LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

"AD LeBlanc, this is called the art of pulling and maneuvering."

Su Mo rubbed her wrist and hummed a little tune as she walked back to the lounge.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Abu and the factory manager came to greet him, their faces crinkling with smiles.

"That LeBlanc pick was amazing! I bet 369's face turned green!" The factory manager gave a thumbs up. "I bet he'll be dreaming about chains all night."

Su Mo slumped onto the sofa, took the warm water handed to him by a staff member, took a sip, and then sighed deeply.
"Ugh, this hero is so hard on my hands. I have to position myself, attack, and keep track of skill cooldowns. No way, this is exhausting."

He turned his head and looked at Saint Gun, who was watching the show in the corner while holding a thermos.

"Gunner, are you ready? The second round is yours."

Saint Gun almost spat out his water, staring wide-eyed at Su Mo: "Holy crap? You're leaving it to me already? You've only played one game, bro! And that was the opening match, couldn't you have at least won 2-0 before you went home?"

Su Mo shrugged confidently: "I'm injured, my hands are sore. Besides, isn't it EDG's tradition to rotate top laners? If you don't play, then I'll just have to pick Malphite to fill in."

"Is your LeBlanc just playing around? You're going to completely break the enemy's mentality!" Flandre sighed and put down his thermos. He stood up and stretched his back. "Alright, alright, I'll go. But let me make this clear first, 369 is definitely furious right now. If I go up there, I'll just be taking the blame and getting beaten up."

"That's called resilience, it's a must-learn skill for top laners." Su Mo patted Flandre on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, "I believe in you, stay calm this game and let Viper carry."

Abu didn't object either. In the current EDG, Su Mo has a lot of say, and letting Flandre play to maintain his form is also part of the tactical arrangement.

"Alright, then Flandre will play in the second game. Let's adjust the tactics a bit and focus on the bottom lane."

……

A few minutes later, a substitution announcement appeared on the big screen.

[EDG roster changes: Top laner EDG.Mo ↓ EDG.Flandre ↑]

The audience gasped in surprise, followed by a burst of good-natured laughter.

"Classic! Mozi is slacking off again!"

"Playing one game and then leaving get off work, that fits Mozi's persona perfectly."

"369 is overjoyed: Finally, I don't have to lane against that monster anymore!"

"Holy Gun Bro: ??? What did I do to deserve this? Why am I going up there to take over the enraged 369?"

"To be honest, Saint Gun's strength is no worse than 369's. It's hard to say who will beat whom in the end."

On the commentary desk, Rita looked at the substitution list and laughed, "It seems that Mozi felt that the first game was too physically demanding and he needs to rest. But this also gives Flandre a chance to show his skills, after all, our EDG has a very deep pool of top laners."

Guan Zeyuan also joked, "369 is probably going to fight tooth and nail this game. He was really getting pricked up by LeBlanc earlier, so he'll definitely want to get his revenge. Holy Gun Bro is under a lot of pressure."

……

In the lounge, Su Mo comfortably crossed his legs and took out his phone.

The WeChat group was already in an uproar.

Luo Xin: [@Su Mo, oh my, you're off work already? I was hoping to see you play Kalista top lane in the second game!]

hope Ran: [That siren was so cool! I saw the director give 369 several close-ups; he looked completely stunned.]

Su Mo smiled and typed a reply:

Su Mo: [Keep a low profile. It's mainly to give others a chance. What if 369's mentality collapses and he retires if I'm always at the top? That would be a loss for the LPL.]

Xiaoyu: [Come on, you're just lazy. I'm going to eat Haidilao hot pot tonight!]

Su Mo: [Granted.]

After replying to the message, Su Mo tossed his phone aside and focused on the large screen on the wall.

The second draft phase begins.

JDG is on the blue side this time, and has the right to ban and pick first.

Although Su Mo was substituted, JDG was clearly traumatized, and their first three bans still targeted the top lane: Jayce, Fiora, and Camille.

"Isn't this giving me too much face?" Su Mo complained in the rest room. "Gun Bro is already on the field, and he's still giving me the ban slot?"

JDG immediately locked in Jax, the Weapon Master!

"As expected." Su Mo's eyes flickered slightly. "369 is getting anxious. He's picking Jax this game to dominate the lane and clear the top lane."

It's EDG's turn to pick players.

Saint Gun was clearly prepared, and immediately locked in Gragas!
“That’s more like it.” Su Mo nodded. “Gragas, that’s the real Gunner. Although it’s not easy to beat Jax, the key is ‘oil.’ You want to kill me? You’ll have to ask the alcohol in my belly if it’s okay.”

The lineups of both sides were quickly determined.

JDG (Blue Side): Top lane Jax, Jungle Vi, Mid lane Akali, Bot lane Zelda + Lulu.

