Chapter 248: Octagon Warrior! A Creepy and Unnoticed Infiltration!

"After the fierce battles of the past few days, our number one seed GEN has successfully fought their way into the winner's bracket! Today's winner will advance to the winner's bracket finals, just one step away from the trophy!"

"This focal point battle will determine which team is the first to step onto the pinnacle of the MSI!"

On the LCK commentary desk, the ever-constant Roaring Emperor finished the warm-up and began introducing the guest commentators beside him: "I am very happy to be commentating today with two renowned top-tier champion players."

"They are the 2020 World Champion, three-time LCK league champion, and the soul of the DK team, ShowMaker Xu Xiu—and the 2021 World Championship winner and Finals FMVP, Scout Li Ruican!"

The live broadcast screen showed two faces that were incredibly familiar to viewers from every region.

Scout was dressed in a crisp suit, appearing slightly reserved and uncomfortable, smiling as he greeted the camera.

ShowMaker, on the other hand, was very natural, making a peace sign at the camera and grinning.

【Damn! Why find a traitor who ran off to the LPL to be a commentator? Is there no one left in our LCK!】

【There's no help for it. Anyone who can come as a guest right now is a passerby who went on vacation early in the Spring Split and has no hope of competing for the Asian Games roster. This is already the most prestigious person you can find among the passersby~~】

【Just a passerby here, how is he a traitor? Who says you can't serve your motherland while abroad? Maybe the junior is just enduring humiliation for a greater cause!】

【True, and besides, DK was trash in S11, who can you blame for that?】

【I heard Scout is caught up in a lawsuit in CN recently. Could it be he took the opportunity to run back home when he got the invitation and doesn't plan on leaving?】

【Support Scout! He's still better than that attention-seeking thing ShowMaker! I think ShowMaker is the one who looks like a mole planted by the LPL here!】

The LCK live chat was suddenly incredibly lively; of course, this was exactly what the LCK officials wanted to see.

After all, these two today really do have quite a bit of "baggage" and "controversy" between them!

The two players themselves don't have any direct conflict; their only intersection was the S11 World Championship finals, where EDG snatched the championship trophy from DK's hands.

Logically speaking, just because Scout snatched that championship, he should definitely be hated by many on the Korean web and even cursed as a "traitor"!

But reality is not quite like that, or rather, not entirely.

It is only because that year's DK first eliminated T1 in the semifinals before losing to EDG in the finals.

————So for all these years, the Korean web has been circulating a sentiment incredibly familiar to LPL viewers: 【DK owes T1 a championship】!

T1 definitely had a "counter" to that year's EDG, and they did indeed step over EDG as the number one seed to advance from the group stage.

At first glance, it really does seem that way!

So after EDG beat DK that year, Scout and Viper were not only not cursed at severely... instead, they were applauded, both openly and covertly, by a crowd of Faker and T1 fans!

Plus, ever since that "Glory" bible quote, ShowMaker has been hyped by the LCK as the next successor to Faker, which had already caused great dissatisfaction among T1 fans.

For this group of people, EDG winning the championship that year was ten or a hundred times better than DK stepping on T1's head and winning consecutive titles!

"Let's take a look at the data comparison between the two players!"

While waiting for the stage to be ready, the Roaring Emperor skillfully conducted the pre-match warm-up.

"First is the bot lane AD data. We can see that Viper still has a clear lead; Deft only leads slightly in damage conversion rate and KDA. Among this, I have to mention that a lot of the KDA is because of that accidental pentakill!"

"Next is the support data. The highlights for both sides are different; Beryl has a huge lead in vision score and gank efficiency, while Lehends reigns supreme in laning kill rate!"

"Then there's the top and jungle. Overall, both sides are still very close."

"And then there's the mid... oh, as expected."

The Roaring Emperor had already drawn out his tone before the mid-lane chart even appeared.

But even though he was mentally prepared, seeing that terrifying radar chart coefficient with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but exclaim.

The more detailed chart categories produced by MSI officials—all eight competition items, all eight sides were almost completely full!

A true octagon warrior!

