LOL: My talent is top-tier, my professional skills are unparalleled.

Chapter 523 Ending the Losing Streak! Yao Ge! LPL's Everlasting Trump Card!
This is the most despairing thing: watching them walk step by step into a dead end, but there is nothing that can be done to change the situation.

SKT tried many times to find opportunities, but the equipment gap between the two sides was too large, and all attempts ended in failure.

Even SKT's split-pushing ability is no longer working!

Khan originally picked Camille to carry EDG, but at this point the minion wave couldn't be pushed forward at all.

The Khan shook his head helplessly at this, showing none of the lively, strange monkey's demeanor.

He can easily become the team's weak point, but he also has the ability to carry his teammates.

They can gain an advantage online, but they lack the decisiveness and ability to deliver the final blow.

Clid, the jungler, was even more confused. There were no jungle monsters in the jungle, and the minion wave couldn't even reach the high ground tower. Where could a Lee Sin like him go?

You can't exactly accelerate right under the high ground tower.

In this game, Clid's Lee Sin was relentlessly dictating the pace of the game for his teammates. Before the match, Khan advised Clid to pay more attention to the top lane.

Khan was confident that if he could give his Camille a push, he could gain a corresponding advantage.

Clid, however, lacked a certain flair; he rigidly remembered Coach Koma's advice to focus more on the mid lane.

Mid lane is SKT's king!

However, after losing a wave in the mid lane, Clid's rhythm was completely disrupted.

I never thought about when it would be appropriate to go up or when it would be appropriate to go down.

Or they'll just wander around the jungle, focusing on driving the pace of the game for their teammates.

He needs SKT to use the strength of their online players to support their Lee Sin in the jungle, with the strong filling the weak spots, and the weak then supporting the strong spots.

But Clid herself felt helpless.

He really tried his best.

It's not that I'm not strong enough, it's just that the opponent is too abnormal!!

……

Although EDG currently holds a significant advantage, there is still a crucial problem: they cannot reach SKT's high ground!
Inside the high ground tower, it was much easier for the SKT players to switch lanes.

It's very convenient for defense. Although EDG has a big lead, there is also a problem that stands out: they don't have a front line.

Apart from Wang Yao's Sejuani being a bit tankier, everyone else is quite squishy. Although they have high damage output, they can't push the high ground towers at all!
So as long as they keep dragging it out, SKT will always have a chance.

Even if the game drags on long enough, SKT's late-game lineup won't be bad.

In particular, Lucian's presence with the cat brought his late-game growth to its peak.

Moreover, SKT's lineup is very strong at initiating team fights, and this will only become more and more apparent over time.

As long as EDG gets impatient and makes mistakes, they believe that Faker and Khan will be able to seize the opportunity and force a comeback!

The situation on the field was indeed as SKT had predicted.

After a brief moment of frustration, Faker quickly calmed down.

They began directing their teammates to retreat into their defensive line, shrinking into a turtle shell to minimize clashes with EDG.

Then just keep the vision around the Baron Nashor pit, so that the carry has more time to develop.

The SKT members also dutifully followed Faker's instructions and quietly did their own thing.

Place wards where necessary to provide vision, and farm jungle camps to scout vision.

SKT began contesting vision control with EDG along the jungle-to-Baron lane.

Eliminate as many potential threats as possible that are lying in ambush near EDG.

Of course, apart from Sejuani, EDG's lineup doesn't have much initiation ability.

This steady and methodical approach left EDG with no openings for a while.

The situation then entered a period of relative calm, with everyone farming gold and grinding for resources.

For a time, EDG didn't have a good way to counter this turtle-shell tactic.

Or rather, they don't want to use their weaknesses to directly clash with the other party's strengths.

Undeniably, it's not just SKT.

Actually, the Korean-style teams in the entire LCK region are world-class when it comes to playing defensively.

Their greatest strength lies in playing a defensive counter-attacking game, using more scientific and rational resource planning capabilities to compete for neutral resources, while multiple people form a team to defend against the opponent's counterattack.

A classic case of "If I don't make a mistake, and you make a mistake, then I win!"

If the opponent fails to break through after a prolonged siege and cannot gain a significant advantage in resources, they will likely become impatient and start to panic.

