LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

In the commentary booth, Guan Zeyuan's voice was still full of passion: "After experiencing a suffocating one-sided crushing defeat, JDG took the initiative to choose the blue side in the second game! This is a battle they cannot afford to lose!"

“That’s right, let’s take a look at the draft picks for this game!” Miller stared intently at the screen.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

JDG, on the blue side, made extremely decisive bans in their first three picks: Fiora, Vayne, and Camille!

"Ultimate respect!!" Remember shouted. "Coach Homme is completely ditching this game. Mozi's Fiora who dominated the game last time, and Vayne and Camille who amazed the world in the quarterfinals, are all banned! They don't want to experience that fear of having their lanes breached again!"

EDG, on the red side, banned Neeko, Riven, and Orianna, limiting Knight's roaming and teamfight capabilities.

The selection process has begun.

JDG locks the first floor instantly!
"Everyone must die!"

Renekton, the Desert Butcher!

"Crocodile!! 369 picked the Crocodile on the first floor!!" Guan Zeyuan clapped his hands excitedly, "JDG's strategy has changed this game! 369 is no longer going to play defensively, he's going to pick a lane bully and go head-to-head with you!"

Subsequently, JDG locked up Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) and Ahri (the Nine-Tailed Fox) on the second and third floors.

"Monkey and fox! Kanavi and Knight have brought out a mid-jungle duo with extremely strong engage and high burst damage! JDG is going to wreak havoc in the early game!"

It was EDG's turn to select players.

EDG's first three picks were Kai'Sa, Nautilus, and Maokai, the Twisted Treant.

In the second round of the draft, JDG continued to target the top lane, banning Gwen and Gnar, champions that are difficult for Renekton to counter. EDG, on the other hand, banned Xayah and Zephyr, forcing Ruler to limit his champion pool.

We've arrived at the final counter.

JDG's fourth and fifth picks are: ADC [Aphelios] and support [Rakan].

At this moment, the fifth floor of the red team flashed, and all eyes were once again focused on Su Mo.

The top laner was banned five times, plus the enemy team picked the lane bully Renekton first.

"What champion is Mozi going to pick to counter Renekton this game?" Miller frowned slightly. "Renekton is too strong in the early game, and with Wukong, their tower-diving ability is extremely strong. Defensive tanks are definitely out of the question, and Gwent, a fighter who's good against Renekton, has also been banned..."

EDG's match lineup.

Mingkai stood behind Su Mo, looking at the screen: "Mozi, Jax? Or Quesanti?"

Su Mo's slender fingers slid lightly across the mouse, his gaze locking onto the masked hero holding a street lamp. While the crocodile was powerful in the early game, against a certain hero, anyone who could block his most lethal bite became a sitting duck.

"Give me a weapon," Su Mo said calmly.

"Understood!" Meiko locked on decisively.

"Open fire!!"

Weapon Master - Jax!

"Jax!!" Remember to cheer loudly, "Mozi has pulled out the Grandmaster at Arms! This is an extremely classic matchup! Renekton against Jax, top lane is pure high-risk, high-reward play! Whoever has the better mechanics can completely dominate the opponent!"

The final lineups for both sides have been determined:
JDG (Blue Side): Top laner Renekton, Jungler Wukong, Mid laner Ahri, ADC Aphelios, Support Rakan.

EDG (Red Side): Top lane Jax, Jungle Maokai, Mid lane Azir, ADC Kai'Sa, Support Nautilus.

"Alright, the second game of the semi-finals is officially starting!"

The game loads, and a gentle breeze sweeps across Summoner's Rift.

Su Mo bought a Doran's Blade and a health potion, then controlled Jax to head straight to the top lane. Facing a Renekton with Press the Attack and Ignite, he knew exactly what 369 was planning.

"Chen, farm from bottom to top this game." Su Mo calmly directed in the voice chat, "Kanavi's Wukong will most likely start with red buff and gank top. With Renekton and Wukong, they will definitely gank me at level three."

"Got it, Brother Mo! I'll head straight up after I finish the blue buff!" Ah Chen's Big Tree immediately planned the route.

At 1 minute and 30 seconds, the lanes meet.

In this game, 369's Crocodile changed his timid demeanor from the previous game, directly crossing the minion wave and attempting to use his Q skill [Tyrant's Strike] to reach level two and push the lane.

But how could Su Mo possibly do as he wished?
Jax stood directly in front of the three melee minions and activated his E skill, Counter Strike!
The helicopter-like streetlights spun wildly overhead, not only avoiding the aggro of melee soldiers but also forcing the crocodile to retreat!

"Snapped!"

Jax detonated his second E, stunning the crocodile, and then landed a basic attack on the crocodile's head, dominating the lane!
"Wow, that's fierce!!" Miller exclaimed. "Most players would avoid a level 1 Renekton, but Mozi's Jax used his E skill to trade damage and take the lane right away! 369 was forced to retreat to avoid being hit, and EDG directly gained control of the first wave of minions!"

