Chapter 98: A Trap to Lure the Enemy!

Under normal circumstances, a jungler starting solo to reach level 3 and a mid-laner reaching level 3 happen at roughly the same time, but because Sejuani was delayed by a tower dive and had to return, she would inevitably be delayed significantly.

By tracking his own progress to level 3, Ye Bo could roughly judge the timing of when Sejuani would reach level 3 and move to gank the top lane.

Watching Sylas's aggressive trading patterns, he began to hatch a plan.

The reason Sylas's laning strength depends purely on performance is that this hero's consumption method requires him to actively step up and land his E2!

The Q skill only deals low damage if it hits once, the W requires being in the opponent's face, and the passive is the same—all of them heavily rely on the E2 landing.

That is why some pro players' Sylas look like they are constantly being beaten in lane, while others frequently appear to solo kill or be solo killed in the matchup.

It all depends on the player's laning style and whether they dare to frequently use E2 to probe.

However, Sylas has been out for three years now, and everyone has gained experience in how to deal with this hero—the simplest way is to stand parallel to the minion wave, not giving the opponent space to land an E.

Just like Ye Bo in the previous game, when he was defending against Amumu at level 6 as Zoe, he retreated to stand above the minion wave, which was the only reason he gave up the space for the E.

Including the first time Sylas landed an E this game, it was only because Akali retreated to roam that she gave up the positioning.

Ye Bo scrutinized the minion wave.

At level 1, Sylas rushed up to trade, drawing minion aggro while also hitting the wave with his passive AOE; the wave was currently pushing toward Akali.

This, perhaps, was an opportunity that could be exploited.

The director split the screen to show the laning matchups for both top and mid simultaneously.

On one side was Gnar, pinned under the tower, able only to throw boomerangs in futile rage at Renekton.

On the other was Akali in mid, desperately trying to push the wave, looking as if she were in a state of extreme anxiety.

Just at this moment, the level 3 Akali retreated directly from the minion wave again.

Scout, of course, would not be unaware of his opponent's intentions.

Just like at level 1, as long as Akali wasn't hugging the minion wave, it gave Sylas the space to land his E!

Scout didn't hesitate to dash in with his E skill 【Abscond】, closing in on the backline minions and leaping over them with a turn.

His cursor hovered desperately, aiming amidst Akali's somewhat "panicked" movement.

Sylas whipped out his 【Chain Lash】!

Both sides had been fighting for the wave; as two melee heroes, the distance between them was not great to begin with.

This Chain Lash was already fired at close range, aimed perfectly center; Akali seemed to have no choice but to rely on a quick-reflex side-step E to dodge.

But Akali still cast E backward—and suddenly, for no reason, burned her Flash to retreat!

A straight line, a normal E-Flash into her own tower.

Actively seeking the position to "collide" with that chain!

Sylas's first E dash only covers 400 yards, but the second E distance is doubled to 800 yards.

While Akali's Shuriken Flip dart can also fly 825 yards, that "backward" displacement is actually only about 350 yards.

Therefore, Akali's face-to-face straight backward E would, in all likelihood, still be hit by the Chain Lash.

But more importantly, it wouldn't be able to "bring" Sylas into that position!

That's right.

The landing spot of Akali's Flash was exactly the flight terminus of Sylas's second chain!

Scout's mind was full of question marks the moment he saw the Flash, but the next second, he realized what was happening, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

But the chain already thrown out was like spilled water.

There was no turning back.

Don't forget, Sylas's E skill has a "fixed cast distance" + "second-stage strong displacement" mechanism; the "warp-stretch E" Ye Bo used to solo kill in the side lane in the first game utilized this exact mechanism.

That Chain Lash just flew straight forward.

Successfully hitting Akali.

At the same time, Sylas's Flash icon turned gray.

{Flash cannot be used during the flight after an E skill hits}

Sylas was pulled forward 800 yards by his own chain, flying straight into the enemy's defensive tower!

Ye Bo applied Ignite in mid-air, and the Shuriken Flip successfully hit at point-blank range.

Sylas reacted with extreme speed, immediately flashing backward to try and escape the tower's range.

But this position was far too deep.

