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

Chapter 225 Champion's Declaration!

Pre-match preparation phase.

In the commentary booth, Xiaoxiao's expression suddenly changed, becoming serious.

"Both players are now ready on the stage, but before the match begins, Riot Games interviewed JM. Let's see what JM has to say to everyone."

(Voiceover) "JM, many players have been discussing this online, saying that you are now juggling club management, team training, and maintaining your own competitive form, making you a spinning top that keeps spinning non-stop."

"Isn't this tiring?"

In the video, Jiang Ming is wearing the original NXG team uniform and smiles at the camera.
"Tired? How could I not be tired? I'm not Superman. There are many times when I feel powerless, especially as the summer season begins. With the expansion of the club, the establishment of the team's youth training system, the formation of the esports culture, and the increase in business with the online store, these situations are becoming more and more frequent."

"Of course, I have to blame a large part of the fault on you guys."

(Voiceover) "Haha, do you mean the version update?"

"Of course, every version update is a new challenge for professional players and team training groups. In order not to be overtaken by opponents in terms of tactics, they have to spend a lot of time studying and practicing training."

"Of course, I'm not saying that version updates are bad... A competitive game can only stay alive by constantly updating."

"What I'm trying to say is that you should listen to the players' opinions more and find a balance between professional matches and casual ranked games."

(Voiceover) "After feeling exhausted, has JM thought about how to balance the current situation?"

"Or, as outsiders have suggested, give up maintaining the identity of a professional player?"

Seemingly not wanting the interview to turn into a questioning session between players and Riot Games designers, the interviewer quickly changed the subject and asked:

Jiang Ming: "Balance?"

"It's difficult to achieve balance, just like in League of Legends there are always a few overpowered champions in each patch that can't be balanced."

Jiang Ming told a joke that was neither here nor there, but his eyes were burning with determination. “A person’s energy is limited. As time goes on, when I find that my personal competitive state can’t keep up in the later seasons, I will choose to leave on my own initiative.”

"Leaving as a League of Legends champion player."

"Therefore, we will definitely win in S3, no matter who our opponents are."

People understood what this young man, who was already considered "successful" by outsiders, truly desired.

It was just an interview where he expressed his desire to win the championship, which is perfectly normal.

But the man in the photo is pursuing something on a completely different level than the average person.

At that moment, the audience in the Riot Games studio erupted in cheers.

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

JM's answer at that moment, especially in addressing the questions countless players had online about his future development, drew enthusiastic cheers from the audience who deeply love esports, expressing their respect.

Regardless of what the future holds for JM, or where it may lead.

At least, when JM was still competing, his goal was no different from that of other players: to win the championship.

I also hope to leave this stage as a champion.

English-language live stream.

Beard Bro passionately shouted: "Our great player JM declares to the world that he will conquer League of Legends as a professional LOL player, conquer S3! Guys from other teams, are you ready?"

"In the third match of the first round of the League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals, FNC was pushed to the brink, and NXG unleashed their strongest nuclear weapon."

"Now, let's open our eyes wide and witness it together!"

"BP - Let's begin."

……

As the background sound effects of the BP (Ban/Pick) game drums sounded again, the match officially entered the BP interface.

"Wow, that's a very respectful ban right from the start, taking down Zed and Gragas."

"Haha, I think now when teams around the world face Faker and JM, it's hard not to consider banning Zed."

"However, there are quite a few assassins who can be deployed outside, such as Fizz, Ahri, and LeBlanc..."

"Fish's range is too short, and he can't create momentum in the early game, which doesn't quite fit JM's personal style. I think we should choose between LeBlanc and Ahri. If FNC is smart, they can pick Ahri or LeBlanc instead of banning the other one."

"Wow, it really is!"

"If LeBlanc is banned, then it'll be three mid-lane bans!"

In the third game, NXG switched back to the purple side, and the three bans were given to Vi, Shen, and Orianna.

The reason for banning Vi is simple: FNC, as the blue side, is very likely to first pick Ahri, especially if they also ban Orianna, it's practically a done deal.

There isn't a good synergy champion available for our mid laner right now, so picking Vi in the first two picks wouldn't make much sense. Therefore, without considering giving it to the opponent, sending her to the ban list is the best option.

Shen and Orianna are just standard bans, slightly limiting the champion pool of FNC's top and mid laners.

Entering the pick phase.

Just as Jiang Ming had anticipated, after FNC removed the Clockwork on their third floor, the blue team decisively gave xPeke the Nine-Tailed Fox on their first floor.

There are only a handful of strong mid laners in S3, and the two teams only banned four of them. If they don't pick them first, they're worried that xPeke won't be able to find any to pick in the next round of ban/pick.