It was slightly similar to last year's World Championship; it was still only the {CS per minute} column where Chovy won by a narrow margin.

The Roaring Emperor passed the mic to the two guests beside him: "Both of you are top-tier mid-laners and must be very familiar with the two facing off today. So, could you two start from the mid-lane and give us a win-rate prediction for this best-of-five?"

"Should Xiu go first?"

ShowMaker didn't decline when pointed out, resting his chin on his hand in a thoughtful pose: "I think it's a 50-50 split; it mainly depends on how both sides maintain their form."

"As for Ye Bo, he is truly a terrifying opponent. He always has something that surprises everyone, and he seems to have become even stronger this year. I think anyone who encounters him will feel quite a bit of pressure."

"However, Chovy's laning style is incredibly stable. As long as he can respond in his best form, I believe he definitely still has the power to compete!"

ShowMaker is worthy of being known for his high-EQ interviews.

This statement can only be described as watertight, even having a hint of "nonsense culture" to it.

But actually, if you think about it deeply and carefully.

The guest sitting at the commentary desk didn't "favor" his own region and just said it was 50-50; in a sense, that was already making a "true prediction."

There was no help for it.

The memory of last year's World Championship was too painful for ShowMaker, even leading him to make the life realization that "failure always permeates life" after the match.

Four people playing while sick, and that one person standing alone on stage facing the five of them, crushing them with a terrifying Azir performance—that match even directly broke up DK and drove away his old comrade of many years, Canyon!

Seeing that ID right now, ShowMaker truly couldn't say anything insincere; 50-50 was the highest prediction he could make.

The Roaring Emperor could understand the other's thoughts, so he didn't press further and turned his head to the other side.

"What about you, Ruican? There are several of your old teammates on both sides. How do you view this matchup?"

GEN has Viper, plus the top, mid, and bot trio from V5.

They are exactly the teammates Scout had across three generations during his time at EDG.

Scout, expressionless, adjusted his headset and said: "Hmm, 70-30. I favor GEN."

He added an explanation: "The competitive pressure in our LCK league this year is so high, yet GEN was able to advance as the number one seed with an undefeated record; it clearly proves their strength. Moreover, what happened last year shouldn't be used to judge this year; a professional player's form is vastly different every year."

"I personally believe that GEN can win this MSI."

Even the Roaring Emperor didn't expect the other to make such a prediction—after all, theoretically, he should still represent an LPL player.

Not speaking up for his own region and actually praising the LCK region so much?

Sensible!

These words clearly hit the preferences of LCK viewers; the live chat exploded instantly, with everyone spamming things like 【Apology!】, 【Loyalty!】, 【Come home if you miss it!】, and so on.

The Roaring Emperor continued to extend the topic, chatting happily: "Ruican just said something very true; the competitive pressure in the LCK this year is indeed very high. I wonder how the competition feels over in the LPL?"

Scout's expression stiffened when asked about a sore subject.

But he quickly returned to normal, continuing to pretend to be calm as he replied: "It's okay. In the LPL, it's actually just the top two teams fighting, and personally, I have always wanted to play in the LCK..."

A clanging sound interrupted his words.

"The match has started! The first game is V5 on the blue side after winning the coin toss before the match. Let's cheer for GEN together!"

Scout could only awkwardly close his mouth and look at the screen.

Clearly, a large part of the reason he accepted this commentary invitation and ran back to the country to show his face was that he wanted to "job hunt."

He hit walls repeatedly this year; joining LNG was purely a forced move because there was nowhere else to go, and the salary he got was an amount close to what you'd give a beggar!

And just seeing the few IDs on the team, Scout already felt there was no hope this year; he had even started looking forward to next year before summer had even arrived.

He really, really wanted to go home!

The Roaring Emperor didn't notice the change in the person's state of mind at all: "The bans in the first game are quite conventional. There isn't much maneuvering in the first game's BP; both sides are using the latest version understanding."

First round of bans———

V5: Aphelios, Zeri, Lulu

GEN: Akali, Annie, Lee Sin

After several days of analysis by all teams, a similar solution was found for the previously explosive Neeko and Nautilus.