This is an extremely aggressive, aggressive strategy. Clearly, JDG doesn't want to play the macro game with EDG anymore; they just want to fight.

EDG (Red Side): Top lane Gragas, Jungle Wukong, Mid lane Galio, Bot lane Lucian + Nami.

"A classic Luna combo," Su Mo commented. "This game depends on Viper. As long as Gunner doesn't die, this game is in the bag."

Games start.

Su Mo leaned back on the sofa, holding a bag of potato chips, but his gaze was fixed on the road ahead.

369's move was definitely fueled by anger.

At level one, Jax activated his E skill [Counter Strike] and went over the minion wave to attack Gragas.

Saint Gun Bro is a seasoned veteran; he doesn't give you any chances at all.

Learn Q's [Rolling Barrel] move: when you come up, I'll throw a barrel to slow you down, then retreat with my big belly sticking out.

"Don't rush, bro, have a drink and calm down." Su Mo could almost hear Holy Gun Bro's voice.

3 minutes.

Kanavi's Vi was determined to help the top lane get revenge, and immediately ganked top at level three.

Vi uses Q Flash to charge up her attack, aiming to forcefully engage Gragas.

Saint Gun reacted extremely quickly, using his E [Meatball Impact] to crash into Vi, using the momentary stun to interrupt Vi's Q, and then flashing back to the tower.

Although he lost half his health and his Flash ability, he survived.

"Great." Su Mo chewed on a potato chip. "That's what you call a veteran's experience. If it were a younger top laner, they might have been wiped out in this fight."

While the top lane was under pressure, good news came from the bottom lane.

Viper and Meiko's Luna combo secured a lane kill at level two!

Meiko's Nami uses her Q on Ruler's Zeli, and Viper's Lucian slides in and unleashes a burst combo, taking her down instantly!

"First Blood!"

"Viper is still the most stable." Su Mo sighed. "Ruler just came to LPL and may not have gotten used to Viper's unreasonable dominance yet."

With the bottom lane advantage established, Jiejie's Wukong began controlling the dragon, and Scout's Galio also frequently moved towards the bottom lane.

JDG was eager to create an opening in the top lane, and 369's Jax tried to tower dive and kill Gragas several times.

But Flandre's Gragas is like a piece of greasy, slippery meat.

Every time Jax jumps in, I use my ultimate [Explosive Barrel] to blow him away, or I use my E skill to knock him away.

Even in a 15-minute vanguard team fight.

JDG wants to take the lead.

369 Jax uses Teleport to flank and try to cut through the backline.

As soon as he landed, he was blasted back by Flandre's precise ultimate move, which happened to hit Jiejie's Monkey King's ultimate range.

"boom!"

The monkey takes flight, and Galio, the hero, makes his appearance!

EDG executed a perfect combo!

0 for 3!

"That's teamwork for you." Su Mo looked at the screen, a smile playing on his lips. "JDG is too eager to rely on individual skill to break through, but against our impenetrable defense, the more anxious they are, the easier it is for them to give away points." The match had reached the 25-minute mark.

EDG secured a dragon and gained a 5,000 gold lead.

JDG's only chance to turn the tide was Ruler's Zephyr, who was doing quite well and kept farming.

The decisive team fight erupted at the Dragon Pit.

JDG faced a do-or-die situation, with Kanavi locking down Viper and 369's Jax unleashing his ultimate to engage.

Viper purifies instantly, dispelling control; the force of a whirlwind creates distance.

Just then, the previously unknown Flandre stepped forward.

His barrel was positioned on the flank to block vision, watching Zeli move slightly forward for a fleeting moment.

E flash!
The enormous belly instantly knocked Ruler unconscious!

Then, a double QR code!

Before Zeli could react, she was blasted back into the EDG crowd!

"Damn it!!" Su Mo slapped his thigh. "This bucket! A geometric bucket! Gunner is awesome!"

JDG collapsed instantly after losing their main damage dealers.

Viper's Lucian unleashed a devastating burst of fire across the battlefield, securing a triple kill.

ACE!

Destroy the group!

EDG capitalized on the momentum and pushed down the crystal in one fell swoop.

2 is better than 0!

Looking at the victory image frozen on the big screen, Su Mo stretched and stood up.

"Off work! Time to pack up and go eat Haidilao!"

Abu walked over with a smile: "How about that? I told you Flandre was reliable."

"That's right." Su Mo straightened his team uniform. "Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. But 369 is probably even more frustrated this time. He was dragged down by me in the first game, and then he got blown up by a drunk in the second game."

At this time, on the stage.

Saint Gun took off his headphones, revealing a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile.

Meanwhile, 369 slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the screen.

This opening match was undoubtedly a major blow to JDG, a newly launched super team.

But as Su Mo said, this is LPL.

There are no eternal myths here, only constant challenges.

