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

Chapter 214: Group Stage Ends, LPL's Three Powerhouses Gather!

Nakano got two kills, plus a small dragon.

The economic gap widened to 1,300 to 1,400.

EZ and Sona even found an opportunity to switch to the top lane because of this.

This is completely unacceptable to Royal Club, which needs to pursue a fast-paced tower-pushing strategy.

Another point is that after Kennen is swapped to another lane, his effectiveness and safety under the turret are completely inferior to Shen's.

With the dragon taken, the purple team only needed to wait for Shen's ultimate to recharge. Subsequently, the mid-jungle synergy of Ahri and Vi made it impossible for any single player on Royal Club to withstand such offensive pressure.

Fortunately, Royal Club has been criticized many times in the LPL for its operational tactics and has long had experience in dealing with them.

Unlike SKT's Bengi who focused on one lane, Spider-Man prioritized leveling up his champions in the jungle, allowing his Jarvan IV to reach level six before VUL's jungler. At twelve minutes, a proactive gank by Shenchao in the mid lane resulted in a successful kill on VUL's mid laner Ahri. Vi, who arrived later, was also caught by Tabe.

A zero-for-three exchange instantly brought the momentum back to a near standstill.

Meanwhile, UZI, who was left to fend for himself in the bottom lane, was able to maximize his individual abilities.

When facing the crocodile's double E dash, anticipate and use your E in advance to slow the crocodile down, followed by continuous trap control.

Squeak!! Squeak!!
The clip being triggered twice in a row left the English-speaking commentators in disbelief.

Jiang Ming, who was also paying attention to the game, was very satisfied with the effect of his efforts.

In reality, many people in the original timeline misunderstood UZI's best champions. They only learned about him through short videos and then assumed that UZI's best champions were Vayne, Lucian, or at the very least, Kai'Sa.

However, what truly made UZI famous worldwide was his female police officer.

With top-notch attack range control, she can almost pinpoint and finish off enemies with traps, maximizing the advantages of the female police officer.

Now, after being thoroughly tested by NXG's strategic gameplay in the LPL, Royal Club's playstyle has clearly changed.

It's still the classic four-protect-one strategy, but Royal Club has made significant changes to its tactical approach.

Resources will still primarily be used to feed the AD carry, but the tactical focus in the early and mid-game and the jungler will no longer be mindlessly biased towards the bottom lane as before, but will be adjusted appropriately based on the team composition.

Sometimes, Royal Club will also take advantage of the immense aggro generated by their AD carry to launch counter-ganking attacks in the mid, top, and jungle in a 5v5 format.

Yes, to players in the original timeline, it was a story that seemed like a fairy tale.

Not only did they not protect UZI, they even used him as bait.

Jiang Ming really wanted to say that anything is possible.

First of all, this is Season 3, far from the "world's best ADC" that was created by traffic and Tencent after Season 4!
UZI is just an ordinary chubby guy with an extremely strong competitive spirit.

Without honors and attention, he lost the rebellious confidence that fan culture had given him.

In the LPL Spring Split, Royal Club and WE were treated similarly, both being completely overwhelmed by the top-jungle-top strategy.

The extremely poor living conditions in AD have reached an unprecedented level.

If we continue to focus on the bottom lane and can't win with a four-man gank, then trying other strategies becomes inevitable.

Interestingly, during the experiment, especially after studying NXG's match videos, UZI discovered that if the top, mid, and jungle lanes developed well in the early and mid-game, his game experience in team fights was much more enjoyable than protecting the bottom lane at the beginning of the game.

There are plenty of resources to eat, and you don't have to be on edge all the time when teaming up. Occasionally you get targeted, and the exhilarating feeling of watching your teammates arrive one after another and wipe out the entire enemy team after a successful maneuver is incredibly addictive.

UZI: Master JM, I understand now, the ADC positioning issue you mentioned.

……

To the dismay of North American players, after VUL's initial three-pronged attack, they found it difficult to find a breakthrough against the now stable Royal Club.

Finally, in the 28th minute, Royal Club pushed back onto their high ground, and the score remained at 19-11.

However, despite ultimately losing the match, the North American players in the audience still gave them their sincerest applause.

The third seed's poor performance and loss to fellow third seed Royal Club is not a big deal, but today you defeated FNC, you are the Hero of the region!

[That was close! The VUL guys' three-pronged attack almost killed the royal family too.]

[This North American third seed is something else. Their lane swap against FNC and their teamfight strategy against Royal Club, specifically targeting the AD carry with the Ahri and Vi combo, were all precise plays designed to eliminate key players.]