The so-called "within eight steps, there must be an antidote!"

In the search for a way to crack Neeko, everyone suddenly discovered that the Nautilus who also exploded in popularity was the best solution!

The problem with mid-lane Neeko is the lack of damage in the early game and the extreme need for lane priority to exert her "special advantages."

And the strong mid-lane heroes in this version are either utility heroes like Annie, Lissandra, or Ahri, who can push the lane but are also easily found for opportunities, aren't necessarily guaranteed to win 2v2s, and aren't necessarily stronger than Neeko in late-game 5v5 team fights.

Or they are heroes like K'Sante or Galio, who aren't afraid of 2v2s or team fights but can't push the lane.

The special ability of transformation has minimal effect in frontal team fights and can basically only find defensive loopholes during early-game aggression. And mid-lane Nautilus is exactly strong in {lane priority} + {tankiness}!

Neeko can at most push the lane to a 50-50 with Nautilus, but her early damage is far from dangerous to Nautilus, and she doesn't fear him at all in 2v2 confrontations.

So the red side only needs to look at the situation with the last ban to decide whether to ban both or let both go, which can solve this new BP puzzle.

"V5 takes Neeko, and GEN immediately counters by grabbing K'Sante + Nautilus! A double grab!"

"The gap between red and blue in the first game isn't big; there are enough strong heroes, and both sides can get the lineups they need and like."

GEN's coaching staff is still the old captain "Score" from last year's World Championship, along with the Mafa duo.

Therefore, having experienced the failure of last year's World Championship, one can see from the BP focus of the first game just how much they value the mid-lane!

Grabbing Nautilus + K'Sante openly, besides a certain degree of flex.

The most important thing is wanting to restrict the mid-laner!

If there is a change in the last pick of the BP, GEN will still grab Lee Sin + Nautilus or K'Sante; in any case, they want to seal off your hero pool!

This can also be considered a disadvantage of "weird heroes" in global BP, as it is very easy to be "burned out" in this way.

"V5 directly grabs Caitlyn and Renekton; this directly defines the lineup! They still choose to play the early game!"

After the Roaring Emperor finished speaking, he didn't seem optimistic: "Perhaps the previous best-of-five gave them confidence... but to be honest, this is actually very inconsistent with the version trend!"

The Roaring Emperor was not wrong.

But V5 considered more.

The personnel changes in this GEN team are not significant; their league performance this year is more due to the players' individual form fluctuations and a certain degree of growth.

The difference between Viper and Ruler is actually just that one is slightly more inclined to laning, and one is slightly more inclined to balance, but essentially there is no big difference.

So except for Xun, whether it is Ye Bo, Beryl, or even Flandre, they are all very familiar with this GEN's playstyle and power points.

What they are best at is the "Turtle Formation"!

If V5 honestly played the version-trending "double-core jungle-ADC" growth lineup, let alone whether they could win—the point is, they shouldn't fight in the opponent's "comfort zone."

"To avoid the ADC being restricted again in the second round, GEN snatched up Jin Kesi first!"

"Entering the second round, both sides have room for flex picks."

Second round bans————

GEN: Karma, Monkey

V5: Tahm Kench, Braum

Although there isn't much room for maneuvering in the first game of the global ban-pick, the hero pools are broad enough that no matter how they are blocked, both sides can construct the team compositions they prefer.

GEN's bans are meant to protect their own bot lane's laning strength, avoiding the opponent picking a combination that is too strong in lane, while also restricting one jungler.

And V5 also has a deeper meaning————they want to force the opponent to push Nautilus to the bot lane!

Because Jin Kesi has already been picked and all three protective supports have been banned, it is actually very difficult for GEN to pick a sufficiently excellent protective soft support, so Nautilus will likely have to be relegated to the bot lane.

The combination of Nautilus + Jin Kesi is also destined not to have very strong laning attributes.

This way, the V5 side's Caitlyn fast-push composition can have more room to perform.

"GEN picks Vi to coordinate with the double lock-down! This can also quickly help Jin Kesi get started in team fights; the team composition is very reasonable!"

