Chapter 312: Throne Flying Thunder God

"This laning phase in the mid lane..."

As soon as the director's camera cut to the mid lane, it saw Chang Wei beating up Laifu.

But to be fair, there really was no other way; no matter who it was, it would be hard to play against an opponent who started 3-0.

The good news is that Viego is not a laning hero after all. Although it's annoying to get poked by the Blade of the Ruined King every now and then, Akali can just survive by using Q to farm and accepting that she will miss some minions.

Come to think of it, Akali's current strength is absolutely at the T1 level.

She shares a different fate than Sylas, who is frequently nerfed.

Also a hero who shone brightly at last year's World Championship, Akali has not only avoided nerfs since then, but has even received numerical buffs once or twice!

Of course, this is mainly because the mid lane has been the home of {utility} and {AP carry} heroes for the first half of the year.

Compared to Sylas, Akali's utility is indeed more singular, and her ceiling is slightly lower.

So, Ye Bo's Akali has been constantly banned, which is partly due to this, though it is mostly due to the intimidation of his ID.

And the only beneficiary of the level-one team fight for LNG, Kindred, trading their life for Rumble's head at the end also had a reason—Rumble had the 【Mark of the Kindred】 hanging over his head!

Kindred is not considered Tarzan's signature champion; in his understanding, the passive skill acts more as a "scare tactic."

So, at the start, just like in the first game, he deliberately marked the top lane to "mislead" the opponent, playing an information war to ensure his own jungle remained smooth.

He just didn't expect to hit the mark by accident.

They actually managed to snag Rumble's head in the level-one team fight!

This seemed like great news for Kindred.

But in the eyes of Xun, who understands Kindred better, that might not be the case!

It could even be called bad news.

Because if the game developed normally, the first skirmish for the jungle should have happened while fighting for the Scuttle Crab mark—because Ivern needs to "plant his passive," he actually cannot contest Smite and cannot steal the Scuttle Crab!

And anyone who understands Kindred's mechanics knows that once Kindred gets a mark before 3 minutes, and if either the Raptors or Gromp are alive at 3: 0, it will definitely spawn on one of those two camps.

Xun's Kindred once used this trick to gain insight into Wei's pathing.

Now the positions are swapped.

Xun naturally has a corresponding operational strategy.

The result of the level-one team fight was undoubtedly very bad news for LNG—after all, the most critical first step for this lineup is to use their composition advantage to seize {offensive rights in the bottom half of the map}, and then quickly build momentum around Draven.

But the start was unfavorable, and Ivern even used the momentum from the level-one fight to steal Kindred's red-side Raptors, forcing Kindred to be unable to invade the bottom lane early on.

Then, Kindred arrived at the top river early, wanting to gamble on "luck" to see where their first mark would spawn.

Only to be stunned to find that the mark had already spawned at the opponent's Raptors!

This was Xun deliberately leaving his own Raptors, using the gold from the level-one team fight assists to go home and buy a Control Ward, and placing it directly in the bush at the entrance to his Raptors to "lock the mark"!

Viego started 3-0, so Akali would inevitably have to take a beating early on; even if Tarzan believed his mid-jungle duo's combat power was far stronger than the opponent's, he wouldn't dare to invade the jungle in the short term.

But when Tarzan walked into his blue buff area, he found that the Gromp had also fallen victim to the opponent at some point.

He immediately began to enter "dizzy and confused" mode.

"Kindred is just running around catching people, wasting time~" Oner's expression showed he had studied this V5 lineup quite a bit.

"It'll be fine once they reach their level six power spike. Doesn't this lineup of theirs have a very fierce synergy?"

Gumayusi then asked with great interest: "Do you think V5 has a way to break it... Guess, is it the same as what we're thinking?"

"I guess, there definitely is one, but it's definitely not the same as what we're thinking!" Keria said with a face full of confidence.

The members of LNG in the game couldn't hear the discussion.

But they were certainly very clear that the most important thing for this lineup was to "start a fight"—only by fighting and winning fights could Draven and Kindred have a chance to pick up key kills.

And this lineup has another very comfortable power spike.

The first Dragon fight!

The key factor in this is Sion.

At level six, Sion possesses "global support" capabilities that almost no mainstream top laner has; once a team fight breaks out, he can quickly rush from the top lane to the Dragon pit to participate.

Once the opposing top laner uses Teleport to join the fight, Sion will have a key Teleport advantage during the eight-minute Rift Herald fight.

At that time, Sion can swap lanes with the bottom lane two minutes early, forcing the opponent to face a forced choice during the eight-minute Herald fight!

This trick is also a tactic V5 has used before.

And at the time, including the commentary desk and many post-game analyses, it was stated that this play was "almost unsolvable."

The only conditions that need to be met are: a team composition that is fierce in early-game fighting, plus Sion, and keeping the top lane from fighting as much as possible to save Teleport—these three conditions allow it to be implemented.

