Chapter 267: Dirty Tricks? The Final Cards of the Patch Are All Played!

The members of JDG stood up slowly, their complexions ashen.

The five of them walked toward the backstage in a "2/0/2" formation—the top laner comforting the jungler, the support comforting the AD carry.

Compared to the five members of the opposing team who stood up and huddled together, walking off the stage with their arms around each other's shoulders, the contrast was stark.

The screaming at the Copper Box Arena sounded particularly piercing, making Ruler shake his aching head in irritation.

Meanwhile, in the livestream, Guan Zeyuan forced a smile: "Congratulations to V5 for taking a 2-0 lead in this domestic final. They have successfully reached match point. I can only say their preparation for this final was far too thorough, whether in terms of tactics or the players' execution."

"Just like during the draft, we all thought Diana and Yasuo were the focus of this game, but in reality, Diana and Yasuo were just the most basic part of V5's strategy, not even the main part."

"Especially that last play—the team-wide coordination performance truly proved the charm of this V5 squad once again. Their teamwork was interpreted perfectly!"

Doinb didn't miss any chance to chime in: "Yeah, yeah! It's a pity, it's a pity. I didn't expect the proficiency of Ye's Yasuo, a champion he had never picked before, to be so high! I wonder how long he's been hiding it!"

"And the point is, who knows if V5 has only hidden this one thing? They have been the pioneers of this MSI patch; they had Nautilus and Neeko before. It's hard to say there will only be one Yasuo in the final. Student, don't you think?"

Scout, being called out for no reason, was filled with speechlessness, yet he dared not express it openly.

He could only pinch his nose and nod perfunctorily: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Guan Zeyuan was quite optimistic, following up directly on Scout's words: "But I must also say, I believe JDG must have things they haven't pulled out yet!"

"V5 is very strong, but I believe JDG, who have fought through the entire spring, won't be defeated so easily! This domestic final won't end so easily!"

However, backstage, Homme was not as optimistic as him.

At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh.

Originally, Homme was full of confidence, believing that this JDG had adjusted from the state of internal conflict, mismatched playstyles, and lack of unity in the spring, training this JDG into a Galaxy Battleship that met everyone's expectations.

But now, facts proved that at least in terms of teamwork... it was clear that V5's synergy and improvement were more than a notch above theirs!

Just that final "Team Effort" combo looked simple.

But it required everyone to move simultaneously and execute the exact same, unified thought process!

This proved that the opponent must have had a massive amount of training, and the team atmosphere must have been harmonious to a certain degree, so that they could wholeheartedly trust every command issued by the core at the critical moment to make it possible!

On this point alone, Homme believed only T1, who had been together for a year, could be compared to them—but the problem was that V5, like them, had only been together for half a year!

Thinking about it, if it weren't for the MSI patch being too unsuitable for T1, plus the core members' form being at a career low...

Homme's wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door being pushed open.

Seeing his players walk in dejectedly, he quickly adjusted his mood, changing into a nonchalant smile to welcome them.

"It's okay, it's okay, they mainly had things we didn't expect this game..."

Unfortunately, the same trick works once, but using it continuously in a short time has little effect.

The impact of V5's full-team coordination in that last wave was too strong; that was a gap everyone could clearly feel.

The sense of frustration was particularly intense!

And among them, the mid laner felt it the most.

Knight now wished he could turn into an ostrich and bury his head; it was obvious he had entered "Phase Two," his spirit gone, wanting only to be an invisible person, completely lacking the courage he had to look his opponents in the eye when he first appeared.

Yasuo's extreme plays targeting him several times this game.

Whether it was the near solo-kill at level three during the early laning phase, the stunning coordination of the long-distance rescue, or the terrifying 0. 3-second extreme close-quarters sword-fist clash... all of it was like heavy hammers, smashing down on his mentality!

If there were an attribute panel to see everyone's stats, surely Knight's "Courage" column would have already turned into a negative number.

And once this attribute becomes negative, it certainly won't recover in a short time; at least a few consecutive "power banks" would be needed to return to normal.

Homme, of course, knew this in his heart.

"Don't be discouraged, everyone! Don't we still have our secret weapon that we haven't used!?"

"Maybe they actually only have this one thing? This is Global Draft; as long as we take this game, the advantage will return to our hands!"

Homme tried to make his voice sound full of confidence: "Don't forget, according to our previous setup, there are no heroes left for the mid lane in the third game. Ye will likely only be able to get a major mage, just like when playing against GEN!"

Hearing the "secret weapon" from Homme, the others on JDG didn't have much of a reaction.

The reason was simple.

The reason this so-called secret weapon wasn't used in the first two games, besides the hero always being banned...

More importantly, this thing is a "Dirty Trick."

Since it's a dirty trick, it naturally only makes sense to use it in a desperate situation.

However, Ruler, who was extremely irritable, suddenly had his eyes light up.

The Aphelios he played while facing Yasuo last game made him want to vomit; he felt like he had been in prison the whole game, and finally, there was something to look forward to.