I wonder if you guys have this feeling that I can always find the shadow of a certain team in VUL.

[The person upstairs doesn't need to use riddles; just say they were mentored by NXG. Before the group stage started, the VUL guys played scrims with JM's NXG and IG for about ten days.]

[Hilarious! I heard from people over there that VUL's top laner's uncle gave NXG a bus so they could easily travel between the tournament venue and their hotel.]

[Le, what I really want to know is whether FNC will be eliminated from the round of 16 by Royal Club and VUL working together.]

[Wuhu, the three LPL teams in the quarterfinals, I've never felt so wonderful.]

What we didn't get in Season 2 last year, we'll take back double this year!

It can only be said that LPL's optimism is ultimately a deeply ingrained, fundamental problem.

Before the dust had even settled on one match, the script had already begun to be woven, with three of the eight teams advancing to the next round.

Leaving aside the heated discussions in the live stream, the first day of the Group B round-robin tournament continues.

The S3 group stage schedule is very tight, with ten teams divided into two groups for a double round-robin BO1 format, and each team must play a full eight games.

Each group plays two matches a day for four consecutive days. Both groups play simultaneously to complete the entire schedule within a week, creating a very fast-paced atmosphere.

The final battle on the 16th was a clash between brothers from the EU region:
FNC vs. GMB!

The result was self-evident: FNC won the match.

But the FNC guys on camera weren't happy; on the contrary, they were very depressed.

FNC seems to be under precise temperature control.

They finally got their chance to prove themselves, only to run into a team from the same region.

Even though the team won with zero mistakes and crushed the opponent, in the eyes of the audience, they instantly became the typical example of "experts in internal battles but incompetent in external battles" - winning against their own brothers only confirmed their label of being bullies at home, which is quite ironic.

Just after FNC's match ended, it was already evening in China, and the various online forums for esports quickly became lively.

[Let's have a rational discussion. NA > EU. I think this topic should be put to rest today.]

[Get lost, you idiot upstairs! This is the LPL discussion forum. For European and American matches, turn left and head out.]

[Hehehe, watching IG crush the Korean team is so satisfying! Those bastards should just unplug their internet last year.]

[Is this what it's like to have a great training team and a good support?] [PDD: I used to think Fangkuailong was throwing the game, but now I realize he's genuinely bad.]

[I think Shadow's performance was the real surprise for me at this World Championship; his Kha'Zix farmed up incredibly fast.]

[(Laughing and crying) After all, she used to be a ruthless person who could act as a babysitter for three different groups and still develop herself without falling apart.]

……

While the S3 group stage was in full swing in Los Angeles, the NXG team, who had secured their place in the quarterfinals as the number one seed, did not slack off.

While the players continue to adapt to the new version's gameplay, the training team is also studying the data of each team that may advance to the quarterfinals and become their opponents.

"Group A has the least suspense; it's basically a two-person show between IG and SKT, involving singing, dancing, and rapping."

The analyst adjusted his glasses and, based on the heatmap of data from the first round of Group A, concluded: "Both teams have a lot of room for attack and defense."

"It's harder than climbing to heaven for other teams to get points from these two."

White Crescent shrugged and said, "I just hope that the quarterfinals don't end up being an internal battle. Although it doesn't matter who I play against if I want to win the championship, it's better if we meet in the finals than in the semifinals, and better if we meet in the semifinals than in the quarterfinals. It's always better to meet later."

"Group B is starting to look like a free-for-all." White Crescent Moon looked a bit annoyed and turned to Jiang Ming, who was leaning back in his gaming chair: "Ming-ge, what do you think?"

What do I think?
Jiang Ming smiled and shook his head. He was just precognitive of the original trajectory, not that he had awakened some kind of precognitive cheat.

It's really hard to say who will advance from Group B right now.

FNC is a strong team. Although they lost their first game to VUL, that loss was due to early lane swaps and a disastrous start for their jungler, so it's not a very relevant reference point.

Royal Club goes without saying. They were able to reach the finals with a single tactic in the original series. Now, like IG, they have become a Plus version. Qualifying from the group stage is definitely not a problem. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of VUL or GBM, the second seed from Europe, having a sudden surge in performance.

The only certainty in Group B is the fate of the MSK team.

Jiang Ming had a very strong impression of MSK's record of eight consecutive losses in the group stage in his previous life. After all, the wildcard team GG in Group A worked hard to earn a point, while MSK had not won a single game in the World Championship and were just there to buy tickets. It was hard for people not to remember them.

On the other side, the contestants...

