyes looked somewhat resentful as he watched the live screen, cursing "Trash!!" in his heart.

Obviously.

If there was anyone among these eight people backstage who hoped JDG would win, it was definitely Scout.

Even though JDG, his initial target during this year's transfer period, had chosen Knight at the time—in a sense, Knight was someone who had stolen his job.

But by comparison, the person Scout "hated" most was definitely Ye Bo!

You have to know that this year he went to LNG, and his annual salary was not even as high as some mid-tier players; it was hard for his mentality not to become somewhat twisted.

Even though the reason for that was entirely because he had insisted on going to the LCK to negotiate, not expecting that the top LPL teams would fill their rosters extremely quickly, and in the end, he could only be picked up by the decent-enough LNG.

Plus a recent frustrating matter: BLG said he violated some contract and wanted to sue him!

Although his agency patted their chests to assure him that it would definitely be fine, and just the court scheduling would take a year or a year and a half.

But in Scout's view now.

That he went from being a World Champion + FMVP less than a year and a half ago to his current situation in such a short time was 100% entirely caused by this Ye!

It is very difficult for people to look for their own problems.

He couldn't admit that it was because of his own slackness and giving up after winning the championship, and even being captured by unknown mid-laners like Teacherma and Cream during the Spring Split, that gave Ye Bo the opportunity...

He would only think.

If it weren't for Ye, could EDG, unable to find a replacement, have let him sit on the bench!

If he hadn't been on the bench, could he have been forced to go to BLG, where he knew the synergy would be poor!?

If it weren't for the fact that after going to BLG he didn't even make it to the World Championship, while EDG without him "was still a champion," providing a comparison, perhaps the LCK side wouldn't have looked down on him, and he wouldn't have been unable to return to the LCK this year, finally forced to come back to eat leftovers!

Anyway, it must all be Ye's fault, ah ah ah!

Scout now only hoped that this JDG galaxy battleship could take revenge for him, and even pinned his hopes on Knight, a former opponent he also somewhat looked down on.

Hoping he could fiercely beat Ye!

JDG backstage.

Kanavi was venting his emotions with extreme dissatisfaction: "I followed the tactics completely this game, right? I didn't greed for jungle camps, right? And it was still useless! It's clear that the opposing bottom lane is also very hard to break through..."

He held back the second half of the sentence.

He actually wanted to say: When our own bottom lane meets V5's bottom lane, they just can't stand up at all!

It's just that ever since that crushing defeat in the regular season, the JDG jungle-ADC duo had essentially made peace, at least on the surface.

"This game was mainly because the Cho'Gath ADC disrupted our plans, and there was also K'Sante," Homme rubbed his brow in distress.

It was obvious that the coach was the one most overwhelmed in the team right now.

Just as the commentary desk could see, this set of tactics was not the system JDG was most proficient in; it was just a system they specifically researched to beat V5.

They didn't have many practice opportunities, and they had just practiced it once in the semifinals, only to be overturned by BLG, who focused on the top half of the map!

Homme believed his idea was correct.

But the result of the match was right there...

Now Homme faced a problem—whether to continue experimenting with the system in this final, or to go back to the system he was familiar with.

"If you ask me, next game we should go back to playing our own stuff!" 369 said righteously, voicing what Kanavi had hidden in his words.

"We're going to MSI soon; even if this system is really useful, our biggest opponent then won't be V5..."

In the last game, besides the jungler, he was the one who felt the most uncomfortable!

You have to know that usually Kanavi lived in the top half of the map, but last game he almost didn't come once!

Kindred was directly subjected to a conjoined twin separation surgery.

Ruler argued his case: "Then what could I do if the opponent picked a Cho'Gath? It's like the top laner picking a Malphite!"

And while everyone was clashing opinions, one word after another.

That "team superstar" Mr. Knight, on whom everyone pinned their hopes, remained slightly huddled in the corner of his gaming chair, as if completely isolated from the world...

Knight didn't really have anything to say either.

Anyway, the coach just told me to keep an eye on the opponent in the early game... and I completely fulfilled the task you arranged for me!

What does the rest have to do with me?

