Chapter 263: V5's Cards? The Death of

"Congratulations to V5 for taking the lead in this civil war; the mid-lane play was truly excellent."

Guan Zeyuan, who was controlling the broadcast, felt down, but he didn't dare show it too much and tried his best to make his tone sound festive.

"Although JDG played all their trump cards in the first game, V5 had a massive advantage with their blue-side draft, and they even managed a reverse-counter in the mid-lane, ultimately taking the first game on the blue side!"

The active Doinb chimed in at the right moment: "Oh my, V5 really seems to have a lot of experience playing against JDG. They are worthy of being the opponent that won an entire spring; they understand JDG's playstyle and power-spike characteristics too well, so targeting them is just second nature!"

"Of course, the most stunning part is still the mid-lane. JDG hid their trump card, but it still got countered by him playing Silas into Cassiopeia—a super reverse-counter! My god, this is the charm of a signature hero!"

【Did Big B have a change of heart today? He's licking their boots like crazy.】

【Ye's character is terrible! Cassiopeia is already miserable without legs, and she only has the left hand; Ye is just bullying a disabled person!】

【You all misunderstood the Prefect! It's actually all the draft's fault! How dare they pick White Snake against V5? Do you know what V5's old nickname was? Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon specializes in beating snake demons!】

【Doesn't matter, I'm just amazed that LCK didn't even force out JDG's trump cards, and V5 definitely has trump cards that weren't forced out either. This feeling is just too good!】

【Damn it, Silas needs a nerf! This hero is just wrong! I suggest that when he steals an ultimate, it should only have the effect but no damage. After all, he can pull off special effects with any hero in his hands; he's already too overpowered!】

【The guy above is definitely a hater of the Prefect. Let me ask you, how is the Prefect supposed to play Silas with your suggestion? Just roleplay as Ding Zhen and spend all day herding sheep and eating grass in Summoner's Rift?】

Guan Zeyuan kept muttering, his tone full of regret: "It's such a pity for Ruler this game. He played so well in the early game and was just a little bit away from taking off and taking over the match, and Jinx is just like that..."

In the current version, Jinx, along with Aphelios and Zeri, are undoubtedly the three major carries.

But the differences between these three major carry heroes are also very obvious.

The essence of Aphelios is a "skill-based AD." His strength lies in throwing a QR from a distance in the late game for terrifying damage—the downside is that he has zero mobility and is the easiest of the three to get blown up, as well as the weakest in the early game.

Zeri's advantage is high mobility; she is relatively the hardest of the three to kill, but at the same time, she has the weakest laning phase.

As for Jinx, besides her relatively strong laning ability, her main advantage is that once she gets going in a team fight, her output and mobility surpass the other two heroes. She is also the strongest major carry AD in a winning position.

In the previous game, JDG originally counted on the mid-laner to gain an advantage and assist the jungler in blowing up the tempo, then letting Ruler's Jinx unleash her full potential in team fights after gaining the lead.

But at this moment, everyone looked at the scarlet "Defeat" on the monitor, all of them silent.

Even when leaving the stage, they all looked preoccupied.

"This game, my problem," as soon as they entered the room, Homme expressed the main point through the translator.

"It was my judgment error. I didn't expect Cassiopeia to be so bad against Silas... This, Left Hand."

Homme affectionately hugged Left Hand, with no anger or annoyance visible on his face, only comfort: "Don't take it to heart. It was indeed a draft issue, my judgment error. My research on the heroes is still not enough."

To be fair.

Although Homme is slightly inferior in terms of extremely deep game content compared to proper former top-tier pro players like Tabe.

But the point that Cassiopeia is good against Silas is definitely correct!

It's just that they didn't expect it.

The matchup they thought was 9-1 in their pre-game predictions and tests, with Silas having the "100% back-turned dodge of petrification" buff, meant Cassiopeia was essentially missing half an ultimate.

Resulting in it being at most a 6-4 split!

And Left Hand's Cassiopeia was a temporary practice specifically for this final. Although he had the foundation and his proficiency wasn't low, it naturally wasn't on the same level as his commonly used heroes.

Facing Ye Bo's Silas, this gap in proficiency and understanding simply couldn't be made up by a 6-4 split!

Homme's comfort had some effect.

Left Hand, who had been keeping his head down like an ostrich, managed to lift it slightly and replied in a low voice: "Mm-hmm."

Seeing this, Homme was immediately overjoyed: "Don't worry, we are on the blue side this game, the hero pool is very generous, you can get whatever you want to play!"

It was still what Homme thought before the match.

Against this V5 team, what he values most is the mid-lane confrontation—because that will directly affect the confrontation in the jungle!

JDG relies heavily on the jungler's tempo.

But to have good jungle tempo, the mid-lane must have lane priority and an advantage.

The last game was a bloody fact; Silas managed to find an opportunity by putting his body on the line during a heavily disadvantaged early-game lane, which allowed him to help the Monkey King collapse the Titan, and that led to everything that followed.