However, 369 was determined to win this game. At level two, the Renekton had built up half of his Fury, and immediately used his E skill [Charge] to charge forward, intending to use his Fury W [Ruthless Hunt] for a burst combo!
At this moment, Jax's E skill is still on cooldown!

But Su Mo's reaction was incredibly fast! The instant the crocodile used its E skill, Jax used its Q skill [Leap Slash] to directly touch its own ranged minion, creating distance with extreme agility!
The crocodile's red-rage W was stuck in his hand and he couldn't unleash it. Just as he was about to retreat, Su Mo took advantage of the short cooldown of his Q skill, turned around and chased after the crocodile, landing two auto-attacks!

"That's pure manipulation!!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed, watching the micro-management on the screen. "369's red rage was completely blocked! Mozi's sense of distance is terrifying; he completely calculated the range of Renekton's E skill!"

The time has reached 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

Both sides reached level three.

At this moment, a strong sense of killing intent had filled the air on the road.

After Kanavi's monkey finished clearing the red buff and raptors, he didn't go to the bottom half of the map. Instead, he activated his scanner and sneaked into EDG's tri-bush along the top lane river.

"I'm in position, 369, can you go first?" Kanavi asked in a low voice.

"I have 50 points of red rage, I'll just E in and bite him!" 369's eyes were bloodshot. He knew that if he could coordinate with Wukong to kill Jax once, he could turn the tide of the game!

On EDG's side...

Ah Chen's tree had just finished clearing the upper half of the map and was quietly crouching in the bushes behind the top tower.

"Brother Mo, I'm here." Ah Chen held his breath.

"Don't rush to show yourself, wait for them to use their skills." Su Mo's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. He controlled Jax and deliberately took a step forward, creating an extremely dangerous opening.

"Go for it!!" 369 saw an opportunity and didn't hesitate!
Renekton's E skill, Charge, directly crosses the minion wave and instantly gets right in front of Jax!
At that moment, Kanavi's monkey also rushed out from behind, using W [True and False Monkey King] to stealthily charge forward, and E [Soaring Assault] to smash directly at Jax!

"JDG made their move!! Top and jungle coordinated! Level 3, they crossed the minion wave and secured a kill!!" Remember shouted from the commentary booth.

Despite being attacked from both sides, Su Mo remained completely calm.

A crimson glow emanated from the 369-level crocodile, and the Red Fury W [Ruthless Hunt] was raised high. If this bite landed, the 1.5-second stun combined with the monkey's burst damage would surely kill Jax!
But right in the frame where the crocodile's weapon landed!
"Om-"

Jax's streetlights suddenly started spinning!

E skill, Counterattack Storm!
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

A crisp sound of a block echoed through the canyon. Not only was the Renekton's deadly red-rage W perfectly dodged, but even Wukong's subsequent auto-attack and Q skill [Crushing Strike] were all negated by Jax's Flash!

"Blocked it!! Mozi's E skill was perfectly timed! He was just waiting for the moment your Renekton would use W before releasing it!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed excitedly. "Ah Chen, keep the monkey."

Su Mo's calm voice boomed in the voice chat.

Just as Jax's E skill was about to end, Su Mo did not choose to stun the crocodile. Instead, he clicked the mouse and his Q skill [Leap Slash] bypassed the crocodile in an extremely tricky way, hitting the monkey directly on the head!

Second Stage E [Counterattack Storm] - Active Detonation!
"boom!"

Kanavi's monkey was stunned and remained rooted to the spot!
"The big tree is here!!"

Chen, who had been lying in wait, charged out like lightning. The tree's W [Twisted Thrust] transformed into magical roots, tightly binding the monkey who had just woken up from the stun and was trying to use Flash! Then, the Q skill [Thorn Strike] slammed him backward!
"Counter-gank!! Ah Chen's big tree is behind!! JDG's top and jungle have fallen into the trap!!" Miller shouted.

Su Mo's Jax activated his W [Charged Strike], unleashing a powerful strike that dealt magic damage, slamming it into Wukong's head. Combined with the true damage from Ignite and Maokai's burst damage, Kanavi's Wukong's health instantly evaporated!
"First Blood!"

"EDG.Mo has killed JDG.Kanavi!"

First blood erupts!!
"Damn it!" Kanavi slammed his fist on the table as he stared at the grayed-out screen.

Seeing their jungler get instantly killed, 369's Renekton panicked and quickly used his second E ability to escape back to his tower. However, Su Mo's Jax used the movement speed bonus from the kill to chase down Renekton and land a third hit of his passive, reducing Renekton's health to near zero!

"EDG has won this top laner-jungle skirmish decisively!!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed excitedly, "Mozi's psychological warfare was terrifying! He deliberately created an opening, then used his lightning-fast reaction to E off Renekton's empowered W, directly shifting the focus of fire to the squishiest Wukong!!"

Backstage at the JDG lounge, Coach Homme angrily kicked over a nearby trash can.

It's the top lane again! And it's that suffocating counterattack again!

His pre-match tactics were rendered useless once again by Su Mo's absolutely calm micro-management!

4 minutes 30 seconds.

Having secured the first blood, Su Mo recalled to base on the spot. A flash of light appeared, and Jax pulled out a Longsword and a pair of Straw Sandals from his inventory.