Don't pin responsibilities that have nothing to do with me onto me, okay!

Homme finally noticed Knight, who seemed to have merged with the air: "Knight, if you have any opinions, you must speak them out boldly. If we want to beat V5, we need you to stand up!"

Being called out, Knight finally pulled his focus back from his own world.

"Ah, I have no opinion, I'm fine with anything."

"Then what do you think about what Kanavi just said, is it okay?"

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine."

Knight had just been distracted and only heard the gist of it.

But anyway, no matter what they asked him, he would indeed only answer this.

A man cannot say "I can't," and Knight didn't allow himself to say "anything is fine"—mix the two together, and all that's left is "it's all fine."

The brief halftime break is over.

The players from both sides have returned to the stage.

The commentary desk is still chatting and joking about their pre-match outlooks.

"In the last game, V5's bottom lane pulled out a secret weapon, so I wonder if JDG, now on the blue side, will have a trump card of their own," Miller says, initiating the topic.

"Brother Guan, what do you think?"

Having adjusted back to an "all right" state during the break, Guan Zeyuan says firmly: "I definitely believe they do!"

"JDG hasn't played many playoff games, so their tactics haven't been exposed much. If you're telling me they haven't kept anything up their sleeves, I certainly wouldn't believe it!"

Wang Duoduo responds with a smile: "But if you think along those lines, V5 seems to have played even fewer playoff games; they've only played two."

A sound of clashing metal has already arrived.

"The draft has begun! Let's enter the second game for both sides together!"

"Wait, but is this JDG ban perhaps wanting to leave Akali open again? BLG has already paid the price for them!"

Guan Zeyuan still wants to speak up for the home team.

But as soon as he sees that JDG didn't ban Akali in their first two picks, he is suddenly somewhat panicked!

That terrifying pentakill Akali from the semifinals is still fresh in his memory!

Fortunately, JDG's third pick has already revealed their intent.

First round of bans————

JDG: Sylas, LeBlanc, Galio

V5: Vi, Varus, Rakan

"JDG is clearly signaling they want to snatch Akali! They've directly banned all three lane-dominant heroes that can handle Akali. And V5 didn't choose to ban her either; in the end, they still dismantled the two universal combinations in the bottom lane!"

"JDG has indeed snatched Akali!"

V5's bans on the bottom lane are quite restrictive; Varus and Rakan are universal combinations that can pair with any bottom lane hero, so their options for the bottom lane will be quite limited.

And JDG snatching Akali is a decision Hong Mi made after careful consideration.

There are three reasons.

First, Ye Bo proved in the first game that as long as he is given a hero with a "counter" advantage, he can "suppress" and keep an eye on his opponent—and the good news is that Ye Bo wasn't solo-killed in the first game, so his "state" is still quite good!

Second, Akali's attributes are clearly among the strongest for early-to-mid-game fighting, and they can also use this pick to burn what is an almost fixed ban slot.

Third, it concerns JDG's thoughts on the jungle.

Of course, since V5 is on the red side this game, they possess the counter-pick.

JDG had to use all three bans in the first round on mid-laners to seal off all of Akali's laning disadvantages as much as possible, ensuring the achievement of the first and third points.

"V5 immediately counters by taking Renekton + Nidalee! This is setting the tone for early-game aggression in this match!"

"As everyone knows, Xun's two major signature specialties during his time at IG last year were—the left hand Kindred, the right hand Nidalee!"

Although Nidalee is somewhat rare, Xun is definitely one of the players who has picked her the most, and she is indeed one of his most famous signature heroes.

However, upon seeing this Nidalee.

In the eyes of Hong Mi and Kanavi, there is actually a look of joy.

"JDG has snatched Zeri and Kha'Zix first!?"

"Ah, it's confirmed! Kanavi's Kha'Zix, going against Xun's Nidalee! Does this mean JDG wants the mid-jungle to charge in and blow up the jungle?"

"The burst from the Akali + Kha'Zix mid-jungle duo—could this be JDG's secret weapon? If Nidalee gets caught in the jungle, she'll probably die instantly!"

Kha'Zix is definitely a relatively niche choice, especially in this version's environment.