When the defensive tower has no attack target, its target acquisition speed is extremely fast; it instantly locked on and fired a laser.

The tower's damage increases over time; at just over 3 minutes in, it had just hit the mark for an increase.

A massive 218 attack damage hitting Sylas was almost equivalent to helping Akali land two extra skills for free!

The second stage of Shuriken Flip rose up, killing intent in hot pursuit!

Scout's heart turned to ash; he could only turn back and fight desperately, but it was clearly impossible to win, and he didn't even cast Ignite.

Both sides had been trading intensely, and neither's health was particularly healthy.

This sudden change was already fatal.

Akali landed from Shuriken Flip, auto-attacked, followed by W Twilight Shroud, chased with another Q-A Kama strike, and combined with the burn of Ignite, cleanly severed Sylas's head!

Solo kill complete!

Because the director had just turned on the split-screen view, this scene didn't need a replay; it was witnessed in its entirety by everyone.

"My god, mid lane has completed another solo kill!!! The third solo kill in this BO5!" Guan Zeyuan roared with high emotion: "Player Ye, he really is the Ip Man of League!"

"Using his own body to Flash, seeking the chain to enter the Dao, luring the enemy into the urn!" Wang Duoduo also stood up, slamming the table with passion: "An incredibly detailed solo kill! What a fresh and refined line of thought!"

"If I remember correctly, even if Sylas flashes, he can't cancel the landing spot of that E, and once the E hits, he can't use Flash again."

"Akali's seemingly simple and casual Flash absolutely contains Player Ye's ultimate understanding of these two heroes!"

Rita, on the side, did a seal-clapping motion, appearing much simpler and cruder: "So cool, this play!"

【Thief-Ra laughs at me, breaking new records again~ Last game at least he could hold on until level 6, this game solo killed at level 3?】

【To be fair, you really can't say the Thief Saint is bad, you can only say Master Ye is too OP; there's nothing wrong with Sylas's operation.】

【Scout: "Grass, Akali has one HP left."】

【IQ suppression, this is the King of Laning!】

【Didn't someone just say what happened to the Thief Saint in the early game last game? Hmm? Where are they? Where are they!】

【Sigh, everyone stop over-hyping, isn't it just solo killing the Thief? This guy has been solo killed by how many people this year? Even Banana Wolf has killed him; it's just Master Ye's basic operation~】

The director, looking for trouble, cut to Scout's first-person perspective.

But everyone's focus was on the camera in the bottom right corner; Scout's expression was extremely ugly, and he punched the air with great force, clearly making the mouth shape of "ao, xi, ba."

The other four BLG members said nothing, fearing they would further irritate the mid-laner's fragile heart.

Only in the game, everyone tacitly switched their screens to mid lane.

<>

The impact of this play was far more than just a single solo kill.

"Are we still diving? Akali is missing, less than half health." Sejuani, who had just finished the Red buff, said while looking at the top lane minion wave.

Bin looked at the Akali who had disappeared from sight and fell into deep thought.

If they insisted on diving, it seemed they could dive.

But Gnar still had Flash, and although Flame Horizon's minion wave was stuck, he had accumulated a bit of rage with his boomerang; it was possible he could transform and drag out the time.

Renekton and Sejuani would inevitably use all their skills after the dive, and their health wouldn't be very healthy either.

According to their original plan, Viego would return to base after killing someone in the bottom lane and then walk from home to the top lane; there definitely wouldn't be enough time for that, so they could dive slowly.

But Akali's early liberation, being able to rush over from mid lane alone, was a completely different story.

If Akali came up and picked up even one kill, mid lane would probably really be unplayable, just like before!

"Don't dive, Akali has Twilight Shroud to drag you out; by the time Viego arrives, you'll all be dead." The command came from mid lane.

The two in top lane, hearing this, thought about it and realized there was no rush.

After all, Akali couldn't keep supporting the top lane; her pushing speed wasn't that fast.

Whether Gnar died this time or not, he was already broken; for the next few minutes, Gnar under the tower, facing Renekton and Sejuani, would inevitably be a lamb for the slaughter.

"Fine, then wait for the next wave, mid lane be careful."

