League of Legends: Reborn in Season 3, Tuning the Entire League

Chapter 115: The Bible and the Post-Game Sacrifice?
Hello JM!

During the post-match interview, the host, Baobao, greeted everyone with a smile.

"Please bear with me again during today's post-match interview."

"Hello, host."

As Jiang Ming bowed slightly, he extended his right hand and lightly shook hands with the host's palm.

Bao Bao was somewhat surprised, her beautiful eyes fixed on the "big shot" in front of her who was "successful" in the e-sports circle.

The other person's interaction with me felt like a greeting between an ordinary e-sports player and a host, and it didn't change because of the change in their external identities.

As if sensing the host's confusion, Jiang Ming deliberately tugged at the team captain's armband on his left arm.

Contrary to what outsiders might imagine, he doesn't downplay his identity as an esports player because of his other roles. It is precisely because of this identity that he can stay clear-headed and firmly remember why he stepped into the esports circle, preventing someone who was just an ordinary and mediocre person in his previous life from losing himself when he first started to achieve some success.

The club's various initiatives to cultivate the players' character are, in effect, Jiang Ming's own way of preparing a remedy for himself to strengthen his resolve and clarify his mind.

"Can I take a picture with you at the end of today?" Bao Bao asked, instinctively using polite language.

Her female intuition told her that this player, who had already caused a sensation in the e-sports world in just over a month, might achieve far more in the future than anyone imagined.

Jiang Ming had no objection; it was just a group photo, and he wouldn't feel superior thinking that others were interested in him.

The two then chatted casually about the interview questions until the director reminded them, at which point they walked together under the camera for the post-match interview.

"Hello, fellow League of Legends Summoners. This is the post-match interview session for the 2013 League of Legends Pro League Spring Split."

"Standing next to me is our guest for today's interview, JM, the mid-laner for the NXG team!"

Considering Jiang Ming's terrifying popularity, Bao Bao was smart this time and finished her opening remarks all at once, not giving the audience a chance to interrupt her.

Sure enough, before Jiang Ming could even pick up the microphone, cheers for "NXG" and "JM" mixed with the sound of slapping in support swept towards the interview stage from the audience.

Jiao Yang, the head of the cheering squad, looked around, sensing the terrifying atmosphere around him, and silently put away his flag.

It seems that I no longer need to take the lead; the fighting power of the NXG fan group has been successfully mobilized in the shortest possible time.

Imagine this: NXG won all their matches in the first round of the LPL professional league. So far, only OMG and PE have given NXG a little trouble in the matches. After JM personally took to the field, NXG dominated the other seven teams in the region with an overwhelming force.

In short, regardless of whether you are a fan of NXG or not, you will subconsciously feel a bit more respect for their terrifying record that surpasses the rest of the region.

Not to mention that NXG's discipline is as strict as a military formation, and their fighting spirit is as fierce as a beast descending from the mountain. Their playstyle is so beautiful that it's hard not to like them.

Jiang Ming didn't act coy at all, accepting the cheers and applause from the fans in a generous manner, and even swaying his hands from side to side to interact with them.

It didn't feel like a post-match interview, but rather a fan meeting.

Baobao was also helpless. Compared with other teams in the LPL, JM, the team captain, club owner, and highly educated entrepreneur, was simply outmatched in managing fans. They were from completely different worlds.

To avoid exceeding the post-match interview time limit again, Bao Bao quickly took advantage of a brief lull in the noise in the stadium to ask the first question.

"JM, so far, you and your NXG team have achieved a perfect seven-game winning streak and topped the leaderboard. I would like to ask if you are satisfied with the current results? I wonder if you have achieved the goals you set when you founded the team?"

"I think it would be better to leave this question to the NXG fans," Jiang Ming said with a smile, pointing the microphone at the audience.

"satisfy!!!"

"Not satisfied!!!"

Interestingly, NXG's fans, who were just united, suddenly split into two camps, one saying they were satisfied and the other saying they were not.

The electronic signals synchronized all of this to the TGA live broadcast room, and countless viewers burst into laughter.

Oh dear, JM got tricked.

