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

Chapter 219 This war will be my masterpiece!

The quarterfinal groups have been officially announced:

Upper bracket: Orange Bears vs SKT, SSO vs Royal Club;

Bottom bracket: C9 vs IG, NXG vs FNC.

LPL viewers are generally satisfied with this grouping.

Given that the semifinals are likely to be all-Chinese matches, avoiding opponents from the same region in the quarterfinals is the best possible outcome.

More importantly, the opponents drawn by the three LPL teams were all within reasonable expectations:
The outcome of the match between NXG and FNC is almost a foregone conclusion. A quick look at the discussion threads among European viewers on foreign forums tells the story. Not only are domestic players optimistic, but even FNC's own fans are joking that the probability of their team defeating NXG is comparable to that of the Chinese national football team qualifying for the World Cup.

IG's draw against C9 is also a favorable one. Judging from their performance in the North American regular season, this opponent's playstyle is unlikely to pose a real threat to IG.

Although some unlucky Royal Clubs faced OGN's number one seed SSO, experienced viewers who frequently watch OGN matches say that while SSO is the top team in the region, their dominance in the summer season has been questioned. Their actual strength is not only inferior to their arch-rival SKT, but they are even suppressed by NJ, who unfortunately missed out on the World Championship.

If it weren't for a bit of luck, it would be NJ, not Samsung, sitting in the quarterfinals right now.

As the matchups became clearer, LPL players' breathing grew heavier.

At this rate, seeing three LPL teams in the semifinals is not a dream at all.

While discussions raged outside, the quarterfinals draw concluded in the Riot Games North American studio. As the eliminated teams from the group stage boarded planes to leave North America, the advancing teams quickly transitioned into intense preparations.

The group stage lasted four days, with the 21st serving as a rest day, giving each team an opportunity to adjust their rhythm; after all, the quarter-finals would begin in 24 hours.

The first matchup was between FNC and NXG.

Once the schedule was announced, fans who were looking forward to NXG's performance were overjoyed, but it directly hit a sore spot for EU region players.

A bunch of guys who were emotionally distraught took to social media to rant and rave, accusing the competition format of being unfair.
After the group stage ended, FNC was given only one day to adjust before facing NXG, widely regarded as the strongest team in Season 3, the very next day.

It's like this: you're playing a game, and you've just learned the basic attack moves in the beginner village: this is a normal attack, this is a thrust, this is a block... Okay, you're a qualified swordsman now, go and defeat Sun Wukong who's causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

On the 21st, Jiang Ming gave his team members a half-day off.

It's not that they want to collect all the achievements of the boy by the sea. The main thing is that from the opening of the S3 World Championship to the end of the group stage, the players have been maintaining high-intensity training. Taking a break from the tense competitive state before the competition and avoiding the nerves being overloaded for a long time can help maintain peak performance.

In terms of preparation, NXG has an unparalleled advantage over other teams – scrims!

While the other eight teams could only engage in "reserved" scrims with teams from the other half of the bracket, NXG was able to engage in an all-out "internal battle" with their own second team.

The training matches against the Black and White teams are always high-intensity, real-life confrontations, often using a BO3 or BO5 series to maximize the intensity of actual combat.

Initially, the first team was able to maintain their winning rate by relying on their experience in major competitions. However, as the second team's understanding of the version deepened and their teamwork improved exponentially, coupled with their similar operational strategies, the second team gradually gained the upper hand by relying on their superior individual skills.

This crisis of "subordinates overthrowing superiors" has become another driving force for the five members of NXG to move forward. The five members all know that if they slack off in NXG, they could really be replaced.

The pressure from the second team was like a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads, constantly reminding them that the S3 World Championship might be the only "window of opportunity" bestowed by fate, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them!

……

On the morning of the 22nd, White Crescent led the players to the competition venue ahead of schedule, under the arrangement of Riot Games, to test the equipment and get used to the venue.

The renovated studio has shed its rudimentary feel from the group stage, with the walls decorated with tournament-themed illustrations. Furthermore, at the strong suggestion of the North American team TSM, privacy screens have been installed on both sides of the originally transparent competition area.

As for which region's "tactical reconnaissance" this silver-gray barrier was meant to prevent, the teams that knew what had happened in S2 kept it to themselves.