Su Mo walked out of the lounge and bumped right into his teammates who had just come off the stage.

"Brother Mozi! Did you see that?! My bucket!" Holy Gun Bro exclaimed excitedly, "Isn't that cooler than your LeBlanc?"

"So handsome!" Su Mo laughed and put her arm around his shoulder. "You sit at the head table tonight, and I'll peel shrimp for you!"

"That's what you said!"

The group chatted and laughed as they disappeared at the end of the passage.

The meal at Haidilao was a resounding success, with both hosts and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.

To celebrate their first victory, Rita and Xiaoyu disregarded their figure management and ordered a ton of tripe and duck intestines.

As the sugar daddy, Su Mo complained about his wallet being ruined, but he was still quite pleased to see his female friends and teammates getting along so well.

With the opening match concluded, the LPL Spring Split has officially entered the intense regular season phase.

…………

The schedule for the next two weeks was relatively tight due to the approaching Chinese Lunar New Year.

This is also known as the "pre-New Year's Points Rush".

EDG demonstrated absolute dominance as the defending champions.

In the following two matches, they faced LGD and AL respectively. Su Mo didn't even play against these slightly weaker teams, letting Flandre take the field instead.

Although Saint Gun complained that Su Mo was treating him like a laborer, he showed no mercy on the field.

EDG easily won both matches with clean 2-0 victories.

The LPL has 17 teams, and each team must play against the other 16 teams once.

The top 10 teams in the final standings will advance to the playoffs.

The top two teams will be directly promoted to the winners' bracket semifinals of the double-elimination playoffs, also known as the "resurrection team" spots.

For EDG, who are aiming to defend their title or even achieve a Grand Slam, they have only one goal—to finish first in the regular season.

During this period, Su Mo began a rotating pattern of "tailoring his approach to different people":

When facing weak teams, or teams with relatively stable and utility-focused top laners (such as OMG and TT), Su Mo would sit in the audience, drink water, and watch the show, letting Flandre go up and practice his skills.

However, if they encounter a top-tier top laner or a strong team with a huge fan base (such as WBG, TES, RNG), Su Mo will start the game and "train" them.

Of course, it was mostly the factory manager and Abu who strongly urged him to take the job; otherwise, he would have continued to slack off.

The most eye-catching match was the one between EDG and WBG on February 28th.

Although TheShy is no longer at his peak and often feeds kills, his dominance in the laning phase should not be underestimated.

In the first game, Su Mo chose Jayce, who had just secured a spot in the championship skin tournament.

TheShy then chose his signature Gnar.

In that game, the top lane became a "battleground".

At 3 minutes, Sumojas took advantage of the vision difference in the bushes, caught Gnar in the moment he shrank, and used a QE combo plus a burst of damage in hammer form, directly forcing TheShy to flash.

At 6 minutes, Su Mo tower-dived and secured a kill.

Jayce in hammer form used his E to activate Gnar's ultimate, resulting in a near-death comeback kill.

Although WBG managed to turn the tide in the mid-game thanks to Xiaohu's roaming, in the late-game team fight, Sumo's Jayce took away two-thirds of Light's Zephyr's health with a single shot, directly ending the game.

During the post-match handshake, TheShy looked at Su Mo, flashed his signature shy smile, and said in Chinese, "Could you be a little gentler next time...?"

Besides this match, when EDG faced TES, Su Mo's top lane Yone also dominated the team fights, making JackeyLove suffer terribly.

With Su Mo playing one match after another, time quickly came to the end of March.

At this time, the LPL Spring Split regular season was also nearing its end.

The last game of the regular season ended on March 26.

EDG delivered a near-perfect performance.

Record: 16 wins and 0 losses.

Ranking: First in the regular season!

Following closely behind is:

Second place: JDG
Third place: LNG
Fourth place: WBG
With the regular season concluded, the LPL has officially entered the brutal playoff stage.

This year's playoff format remains brutal and full of suspense:
Phase 1 (Bubble Tournament): Teams ranked lower will challenge each other in a single-elimination format. If a team loses, they go home to fish.

The second stage (double-elimination format): The remaining four strong teams (the top two teams from the regular season + the two teams that advanced) will compete in a double-elimination tournament.

This means that EDG, as the top seed in the regular season, has a huge advantage:
They are directly guaranteed a spot in the semifinals: they don't need to play the preliminary rounds, so they can rest and study their opponents at the base for two whole weeks.

Wearing the Resurrection Armor: After entering the semifinals, even if you lose the first match, you still have a chance to fight your way back from the loser's bracket.

Regarding MSI slots: This year's MSI will be held in London, England. Due to the format reform, the LPL region has two slots! If EDG can reach the Spring Split finals, they will secure a ticket to London!
Most people aren't worried about this. (End of Chapter)