[Classic scene: You bunch of fake fans.]

[Hehehe, some people are satisfied, some are not. I wonder how you, JM, will handle this.]

At the scene, Jiang Ming's smile remained unchanged as he put the microphone back to his mouth. "First of all, I am very happy that the team has achieved a seven-game winning streak. Every victory is the best reward for the NXG team members, and it is also the best reward for the hard work and sweat they have put in during countless days and nights of training."

"Of course, a seven-game winning streak is not satisfactory, because this is just the beginning, not the end. The current top spot is only a stage, and NXG has not yet won the trophy that belongs to the victor."

"I firmly believe that the pursuit of victory in esports is endless. Every time we stand on the field, we have only one goal: victory. And victory is not the end, but a new beginning, inspiring us to climb to higher peaks. The entire NXG team will always maintain this desire for victory, constantly challenge ourselves, and move forward towards the pinnacle of esports."

"I once told my players to learn to treat every game as if it were their last, and every time they stepped onto the court as if it were their last dance, because you have to consider—"

"That might be our only chance in this lifetime!"

The young man stared intently at the camera and spoke solemnly.

【! ! ! 】

That's well said.

Forgive my lack of cultural knowledge, but "Holy crap!" is all I need.

This is perhaps the difference between college students and internet addicts.

Being satisfied with the current results is a reward for one's hard work and effort; being dissatisfied stems from the fact that esports should have no end.

[I've learned to treat every match as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I envy the NXG members for having such a great captain as their mentor.]

[More than that. Compared to other teams that smoke, drink, and get perms, NXG's terrifying work schedule, which we complain about, is actually for the good of these young people.]

[While I don't want to put anyone down, some professional players struggle even to give a proper, complete answer to a single question in an interview; they're nowhere near as good as JM.]

[To the person upstairs, please correct me: the NXG players performed very well in the interviews; they clearly have received professional training.]

[Exactly! Can't the other teams learn from this?]

To be fair, knowledge may not guarantee success, but it is certainly an indispensable foundation on the road to success.

Indeed, a wealth of knowledge can broaden your horizons, giving you more perspectives and solutions when facing complex problems.

[Persistence, hard work, humility, purity—if I had to say someone could refute the older generation's claim that esports is not synonymous with internet addiction, it would be someone like JM.]

The reactions of the host and the audience were not much different.

As the person who has had the most close contact with these LOL esports players, her previous interviews only asked that they reduce their use of traditional Chinese culture, which would be the best outcome. Who would have thought that she would hear such a memorable quote here?

Oh no, the first question we used to warm up the atmosphere was a bit too ambitious, and it seems like we're not going to be able to sustain it.

Having no better ideas at the moment, baobao had no choice but to bite the bullet and move on to the second question, which concerned the competition itself: "The second question comes from a player submission on TGA. As we all know, after the version changes, NXG was the first to shift their tactical focus to the top, mid, and jungle, and many LPL teams have also shown similar playstyles..."

"Could you tell us what the key points of the 'Uekazuchi-Nakano' strategy are?"

Clearly, Bao Bao's worries were unnecessary.

When it comes to questions about game understanding, asking others might be met with disdain, but if you ask JM, the "Confucius of esports," they'll be wide awake.

There were even more members of professional esports teams among the crowd.

The emotions conveyed in countless pairs of eyes were remarkably consistent!
Um, JM, just say what you want, we're listening.

"Describing it as a top-mid-jungle tactic is not quite accurate. It should be called a mid-jungle tactic. Since Baron Nashor only spawns at 20 minutes, the top half of the map is not as strategically important for resource control as the bottom half, which has the dragon. So why do we often prioritize the top lane when allocating resources to the side lanes?"

Jiang Ming didn't play the riddle-maker and quickly explained, "Those who have watched my tutorial videos should know that the biggest advantage of the top lane is that it can gain fighting power faster than the bottom lane. One or even half an item plus a pair of boots can give you decent fighting power. On the other hand, the AD carry, because it's a duo lane where experience is shared, is much behind in level compared to the solo lane, and needs at least two items to have the ability to influence the game. Therefore, in the early game, the team tends to favor the top lane, and after gaining an advantage, they can often put more pressure on the opponent, resulting in a higher win rate in small skirmishes..."

