LOL: What is a concept player?

Chapter 377: The Great War
As the host's rousing words resounded, the cameras and the audience's eyes focused on the stage, and then the contestants from both sides began to take to the stage one after another at the host's call.

"IG-Rooike!"

"SKT-Khan!"

Every time a player's ID was called out, the huge stadium erupted in deafening cheers. When Faker appeared, the atmosphere reached its peak.

The host then screamed at the top of his lungs, "IG-Easy!!"

Under the spotlight, Chu Ran walked onto the stage with a smile. His white team uniform was open, and with each step he took, a gust of wind whistled, causing his uniform to billow backward, which made his fans wave flags and shout even more.

After the players and coaches from both sides stood on either side of the stage, promotional videos for both sides, commonly known as trash talk, suddenly started playing on the big screen and in the live broadcast rooms of various events.

The first to appear was Khan, whose slightly chubby face exuded confidence. He clenched his fist and said, "I have lost to Easy many times before. Although he is no longer in the top lane this time, I will win back all my previous losses. TheShy is a very strong opponent."

"But I'll show him who the world's best top laner really is!! I'm not the same person I used to be!"

As soon as Khan said this, viewers both online and offline immediately started discussing it!
[666, this guy is awesome! Kill the horse's head!]

【Khan, what are you pretending for? MSI hasn't been completely destroyed by TheShy yet, has it?】

[I burst out laughing! "I'm not the same person I used to be"? Brother Khan, if we're going to show off, we need to have the credentials! What champion are you, Khan?]

After Khan finished speaking, TheShy's face appeared in the frame, his hands in his pockets looking extremely dashing, and then his resounding words suddenly rang out.

"Khan, I'll make you feel the same way you were when you were defeated, and I'll bring you back to reality!"

In an instant, the scene and the live broadcast room exploded. Many viewers were stunned. No one expected that the trash talk between the two would be so sharp at the beginning, and the others were no less so.

Clid: I lost to Easy at MSI before, but this time at Worlds, we have risen from the ashes. SKT at Worlds is invincible.

Rooike: Last year was also the finals, and I couldn't protect everything for IG. I'm not sure if I'll have such an opportunity again in the future, but I will definitely give it my all today!
Teddy: Jackeylove is a very good player. He has no weaknesses, but he also has no strengths!
Jackeyelove: Today on this stage, I will make new history!
Mata: The old guard is not dead. Last year, my old teammate Imp won his second championship, so I can too. Moreover, he won the championship with Easy as his teammate, and today I will step on Easy to win the championship!

Each person's figure came into view, and their words caused a sensation in major competition areas around the world.

Inside the EDG club.

Imp burst out laughing when he heard Mata's words, "Mata is talking nonsense again. He might win even if he plays Jayce as support."

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, the training room was filled with cheerful laughter. Soon after, the promotional video made a very cool transition. Faker turned around at a famous city landmark, crossed his arms, wore glasses, and stared directly at the camera, looking very domineering!
"I've been through a lot, won many matches, and lost many times, but this time, I won't lose again. Easy wants to become a triple crown winner, fine, but only when I retire from the professional stage."

"But today, I will not allow it!"

A word stirred up a thousand waves.

Faker's impassioned words reached everyone's ears, causing them to shudder as if an electric current had surged through their bodies, and goosebumps rose all over their skin.

The next second, a heart-stirring shout erupted from the crowd. Looking closely, many Faker fans and European and American viewers were cheering for Faker at the top of their lungs, and the live stream chat was scrolling with comments.

Did you hear that, you bastard? Faker has spoken: you're not allowed to win the championship today!

[Haha, Ran Chu can retire after today's game! If Faker doesn't retire, you'll never become a three-time world champion!]

[I'm terrified! How am I supposed to play against a Faker going all out?]

The live chat was buzzing with discussion. The competition hadn't even officially started yet, but the hype was already incredibly high, even surpassing the popularity of last year's and the year before's S-series finals.

In the LCK live stream, the vast majority of Korean fans were incredibly excited and full of confidence.

With Faker's arrival, justice will prevail.

SKT is not like DWG or GRF, who are just there to fill a gap.

Today, Faker will surely lead SKT to rebuild the glory of LCK.

Just as they were getting excited, the camera on the big screen switched again.

Chu Ran was sitting on the steps of a square, the bright sunlight shining on his handsome face, and a gentle breeze ruffling his black hair.

Chu Ran slowly raised her head, her unstoppable gaze seemingly penetrating the camera and striking the hearts of every viewer, giving them a sudden jolt.