To win today, the state of the mid-lane cannot be lost!

On the other side, Ruler leaned on the sofa, chugging mineral water, his eyes glancing at Left Hand from time to time. His fists, hidden in the sofa cushions, felt like they were tightening, as he forced himself not to explode.

Originally, as a top-tier mercenary, he had always had a great mentality. Anyway, he was just here to work; if he lost, he lost, and he didn't take it to heart at all.

That was how he was when he lost to V5 in the Spring Split.

But this time, even his head had visibly turned a bit red; he looked anxious to death. If he weren't worried about affecting the next few games, he would have already lost his temper.

Kanavi on the other side was the same, also glancing at Left Hand from time to time.

By picking Titan, he was thinking about the overall draft and considered himself to be "sacrificing" himself, but the result was still a collapse in the jungle due to the mid-lane's blunder!

Come to think of it.

The reason these two were so anxious wasn't because the MSI was an international tournament and they cared about regional glory.

It was simply because both of them had received information from "back home" a few days ago after winning 3-0 against Gen. !

Although the date hadn't arrived yet and there was no explicit promise.

But the implication was to let them consider it, as there might be a chance for them to come back and participate in the selection as candidates representing the KR region in the Asian Games.

The temptation of exemption from military service goes without saying.

As players working in an outside region, the two of them were naturally at a disadvantage in competing for spots. If it weren't for the 3-0 victory over Gen. earlier, no one would have even approached them.

And the best way for them to stand out was naturally to win the MSI!

Left Hand had just recovered a bit, but noticing the gazes from both sides out of the corner of his eye, he immediately lowered his head again as a physiological reaction.

Fortunately, Homme stood up in time, clapping his hands to attract everyone's attention and continuing to encourage and comfort them.

"Everyone, don't worry too much about the last game. The opponent winning on the blue side in the first game is not a big deal!"

"Having come this far, I think everyone wants to take revenge and defeat them. Actually, everyone played well last game; there was definitely a chance!"

"This version is so suitable for us, we must prove that JDG is the strongest LPL team this year!"

After the pep talk, seeing that his teammates' expressions had basically returned to normal, Homme quickly made the arrangements for the second game.

When they returned to the stage.

The commentary desk was still discussing their views on the trend of this BO5.

"It can be seen that perhaps because JDG entered the finals with a 3-0, they have quite a lot of preparation," Guan Zeyuan analyzed rationally.

"And in the last game, most of JDG's players' operations were very good; both Titan and Jinx had eye-catching performances, and their form was completely online. Coming to the blue side this game, they still have the advantage!"

"That may be so~" Doinb mentioned smoothly: "But V5 also reached this point with a 3-0. I feel they should also have trump cards; it's just that I don't know how many, or if they will pull them out in this game..."

Guan Zeyuan also nodded; after all, it was a civil war today, and he didn't want to show too much bias to avoid being scolded.

But he turned around and cued Scout.

"What does Junior think? I felt you were very optimistic about JDG in the last game!"

Scout coughed lightly, but in his heart, he was cursing that this guy was so annoying!

He knew that at this moment: if he praised Ye Bo, he would be mocked for a boomerang face-turn; if he praised JDG, he was worried about being slapped in the face again. It was purely a lose-lose situation!

Thinking that he would be scolded anyway, he stuck to his initial statement: "Well, generally speaking, Cassiopeia and Titan are ultimately experimental things. The JDG players' proficiency isn't high, and it was more of a consideration for burning heroes on the red side."

"Coming to the blue side this game, and having burned so many heroes last game, I am still optimistic about JDG."

Guan Zeyuan, having received a satisfactory answer, became happy.

At this time, the draft panel was pulled up. "The second game begins! Both sides have swapped sides this game!"

The biggest disadvantage of the red side is when there are heroes in the version that must be banned, and if released, there is a fatal risk.

Before, when they first entered MSI, it was K'Sante, but in fact, this hero had already been nerfed many rounds, and someone had developed Titan to restrict him, so relatively speaking, it wasn't completely impossible to release.

But now, Neeko undoubtedly took over this position!

And everyone doesn't know enough about this hero yet, the stats are high, and the ultimate mechanism is still in its full state. Even if V5 themselves came to the red side, they would have to put her on the ban list.

JDG: Akali, Lee Sin, Azir

V5: Neeko, Sion, Xayah

"The ideas of both sides have generally not changed, basically fine-tuning, and JDG is still using three bans on the mid-laner, including Lee Sin!"

Due to the extra fixed ban for Neeko, V5 had to vacate a spot.

Considering that the jungle position has the most choices, while the top and AD strong heroes had already been burned quite a bit, they chose to release Vi.

JDG also predictably snatched Vi directly.

"Kanavi's signature is here! V5 chooses Gragas first, and Tristana!"

"Gragas needs no words; here at V5, there is a three-lane or even four-lane flex! And Tristana also has a two-lane flex; I just don't know if it will be Master Ye's Tristana!"