When you get anxious, you make more mistakes, and that's when LCK teams have their chance!

This tactic might have worked two years ago, but it doesn't work now.

Version updates, especially changes to the dragon mechanic, have rendered the game devoid of a pure late-game experience.

Especially for a team like SKT, which was at a disadvantage from start to finish, there was no way they could drag the game into the late game.

Moreover, LPL has played against far too many LCK teams over the years.

Especially Wang Yao, whose path to advancement since his debut has basically been by stepping over the corpses of LCK teams.

Wang Yao can be considered the most professional vanguard against Korean opponents in the LPL, with countless countermeasures and strategies.

He showed no sign of panic in the face of SKT's turtle-shell formation.

Since SKT wants to drag this out and continue to torture themselves, I have no reason to care!

The game lasted 28 minutes.

EDG secured their fourth dragon: two Earth Dragons, one Fire Dragon, and one Water Dragon!
Meanwhile, after clearing out the jungle resources, iboy's Caitlyn returned to base to upgrade her equipment.

Four-piece set!

Infinity Edge, Rapid Firecannon, Statikk Shiv, Armor Penetration Bow, plus a pair of attack speed boots.

The female police officer's strength has been nerfed too much. Previously, three pieces were enough to make her strong, but now four pieces are needed to reach her power spike.

The other players' equipment is also quite good, especially Neeko and Orianna, who both have three and a half items: three offensive items plus a defensive item.

Although EDG's lineup lacks initiation capabilities, their sustained damage output in close combat is simply too high!

At this point, the opposing SKT players were generally missing half to one piece of equipment.

Therefore, EDG is not in a hurry at all; they have plenty of time to wait for their carry position to be formed.

SKT isn't worried even with such a huge disadvantage, so why is EDG in such a rush?

The game was dragged out to 30 minutes.

But at this moment, SKT suddenly became a little anxious.

Clid's Lee Sin was shot by iboy while he was setting up vision around the Baron pit.

With swift movement, rapid-fire cannons, electric blades, and the red buff and passive headshot effect, he took away half of Lee Sin's health with a single shot.

Clid was completely dumbfounded by this scene.

What kind of damage is this?!
Then, the policewoman used her ultimate skill to directly target the Lee Sin.

jump!
Another shot. Although the policewoman doesn't have armor penetration, her level 3 ultimate and good equipment still deal some damage.

A Lee Sin with full health came to the Dragon Pit to ward, but left with only three or four hundred health points!

Clid was shocked by the damage the policewoman dealt, but with his health at that level, he had to return to base to heal.

Otherwise, in a team fight, with his low health, he wouldn't even have a chance to get in and kick anything!
Seeing that Lee Sin needed to recall to replenish his health, EDG did not hesitate at all. All five players immediately gathered at the dragon pit and began to rush Baron.

Keep in mind that EDG currently has the advantage of two Earth Dragons!

Even with Wang Yao's Sejuani or Lux's support, the damage dealt to Baron Nashor is still reduced in chunks.

Meanwhile, Clid's Lee Sin had already gone back to replenish his health and mana.

Wang Yao wasn't in a hurry, Clid wasn't in a hurry, and neither were the official commentators from LPL and LCK, but the rest of SKT were anxious.

The other four players were desperately trying to squeeze into the dragon pit. Right now, it's not easy for EDG to push onto the high ground, but once EDG gets the dragon, pushing onto the high ground won't be a simple matter!

But looking at the impenetrable Dragon Pit, SKT could only sigh in despair!

Mata's cat wanted to be a terrestrial cat again, but was dissuaded by the other members of SKT.

In the end, all Mata could do was sigh in despair. He could only regret that he was playing with a cat instead of a bull!
EDG's five-man rush on Baron was too fast. Even though SKT's four players were watching closely, EDG remained steadfast in their Baron rush.

With the blessing of the two earth dragons, in just ten seconds, Baron Nash let out a neigh and returned to the void.

Meanwhile, the four SKT players were still lingering outside the dragon pit. Without their jungler Lee Sin, they dared not go in to contest the dragon!

As long as EDG doesn't make any mistakes by acting rashly first, it will be extremely difficult for LCK to break through with this lineup.

Besides, it's four against five.