"I don't need anyone's permission to win the triple crown."

"When I stand on this stage, it's like I'm announcing to the world that I will take the championship trophy again!"

hiss!
The audience, both on and off the field, gasped in shock, completely stunned by Chu Ran's words!

mad.

So crazy.

But this man in front of me has the right to be arrogant. In this year's World Championship, he once again showed the world audience his unparalleled dominance, which seems to be just as Chu Ran just said.

He stands on this world stage to take away the championship trophy, and at least for now, no one can stop him.

【66666, God Chu is mighty!】

I'm not saying any one person is trash; I'm just assuming everyone is trash! Is that clear?

[My becoming a triple crown winner is a notification; no permission is required!]

[You fucking bastard, you slut, what are you pretending for!]

[Just waiting for Ran to get utterly crushed by SKT!]

The moment the promotional video ended, the live stream's popularity reached an alarming level; almost everyone who plays League of Legends was watching this epic battle.

While Chu Ran and his team were setting up their equipment, the camera focused on the commentary booths of each competition area.

"Alright, everyone, welcome to the finals of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship. The next match we'll be watching is IG versus SKT! I'm your commentator, Guan Zeyuan!"

"Hello everyone, I'm commentator Miller."

"I am Wang Duoduo."

Several familiar faces appeared in the live stream, and after a brief introduction, they immediately got to the point.

"Both sides are incredibly tense, neither willing to concede an inch from the very beginning of the promotional video. This has made us all extremely excited for the final," Guan Zeyuan said with a smile, launching into a long explanation. "And regardless of which team wins today's final, it will make history!"

“Yes, Mr. Zeyuan is right.” Miller quickly nodded in agreement. “If SKT wins the championship, then Faker will become the only four-time champion in the history of League of Legends professional esports!”

"If IG wins, Chu Shen and Meiko will catch up with Faker, and our LPL will have two three-time champions at once!"

"But it's hard to say about today's match. How should I put it, Mr. Zeyuan, Mr. Duoduo, which team do you two think has a better chance?"

After Miller finished speaking, Wang Duoduo pondered for a moment before speaking, "I definitely support IG, but then again, SKT should not be underestimated, just as many netizens have said."

"Although we defeated SKT at MSI in the first half of this year, once we got to Worlds, SKT was completely transformed and their performance was completely different from before."

"Including their match against G2, you have to know that G2 is definitely a very strong team this year. They even eliminated SKT at MSI. Before the tournament, everyone thought that G2 would send SKT away in this World Championship."

"But as everyone saw, SKT still stood on the final stage! That's the magic of this three-time world champion team!"

Guan Zeyuan, who was standing next to him, agreed with Wang Duoduo's analysis, "Yes, Teacher Duoduo is right. So IG can't be careless today. If they're not careful, SKT might seize the opportunity."

"So I think we don't need to say much, let's just hand the stage over to the competition! Come on, let's look at the first draft phase!"

In an instant, the camera shifted, and the draft screen for the first game of this BO5 final was displayed before everyone.

SKT won the first game by choosing the blue side, since the red side naturally has one less ban, and Pantheon is a must-ban.

In the first three picks, SKT blocked Qiyana, Nautilus, and Sion, while IG blocked Pantheon, LeBlanc, and Ezreal.

"Sigh, SKT's draft is a bit intriguing. Did they block two tanks in the first three picks?" Guan Zeyuan said with some surprise. "It seems that SKT has a very deep understanding of the current version."

"Because so far, we've watched so many matches and we know that the current meta is all about roaming, maximizing lane pushing, and maximizing roaming. The key is the synergy between the mid, jungle, and support."

“Yes!” Wang Duoduo nodded in agreement. “The team that roams faster and more successfully will be able to snowball quickly. So I think SKT banned Sion and Nautilus because Rooike used to play these two heroes in the mid lane.”

"And the results were very good, with fast wave clear and the ability to act as the front line in team fights."

"We see SKT pick Galio right away! My god, is Faker going to start the first game with Galio and lead the team forward?" Miller exclaimed.

Seeing Faker's Galio, countless viewers couldn't help but raise their eyebrows, because his Galio left such a deep impression. His five Galio games that sent RNG to their deaths are still considered classics.

Moreover, everyone shares a common feeling: Faker's Galio is different from other people's Galio.

At that moment, Daeny saw that Faker had picked Galio, which meant the Xayah-Rakan combo was available. Without hesitation, he decisively picked the Xayah-Rakan combo and said, "Let TheShy play a front-line role this game."