But in fact... it was obviously impossible for it to be truly unsolvable.

"Kindred completely ignored the mark at the opponent's Raptors, and Ivern seems to be just peacefully cycling through his jungle advantage, not in a hurry to expand his lead..."

"Eh? Did it just start?"

"Ivern seems to want to rely on the mid lane's lane priority to actively invade Kindred's blue buff area!"

Seeing Viego disappear after pushing the wave, Kindred was also a bit vigilant, their steps into the blue buff area slightly slow and cautious.

Sure enough, they saw Ivern's figure at the Gromp around the corner!

Unfortunately, Ivern didn't pay him any mind at all.

Ivern raised both hands to hypnotize and stroke the Gromp; after 3 seconds, he planted a wreath of flowers around it, and then Smite fell to send it back to the forest.

It was a straight-up "daylight robbery"!

There are two reasons for choosing Ivern.

First, naturally, is counter-jungling!

When it comes to counter-jungling, if Ivern says he's second, no one dares to say they're first!

As long as he holds Smite, Ivern can instantly kill jungle monsters at full health; it can be said to be a form of counter-jungling that is impossible to defend against.

But this time, Tarzan didn't want to, and couldn't, swallow this insult: "Can you come and fight!? We should be able to win a 3v3!"

"Coming!" Breathe in the top lane immediately retreated to rush over.

Although the opponent has a very fed Viego, Kindred also holds two kills.

Mainly, no matter how you look at it—Ivern is a "useless person" when it comes to fighting!

Plus, Sion can sacrifice himself and turn into wax when necessary; the 3v3 confrontation in the jungle looks like an advantage for LNG no matter how you look at it.

Scout didn't care about missing minions either, quickly clearing the wave and rushing over from the shortcut in the jungle.

And strangely... Ivern knew the three of them were on their way, but he didn't move back, as if he didn't fear death.

"V5's mid-jungle positioning isn't great! Looking at this position, it might be that Sion is going to flank!"

"Kindred initiates with QE to slow and keep them there!"

Ivern, who was slowed by the mark, didn't turn around to use Q to keep Kindred in place.

Instead, he aimed at Sion, who was rushing from the top lane, and threw his Q skill 【Rootcaller】!

Three ropes of grass and wood appeared.

Rumble, Ivern, and Viego, who were chasing from behind, all rode the ropes and flew directly into Sion's face, then laid down a 【Brushmaker】 patch at their feet!

But the members of LNG, seeing this scene, were not panicked at all; instead, they all showed joy.

V5 looked like they wanted to use Sion to escape, but because Ivern didn't fire from a long distance to ensure the hit rate of his Q skill, they didn't actually create much distance.

Kindred and Akali were there in two steps, and had even already attached Shuriken Flip to close the distance quickly!

As for focusing fire on Sion, there was obviously even less need to worry.

The time it would take for these three to kill Sion would definitely be slower than the speed at which they could counter-focus the opponent.

"Is V5 trying to kill Sion first? But these three killing Sion is just too..."

"!?"

"This is too fast!!!"

"Whose damage is it!?"

Everyone was just about to question the decision to focus fire on Sion.

But they immediately discovered that Sion's health was dropping at an absurd speed!

Even though the opponent only had two combatants, that thick health bar looked like it was made of paper, plummeting at an incomprehensible speed!

"Is it Viego!?"

Viego's Q skill 【Blade of the Ruined King】 passive: {After the skill hits a target, the basic attack will perform a "double strike" on the target and add percentage health damage.

Just look, Viego is currently in the "brush."

The king's blade in his hand is stabbing at extreme speed!

The scene is extremely unscientific, as if he had activated Bloodlust and was performing an infinite "dual-wielding" style!

Every basic attack is a double-blade strike, and all of them carry percentage damage!

Akali's "infinite Q" earlier had already left everyone dumbfounded; it was only thanks to the director reminding them in their headsets that the commentary desk was able to explain it.

But now, an even more absurd scene appeared!

This has already exceeded everyone's cognition.

"Is it Viego's mechanics again!? Sion has already fallen quickly under Viego's output!"

"Terrifying stationary output capability!"

"Akali retreated after finishing her combo under the cover of the shroud, and Kindred could only Q over the wall to pull away; no one expected this 3v3 jungle skirmish to end like this!"

"Is V5's mid-jungle combat power this strong!?"

Everyone was completely baffled.

And clearly, the only "suspicious point" could only be on Ivern's W brush!

Everyone had clearly underestimated the "Viego + Ivern" combination.

This is also the second reason for choosing Ivern.

The two have a very bizarre "synergy" in the current version.

The passive effect of Ivern's reworked W 【Brushmaker】: {Allied heroes who enter the brush have their basic attacks continuously apply bonus magic damage on-hit, which persists for 3 seconds after leaving the brush.

This is the most critical change in Ivern's rework, greatly enhancing his support capability.

It is equivalent to carrying an Ardent Censer.