"At this point, everyone should realize that the team I'm referring to is biased towards whom?"

"The answer is mid and jungle. In Summoner's Rift, the jungler is like a free agent on the football field. He can flexibly change his position and responsibilities according to the situation, and carry out ganks, counter-ganks, and even resource control."

"As for the mid lane, due to its special geographical location, it can radiate the entire field, just like a commander sitting in the middle of the army. It can pay attention to the top, bottom and jungle areas, and complement the jungler. It is the key to the team's early game rhythm."

"So if I had to say what the key to the top, mid, and jungle is, I think it lies in the mid lane."

It must be in the middle!

[Got it, JM, you could actually use Ruofeng as an example, like WE, where if the mid laner is weak, the whole game collapses.]

[The comment above is insightful and makes sense. If Ruofeng hadn't almost been solo-killed at level three, Mingkai wouldn't have been forced to show his face in the mid lane. If the jungler's position hadn't been exposed, the spider wouldn't have dared to target the weapon so blatantly.]

The most crucial aspect of Season 3 was still the assassin meta. Whichever team had the stronger mid laner would have a much stronger early game. I won't even go into how terrifying JM's LeBlanc was once she got fed; her AD carry was simply too fragile to withstand it.

After these words were spoken, coupled with the analysis from the viewers in the live chat, many WE fans felt that they had found the culprit for losing the game.

Indeed, the key reason NXG beat them so badly in this match was Ruofeng's poor performance in the mid lane.

[Just retire already. Even as a DOTA minion, you haven't escaped being slaughtered like a pig in LOL.]

[Speaking of "pig slaughtering" (a term used to describe a player who aggressively flames in ranked games), how come he's practically invisible in professional matches?]

[Nonsense, my pig farm had a 1-1 score, and I was the MVP of the game, okay?]

[JM has already said in her live stream that you shouldn't look at the data; focusing solely on data will distort the value of people's efforts.]

As the discussion deepened, WE fans' eyes lit up.

That's right, it's confirmed, it's Nakano's problem.

Yes, Season 3 was clearly a meta where the mid and jungle players controlled the tempo, but we ended up encountering two noobs, Ruofeng and Mingkai.

What, you mean the kind of strawberry that dares to grab and die?
Strawberry is so handsome, and he got ganked by the jungler and mid laner, can you blame him?
With the crocodile having a lead of several heads in the later stages, this kind of solo kill doesn't even count as a solo kill.

Baobao didn't have a deep understanding of the game, so all she could do in response to Jiang Ming's answers was smile.

I don't understand, but it sounds amazing. "Third question, today's opponent is our region's champion team, WE. Before the match, did you think about the game... um, do you think you'll win relatively easily?"

To be honest, during the discussion backstage, Baobao really wanted to ask the leadership again if this issue could be removed or something.

WE is, after all, the first team in this region to win an international tournament. Asking such a question is undoubtedly putting JM, who was being interviewed, on the hot seat.

Jiang Ming was not surprised at all. On the contrary, the moment he heard the question, he understood what the LPL management was thinking.

"This is because they foresaw WE's decline ahead of time due to their own influence, so they focused more on promoting the region's traffic to themselves!"

To be honest, he had no reason to refuse.

However, the content of the issue was indeed somewhat sensitive, and Jiang Ming, who had grand ambitions, naturally wouldn't want to damage his image or give outsiders the impression of an arrogant young man spouting nonsense.

After considering it for a while, Jiang Ming said, "The training team is not surprised that we were able to win. In fact, as the champion team of IPL5, we believe that not only us, but also teams such as IG and PE are studying us. Facing the strongest team from last season, we can only go further if we defeat them."

"At the same time, the version changes have a huge impact on WE, which already has a mature tactical system. From the traditional global support system and AD taking over the game in the late game to the fast-paced roaming of the mid and jungle and the crazy collisions in the early small-scale team fights, these are not things that WE can easily change in a day or two."