"Mid laner has no summoner spells." Scout spoke again.

"Hmm, I can come take a look later; I feel like there's a chance to gank him before he hits six." Weiwei immediately responded, tacitly ignoring the recent death.

Top lane was, after all, melee pressing ranged; to keep Gnar from even smelling experience, Renekton had to stand behind the backline minions.

So, in fact, Renekton hadn't been farming much either.

Since they weren't diving anymore, Renekton turned to cleanly push the minion wave, not affecting his own development, and then returned to base to convert his economy into an advantage.

"Seeing Renekton push the wave in, Akali also pressed recall nearby; Gnar can finally eat minions now," Guan Zeyuan expressed sympathy for Gnar.

"But it feels like this only delays death; it's not enough to quench the thirst. Even if Viego rushes over to counter-gank, it will be of no avail; their 2v2 is already impossible to win, and it's even possible they'll both crash!"

Wang Duoduo nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Gnar is still very dangerous under the tower; even if EDG's mid laner has an advantage, he'll probably be kept tied to the top lane."

The EDG members on the field were naturally very clear about this.

Even if Akali's solo kill saved this wave, it only barely helped Gnar return to the game; the second dive would still be hard to defend against.

Although the "Renekton-Sejuani" combo's burst was slightly lower than "Desert-Spider," when it came to instant control and melee combat, it was absolutely superior!

For a solo laner, the most feared thing is not being able to stand under the tower.

If Gnar were left in the top lane, it would inevitably lead to EDG's rhythm being led by the nose; the top-jungle would be continuously suppressed, which would also prevent the bottom lane from continuing to expand their advantage.

Ye Bo also knew that solo kills couldn't happen frequently in mid lane; no matter how anxious Scout was, after being solo killed once, he would definitely have to be honest for a while.

If this continued, the rhythm would only be a pool of stagnant water.

Soon, Ye Bo made a decisive layout command.

"Flame Horizon, recall after eating this wave; I'm coming top."

Ye Bo repurchased equipment in the fountain, replacing {Oblivion Orb} with {Boots} + {Amplifying Tome}, then headed straight for the top lane.

"Okay."

Li Xuanjun didn't say anything more at this moment.

He really didn't want the disadvantage to affect the team, but he quickly understood the opponent's intention, knowing this might be the only solution.

The top lane is long; Gnar is even in danger just using Q to farm, easily falling into an infinite cycle of collapse.

But the short lane in mid, at least smelling experience, can definitely be done!

As long as Gnar's level catches up and he buys some tank items, he can return to the top lane.

If it weren't for the opening design, this hero itself isn't easily tower-dived!

As for whether Akali will be dove if she swaps to the top lane,

there are obviously few heroes harder to dive than Akali!

"EDG has performed a lane swap! They chose to send Akali to the top lane to deal with the shameless Crocodile-Pig aggressive composition!"

"Wow, this decision really feels like there's no problem at all; it seems it can solve EDG's urgent need!"

"Player Ye sacrificed his own advantage in the mid lane to come to the top lane and take on the most dangerous lane for the team. As long as he can hold on, perhaps he can lock down BLG's offensive firepower!"

"You have to know, BLG's bottom lane is actually also at a huge disadvantage; their top lane advantage wasn't gained for nothing!"

"And this matchup in the top lane... has quite a history!"

The commentary desk highly praised this decision.

The barrage of comments was like a spilled bottle of oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar; it was all very flavorful...

But Ye Bo actually felt it was fine.

Every match's situation changes in an instant; one must naturally make responses to various situations and flexibly deploy troops.

Rigid, formulaic responses are always the inferior choice in terms of tactics.

Since the top lane most needs someone who can withstand the danger of being dove, as long as he can hold off the offensive, there is no doubt that in a 2-1 situation, the advantage lies with EDG!

And at the same time, the jungler was also saved.

The top lane crisis was resolved, and the Viego headed straight for the bottom half of the jungle as soon as he left the base, without being forced to bite the bullet and go into the completely empty top jungle.

It was equivalent to instantly revitalizing two people!

