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

Chapter 252 The final three to zero, the assistant killer's journey ends!

The final match of the S3 World Championship has begun.

In this match, both sides returned to the most basic form of confrontation.

On the BP, NXG's usual trio: Lee Sin, Elise, and Weapon.

SKT finally stopped being stubborn and rejected NXG's double resurrection lineup of Aatrox and Zac. In the end, due to the change of mid laner, the third pick, which should have been given to the mid laner, was instead given to the giant Leona.

Finally, the lineups for both sides entering the game are as follows:
Blue side NXG: Top lane Renekton, Jungle Kha'Zix, Mid lane Lissandra, Bot lane Ezreal and Zyra.

Purple side SKT: Top lane Shen, Jungle Jarvan IV, Mid lane LeBlanc, Bot lane Vayne + Nami.

……

"SKT has finally realized that they cannot take chances when playing against NXG. If you give up the fight head-on, there will be no other chance for you to win."

"Yes, I would call it the Kingly Way style of play, which is to compete with you fair and square in terms of teamwork and details."

"Compared to the lineups in the previous two games, SKT has placed all their bets on their two carries. The early game tempo relies on the mid-jungle duo of LeBlanc and Jarvan IV, while the mid-to-late game is handed over to Piglet's Vayne... Well, Vayne does have a much better chance of survival against dive champions like Renekton and Kha'Zix compared to other champions."

"But the problem is that sorry is an excellent Night Hunter player, and NXG won't let Vayne develop so easily."

The commentators from each region abruptly stopped the moment the hero stepped into Summoner's Rift.

In the decisive game of the finals, both sides chose to remain inactive during the level 1 team fight, and did not even show any intention to invade the jungle or place wards.

NXG is clearly not afraid of Vayne switching lanes – not to mention that in the early game, EZ's tower pushing speed, which comes with a passive attack speed bonus, already far surpasses Vayne's.

Simply put, once SKT picks LeBlanc, their tactical inclination is not to consider lane swapping. Swapping the top and bottom lanes will inevitably bring forward the time for jungle and support to coordinate roams, which will directly impact their mid lane dominance. This is a strategic risk that SKT cannot afford.

A little over a minute later, minions flooded the lane, and the ten heroes returned to their respective positions, either from the river or from the bushes.

Frequent trades of health and precise positioning to dodge the Ice Maiden's skills resulted in NXG's mid laner being instantly suppressed after just completing a player rotation.

Cheers erupted from the OGN commentary booth as fans, their fighting spirit rekindled, chanted in unison for SKT. Some even clamored to teach the arrogant NXG a lesson, hoping SKT would pull off a thrilling comeback from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2.

However, Yihan in the middle lane remained as steady as a mountain:
Faced with Faker's LeBlanc's fierce offensive, he steadily managed the minion waves using the champion's mechanics throughout the game. He only used skills occasionally to ensure they hit before harassing the enemy. He mostly roamed around to support Kha'Zix, who was farming in the jungle, and had no intention of engaging in a head-on confrontation with the opponent.

Yihan's laning skills are not as good as his, but his ability to withstand pressure is undeniable.

Lissandra didn't want to fight his LeBlanc, and Faker really didn't have a good solution.

Song Yuan's crocodile in the top lane gained a significant advantage. Two consecutive victories in the BO5 series made his originally steady playstyle more aggressive, putting the resilient Da Mu under immense pressure.

The bottom lane duo, Xu Jing and Pang Ran, forced the SKT pair under their tower in just four minutes—this overwhelming laning advantage stemmed from both the natural advantage of the hero combination and the increasingly hot competitive state of the two in the finals.

Before the match began, there were many doubts about NXG's mid-lane rotation:
Many speculate that NXG is playing dirty tricks, even suspecting match-fixing and deliberately giving SKT a chance to turn the tide. They believe they're aiming for a 3-1 or even 3-2 score.

But the harsh reality is selectively ignored by many people;

The miracle of coming back from 0-2 to win 3-2 is always built on the basis of a balance of strength between the two sides!
If SKT could go toe-to-toe with NXG before Jiang Ming played in the early stages of the finals, then after two crushing defeats, their players' competitive state was already on the verge of collapse and they no longer had that ability.

Well, perhaps Faker in the mid lane still has a fighting chance, but the performance of the other four SKT players in the third game is a matter of opinion.

If we're talking about teams that still have a chance to turn the tide when they're down 0-2, then the NXG guys, who Jiang Ming has been intentionally focusing on developing their resilience since the LPL Spring Split, are the ones to watch in S3.

In the fourth minute of the match, following Jiang Ming's tactical plan and combining the details that Yihan had observed from the water cooler on the sidelines regarding SKT's jungler Bengi's jungle planning, Shi Zhenyu decisively invaded the Prince's jungle and successfully secured the first blue buff that the Prince was reluctant to take.

This is the problem with idiots and some junglers who rely on "fostering" (i.e., relying on their own players to farm).

When choosing a jungler hero who doesn't rely heavily on mana, it's common practice not to start with the first blue buff. Instead, start with the raptors (F4) or red buff. After clearing the other five jungle camps, around the five-and-a-half-minute mark, give the first blue buff to the mid laner.