"Then for V5, Sylas!?"

The Roaring Emperor turned his head in confusion and asked: "You two, in my humble opinion, shouldn't Sylas be at a disadvantage against Nautilus and K'Sante?"

Scout nodded without hesitation.

Xu Xiu, however, hesitated slightly, continuing to display the art of language: "This... is still relative, not absolute."

————Translated into Chinese, this sentence means: "It depends on the person."

And he actually really wanted to retort.

Have you all forgotten how many times this person has picked so-called "counter-picks" before, and that "octagonal" data chart from just a moment ago!?

However, Xu Xiu continued to add: "But the intention of this Sylas is very obvious. He can steal both lock-down ultimates, which can also maximize the breakthrough of GEN's defensive line to cut to Jin Kesi. It is a somewhat sacrificial pick, so it really depends on GEN's team fight performance."

The Roaring Emperor gave him face and showed a look of sudden realization.

"However, one more point worth mentioning is, has V5 actually taken Neeko for the support position? This is a bit unexpected..."

V5's final pick is Nidalee, completely strengthening their offensive attributes.

And when it was GEN's turn for the counter-pick, they found there were no good protective supports left to choose from.

The coaching staff, whose ban-pick ability is not top-tier to begin with, finally just followed the rules and picked Ornn for the top lane, which was the most obviously suitable composition.

Both team compositions are confirmed.

《Blue Side: V5 vs Red Side: GEN》

【Top: Renekton vs Ornn】

【Jungle: Nidalee vs Vi】

【Mid: Sylas vs K'Sante】

【ADC: Caitlyn vs Jin Kesi】

【Support: Neeko vs Nautilus】

The match has finished loading, and the commentary desks on both sides still wanted to analyze the compositions as usual...

But they already discovered that V5 had made a move!

"What is that?"

"Ah?????"

"It's like this again."

The three people at the LCK commentary desk showed extremely shocked expressions.

V5's level-one team fight composition is not strong; Caitlyn, Renekton, and Nidalee don't have much use at level one.

Looking at GEN, Jin Kesi and Nautilus are both good at level-one team fights!

If they were to fight a head-on team fight, GEN's chance of winning would definitely be more than just a little bit higher.

Of course, GEN is not a team good at level-one designs; their characteristic is stability————so they just followed the original plan to perform the most conservative defensive positioning, satisfied as long as they were not invaded by the opponent.

The most standard "long snake" formation; if they saw the opponent had thoughts of invading, they would only need to retreat immediately and then gather their forces to defend.

In their view, with this composition gap, why would the opponent dare to come?

But V5's wild imagination has always been hard to predict.

It was at this moment.

Just as everyone on GEN had just taken their positions and was standing by, waiting for the enemy to appear.

In front of the Red side's top tier-one tower.

A slowly moving 【Bushwhack】 trap was emerging in an incredibly bizarre way.

That trap walked slowly along the wall into the enemy defensive tower and continued to walk toward the back until it turned into the depths of the jungle.

And Ornn, who was standing guard in the tri-bush not too far away,

was completely unaware!

Neeko transforming into a 【Bushwhack】 is actually quite "stupid"————because she cannot turn invisible, anyone who sees a Nidalee W trap that inexplicably appears on its own would think of something.

But compared to Shaco's boxes, Caitlyn's traps, or Jhin's E, the Bushwhack has the most unique "specialty" among all {trap-type} skills.

Only Nidalee's Bushwhack is a {neutral unit}.

Therefore, there is no red dot signal warning on the mini-map at this time, and it is even more impossible for anyone to be distracted at the critical moment of standing guard at level one, moving their screen to look under their own defensive tower above!

It can be called "sneaking in without anyone noticing"!

Fortunately, the target was not the top laner.

The positioning in the tri-bush was safe enough, and it was difficult for the main force to approach secretly.

And it was also impossible to directly peek into the bush to see if anyone was standing there.

And just seeing that trap move slowly into the jungle, it returned to its original form, bypassed the jungle at normal movement speed, arrived at the F6 bush, and saw Vi standing guard at the F6 river entrance.

(End of this chapter)