But Kanavi, who played very stiflingly last game, just wants to blow up the jungle this game!

And without a doubt, Kha'Zix, with his {Isolated} mechanic, is almost a hegemon in 1v1 jungle duels and is one of the few heroes who can fight Nidalee in the jungle!

As for why JDG had to pick Kha'Zix first.

It is because the red side has counter-picks at slots 3, 4, and 5; if they picked the top laner or support first, they would easily be countered across all three lanes.

Anyway, their Zeri isn't prepared to pair with an enchanter support this game, so there is plenty of room for hard-engage supports.

Seeing this unexpected Kha'Zix, the V5 members also show expressions of surprise.

However, Ye Bo seems to be thinking about something.

"V5 grabs Caitlyn on the third pick; both sides have lowered the priority of the bottom lane and chose to pick the AD first!"

Second round of bans———

V5: Renata Glasc, Gnar

JDG: Ashe, Zoe

"Although support Ashe is no longer strong, it is after all the most mature system for the V5 bottom lane duo, so they still respect the ID and put it in the ban slot!"

"JDG is really targeting them this game; they've almost banned all of Mr. Ye's laning heroes, even banning Zoe, a hero not remembered for being easy to play against Akali. It feels like they want to put the ball in the mid-jungle's court! They want to firmly protect Akali's laning advantage!"

"Then should V5 pick their support combination on the fourth pick? They could also snatch an enchanter support for the opponent's Zeri."

"Lee? Lee Sin!?"

"What is Lee Sin!?"

Just as the commentary desk was still guessing who V5 would save the counter-pick for, V5's fourth pick lights up with a bald monk avatar that no one expected.

And in the public's current perception, Nidalee can obviously only jungle; no one would think of going to the top lane to "Nidalee" around.

So this Lee Sin can only be mid or top!

"Mid Renekton or mid Lee Sin..." Guan Zeyuan reveals a look of sudden realization: "These two seem like they can both handle Akali! At least it's not a disadvantage!"

"But the problem is, Mr. Ye has never played these two!"

Hong Mi looks at this selection, his brows knitting together again.

Lee Sin has had top and mid roles for a long time, and even had a period of ultimate dominance, but he is rarely seen in the current version.

The key is, there is no intelligence!

Ye Bo has never used these two heroes in any match—from this perspective, perhaps mid Renekton is more likely.

After all, Lee Sin is a hero that is extremely dependent on proficiency.

By comparison, Renekton can basically be brought out after playing a few games.

"69, take Gragas. If Renekton or Lee Sin can play support, then take Leona as a hard-engage support."

Hong Mi quickly makes minor adjustments to the lineup, targeting the details of the response.

And Beryl, at the fifth-pick counter slot, also examines the lineup and proposes locking in Thresh.

The lineups for both sides are confirmed————

《Blue Side: JDG vs Red Side: V5》

【Top: Gragas vs Renekton】

【Jungle: Kha'Zix vs Nidalee】

【Mid: Akali vs Lee Sin】

【ADC: Zeri vs Caitlyn】

【Support: Leona vs Thresh】

"It's mid Lee Sin! Mr. Ye still has things hidden!"

"His champion pool is just too deep; this really must be a secret weapon!"

Seeing the position swap confirmed, the commentary desk is suddenly shocked and shouts.

Indeed, no one has ever seen Ye Bo pick this hero.

However, this Lee Sin is one that Ye Bo played for an entire regular season as the Dragon King, only completing the "Dragonmancer" skin easter egg at the very last moment.

And picking Lee Sin naturally has its deep meaning.

Besides the pairing of laning and tactical systems—

Lee Sin is also considered one of Kanavi's heroes.

V5 can also use a pick to deny!

You burn my hero, and I won't burn yours?

"The style of the second game between the two sides has changed abruptly; both sides have chosen lineups that look like they are overflowing with bloodlust, completely different from the tangled struggle of the first game!"

"Especially the mid-jungle for both sides, 'Kha'Zix + Akali' vs 'Nidalee + Lee Sin'!"

"These four mechanical monsters—just thinking about it, you can tell what kind of passionate collision will erupt!"

(End of chapter)