The night before, the LPL commentary team rushed from China to Los Angeles. After landing, Bella and Xiaoxiao, who had already signed with "Jingjie Culture", went straight to the West Coast hotel where NXG and IG were staying, while Miller, who had not yet joined the company, could only contact Riot staff on his own and find a temporary hotel near the venue to make do.

It's worth mentioning that LPL originally reserved a spot for Miss in the commentary booth for this World Championship, but after communicating with Jiang Ming, she voluntarily chose to give the opportunity to Xiao Xiao.

This is not a compromise of second best, but rather a proactive choice based on Miss's career plan: to take advantage of the peak traffic period of the World Championship to cultivate the fields of broadcasting and video creation, and strengthen the recognition of her personal brand.

Especially distinguishing her from Bella's character, whose personality overlapped somewhat.

In Jiang Ming's plan, Miss and Bella need to develop different paths: the former focuses on the content ecosystem and binds the audience's emotions as a creator; the latter cultivates sports commentary and accumulates professional discourse power.

This kind of positioning and segmentation is the key strategy for maximizing the activation of resources within the circle in the early stages.

……

At 4 p.m. Los Angeles time, the viewing hall next to the Riot Games studio was already packed.

Although most viewers thought the outcome of this match was already decided, the charm of esports lies in the "what if"!
Who can say that FNC won't pull off a miracle?
This is the secret expectation in the hearts of EU viewers; like lighting the last match in a dark alley, knowing the light is weak, yet still stubbornly believing it can illuminate the path to a miracle.

FNC fans: We all believe in the light.

So, let a miracle happen!
For other spectators, the expectations were much more direct: they wanted to know how NXG would end the match – a crushing 3-0 speedrun, or some amazing new tactics under absolute dominance.
This almost "inspection" mentality is undoubtedly a privilege inherent to fans of top teams.

I wonder if JM will play today!

[The official Weibo account posted a video of their pre-match training session, and Ming was also training with them, so he should be participating.]

[FNC: Is it really necessary? You're going to use nuclear weapons against me in the quarterfinals? If we're down 3-1, let's leave some room for maneuver so we can meet again in the future, understand?]

[I feel sorry for the guys in Europe and America for a second; Season 3 was probably their most desperate year.]

The barrage of comments in the live stream was like sparks flying, igniting the atmosphere for watching the game in advance.

Just then, a deep male voice resounded throughout the venue: "Ladies and gentlemen!"

The host "jumped" onto the stage with a microphone.

Yes, that's right, it was a jump in the literal sense. His black leather shoes almost grazed the edge of the stage, and his crisp suit trousers creased sharply during the intense movement, without even the creases coming undone. This made many players in the stands mutter to themselves: "Are these trousers specially made for professional sprinters to prevent tearing?"
You've wandered onto the wrong set, haven't you?

"Welcome to the live broadcast of the quarterfinals of the 2013 League of Legends World Championship!"

Fortunately, the host's desire to perform ended there. Keeping things simple, there were no further opening activities planned, and the event proceeded directly to the contestants' entrance.

"First, let's welcome the team that advanced from Group B, Fnatic, the number one seed from LCS.EU..."

Confirmed, the host appears to be a die-hard fan of the NA region. When mentioning the FNC team name and thinking about their upcoming opponent, the corners of his mouth almost stretched into the North American version of Aurelion Sol's signature smile.

FNC's head coach Deilor joined the players on stage.

"Top laner sOAZ, jungler CyanideFI, mid laner xPeke, AD carry puszu, support YellowStar!" Bald head coach Deilor, his good friend's sister-in-law from the LPL region, and support YellowStar who delivered the iconic triple kill in the bot lane...

The group of six waved politely to the audience below the stage, then turned and returned to their respective competition room on the left.

The cheers from the crowd were sporadic, which didn't surprise the FNC players.

At NA's home ground, it was already a good thing that these people didn't boo. Even though there were some spectators from other regions sitting in the arena, most of them were there to support NXG.

FNC was right. Before they had even all entered the match room, the audience erupted in a tremendous roar.

"NXG!" "NXG! "NXG! "

Without any introduction from the host, the fans spontaneously cheered and shouted in their seats.

Perhaps influenced by the audience, the host raised his voice considerably, "Next, let's give a round of applause to LPL's number one seed—Nexus Vanguard!"

The blue and white team logo appeared on the right side of the big screen, echoing FNC's orange logo.

"Top laner: Norsha; Jungler: Stone; Mid laner: Yihan; AD carry: Sorry; Support: Door; Coach: BSYY; Substitutes and head coach: JM!!!"