"Of course, I estimate we won't be able to get Sion, so we must make minor adjustments to the draft, especially the mid lane..."

Listening to Homme's subsequent arrangements, Knight's head finally began to lift.

On the other side, the V5 members were watching the post-match replay while reviewing.

It happened to be playing the MVP selection segment.

Yasuo stood stylishly with his sword behind Ye Bo, and the various stats displayed were jaw-dropping, even the chat was instantly filled with question marks!

KDA: 9/0/6

Team Damage Share: 39. %

Gold Difference: 3351

Damage Conversion Rate: 250. %

【Holy crap, there's a god-tier sub here!】

【Not a bro, can Yasuo really deal this much damage share? This is not the same thing as the Yasuo in my memory!】

【Isn't that normal? With this V5 lineup, they're practically killing their own teammates to feed Yasuo gold. The main role of the four teammates is to provide knock-ups for Yasuo; of course the damage is high.】

【Heh, honestly, if you gave me Diana plus this lineup, I could do it too!】

【Did you watch the game? Wasn't it all Yasuo hitting knock-ups for Diana? You're like a Darius with Bloodrage and -500 IQ when you see a dashed line. Do you understand the gold content of the number one death count in LOL history!】

The most valuable of these stats was actually "Deaths: 0."

A few years ago, the officials conducted a fun data review, and among them, Yasuo, with 450 million deaths per year, crushed Teemo, who was in fifth place with a mere 140 million, as well as "suicide" heroes like Karthus and Sion.

Becoming the hero who "dies the most"!

This is actually why, in the stereotypical impression of many players, Yasuo feels like a troll hero; no matter who picks him, it feels like a "feeding Yasuo."

Of course, this is indeed reasonable.

After all, Yasuo's skill kit itself requires him to enter the fray physically with his ultimate, the gap between his floor and ceiling is huge, and besides issues like building crit ADC items, many players who can't resist temptation just can't help it when they see a dashed line...

"Master Ye is too fierce! That butt-wind move had me stunned backstage!" Beichuan was still praising his big brother sincerely.

"Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, why don't you praise me? I also hit people, okay! Master Ye's kills have one-third of my credit!" Xun couldn't help but tease.

"Forget it~ It was clearly Master Ye hitting the knock-ups for you. Your Diana didn't even coordinate a few times, okay? I could do it too!"

The two joked and teased.

But although Xun didn't let the other off on his words, he very delicately noticed the flash of envy in his good brother's eyes.

He took the initiative to lean toward Ye Bo: "Master Ye, hey, God BeryL, what do you think about letting Brother Chuan play the third game? I feel like I was a bit sluggish when I played..."

However, hearing this, Beichuan quickly shook his head: "Hey, no, no, Brother Xun, you try to take them out directly! Just let me go up and tag along when we lift the trophy later; I definitely won't run the wrong way this time!"

Beichuan certainly wanted to play; he dreamed of it.

But he didn't want to make it difficult for his teammates, and he cared more about the team's victory.

But at this moment, Ye Bo showed a thoughtful expression: "Actually, it's doable."

"I reckon the opponent will definitely change tactics in the third game. They won't play mid-jungle confrontation anymore, so they should only play bot-lane confrontation. The playstyle Beichuan practiced is just right."

"What do you think, God BeryL?"

As mentioned before, because the two junglers were always communicating without reservation, their core playstyles had actually converged. The two later deliberately made differentiations; Xun focused on the jungle confrontation he liked and excelled at, while Beichuan focused more on utility junglers that protected lanes.

The first two games were all centered on Kanavi's jungle confrontation, so Xun was clearly more suitable.

And in the third game, according to Ye Bo's conjecture, if the opponent wanted to play mainly to protect side lanes, Beichuan's playstyle would be more suitable—and although this game was a more important final, it was a domestic battle.

Compared to the previous GEN and G2, Beichuan was no stranger to the JDG players; one could even say he was extremely familiar with them!

"You see, you see~"

Because Ye Bo had already stated his thoughts, BeryL was too lazy to discuss it, simply lying down to rest, fully practicing his interview remarks.

Soon, the news of the substitution was announced, making the JDG members feel a glimmer of hope.

And when walking onto the stage, Beichuan was obviously still a bit nervous, but fortunately, the enthusiastic cheers of the audience gave him face, quickly letting his passion and excitement take the upper hand.

"In the match-point game of the domestic battle, V5 has once again used the strategy from the semifinals, choosing to substitute in the third game!"

Guan Zeyuan's voice sounded full of hope again.

"Although Beichuan's performance against G2 in the semifinals was quite good, it definitely couldn't be called flawless. I think this is also an opportunity for JDG!"

"The draft has begun! Will JDG be able to break through the gloom and rise against the trend, or will V5 be able to finish off this final in one go? Let's look forward to the match-point battle of this domestic final!"

The commentators' impassioned speech drew countless echoes from the scene, also reminding everyone again that this was a glorious domestic battle!