In the end, SKT could only watch helplessly as EDG secured Baron Nashor and had no choice but to retreat.

EDG did not pursue, but immediately returned to base to replenish their health and prepare for the final push.

With the Baron buff, the high ground towers that were previously difficult to push are now a piece of cake for EDG.

With the minion waves being buffed by the Baron buff, SKT lost the ability to push the minion waves out, and they couldn't even withstand EDG's poke!
The female police officer's traps were laid out in a row, completely blocking the movement of the SKT players. Then, the dual marksman system of the female police officer and Neeko came into play, and SKT's mid lane inhibitor tower was destroyed in an instant, turning into ruins.

SKT only remembered to initiate a team fight the moment their high ground tower was destroyed.

But at this point, it's no longer about team composition; the equipment and stat buffs are far too different.

Clid's Lee Sin wanted to make one last flashy play, but after entering the enemy team, he couldn't even land his final kick before being instantly wiped out.

31 minutes and 21 seconds.

With SKT's team fights crumbling, Lee Sin and Camille were melted as soon as they entered the fray, and the others had no way to defend.

Highland Crystal, Tooth Tower, Crystal Base.

They were all reduced to ruins!
EDG wins!
In the current Intercontinental Cup, LPL is facing off against LCK, and EDG has won a game!
"Congratulations to EDG! Congratulations to Kshine! They've earned a valuable point for the LPL!"

Guan Zeyuan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched SKT's crystal base explode.

He couldn't imagine how the online reaction would be if he lost all his matches against LCK teams.

Remember also breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, congratulations to EDG for helping LPL secure a valuable first victory against LCK on the last day of the group stage!"

"Of course, this Intercontinental Cup also served as a wake-up call for every LPL viewer and LPL team, reminding us that when facing such strong teams, you really can't give them any chance!"

Guan Zeyuan nodded in agreement: "That's right! We can see from yesterday's match between our LPL teams and the LCK teams that our LPL's strength is growing."

"But the LCK on the other side has never fallen behind either!"

"Yes, from individual player skill to overall team strategy, from LCK's expertise in vision control to the final team fight strategy, LCK's strength remains formidable!"

Rita laughed and said, "That's right. During the first three games, I suddenly felt disoriented, as if I had gone back to a few years ago when our LPL had no chance against LCK."

"But you can always trust Kshine! With Yao Ge around, there were no surprises. Even under such immense pressure, Yao Ge withstood the pressure and secured a valuable point for LPL!"

……

At this moment, after shaking hands with the SKT members, the EDG team came to the center of the stage, bowed to the audience, and left the stage.

Once backstage, the EDG players breathed a sigh of relief, looked at each other, and smiled in unison.

There's no way around it, the pressure today was just too much.

The LPL's record of losing all its matches against LCK teams has put EDG under too much unnecessary pressure in their first group stage match today.

If they lose all their group stage matches against LCK teams, it's obvious that the domestic public opinion will explode instantly.

Because it is truly shameful.

Fortunately, although the process was a bit bumpy, the final result was good.

EDG held the line for LPL!

Wang Yao glanced at his teammates who were chatting and bragging, and seemed to be deep in thought.

He also saw from today's match that EDG's teammates cooperated very well.

Even though he wasn't playing a jungler who could control the tempo of the game, but rather a Sejuani.

However, after Sejuani gained some advantages in team fights through counter-ganking in the early and mid-game, her teammates were able to seize these advantages and create a winning situation!
Even if the opponent is SKT!

Back in the backstage lounge, the entire EDG team was immediately greeted with a warm welcome.

This victory for EDG has truly given them a chance to catch their breath.

To be honest, LCK's dominance in this Intercontinental Cup almost triggered PTSD in the veterans and rookies of the four teams.

Fortunately, EDG is still the same EDG.

Yao Ge is still the same Yao Ge!
Instead of letting LCK achieve a four-game winning streak and maximize their momentum, they directly disrupted the opponent's rhythm.

There's one last match in the LPL today, between EDG and MAD from the LMS region.

Everyone is quite reassured about this match!
Because at this point, the LMS region had been completely demoralized and had lost all fighting spirit.

Some familiar people have also gone to the LMS region's rest area to spy on the "enemy's situation".

