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

Chapter 133: Pioneer Charity Skin!
It's hard to call the youth training roster sent by Lao Mo perfect.

After all, the two biggest SSR cards in LPL in 13 and 14 were UZI, who is now with Royal Never Give Up, and Ga, who also became a professional player with VG.

Then came Lee Hyun-jun, who debuted around the end of 14 or the beginning of 15.

It would be a lie to say I'm not envious of those two.

From the perspective of club operators, both players are the kind that can be used as the cornerstone of team building.

One represents the ultimate talent in the mid lane, while the other represents AD carry;

Each has its own drawbacks, and it will take a long time to fine-tune them before they can be truly used effectively.

There's no need to rush with these two right now. Even with intensive training, NXG's current starting five players can only be considered SR cards. Moreover, the start of next season will be full of SR cards. Besides, since you can't draw SSR cards yourself, you can try buying them.

It's important to know that until S5, the market value of LOL players, especially those from the LCK, was not actually very high.

One of the main reasons imp came to China was that after winning the S4 World Championship, Samsung offered an outrageously low price.

Jiang Ming certainly wouldn't let go of a talent monster like the Colossus.

As for your point about an all-Chinese squad... to be honest, even in the World Cup between nations, there are naturalized players, let alone in club matches. The so-called all-Chinese squad is just a marketing tactic.

RNG is a prime example. Despite marketing themselves as an all-Chinese team, they were actually the first team in the LPL to use Korean players.

Another little-known fact is that SKT, as a powerhouse in esports, was also the first LCK club to recruit players from other regions.

I browsed the list again and picked out the IDs that I recognized and listed them separately.

Jiang Ming thought about it and didn't miss any of the IDs: Theking, Free, Nexus...

Although reason suggests it's unlikely, and even if such a person did exist, they'd more likely just be a similar flower in a parallel world, as long as it's that person, the player's character can still be guaranteed. With some training, they could stay in the club as a coach or shine in the youth training camp.

On second thought, it makes sense. Under my influence, the League of Legends esports scene is now rapidly advancing towards the pinnacle. The butterfly effect has led to the emergence of some geniuses who didn't exist in the original timeline, which is quite reasonable.

NXG's current task is to quickly assemble a decent second team to compete in the City Championship in the second half of the year. Even if they don't get a spot in the LPL league, they must first secure their position in the secondary league.

Riot Games' rule that a club can only have one team in the same top league was introduced after the Samsung Blue-White War in Season 4. So, during this long gap from this year to next year, as long as Riot can cultivate enough players, they can secure the spot.

After that, the transfer of team slots allows NXG to earn substantial profits.

Using his existing memory, Jiang Ming arranged the lists of the two teams vying for LPL league spots on the manuscript paper. He then circled the players who were too young but had potential for development in red. He sent a portion of the circled list back to the club. Jiang Ming reminded Lao Mo that as long as the conditions were met during the youth training phase, they should sign youth training contracts with the other party first.

As for talent reserves, even if 99 out of 100 are mediocre, as long as one outstanding talent emerges, it's still a win for the club.

Besides, players trained in our own youth academy using advanced and standardized methods are talents no matter where they are placed. If they can't fetch a high price in the top league, there are still secondary leagues, and coaching staff and training groups from various clubs.

It's worth noting that the entire IG team under Wang Sicong's command had pre-ordered their lineup from him.

They're not afraid of having too many people right now. If it weren't for the fact that NXG has a severe shortage of existing staff and the esports personnel they've trained, this list would probably be at least doubled.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, your life is more important."

Jiang Ming sat at the hotel table for an unknown amount of time until his eyes started to ache and feel sore. He realized he couldn't stay up any longer. He had finally gotten a brand new set of equipment, and he didn't want to regret it later when he was drinking goji berries in his thermos.

Just as Jiang Ming put down his work and went to bed, the OGN team next door, who were engaged in their usual intense competition, were still burning the midnight oil.

They, who also defeated LCS.EU on the first day, didn't have many smiles on their faces.

The reason is simple: the pressure from the LPL is just too great.

The NA team had just faced off against each other in a pre-match scrim. They weren't very strong, but they weren't as good as the LPL teams, who played like bots.

In lane, he can get godlike kills in the mid lane. In terms of tempo, one Twisted Fate can make the entire NA team look like they don't even know who they are.

Five people sat around the computer, watching a video that they had watched over and over again on the screen.

"The most important thing to solve when playing in the LPL is the mid lane. Jm's individual skills, command ability, and team fight timing are all impeccable." MadLife pressed the pause button, freezing the screen at the moment when Riven's QR hit four NA players.