"I can."

TheShy nodded in agreement without hesitation. He knew from Daney's words that the game would likely focus on the mid and bot lanes. Moreover, TheShy was very confident in himself; even if he didn't play a damage-dealing top laner, he could still outplay Khan.

Moments later, SKT made their second and third picks, giving Clid Lee Sin and then Kai'Sa, a strong AD carry in the current meta.

It can be said that they made these two moves quite thoughtfully.

Clid's Lee Sin is his specialty. Kai'Sa and Galio entered the fray and immediately wiped out the enemy team. SKT's next picks will definitely revolve around initiating the fight, because they need someone to lead Galio to jump in with his ultimate to initiate. Once the enemy team is low on health, Kai'Sa will immediately start reaping the kills.

"Oh? Clid's Lee Sin is here. What will IG pick for their third pick? Will they pick Orianna for Rookie? It's a classic laning combination against Galio. Orianna and Rakan are here!"

Guan Zeyuan nodded frequently, praising both sides' business plans.

Amidst the intense anticipation, the second round of draft picks and bans immediately began. SKT's head coach frowned as he looked at IG's first three picks, not considering blocking Chu Ran's jungler.

To be honest, Chu Ran's intimidation in the jungle is nowhere near as terrifying as when he's in the top and mid lanes.

If we don't target Chu Ran online, the lane might collapse in a little while. As for the jungler, unless Chu Ran can gank successfully many times, the jungler is destined to fail to develop.

Furthermore, there aren't many junglers who can carry a game. Rooike already has Orianna, so it's highly unlikely he'll play Nidalee or Elise. Therefore, they unanimously decided to limit TheShy's champion pool.

Based on IG's lineup, they analyzed that TheShy would probably be playing a tank for the first time ever.

Although IG rarely plays mid and bot lanes, it's not uncommon. TheShy does play tanks, and he plays Ornn and Sion quite often.

In an instant, SKT banned Ornn and Gangplank. As for IG, Daeny's first choice was Camille. Although Camille is weak in this version, she can still be played with Galio.

As for the second pick, it's Kayle. You should know that IG has this signature move: the Kayle paired with Kai'Sa. Kayle can use her ultimate, and Kai'Sa can fly directly into the crowd. If you add Galio's ultimate for damage reduction, it's really hard to deal with.

"Ornn, Gangplank, and Camille on the other side, both sides have a lot to consider," Wang Duoduo analyzed. "It feels like TheShy's side is going to pick Gnar."

Sure enough, after those words were spoken, IG immediately picked Gnar as their fourth pick. In contrast, SKT hesitated a bit in their last two picks, first helping Mata pick Alistar as support, and then immediately locking in Jayce as their fifth pick.

Although they lack some initiation tools, Jayce is very effective against Gnar, and Kai'Sa, as an AD carry, doesn't really come into play until around 20 minutes into the game. SKT's strategy is to rely on the early-game strength of their top, mid, and jungle to gain an early advantage.

It will be much easier to fight once Kai'Sa gets her gear.

"My God, Khan is playing Jayce? He's locked in!" Miller's heart skipped a beat. "What will Chu Shen play? I feel like he'll pick a strong jungler."

"In the very early to mid-game, the top, mid, and jungle players were no match for SKT."

At this moment, Daney is having a discussion with Chu Ran, but to be honest, there are only a few strong junglers in the early game, but Chu Ran has rejected them all.

"NOC, the enemy wants to use Jayce Poker in the early and mid-game and rely on Kai'Sa's output later. I just turn off the lights and kill Kai'Sa or Jayce, so they won't have much output in the early team fights."

"That's NOC!"

After a moment's thought, Rooike and the others did not object. But when the Nightmare hero appeared, the audience at the scene and in the live broadcast room were all dumbfounded.

"My God, is this a nightmare?!" Wang Duoduo was dumbfounded. "It's locked!! Chu Shen picked a very uncommon jungler. He's trying to cut straight into SKT's backline."

"And if this Nightmare develops well, SKT's lineup doesn't seem to have many ways to protect their backline, especially since it can fly over with Orianna!"

Amidst the uproar, the lineups of both sides were swapped, and the final lineups were determined.

SKT (Blue Side): Top lane Jayce, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Galio, Bot lane Kai'Sa and Alistar.

IG (Red Side): Top laner Gnar, Jungler Nocturne, Mid laner Orianna, Bot lane Xayah and Rakan.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Summoner's Rift gradually unfolds!

(End of this chapter)