The LMS region's rest area was completely silent; even the team leader, FW, didn't say a word!

Furthermore, MAD is not considered a top-tier team in the world; they are only a second-rate team.

When facing EDG, they simply couldn't organize an effective attack.

With EDG's tight mid-jungle-support synergy, they couldn't hold on for more than 25 minutes.

With this, LPL has completed all its group stage matches, with a record of 5-3!
The LMS fared even worse, with all four teams losing all eight matches!

They lost all four matches against LCK teams and also lost all four matches against LPL teams.

Today's match didn't cause much of a stir; yesterday's crushing defeat was just too devastating.

Although EDG won a big victory, it cannot cover up the previous tragedy.

However, they didn't exchange many pleasantries; they chatted briefly and then left the lounge one after another.

The competition is over for today, and they should continue their training.

Coaches and analysts, on the other hand, have even more to do.

The coach had already planned out today's match in advance, including how to handle the draft and the actual match.

For example, if they have a match to play today, they have already planned out the general strategy yesterday.

How to leverage your strengths, what type of heroes to choose, and what heroes and strategies to counter against your opponents.

In other words, from the moment they stepped onto the field, they were operating within a pre-determined script.

Both the draft picks and tactics will be largely the same as those initially decided.

The advantage of doing this is that they have already rehearsed their tactics and strategies in advance, so they will be very familiar with them in the main event the next day.

The downside is that it's hard to accept unexpected changes because their analysts don't have enough time to correct the information.

Players like Wang Yao, whose true strengths and weaknesses are never revealed, are precisely the type of players who are most effective against LCK teams!

Even EDG's head coach Maokai is often unsure which hero Wang Yao will pick today.

It's highly unlikely that the LCK coach on the other side could have predicted Wang Yao's hero selection.

That's why the coaching staff in the LCK are very wary of Wang Yao.

Wang Yao's unpredictability and uncontrollability are the biggest variables in the competition.

……

……

The semi-finals officially began on the second day.

However, the semifinals of the Intercontinental Championship are just a formality.

There are only three participating regions: the LPL region, the LCK region, and the LMS region, which is a mix of Taiwanese and Vietnamese teams.

The LCK region took the lead with a 7-1 record in the group stage and advanced directly to the finals, so the LPL region and the LMS region will play in the semifinals.

With the unanimous agreement of the coaches of the four LPL teams, the teams will face off in the following order: TES, JDG, IG, and EDG.

There's no need to worry about EDG, but TES and JDG still need more playing time to get back into form.

Today's match against the LMS region isn't the key; the key is tomorrow's match against the LCK region!

This is the Intercontinental Cup, a team battle. EDG is solid, but we can't rely entirely on EDG!

In today's matches, TES and JDG certainly lived up to expectations, easily winning the first two games with absolute dominance.

They probably wanted to vent the anger they suffered at the hands of the LCK; their methods were increasingly dirty.

The score difference was terrifyingly large, almost comparable to playing against bots.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the two LMS teams on the other side are not very strong.

LMS fielded MAD and a Vietnamese team, DBL, in the first two games.

The game started with a 2-0 scoreline that completely shattered the morale of the four LMS teams, leaving them utterly clueless about how to proceed.

The third team to appear, IG, even went so far as to learn from the West for the final team, FW Flash Wolves.

They were given a real lesson in laning split pushing and team fight strategy.

FW, the last fig leaf of LMS, was directly attacked and utterly defeated, leaving them with no chance to fight back.

In the end, LPL defeated LMS 3-0 on the third day of the competition and advanced to tomorrow's finals.

Most people only realized at this point that LPL's three consecutive losses to LCK might not actually be because they were weak.

It's not that the other side is too strong!
Otherwise, look at how ruthless they are when they play against LMS.

It just highlights his volatile temper, like someone who wants to disband LMS.

The final day of the Asian Games Finals began amidst a complex mix of emotions and differing perspectives.

This is the real highlight of this intercontinental tournament, much like the Europe vs. North America competition, where everyone's attention is focused on the rivalry between Europe and North America.

In the ultimate best-of-five series against LCK, LPL's first match was played by IG against KZ, a direct and aggressive move.

The final match was played by EDG, with TES and JDG playing in the middle.

(End of this chapter)