"Studying versions, becoming champions, being studied, accepting the intertwining of victory and defeat, we are just walking the same path that WE once came from."

[Tsk tsk, you really think you can win a single BO1 match? It's not surprising you even managed to win.]

[Damn NXG, just you wait. WE will definitely avenge themselves in the second match of the second round next week.]

[The two idiots upstairs are so stupid they could be in a museum. I really don't want to say anything.]

[Exactly, JM already gave WE a lot of face, even pointing out WE's tactical flaws. With a double-digit kill count, I don't know what you guys are still calling him.]

[What's the point of explaining to an idiot? He doesn't deserve to listen. He couldn't even understand JM's respect for WE as a senior team and his humbly statement that NXG was only on the path to catching up. He's diagnosed with brainstem amputation.]

The audience below was talking about it.

However, this did not affect the continuation of the interview between the two people on stage.

Following up on the topic, Baobao asked two more questions about the opponents' comments, and Jiang Ming answered them one by one without any hesitation. Of course, with his current fan base, as long as he doesn't maliciously slander WE or engage in verbal attacks, he doesn't need to worry about being attacked by obsessive fans.

"One last question. The 2013 League of Legends All-Star qualifiers in Shanghai are about to end. As someone who has a good chance of representing our LPL region, JM, what would you like to say?"

Jiang Ming turned his gaze to the west of the stage, where a group of young men and women, full of passion for e-sports, were holding up NXG support signs.

He clenched his right fist and placed it on his chest, without hesitation, "I'm determined, I won't let you down."

"The glory of the LPL region is forged from this moment!"

……

The post-match interview session concluded there. Jiang Ming and the host took a photo together on stage with the help of a staff member, experiencing the unique beauty of giving a thumbs-up.

Afterwards, to celebrate the undefeated record in the first round, he pulled a group of team members to stay outside the venue and interact with some of the NXG fans who had stayed behind.

Sending out a few sets of team jerseys signed by the team members was a small measure to appease players who were dissatisfied with the team's delayed online store listings.

After the event, the atmosphere in the car was quite lively on the way back to the team base from the Taicang competition venue.

Xu Jing, holding Pang Ran's hand, simply started singing upbeat songs on his phone.

Seven consecutive wins is one thing, but another is that they can finally have a short two-day break.

Yes, lock the training room directly and don't allow anyone to enter. At the same time, everyone's whereabouts must be reported, and we will strictly investigate anyone sneaking into internet cafes to prevent the kind of holiday where everyone is just going through the motions.

Everything requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Jiang Ming certainly didn't want the young men to be too stressed due to the pressure of the team's winning streak, leading to a final collapse.

After more than a month of non-stop training, even Optimus Prime would need to relax a bit and give the gears some lubrication.

"Stone, what are your plans?" Song Yuan asked curiously.

"I want to go to the supermarket to buy some things for my family and send them back home."

Song Yuan's eyes lit up. "Can I come with you? I haven't really explored this area yet."

"Xiao Wu, do you want to come with us?"

Wu Zhiqiang waved his hand, "No, I have plans. I'm meeting up with a friend to go to the movies."

Xu Jing: "Hmm, friend?"

"Something's not right, is it a man or a woman!"

The crowd that detected the keyword immediately fell silent, all eyes focused on one thing.

"Jie Jie Jie!"

As the saying goes, if you do something wrong, don't hide it; being honest will bring you peace of mind.

"Resisting to the end will lead you astray, and by then it will be too late to regret it."

"Tell me, will you confess yourself or will we use torture to extract a confession?"

Wu Zhiqiang rolled his eyes. "What are you guys thinking? Of course, a friend is a guy."

"Cut~"

"This is boring. I thought there would be some juicy gossip to share."

……

Immediately after the match between NXG and WE, discussions about this hugely lopsided game were quietly taking place in the LOL forum.

#In an incredible match where the champion team was down by double digits, whose fault was it? Who was guilty? Whose play wasn't team-oriented?#
[Who's controlling the lane at the second tower?!]

[Is anyone's AD carry at full health?]