As for why "Infinite Twin Blades" is possible—it is because the on-hit effect applied to allies by Ivern's W is treated as "damage originating from the ally's own abilities."

Understood mechanically: Twin Blades → Brush bonus damage → Trigger Blade of the Ruined King passive → Twin Blades → Brush bonus damage → Trigger Blade of the Ruined King passive →→→ Infinite loop.

It is equivalent to Viego himself having a continuous damage ability in his left hand that can constantly trigger his Q passive, while every strike from his right hand also gains high magic damage bonuses from the brush; the two can trigger each other!

It looks absurd in effect, but mechanically it is completely reasonable!

【I get it, this is the "Gao-Ivern Combo"! Aren't twin blades just scissors!】

【Are we playing Twin Martial Souls here? Clear Sky Sword and Blue Silver Grass, right!】

【Master Yi: "Is... is this the Wuju Style!?"】

【Holy crap! Flowing·Raging Waves!】

【I told you guys ages ago, Twin Blades don't count as colorless! Twin Blades don't count as colorless!! Look at the Viego player's equipment bar, is there anything colorless there!】

【Looks a bit invincible, now I have to give Viego the brush, isn't this fiercer than Rengar?】

"You"

Scout watched Viego pick up another kill, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

But thinking of his current situation, and then thinking of his bonus, he finally swallowed the words filling his chest.

"It's fine," Tarzan managed to muster some spirit to comfort him.

"This, it should only be useful for standing and fighting; we just shouldn't actively fight in the jungle."

"Wait for the team fight, we still have the advantage, let's wait for our tempo point!"

Everyone was momentarily immersed in this bizarre mechanical synergy.

No one discovered V5's true intention.

And the LNG members only realized they had been tricked when it was nearly 6 minutes in!

Because Kindred, who had been wanting to start the Dragon to force a fight since 6 minutes—discovered that their own top laner, Sion, still hadn't reached level six!

You must know, Sion's level one ultimate has a full 140-second cooldown.

This means that Sion must ensure this play is executed before 6 minutes, otherwise the ultimate definitely won't be off cooldown by 8 minutes!

A solo laner normally reaches level six between 5: 5 and 5: 0.

So generally speaking, before six minutes, the enemy jungler will actively go to start the Dragon, guaranteeing a free Dragon, and then force a fight if possible.

And the solution to breaking Sion's offensive: the simplest method is actually "Sion's level six."

Just delay Sion from reaching level six.

Or force out the opponent's Teleport early.

————This offensive naturally falls apart on its own!

LNG did remember to execute their tactics during that jungle skirmish, even letting Sion lose quite a few minions without letting him use Teleport to catch up on waves, fearing they would be found by the opponent instead.

This resulted in Sion being short a full wave and a half of experience.

He still hadn't reached level six just past the six-minute mark!

At this point, no matter what, the LNG members could already feel it.

They seemed to be completely led by the nose by the opponent; from the start until now, all the key lineup tempo points were being neutralized one by one!

Now, this lineup had almost only one key tempo point left.

The Rift Herald fight.

Although V5's lineup also had visibly impressive combat power, everyone on LNG knew they had to contest this Rift Herald fight, and this was likely the best opportunity.

The good news is that the kill ratio between the two sides was actually only 4-2.

"Both sides clearly want to have a 5v5 at the Rift Herald!"

"This fight is crucial for LNG; if I remember correctly, when V5 plays this lineup, they usually have at least a 2-3k gold lead by 8 minutes."

Both sides stood on opposite sides of the river.

The battle seemed to be in a stalemate for the moment————but this was also the stalemate V5 wanted.

Because Samira was still one wave away from level six, V5 actually wanted to wait another dozen seconds for the mid-lane minions to arrive, then let Samira eat that wave alone to reach level six before coming to join the fight.

The reason LNG viewed this as their biggest opportunity was precisely because of this.

In terms of combat power at level five, Draven is definitely stronger than Samira.

But once they reach level six, it's hard to say!

LNG clearly knew what the opponent wanted to do, but for a moment they found it hard to find a perfect opportunity, appearing somewhat hesitant.

Alistar could only engage at close range; they mainly had to rely on Sion to engage.

But if Sion just mindlessly used his ultimate to charge in, not only would it be easy for teammates to fail to follow up, but the most daunting thing was that they had already verified that Sion absolutely could not withstand Viego's damage!

Viego, in coordination with Ivern, shreds the front line too quickly.

Sion had to ensure the efficiency and positioning of the engage were good enough!

However, Sion didn't even have a position to flank with Teleport at this moment————V5's vision control was quite thorough, even leaving wards on their own advantageous mid-lane minion waves, just to prevent Sion from having the chance to sandwich them at the mid-lane tier-one tower.

"We have to engage! Samira is almost level six!" Hang appeared extremely anxious, wishing he could Flash-engage immediately.

"Brothers! If we don't engage now, we'll have to prepare to head home!!"

And at this moment.