When Chen Zebin returned to the lane,

seeing that it was Akali who appeared in the back, his small eyebrows immediately began to twitch.

"Swapped lanes?" Weiwei said with some surprise.

"Doesn't matter, swap if you want, we can still dive!" Bin's tone was very high, and he looked very excited.

"Wait until I trade some health in the lane and I can come; her shroud can't block my damage, we can just brute-force her to death with damage."

Scout didn't speak, and there was no expression on his face.

He had the look of 'it doesn't matter who I play against.'

But obviously, laning against a Gnar who is at a huge experience and health disadvantage is much less stressful than laning against Akali, and he could even turn the tables overnight!

The two people who had repositioned in the top lane looked at each other from a distance.

The Renekton flashed a 【Thumbs Up】 emote, and Akali followed by flashing a 【Thumbs Up】 as well.

Although the two had no prior interaction, and hadn't even said a proper word to each other until now,

it was definitely a well-known fact that they had quite a history!

One was an "exchange of learning" during their early years.

The other was a fated encounter during their rise to fame, becoming the reason for the other's first surge in reputation.

The top lane matchup suddenly became the only focus of this match!

"This matchup has a story, holy crap. I feel like Ye Wen playing against Bin in the top lane shouldn't be that easy to play!" Uzi in the secondary broadcast room sat up straight in excitement.

"By the way, Akali versus Renekton, what's the split?"

The director's perspective was locked tightly on the top lane.

It's just a pity that this matchup didn't start from level one; both had already reached level four, and the most intense period of detail-oriented competition had already passed.

Laning is a long-term job, especially in the top lane; one failed trade can lead to continued failure in the next trade, so the true laning gap is often exposed before level three.

Both sides started the lane with an advantage, so it was destined not to be decided in one go like a normal lane.

Ye Bo placed a ward in the river, calculating the time, confirming that Sejuani should still be clearing her own blue side at this moment.

From the match against Xiaohu, one could see that Ye Bo had a lot of understanding of Renekton.

He knew that Renekton's weakest period is when he first returns to the lane without fury; he couldn't give the opponent the chance to slowly auto-attack minions to build fury and then start trading, otherwise, it would be impossible to win the trade.

Akali moved directly past the minions to apply pressure, pushing forward against Renekton.

The purpose of doing this was to prevent Renekton from easily approaching the minion wave "without taking damage."

But Bin also understood this matchup very well.

Renekton pushed forward, crossing Akali, specifically to use E to dash into the minion pile—otherwise, if his health was traded down to a disadvantage first, it would be even harder to approach the minion wave to build fury.

Renekton adjusted his position for a straight dash, spinning out 【Cull the Meek】 in the minion pile.

His fury bar suddenly jumped up by nearly 40 points!

{Renekton's white fury Q, W, and E all instantly grant 10 fury upon hitting a hero, while hitting 1 minion grants 2.5 fury}

However, although this can quickly build fury, if he can't land a red fury W, the damage won't be too high.

But Renekton's strength in laning lies in his powerful sustain, which is exactly what Akali lacks.

It looks like he lost a bit of health, but in reality, he could earn it back with interest in the next wave.

And Ye Bo, facing the charging Renekton, didn't immediately use his Shroud.

Because he knew that since Renekton had already used QE to build fury, he must be holding onto his W for deterrence, to avoid being easily hit by Akali's full combo.

Akali used QA to pull back, wielding her passive to trade blows with Renekton; Renekton's fury reached 45 points.

And just at the moment of trading blows, Akali finally dropped her 【Shroud】 on the spot to conceal her figure.

The blue side minions instantly lost their attack target.

But the red side minions were still continuously attacking Renekton, who was in the minion pile!

Renekton's second E only has a 4-second free release period.

The experienced Chen Zebin pondered for a moment, decisively holding back his second auto-attack on the minions to avoid his fury reaching 50 points, and turned to E out of the minion pile to drop the aggro.

Afterward, Renekton turned his head to auto-attack minions to reach 50 fury, deliberately standing outside the open minion wave, giving Akali the E.

He actually hoped Akali would E onto him; if both sides exchanged full combos, Renekton would definitely be the one profiting from the trade.

1 second later.