NXG's first and second floors almost instantly picked Caitlyn and Lee Sin. FNC discussed it briefly and decided to pull out their last resort – Ashe and Zyra!

"FNC locked in Ashe and Zyra on the second and third floors. This combination of heroes is very strong in lane."

After thinking for two seconds, Xiaoxiao said, "There should be another consideration. NXG's lane switching and vision control often cause FNC to pay a heavy price in the mid-game. Aisie's [Hawk's Roar] can provide the team with a good vision advantage."

"The ban/pick phase has been swapped again. Sona, Nami, and Lulu are still out of the lane. If you want to play more aggressively, Leona paired with Elise is a good option. I just don't know if NXG will continue with the lane swaps in the third game..."

Bella brought Miller along to join the pre-match analysis and discussion.

Just as the three were discussing, NXG on the third and fourth floors once again instantly selected their heroes;
Lissandra + Sona!

[Hey, NXG, don't go too far! Who cares how great your coach is?!]

Sorry, having two coaches is really something (doge emoji)

[With every pick coming in a second, the bald guy from FNC must be sweating bullets.]

[I think Lissandra should be given to Song to play top lane; he performed exceptionally well in the last game.]

[Not necessarily. Ming is the kind of player who can play all kinds of heroes. What if he pulls out a roaming mid-laner? I wonder how you would deal with that!]

FNC hesitated for a long time before finally choosing the fourth and fifth floors.

It's clear that Coach Deilor is under unimaginable pressure.

As the BP timer slowly ended, the blue team on the fourth floor secured the Demacian Prince.

Together with Zyra, they form a powerful jungle-support combo!

With one last move, after much hesitation, Deilor steadied himself and placed his right hand on sOAZ's shoulder.

"We believe you, sooz!"

"Choose."

FNC's final pick: Zack the Bio-Wizard.

"Ouch, Zack!"

"Do we really want Zach?"

"FNC must have a lot of faith in this lineup, given that they chose it in such a desperate situation. I just don't know what heroes we should use to counter them."

As soon as Xiaoxiao finished speaking, PDD, who was watching the game while eating snacks in the audience, suddenly shuddered.

Unpleasant memories from the All-Star training camp resurfaced in my mind.

"My god... With Lao Jiang in the mid lane, it would be a disservice to FNC if Norsha didn't play Jayce."

The words have not yet fallen.

The hero on the fifth floor of the purple team is locked.

"Fight for a better tomorrow!"

—Jace, the Guardian of the Future.

However, during the lineup exchange, a surprising scene unfolded once again.

FNC (Blue Side): Top lane Zac, Jungle Jarvan IV, Mid lane Ahri, Bot lane Ashe and Zyra!

Purple Team NXG: Top lane Lissandra, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Jayce, Bot lane Caitlyn and Sona.

Yes, at the last moment of the hero swap, Jayce, whom everyone thought would be moved to the top lane to suppress Zac, was moved to the mid lane by NXG.

……

During the coach's handshake on stage, Deilor looked extremely distressed, a stark contrast to his smiling white crescent moon.

He really couldn't understand why JM would pick Jayce in a patch where he wasn't considered a strong champion, especially in the mid lane.

The only clear point is that the Lee Sin and Jayce combination... has an excessively high level of strength in the early game.

The white crescent moon held the other person's right hand tightly, and the increasingly unrestrained corners of her mouth even carried an extra touch of heartache.

It's no wonder that Coach Deilor didn't understand, because in NXG's tactical arrangements, the system that Jessie was equipped with was not fully utilized by their own head coach.

The nerfs to Jayce's mana consumption in the World Championship patch, as well as the issue of Tear of the Goddess's stacking speed, can be addressed by having the jungler secure the second blue buff early on.

Coincidentally, Lee Sin is a jungler who doesn't rely heavily on mana.

It didn't take much time either. Just over two minutes after the coaches returned to the locker room, the match footage transmitted from the scene almost took Deilor away on the spot.

In the third game, there was no lane swapping, and the two sides finally faced off normally.

Zac in the top lane has a hard time making any real impact against Lissandra. He just relies on his passive regeneration to survive and wait for his items to come together.

The hair-pulling battle between Caitlyn and Sona in the bot lane, and Zyra and Ashe, is a highlight. Both junglers are excellent at ganking, and whichever side gets their condition lowered first is likely to become the starting point of the game.

But it's clear that the main focus of this match wasn't on the top or bottom lanes from the start.

When the director's camera symbolically hovered between the upper and lower halves of the court before finally focusing on the middle, countless viewers gasped in surprise.

At 3 minutes and 30 seconds, Lee Sin, with the help of Jayce, forced Ahri to use Flash!
(End of this chapter)