Jiang Ming, as the head coach, stood at the front of the team, with White Crescent as the assistant coach following closely behind. The five players took their positions in order.

Many players who witnessed this scene typed and joked:
[In the quarterfinals, NXG faced off against their opponents with seven players against six. Is there even a need to guess who would win?]

[To the person upstairs, it should be eight against six. It was some coach who lacked sportsmanship, or maybe he was a mid-laner.]

[So according to this calculation, there should be nine. JM is the boss, and the boss himself threw a punch. (doge)]

Okay, so it's nine against six, huh? Stop with the nested dolls.

[Hey, do you guys think Ming might be wearing his team uniform under his suit today?]

[Oh ho, maybe! FNC, give it your all and force out the JM jersey!]

Jiang Ming smiled as he looked at the audience below the stage. Just like in other places, Chinese NPCs would also spawn regularly in North America, only there were relatively more of them here.

The cheers and shouts even seemed to drown out the cheers from the local North American audience.

After the introductions, the contestants took their seats.

The match quickly moved into the draft phase.

The LPL commentators who arrived at the scene were backstage in the studio. Unlike the energetic Bella, Miller, who had spent the night in a small hotel and was quite startled by the American-style iaido and black chocolate greetings, looked exhausted.

Miller glanced enviously at the two partners who had a fantastic travel experience, then perked up and began the broadcast: "Alright, everyone, welcome to our live broadcast of the quarterfinals of the 2013 League of Legends World Championship."

"NXG vs. FNC!"

"In the first game of the BO5, FNC is on the blue side, while NXG is on the purple side."

"We saw that the draft on both sides was very fast. FNC banned Orianna, Renekton and Lee Sin."

NXG's three-ban strategy is fairly standard; it's a hero combination that's familiar to LOL players worldwide this summer.

Shen, the Eye of Twilight; Zed, the Master of Shadows; and Thresh, the Chain Warden!
Kidney stones (or kidney stones) in short!

In the first match of the quarterfinals, Jiang Ming did not put too much strategic pressure on the players. The kind of play that relies on hard skills to win a game and then make subsequent moves is not suitable for the current NXG.

Simply put, we have a large enough tactical reserve, so we can be reckless!
"FNC on the blue side mostly uses targeted bans, while Ming's strategy is more conventional, focusing on popular bans in the current patch."

"In the first game of a best-of-five series, you can't tell much just by looking at the bans and picks."

On the FNC players' bench.

As a key contributor to S1's championship victory, Deilor shook his bald head, having already prepared a strategy to counter NXG's lineup. Without hesitation, he declared, "First floor, take Sona."

The blue team has the right to choose, but in his opinion, when facing a tactical master like JM, the advantage of choosing first could become a weapon used by the opponent against their own team.

Picking Sona first not only avoids revealing your own tactical system, but also provides a strong support for the bot lane in this patch, which is a win-win situation.

"Policewoman, Ahri!"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Jiang Ming, playing completely out of the ordinary, locked in both carries on the purple side.

"what?"

"What is JM trying to do? He directly selected two carries. It feels like he'll be targeted."

The two commentators in the English stream were full of questions and voiced their doubts.

Certain, absolutely certain—it's just a doubt.

They lack the confidence to argue with the current best player in the league about game understanding.

Deilor was also taken aback by NXG's BP.

"Is the intention to lock in the mid-jungle duo of Ahri and Vi to complement Caitlyn's tower-pushing strategy?"

"Damn it, CyanideFI's Piltover Enforcer skills aren't up to par."

Upon seeing Ahri, Deilor's correct course of action would have been to split up Vi and Zyra, but his own jungler's champion proficiency became a major issue.

After a moment's thought, with the ban/pick deadline fast approaching, Deilor opted to play it safe and didn't try to steal the opponent's hero, thus disrupting his own strategy.

Airplanes on the second floor, spiders on the third!
This is the response given by FNC.

The combination of Corki and Sona, IG's duo had already shown enough dominance against SKT's Caitlyn and Zyra in the group stage. Although they lost that game, it was the players' fault, not the combination. Deilor decisively brought it over as an offensive weapon.

NXG on the third floor didn't play any tricks; they immediately confirmed Zyra's identity.

Just as they reached the fourth floor, a dark red hero icon appeared in the last second of the BP process.

"This war will be my masterpiece."

(End of this chapter)