Akali's figure did indeed "fly out" from the shroud... but it was a "reverse E"!

Akali and Renekton's E skills are the same, both being "fixed displacement" distances that cannot be adjusted.

Ye Bo didn't fly out immediately because he was walking back under the cover of the smoke, adjusting and calculating the distance and position of the reverse E.

The landing Q "Five Point Strike" at this moment... was exactly the distance to "pick up the passive on the spot"!

Passive mark added to the hand.

With 40% high movement speed added, Akali spun her kama, charging fiercely toward Renekton.

Both of their attack ranges were 【125】 units.

And when Akali picked up the passive mark, and Renekton activated his W, their attack ranges would both coincidentally reach 【225】 units.

Renekton was slowed by 50% from the edge of 【Five Point Strike】, and had already entered the kiting range, unable to retreat.

But, Chen Zebin didn't open his W immediately.

Because he saw that since Akali had already used the reverse E, it was clear she wanted to come up to bait his W!

As long as Renekton opened his W, Akali would use the smoke from the reverse E to turn back, and this way, whether the W landed or not, it would have to enter a 16-second cooldown.

And if Renekton didn't open his W, Akali could also use the energy boost from the Shroud to wait for the next Q, making the trade highly profitable!

Chen Zebin knew that he had to pull into range first, then instantly open W and auto-attack, to be able to profit from this trade.

125 units and 225 units is truly a "half-step difference."

But, for a top laner who has been fighting in melee for years, this is like a half-step chasm!

Chen Zebin's eyebrows were twitching wildly as if electrocuted, his mouse cursor darting back and forth between the two spots, driving Renekton and Akali to dance a "duet tango."

One wanted to close the distance to within 225 units to land a red fury W.

One wanted to ensure the distance was outside 225 units, but not too far, to avoid being unable to land the next Q.

Ye Bo discovered that Renekton's blade hadn't changed color, guessing the opponent's thoughts.

His earlobes were hot and twitching, his attention fully focused, as if he had instantly immersed himself in Summoner's Rift, playing out the game between the kunai assassin and the giant axe beast.

You advance, I retreat.

You retreat, I advance.

Advancing and retreating together.

Just at this moment, Akali's next turn back seemed to suddenly go backward, taking an extra half-step!

Renekton seemed to respond in sync, also moving forward an extra half-step, but immediately after, he saw Akali's footsteps suddenly stall—it was the S key pressed for a very short instant!

The distance between the two sides instantly closed, then instantly opened.

While Akali immediately landed the 【Passive Auto】 with S+A, she continued to maintain her backward positioning, then fired a third Five Point Strike.

Akali undoubtedly won the first round of kiting!

Immediately after, she started the second round!

This white AQ landing had already changed from the original consumption to bait the W into a health loss that Renekton had to accept by counter-attacking with W.

Chen Zebin's breathing became rapid, but his finger on the W key remained steady.

Akali once again relied on the movement speed from the ring to pick it up from the side, gaining chasing movement speed.

2234, one more time!

The original tango turned into a chasing step, Renekton's pace became rapid, advancing 3 steps and retreating 2 steps.

And Akali also seemed to have made a corresponding pace.

Chen Zebin felt he had reached the distance this time, directly pressing W 【Ruthless Predator】 and clicking on Akali, performing automatic target seeking!

But, Akali's second step forward suddenly paused again.

The distance between the two sides was just a hair's breadth away from 225 units!

And yet, it was that hair's breadth that made Renekton, who had no E, unable to land it!

Seeing the opponent's axe blade "turn red," Akali pressed Shuriken Flip with satisfaction, flying backward to the rear.

The audience's perspective couldn't directly feel the game that happened within these few short seconds.

In the eyes of the audience, it seemed they could only see Renekton slightly clumsily "pacing back and forth" repeatedly—and then being beaten white by Akali!

This wave was equivalent to Renekton only landing a white fury EQ.

Akali landed QA + QA + Q, plus the burst of Electrocute, almost a full combo!

The most intuitive health: Renekton's full health plummeted to 60%, while Akali still had 90%!

And Renekton's red fury W was also baited out!