Homme narrowed his eyes.

He couldn't guess the opponent's character selection, but he could guess the general type.

One of the main reasons why this V5 team can repeatedly gain advantages in the draft is that the players' hero pools are deep enough, leading to a deep tactical reserve pool, making it difficult to predict various flex and niche heroes.

And this draft characteristic also requires the opponent to make "assumptions" first—they have to assume what position the hero chosen by the opponent is in before they can arrange the subsequent draft.

"Assume he is top Gragas and mid Tristana, then we will draft normally!"

Homme gave the final decision.

"JDG chooses Ahri and Rakan! Both are JDG's signatures; it's clear they are going to use their specialty heroes this game!"

"These three are all top-tier specialty heroes!"

"V5 directly chooses Alistar, which can be considered a counter to Rakan, but it's not a big problem. Missing's Rakan is definitely trustworthy!"

Entering the second round of the draft.

V5: Kennen, Renekton

JDG: Kindred, Poppy

"V5 picked Diana on the fourth floor?"

"Diana jungle, is there any logic to playing against Vi? It wouldn't be Diana mid, right? It's been a long time since I've seen this hero in the mid-lane!"

"However, could this be the trump card V5 has been hiding!"

Everyone was momentarily bewildered.

But Hong Mi on the opposite side suddenly remembered something.

Diana jungle is actually not an unpopular pick; it was once all the rage in S11 after her passive skill's jungle clearing efficiency was buffed, and her pick rate was far higher than Diana mid.

And during that period, Diana jungle had a "Best Partner" combo.

In fact, it was precisely because of this partner that Diana jungle only stayed popular for a while before quickly disappearing from view again.

————It wasn't a problem with Diana, it was a problem with that partner hero!

Compared to the strong heroes of the 1. + point version, Diana might only be a 0. point hero on her own, but when paired with that partner, she could soar to 1. points!

Yet, that hero isn't something just anyone can pull out in the mid lane during a tournament.

At any rate, this best partner combo had shown great power in the S11 MSI version, and the commentators, having realized it belatedly, quickly remembered.

"Wait! Diana jungle, if I recall correctly, it's paired with Yasuo, right!?"

"JDG has already picked Ahri and can't flex, so even if we guess the opponent wants Yasuo, there's no way to counter it now. Besides, Yasuo also somewhat counters Aphelios; will they give up Aphelios out of fear that the opponent will pick Yasuo?"

What the commentary desk could think of, Hong Mi could naturally think of as well.

Aphelios's pick rate is No. 1 this version; if it weren't for the tactical needs of both sides in the previous game, he wouldn't normally be left for the second game.

Hong Mi had just been wondering what it meant that the opponent didn't ban or pick Aphelios in the second round.

But once Diana was highlighted, Yasuo immediately appeared in his mind!

Only then did Hong Mi realize the brilliance of the opponent's draft.

After pondering for a long while————in the end, JDG still picked Aphelios.

The reasoning is simple.

There isn't a single ADC who isn't afraid of that Wind Wall!

Aphelios is afraid, but if they swapped to other weaker version ADs, how much better would it really be?

It's just that Hong Mi had originally prepared for the top laner to pick a late-game tank to bolster the team composition.

But after thinking it over, considering that if Yasuo were picked, the opponent's "hard engage ability" would be very strong, they needed a reactive choice, so in the end, they picked Gnar.

————Actually, Jax would have been a better choice for this composition, but he would be countered by Gragas, and it was 369's Jax after all.

A faint sound of a flute drifted out.

In V5's fifth slot, they indeed locked in that hero everyone had anticipated!

"Death is like the wind, always by my side!"

Both team compositions are confirmed:

《Blue Side: JDG vs Red Side: V5》

【Top: Gnar vs Gragas】

【Jungle: Vi vs Diana】

【Mid: Ahri vs Yasuo】

【ADC: Aphelios vs Tristana】

【Support: Rakan vs Alistar】

The moment the portrait was locked, a wave of surprised clamor spontaneously erupted from the venue.

This portrait seems to possess "magic"; even though he is a ten-year-old veteran hero, every time he appears on the competitive stage, he always draws cheers from the audience.

Not to mention this time, he appeared on this ID!

"Yasuo! It's really Yasuo! Looking at the flex, it should be mid Yasuo!"

"And this seems to be Master Ye's first Yasuo in his professional career! This is definitely worth looking forward to. Plus, this V5 composition is clearly built entirely around Yasuo! It's all knock-ups!"

"The mid lane is the absolute big carry in this game, the absolute core!"

"They really were hiding something!"

In fact, Ye Bo had already practiced Yasuo back when he was at EDG last year.

It's just that he never had the opportunity or the right version to use him.

And this MSI, a version favoring big-carry ADs, is exactly where this hard-engage combo can show its power.

Of course, facing Ahri, this is also an excellent reactive laning choice.

(End of chapter)