"He also described it this way in his own video: In Season 3, whoever controls the mid lane controls the game."

"Judging from his past performances, whether it was coaching the NXG team or playing in matches himself, it proves this point. If he gains an advantage in the mid lane or controls the lane, he can then spread the advantage to other lanes. With this playstyle, his teammates will be very comfortable in the jungle fights, while the enemy's side lanes will always be under threat."

"If both top and bottom lanes try to swap positions with you at the same time, and your mid laner can't keep up with the pace, it will cause the side laner to always be in a passive state. If you don't fight back, you will be beaten by the opposing hero. If you swap positions, you will face threats from the mid and jungle."

Shy highly approves of his support's analysis, saying, "We actually started paying attention to Jm and his NXG a long time ago."

To be precise, I initially started paying attention because NXG actually beat WE to a pulp.

"This team likes to make the most of a particular lane. When your performance drops in lane, you'll be surprised to find that NXG can send out one or two players, the mid and jungle, or even the bot lane or top lane, to take turns ganking you and always create a situation where they outnumber you."

"After killing someone, invade the enemy jungle vision, and use the vision to catch the enemy jungler or other heroes' movements, and snowball the game."

Hearing this, Insec felt the same way. When he saw the LCS.NA jungler looking confused and helpless on stage, he wondered how he would break the deadlock if he were in that situation.

“So, Chan-yong, you’ll be under a lot of pressure in the mid lane.” MadLife looked at Ambushin. “I don’t expect you to beat your opponent, but at least keep him occupied so we can have a chance to win.”

"learn!"

An Bixin nodded, without making any grand pronouncements about giving JM a piece of his mind.

On one hand, it's his personality; on the other hand, it's thanks to Scarra from the North American region. His three stubborn games against Riven and one game where he played Orianna against Twisted Fate helped Ambition regain his physical sanity.

A mid laner who can go 40/60 in a practice match, but then goes 10/0 against JM, what will he be when he goes up against them? 91/10?

Still 82!

"Actually, if we can contain the mid lane, we have a great chance. The other LPL players are no worse than you, and in some aspects we even have an advantage."

“I think we shouldn’t be too optimistic,” Pray, who was tall and hadn’t said much until now, finally spoke up.

"JM's greatest strength is actually not online..."

The chubby Rat King pointed to his brain, "JM's real strength lies in his intelligent mind, which allows him to pay attention to the situation of his teammates and react in a timely manner."

"He is the coach himself, as if there is always half a person on the field participating in the command."

“PDD’s individual laning ability and dominance in the top lane are top-notch, but he is very reckless. Now it seems that Jm has cured him of his tendency to get carried away and act rashly in the league.”

"If the jungler Mingkai is not in a good rhythm, he is prone to getting confused and wandering around... The bot laner Weixiao has shortcomings in handling details and emotional control... However, all these problems seemed to disappear in yesterday's game."

“Aishie…”

Someone in the crowd let out a venting scream.

Who would have thought that OGN's research on the game LOL was already quite in-depth?

From hero counters and team composition to vision control;
All five players were brimming with confidence until the All-Star Game began.

Reality slapped them hard in the face; not only did LPL players know everything they did, they also knew more about it.

It's practically—like an upgraded version of them!
The room became somewhat stuffy.

In South Korea, there is immense pressure in everything you do, especially for e-sports players who bear some resemblance to idols.

If they lose the All-Star Game, who knows what kind of things the crazy fans might do?

A truck blocked the door, and a package contained razor blades?
Or perhaps they'd send you a still-warm dead rat...

If they win, they have everything; if they lose, they become the villains of the region.

MadLife also sighed slightly. He had even considered picking the entire early-game lineup and going head-to-head with the LPL.

He felt uncertain about competing with such an opponent in terms of teamwork, discipline, and decision-making.

However, if you choose an early-game lineup, how much of an economic lead do you need in the first twenty minutes to guarantee a win?
Three thousand, five thousand, or more?

"Fortunately, we're lucky. Tomorrow we've drawn a match between the winners of the loser's bracket, so we can watch another round of LPL and GPL matches and have an extra day to study them and see if we can get any ideas from GPL."

Because of the S2 champions' involvement in GPL, the five teams naturally enjoyed a bye in the first round of the competition, and could directly face the winners of the first round. Of course, the price was that they didn't get a resurrection item; if they lost, they would really have no chance.

Shy suddenly remembered something and looked at the staff member next to him, "I remember SKT seems to have been scrimming with NXG, could you ask them to share some of their data with us?"