Renekton couldn't go and WA a minion to waste fury, which meant he still had to stand behind the minion wave for 5 more seconds, waiting for the W to disappear before entering the 16-second cooldown.

Although Uzi in the secondary broadcast room isn't a top laner, he could naturally see the details, and is very good at kiting.

And this wave made him unable to help but exclaim repeatedly in the broadcast room!

"Holy crap, Ah Bin got kited to numbness this wave! He got toyed with by Akali!"

"Actually, to be honest, Ah Bin's kiting is definitely top-tier, but Ye Wen's distance control... is really something."

"... No, what do you mean 'is the streamer capable'? Hey, you're really slandering me. The streamer was definitely capable when he was young; the streamer does this for a living!"

Seeing the slight skepticism in the broadcast room's barrage, Uzi defended himself with a flushed face.

【Oh? If the streamer is so good at kiting, why did you kite yourself into the broadcast room to do commentary?】

【This wave, hasn't the jungler gap been exposed? I'm asking you where the jungler is!】

【One pull, one push, Mir! acle! Walk! er!】

【Do you understand the gold content of the master Akali king? Little Bin should just be glad he's a top laner, otherwise you wouldn't be much better than Dao Chu!】

【Hehe, isn't it blaming the trash mid laner for feeding and letting Akali get an extra pair of shoes? Unfair, unfair!】

【Bin-ge, come on! You must strip Ye Wen's underwear for me!】

Chen Zebin drank a health potion, standing blankly behind the minion wave, waiting for the W to fade.

His face was full of disbelief.

He couldn't believe... he had actually been "kited."

As the person involved, and also as an Akali player, he knew best the horror of this wave.

Just in the first wave, the opponent was able to so accurately use "reverse E" during laning to aim for the "passive on the spot" point, which is not easy at all!

He understood the techniques and operations, but actually pulling them off in a real match was a completely different story.

Just for this one move, what level of proficiency control is needed?

Not to mention the subsequent several position kiting and games...

"Bin, should I come now?" Weiwei, who had finished clearing the bottom half and reached level four, asked: "Viego doesn't know where he is now, he might be counter-ganking in the back."

Theoretically, there was no reason for Viego to be in the top half.

But considering Ye Bo's tactical status in EDG, BLG couldn't rule out whether the opponent would force a hard protect, making it impossible to determine his location.

"Not easy to gank now, best to wait for the next wave, you can clear the opponent's top jungle first."

"Mid, mid, mid!"

Scout's voice suddenly came through.

The Sylas in the mid lane was originally laning and suppressing with ease and joy.

But at this moment, Viego suddenly circled out from behind, and the originally cowardly Gnar jumped in with a second E, changing forms in the air and landing with a fierce W to hold him!

Fortunately, although Viego's equipment was good, his level was too low and his damage wasn't high.

It seemed this wave was just to consume some of Sylas's health.

But immediately after, the true purpose of EDG's top-mid-jungle coordination was revealed.

"Viego successfully ganked the mid lane, dealing damage, helping Gnar push the wave into the tower, and then they both entered their own top jungle!"

"Akali swapped lanes and performed a beautiful matchup trade! With a health advantage in the top lane, if BLG wants to force a 3v3, EDG will definitely have a winning chance!"

"Wonderful... EDG used this lane swap to win back control of the top jungle in one fell swoop!"

According to normal development, the top lane couldn't be ganked, and Sylas in the mid lane would definitely not give Akali a chance.

This 3v3 in the top half should have had no winning chance.

And once Sejuani continued to invade and clear the refreshed top red side, she could continue to maintain the state of swapping halves, and EDG's top lane would still be equivalent to exposing its back.

But, the one-sided suppression trade in the top lane, combined with the successful gank in the mid lane.

The top-mid-jungle coordination seized the timing of the top jungle's refresh!

BLG's top and mid were unable to provide support in time, and Sejuani was helpless, having to turn to her own bottom half.

The jungle information became unknown again, and the junglers of both sides returned to sharing the half-field game.

And the core of BLG's ability to continuously "one-sidedly" attack the top lane.

Had already been dismantled by Akali single-handedly!

(End of chapter)