The tactical system for the top lane Song Yuan and the bottom lane duo does not require major adjustments; it only requires continuous reinforcement and practice of the existing content.

The increased damage of the Riot turrets is a subtle buff for both the top and bottom lanes, as it means they don't have to worry as much about opponents easily diving under their towers to secure kills, significantly improving their tactical execution margin.

At most, Pang Ran needs to study the clever uses of the red scan. As a support, he can carry this item at level one and use it to further expand the vision in the jungle after purchasing the Sightstone.

The nerf of 400 points appears on the surface to be a weakening of NXG's playstyle.

In reality, it only restricts the "advantageous party".

The disappearance of the Prophet's Potion further highlights the gap in vision control capabilities between teams.

The jungler, Little Stone, is under the most pressure!
The addition of a new group of jungle monsters increases economic benefits, effectively unleashing the carry potential of the jungler role.

Furthermore, with the continuous nerfs to early-game aggressive junglers such as Lee Sin and Elise, farming junglers have had an opportunity to return to the competitive scene.

The current jungle system requires junglers to not only initiate ganks but also ensure their own balanced development, accurately plan the allocation of jungle resources, and achieve the dual goals of controlling the pace of the game and accumulating economic benefits.

Shi Zhenyu has a clear understanding of the situation. For example, in the first round of the group stage, SKT's jungler Bengi was responsible for more than half of the failure.

"We must find a way to stop the pace of Fast & Furious 4."

"While controlling your own nodes, you also need to control the nodes on the other side."

"Jungle clearing routes adjusted."

"Jungle skirmishes and invasions!"

While playing ranked games on the North American server with a smurf account, Shi Zhenyu also reinforced the various new version suggestions provided to him by the coaching staff.

The first thing to do is adjust the jungle routes and structure.

The newly added Ghost Orb breaks the traditional fixed route of starting with red and blue buffs. Previously, starting with buffs was more about quickly reaching level three to initiate ganks on lanes. Now, with an extra set of jungle monsters, if you start with double buffs, it's difficult to guarantee that the second set of jungle monsters can be successfully connected to the lane without breaking the connection after completing one round.

The simplest way is to clear out the jungle area by area, but that makes it easy for the opponent to control the jungle's movements...

It has to be said that the new version is a true litmus test for junglers. Just by looking at the level of detail in the jungle route planning, you can tell the skill level of a player.

Adding a group of jungle monsters is equivalent to increasing the time the jungler spends in one half of the jungle, which the opponent can use to counter-jungle. In addition, in order to protect the jungle economy, vision control in the game also needs to be adjusted.

Putting aside the complicated details for now, the appearance of ghost monsters significantly improves the status of jungle players.

Clearing more jungle camps in the early game will allow you to reach level six faster and accelerate the acquisition of your equipment. This will also lead to more small-scale team fights initiated by the jungler in the early game.

"Xiao Wu!" Shi Zhenyu suddenly turned his head, interrupting Wu Zhiqiang's finishing move practice sitting next to him.

"What's going on?"

Wu Zhiqiang leaned over the training chair, the wheels clicking loudly.

"How's your practice with those lane-pushing heroes going?"

"Especially for champions like Lissandra who can always push lanes and control the tempo, in the new version's jungle skirmishes, I need your mid-lane support to be faster..."

Wu Zhiqiang grinned: "Hehe, don't worry, Lissandra is simply my main. She pushes lanes fast and has a lot of crowd control. I love her to death."

"That's good. We'll go see Ming-ge again later."

……

9 month 25 day.

Time flies, and the S World Championship group stage has entered its seventh day of competition.

The results for Group B are in: FNC and Royal Club have both advanced to the quarterfinals.

VUL finished third, just one point behind FNC, but unfortunately lost due to a lower tiebreaker and missed out on the quarterfinals.

Royal Club performed exceptionally well in the group stage, securing a dominant 7-1 record and topping the group. Their only loss came against GMB, where GMB capitalized on Baron Nashor's tentacle knock-up effect during a team fight at Baron Nashor in the 35th minute to quickly eliminate UZI's Varus and complete the comeback.

The final highlight of the group stage was between IG and SKT in Group A.

At this moment, IG has a perfect 7-0 record, while SKT is in second place with a 6-1 record. Both teams have already secured their spots in the next round.

With this, all three LPL powerhouses have reached the quarterfinals.

Logically speaking, this should have been a best-of-one match regardless of rankings.

However, for SKT right now, due to domestic public opinion pressure, this is still a revenge match against IG.

(End of this chapter)