"Ah, looking for SKT?"

"Would they be willing? Besides, there should be confidentiality agreements in the scrims between teams, right?"

"Don't want to?"

A cold snort echoed in the small room. "The All-Star champions can secure the third S-series spot. This is a matter of regional honor. JM, as the team's head coach, is selflessly contributing to improve the players' competitive level. They have no reason to refuse."

"Besides, we don't need their recordings. We just want to play some practice matches with them and let them imitate NXG's playstyle a few times."

……

May 25th, All-Star Day 2!

Jiang Ming got up very early today. As the head coach, captain, and owner of the NXG team, having a single room is a small personal privilege for him.

After a quick wash, he pressed the elevator button and arrived at the forest path behind the hotel leading to the residential area. Back at the training base, his demands for the athletes' morning training weren't just empty words; from top to bottom, including himself, all the club staff had to get sufficient physical exercise every day.

Yes, the kind of training that includes working hours and job duties.

Even just jogging for half an hour every day, over time, will have considerable benefits for your body's regulation.

The moment the sweat rolls down your forehead is like a fuse igniting your body. As your breathing quickens, it begins to slide down your brow bone to the corners of your eyes. The salty, astringent touch stimulates your nerve endings, as if reminding you that you have truly come alive.

Of course, the soreness from lactic acid buildup is truly unpleasant, and it is precisely because of this that it intertwines with the pleasurable sensation of dopamine release, creating a duet that awakens the soul.

Jiang Ming firmly believes that only a healthy and energetic body can provide the energy to work effectively. Esports clubs are not just for players; in fact, many staff members have frighteningly long and irregular work hours.

In the long run, this is nothing more than overdrawing one's life to earn a pittance of humiliation.

Jiang Ming has plans for the health management of players and club staff; if things go smoothly next year, he will carry out a large-scale expansion of the new base, at which time he will bring the complete health management system into his NXG.

Physiotherapy rooms, health management specialists, plus activity rooms for weightlifting and exercise—all of these have been arranged.

While guaranteeing salary increases, we're also offering top-notch benefits!

Around ten o'clock, Jiang Ming, soaking wet, returned to the hotel.

I happened to run into PDD at the entrance; he was hungry and had come to the restaurant on the first floor to find something to eat.

Good morning, Old Park!

"Good morning, Lao Jiang, you've gone on another trip."

"Yes, it'll be more comfortable to make a trip every day."

PDD raised his hand in greeting, looking enviously at Jiang Ming, who was covered in sweat, and then subconsciously glanced at his own protruding belly.

Jiang Ming followed the same schedule for more than a week during the training camp, so he was used to it.

Just a few days ago, he was clamoring to work out with PDD and become a version of Park with a V-line, but on the first day, he only ran a distance of 900 meters before kneeling down in disbelief and never mentioned it again.

Compared to the life-or-death pain of running, he suddenly felt that having 200 pounds of fat on his body wasn't so bad.

Besides, how can a top laner help his teammates withstand damage if he's not fed?
After parting ways with PDD, I didn't see any other members of the group again, even after taking the elevator all the way to the room door.

That's true. Esports players are all night owls. The All-Star event on the second day doesn't start until 2 PM. They're unlikely to leave their beds until 11 or 12 PM.

Jiang Ming returned to his room, took off his sweat-soaked clothes, and put them in the laundry basket by the door. The hotel's cleaning lady would take them to be washed later.

Putting on slippers and stepping naked into the bathroom, as the warm liquid spread from his head to his entire body, an indescribable feeling of pleasure made Jiang Ming involuntarily let out a soft hiss.

Fortunately, he didn't have any particular ambition to become the King of Bathroom Singers.

……

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Jiang Ming saw that it was almost time and went downstairs to meet up with his teammates.

"Hey Lao Jiang, why did you suddenly change into a suit?"

PDD instantly transformed into King Gigi, pointing his right finger at Jiang Ming, who was dressed in a suit, his index finger trembling uncontrollably.

Mingkai and Weixiao also cast curious glances. It's true that LPL team uniforms aren't ugly, but that doesn't mean that mid laners can be allowed to go their own way and wear suits to the game.

The art styles are completely different!
After finishing his meal, Abu joked, "What new show is this? Suit-clad group?"

To be honest, during this training camp, Abu's defenses were almost maxed out in the face of Jiang Ming's endless stream of ideas.

"Xiao Pang, help me get my team uniform."

"Okay, Ming-ge."

Jiang Ming handed the team uniform to Pang Ran before explaining, "I need to go up to Riot Games' awards ceremony today!"