Facing a crocodile with low health who had to return to base and could only walk back to lane, Su Mo once again demonstrated his textbook-level understanding of minion waves.

The minion wave was firmly blocked in front of EDG's top tower.

369's crocodile came online, looking at the three low-health cannon minions, his throat went dry.

He tried to use his Q skill to last-hit a minion, but Jax was like an emotionless machine. As soon as Renekton dared to take a step forward, Jax would activate his E skill and jump across the minion wave to his face.

If you fight, you can't win; if you run, you'll lose health points for free.

The time has reached 6 minutes and 10 seconds.

"369 is completely finished now! He only has 18 CS now, while Mozi's Jax has 42 CS!" Miller looked at the CS panels of both players, his face full of disbelief. "When Renekton plays Jax, the early game should be Renekton's advantage period, but now Mozi has reversed the situation and is suppressing him by more than 20 CS!"

"There's no way around it, that first blood was too fatal. Now Jax is a level ahead of Renekton. As long as Jax has his E up, Renekton won't dare to even look at him."

Not only in the top lane, but because Kanavi died while ganking top early on, Chen's Maokai was completely freed up in the jungle.

6 minutes 30 seconds.

Ah Chen's big tree quietly circled around to the middle of the road.

At this point, Knight was eager to push the lane and look for opportunities to roam, so his positioning was a bit aggressive.

"Xiao Yue, I'm going to see him!"

The big tree flashed from behind the F6 wall and used W [Twisted Thrust] to bind the fox! Xiao Yue's Azir reacted extremely quickly, using WEQ to drift forward and decisively using his ultimate [Imperial Wall] to push in the opposite direction!
"The Forbidden Army Wall!! Xiao Yue pushed Knight's fox back!!"

Achen followed up with his Q skill to slow the enemy, and Azir's sand soldiers stabbed wildly. Although Knight used his ultimate [Spirit Rush] to try to escape, he ultimately gave up first blood under the combined control of Maokai and Azir.

"The mid lane is blossoming too!! EDG's early game rhythm is perfect!!" Remember to cheer loudly.

8 minutes 00 seconds.

The first Rift Herald spawns in the river.

The atmosphere in JDG's voice chat was extremely tense.

"We must fight for the Vanguard." Kanavi gritted his teeth. He knew that if they gave up this wave, Jax would take the first tower in the top lane again. "Knight, revive first, then head straight to the bottom half of the map. Let's have a Vanguard team fight!"

"I'll do my best." Knight took a deep breath.

But JDG despairingly discovered that, due to their disadvantages in both the top and mid lanes, they were unable to secure vision control in the river.

At 8 minutes and 20 seconds, the two sides formed a standoff outside the Pioneer Pit.

At this moment, Su Mo's Jax had reached level 8, and he was wearing the small items [Radiant] and [Purify] from the [Divine Separator].

“They want to take it.” Su Mo stood in the bushes on the side of the dragon pit, coldly watching the Leona probing at the edge of his vision. “Achen, start the dragon. Jack, watch out for Zephyr’s position.”

Ah Chen's big tree immediately started pulling the vanguard.

JDG knew they couldn't wait any longer, so Missing's Leona flashed and used her ultimate, Solar Flare, to smash into Azir and Kai'Sa!

"A fight has broken out! JDG has initiated a strong attack!!"

Just as Leona's ultimate was about to land, Xiaoyue's Azir calmly used Zhonya's Hourglass to avoid the control effect.

At this moment, Kanavi's Monkey King activated his W ability to become invisible and immediately used his ultimate ability, "Havoc in Heaven," to charge into the crowd, trying to disrupt EDG's formation!
"Protect the formation!" Meiko's Titan immediately used his ultimate skill, Deep Sea Impact, to lock onto the monkey and knock him high into the air.

Just as the main battleground was locked in fierce combat.

A dull thud came from behind JDG.

"Who dares to challenge me?!"

Su Mo's Jax had activated his ultimate skill, "Grandmaster's Might," at some point. Covered in tough armor, he leaped from behind the wall of the Blue Buff jungle using his Q skill, "Leap Slash," and smashed into Ruler's Aphelios like a bomb!
"Jax cut into the back row!! Mozi's position is too tricky!!" Guan Zeyuan shouted.

Ruler was terrified, and Aphelios quickly used Flash and Gale Force to try and create distance!

However, Jax's Q skill has an extremely short cooldown. Su Mo activated his E skill [Counterattack Storm] and, despite Ahri's charm and Aphelios's damage output, caught up with him in just a few steps.

The second stage E detonates, causing dizziness!
"boom!"

The W [Charged Strike] with its radiant effect slammed down, instantly reducing Aphelios's fragile health bar by more than half!

Then, a basic attack triggers the third passive attack of the ultimate skill, dealing extra magic damage!
"Crack!"

"EDG.Mo has killed JDG.Ruler!"

AD was instantly killed!

"Another second!! Aphelios had no chance against Jax!!" Miller's voice was hoarse from shouting. (End of Chapter)