All the audience cheered and shouted for both teams at the same time!

Both sides' first round of bans was extremely fast—

JDG: Akali, LeBlanc, Galio

V5: Neeko, Braum, Leona

"Coming to the third game, JDG is still banning three mid laners! But V5 has changed their strategy; this counts as banning three supports!"

"It must be mentioned that many heroes have already been burned in the mid lane earlier."

Looking closely at the "Default Bans" column below, it is not hard to see.

The previous Nautilus jungle, top lane K'Sante, Annie support, Gragas top, Tristana AD—have already burned many mid lane heroes from other positions!

Plus JDG's continued three mid lane bans.

Now, the only ones left wandering outside seem to be major mages like Azir, Aurelion Sol, Orianna, and Ryze.

And when Hong Mi saw that they were actually able to pick Sion, he was instantly overjoyed!

Although he discovered that V5 had banned three supports, clearly intending to target the bottom lane matchup, having almost wiped out most of the hard supports strong in lane.

But such an exchange still did not deviate from JDG's tactical goal!

"JDG instantly locks in Sion! The Sion that 69 has had banned for two games has finally arrived!"

"V5, on the other hand, picks Caitlyn and Kainan; it seems they are indeed prepared to play for the bottom lane tempo this game?"

Kainan is one of the best choices to deal with Sion in the current version; if not picked, it would likely be banned later, so it counts as a standard selection.

And V5 picking Caitlyn also aligns with the intention of the first round of bans, which is to secure lane priority for Caitlyn.

But in fact, there is another layer of deep meaning that the commentary desk did not see.

Hong Mi saw it.

At this moment, the only strong ADCs left outside are Xayah and Lucian.

Neither of these two is considered weak in lane, but their attack range is in the shortest tier, even 25 yards shorter than Vayne—undoubtedly, if they don't have a hard support capable of forced engagement, they will definitely be at a disadvantage against Caitlyn in lane.

The problem is that the long-range ADs have already been burned out; Aphelios and Tristana are both gone, so there aren't many choices left to secure the lane.

They had no choice but to... but this didn't matter at all to JDG!

"JDG picks Xayah and Lee Sin! Can Ruler's Xayah actually be obtained!?" Guan Zeyuan, who didn't see the deep meaning, was slightly surprised.

"V5 has released so many of their opponents' heroes this game; Sion and Xayah, who were banned for two games, have actually both been released!"

"JDG, however, is targeting everywhere, directly taking Lee Sin, which can also be considered as blocking the mid-lane hero pool again, and this Lee Sin should be played by Kanavi!"

What should have been a bottom lane combo pick turned into grabbing Lee Sin first due to Hong Mi's concerns about the mid lane.

And although Left Hand can also play Lee Sin, everyone knows that with the mentality accumulated from the previous two games, JDG really has no reason to pick such a high-risk hero for him.

V5 picks Poppy on the third floor, regaining ground in the jungle matchup.

Entering the second round of bans—

V5: Thresh, Renata Glasc

JDG: Gwen, Morgana

"Hiss, JDG banning Morgana is?"

"V5 directly picks Bard; after all, there are really too many supports already banned, V5 themselves almost used five bans on supports, and Missing can also play Bard!"

"Then for JDG, first it's Taliyah mid and Blitzcrank!?"

"My god, Blitzcrank!? JDG is truly drawing their swords in the match point game; they are actually going to play aggressively against V5!"

From Hong Mi's perspective, V5 is highly likely to take a major magic-damage carry for the mid lane.

Therefore, Taliyah is the change he made in the middle of the draft.

This thing doesn't have much to study in terms of laning; it's basically pushing the lane and roaming, with no laning pressure at all—and the attributes of a utility roaming hero even slightly counter major magic-damage carries that have difficulty making moves in the early game!

But Hong Mi's heart is actually very nervous at this moment.

He is thinking, he has hidden tactics, will the opponent have them too?

As he wished.

V5's fifth pick indeed lit up a hero that exceeded everyone's expectations, which was also something Ye Bo left behind in the third game of the series against GEN.

It is also a magic-damage carry, but it is definitely an "outlier" among magic-damage carries.

It is a very rare magic-damage carry hero that can "make moves" in the early game.

"The ice~ phoenix~ spreads~ its wings~"

A voice as if standing on the peak of the northern lands rang out, and a figure not seen for a long time was instantly locked in, drawing cheers from the entire arena!

"Anivia!?"

Both sides' lineups confirmed—

《Blue Side: JDG vs Red Side: V5》

【Top: Sion vs Kennen】

【Jungle: Lee Sin vs Poppy】

【Mid: Taliyah vs Anivia】

【ADC: Xayah vs Caitlyn】

【Support: Blitzcrank vs Bard】

Just entered the game.

Just as the commentary desk wanted to analyze the lineups of both sides, the sharp-eyed Guan Zeyuan suddenly caught a glimpse of something.

"Look! What is 69 trying to do!?"

(End of chapter)