"Wuhu!"

"Answer ceremony? What kind of awards are there?"

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they looked very interested.

Even Pang Ran, who always obeyed his boss, was full of curiosity as he held the clothes.

"You'll find out soon enough," Jiang Ming said mysteriously.

He couldn't very well say that he only received a last-minute message from the LPL manager last night, saying that there was a league promotion incentive event today that required him to participate.

Fortunately, his senior reminded him before he left that he should bring his formal attire along, otherwise he probably would have only had the team uniform as his only option today.

Jiang Ming has always been careful to distinguish between his multiple identities, trying his best to take advantage of the benefits of each role.

The league's promoter "JM" and the professional player "JM" are two people from two different fields.

……

14 PM, Shanghai Grand Stage.

On the main stage, Ma Fanshu, dressed in a deep blue gown, stood gracefully beside LPL operations executives and Riot Games CEO.

On camera, the five members of Assassins, who were part of the S2 World Championship, appeared excited, but also slightly awkward and embarrassed.

Yes, it's awkward!
Now that more than half a year has passed since winning the S2 championship, the joy at that time has certainly diminished by more than half.

If you were to present last year's championship ring and the trophy-lifting ceremony at the S3 All-Star event, and the audience wasn't there for you, wouldn't they feel awkward?

As for the awkward situation, there was no special reason. It was simply a normal emotional change after a few e-sports teenagers with little social experience were messed with by Riot Games.

So many people mock Riot Games for being a shoddy operation in the late game, often making outrageous plays, because they've never seen the series of things Riot Games did in the early game that were so outrageous they made people want to vomit.

Winning a championship is just a minor event.

However awkward and uncomfortable they were, when the host congratulated the five TPA players on winning the League of Legends S2 World Championship, the bright smiles on their faces were genuine.

The frustration in the eyes of Jiang Ming, Ming Kai, Wei Xiao, and PDD standing next to him was unmistakable.

One of them lost to the legendary team M5 due to their skill level, while the other was eliminated in the quarterfinals by CLG due to various disconnections.

Now, last year's championship trophy is right in front of them, and they're even being awarded it in front of everyone. How can they not feel frustrated?

Jiang Ming even wondered if the fist was doing this on purpose.

Jiang Ming turned his gaze back to the main stage, feeling a pang of emotion. Who would have thought that one of the five spirited young men on stage would, for various reasons, ultimately have to resort to live-streaming the sale of his championship ring?

"Next, please welcome Brandon Beck, Chief Designer at Riot Games..."

Ma Fanshu made a polite invitation gesture with her left hand, and the camera then moved to the other side.

"Hello, everyone at the Shanghai Grand Stage and in the live stream, good afternoon!"

After a few standard remarks, Brandon Beck started talking about the development of League of Legends.

"To date, our League of Legends has over 9700 million registered players worldwide, with a peak concurrent player count exceeding nine million."

"Just yesterday, the number of live viewers for our first League of Legends All-Star event in 2013 has exceeded eight million worldwide."

"All of this is inseparable from the support of all Summoners, as well as the players who have contributed to the promotion of League of Legends in various ways over the past year."

"We have reason to believe that in the future, League of Legends will get better and better thanks to the joint efforts of this group of lovely summoners."

"Therefore, our management team has unanimously decided to design a charity commemorative skin for Summoners who have contributed to the promotion of League of Legends. 50% of the sales revenue from this skin will be used for charity to help more people in need."

Seeing the lukewarm reaction from the audience, Brandon Beck smirked and raised his voice, "Not only that, for the design of this charity skin and the choice of champion, we will select a Summoner who contributed to the promotion of the League last year, based on the Summoner's wishes..."

"Now, let's move on to the next segment. Please welcome the player from our LPL region who has won the title of Best Promotion Ambassador for League of Legends—"

At this moment, the LPL audience in the stadium immediately realized what was happening.

League of Legends Best Ambassador?
Damn, in the entire LPL region, no one can compare to me, the Confucius of Esports.

Thousands of voices converged, shouting out that ID along with the head of Riot Games.

"JM!" "JM!" "JM!"

Inside the venue, cheers from the players rose in waves.

The moment Jiang Ming, dressed in a dark black suit, stepped onto the stage, the performance reached its peak.

Undoubtedly, this arrangement for the second day of the All-Star Game successfully stabilized the potentially declining buzz ahead of the finals.

Standing on the stage, once again facing numerous eyes, Jiang Ming greeted the audience and the cameras in a lighthearted tone.

"Hello, League of Legends Summoners on the continent of Valoran!"

(End of this chapter)