[OP is amazing! You've really mastered JM's catchphrases from her livestreams.]

[I'm a WE fan, but I don't feel like swearing today.]

[The first mistake in the mid lane was getting killed by JM like a bot.]

Is this the true value of being called the world's best mid laner?

[Strawberry's second blunder in the top lane, JM's top laner is grinning from ear to ear, he really dares to gank and die.]

[Doll's Third Pot: This isn't right, why isn't the First Blood Strawberry Curse working today?]

[The bot laner, Smile, is also committing a crime. Even the Blitzcrank has gone roaming, yet he's still stuck there greedy. Would it kill him to walk a few extra steps and recall?]

[The side dish is a bit smaller, but it's still a top-quality dish.]

They're all guilty, every single one of them. They were all blinded by the self-aggrandizing hype of those abstract monsters after winning the championship.

[World champion bragging about his penis?]

To be fair, JM made it very clear in his post-match interview that the championship is in the past, and no one can stay stuck on past glories.

[It's just marketing. After winning the championship, they're constantly running events to make money, but they don't play practice matches or study the game version.]

[That felt good. I love NXG's brutal beatings. Look at those crazy fans still yelling.]

The new era has arrived; those who continue to rely on past achievements will be kicked to death like a stray dog ​​on the street.

[Hey, didn't we agree that we only wanted to see the five best players compete and didn't care about anything else? Why are you all so quiet after getting thrashed by JM today?]

So, you guys know that you're too ashamed to speak after being beaten badly in a competitive match.

Without a doubt, the atmosphere in the LOL forum right now is like celebrating the Lunar New Year.

However, on the other hand, if these WE players are taking up spots, what will happen to them in the All-Star game?

[Damn, that's really true. Even with JM in the mid lane, WE can still take up at least three of the four positions: top, jungle, and bot. They might end up breaking JM's legs.]

[Brothers, look at the vote distribution. JM's votes in the mid lane are practically secured. Check around to see if anyone hasn't voted yet, and try to grab another spot for NXG.]

[It's tough. Right now, NXG's support player, Door, is close to Curly in the votes, but if we vote for support, wouldn't it be even more absurd to let Wang Caomei go top lane?]

[I'm telling you, no need to hesitate anymore, let's just go for the support role. Check Weibo, Strawberry announced he's withdrawing from the All-Star qualifiers.]

Just as the LOL forums were debating the top and support positions, a Weibo post by WE's top laner, Strawberry, provided them with a solution.

WE-caomei: "I am very sorry, but due to health reasons, I need to recuperate in May to get back to good condition as soon as possible. After careful consideration, I have submitted an application to the league to withdraw from the All-Star selection process. I feel very guilty for letting down the fans..."

As for whether Strawberry was really unwell, that's a matter of opinion. Somewhat surprisingly, Strawberry's decision to withdraw from the selection process actually won her a lot of goodwill from casual players.

As for WE fans, before they could even react, a discussion in the esports circle that quickly went viral attracted all their attention.

#NXG's key internal tactics revealed#
#LOL Coach Recruitment: Can You Answer These Questions?#
Inside the NXG club, Lin Jingyi simultaneously pushed open Jiang Ming's office door.

"President Jiang, the questions for our team coach recruitment have been leaked."

　First and foremost, I received the 10,000-subscription badge. I want to thank everyone for their support.

　　Lao Qing is here to give everyone a big thumbs up.

　　This chapter underwent several revisions, but ultimately adopted a combination of bullet comments and forum debates; otherwise, securing All-Star positions wouldn't have been possible. WeiXiao's AD carry position was unavailable, and MingKai couldn't be absent as jungler, otherwise the famous meme of "I want to prove I'm the world's best jungler" would be ruined. Therefore, the role that could be played was support, hence the use of Strawberry voluntarily resigning (which actually fits his character, as Strawberry voluntarily gave up his position in the original game). Below is the All-Star teammate coaching storyline. Feel free to leave comments or join the group for discussion if you have any good suggestions!

　　PS: Top Esports is really something, achieving a perfect record of all losses.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)