In this way, LeBlanc, who has the blue buff in the early game, can endlessly suppress the enemy mid laner.

Once the mid laner has lane priority, they can make up for it by stealing the enemy's buffs later.

Clearly, in the third game, Benji continued to play in the same way as usual.

However, Bentley's once invincible strategy of securing the mid-range position has now been completely figured out by NXG.

Next, after consuming the Prince's blue buff, Kha'Zix quickly returned to his own half of the map, called Renekton to help drive away SKT's mid and jungle who wanted to trade to stop the loss, and then gave his first blue buff to Lissandra in a reverse-direction style.

Protect the middle?

Excuse me, we also play the "protect the middle" strategy. It's just the first blue buff, why do you think we can't give it to you?

The only difference is the order in which everyone did it and their approach to cultivating health.

"Ah, Maru, the Blue Papa that Benji prepared for Feike was stolen, and now Lissandra got one ahead of time. The two sides have been reversed."

Miller outwardly said he was done for, but the corners of his mouth kept widening into a smile.

"Operation to protect China has failed!"

What's the deal with SKT's strategy of protecting the mid lane?

To put it bluntly, it means that with teammates providing resources and support, Faker, with his superior individual skill in the mid lane, can create a single point of attack on the opponent's mid lane.

The mid lane is a core strategic position in League of Legends. If there is a problem in the mid lane, the team's overall rhythm will be affected accordingly.

Now the roles have reversed. Not only is Faker not getting resources from his teammates, but Yihan is receiving a constant stream of help from other positions, so the gap that existed in the mid lane has naturally been wiped out.

When SKT's only advantage, the mid lane, went silent, how could they possibly compete with NXG, who had become an unbreakable unit?

At 7 minutes and 30 seconds into the game, Little Stone's jungler Kha'Zix initiated an invasion.

Yes, Kha'Zix is ​​indeed a farming-oriented jungler.

But this doesn't mean his solo fighting ability in the jungle is weak. At least in this one-on-one situation, a Jarvan IV who has lost a buff is definitely no match for him.

A battle broke out in the jungle, and both sides' supports rushed to provide support immediately.

Fumando's Nami demonstrated her world-class support skills, accurately predicting and successfully controlling the Kha'Zix with her bubble attack.

At that very moment, Lissandra and LeBlanc arrived at the location of the two, Chaoye and Fu, almost simultaneously.

A chain reaction brought about by a blue buff!
Yihan is much weaker than Faker in lane, but for a Lissandra with unlimited mana and the ability to unleash her skills, catching up with LeBlanc's ganking speed isn't too difficult.

Given that the two had communicated beforehand regarding the mantis's invasion, it appears that Yihan's position was even slightly ahead.

Instead of retreating, Shi Zhenyu advanced, activating his ultimate skill the moment he was freed from the control effect.

The blue team didn't have any true sight wards at the moment, so even though they knew the Kha'Zix was nearby, they couldn't focus fire on him.

Hiss!

"The invisibility ended, and the Kha'Zix closed in to Vayne's side."

"Stone is highly skilled and daring; even when surrounded by three opponents, he still tries to counter-attack Vayne."

"The prince used his EQ combo to knock the enemy into the air, but was dodged with Flash."

"Zyra is lying at everyone's feet, oh my god, this cramped space is killing me."

"LeBlanc has entered the fray, her target Zyra at Door."

"Ice Maiden!"

"Lissandra's E skill actually got her out of the wall, holy crap—is this really not a bug?"

In her haste, Xiaoxiao blurted out a phrase from a traditional Chinese poem.

However, no one noticed the host's minor slip of the tongue at this point, because the Ice Maiden's incredibly long wall-blocking E had already carried the heroes across mountains and rivers to the front of SKT's backline.

"freeze!"

boom!
A flash of golden light, and the Frost Witch appeared beside Vayne and Nami.

pat!

The Frost Ring applied crowd control, followed by the Frozen Tomb's ultimate ability, leaving Vayne unable to move.

"Hey ah!"

EZ, who reached level six at the last possible moment, was the last to arrive at the battlefield. However, Xu Jing cast his ultimate skill on the spot and then used Flash to jump over the thick wall of the jungle.

R Flash!
"My goodness, it's all about showing off, all about showing off. The contestants have brought out all their best skills."

The scene erupted into a sea of ​​screams. The images on the big screen maximized the stimulation of people's adrenaline.

Ice Maiden's Wall-Wall E!

Ezreal's R-Flash.

There's also Faker's LeBlanc, who uses W-Flash-Ignite followed by QRE, resulting in six key presses in one second.

The massive, fragile Zyra was the first to fall, and LeBlanc secured the first blood.

However, he unleashed all his skills before he died.

On the other side, regret and Xu Jing worked together to quickly kill Vayne, who had been reduced to half health by the Kha'Zix.

Fumando wanted to trade kills with the Mantis before he died, but because the Prince was too underdeveloped and lacked a crucial ultimate skill at level 5, he couldn't finish off the low-health Shi Zhenyu.

Both sides traded kills, resulting in a 1-for-2 exchange. SKT's LeBlanc secured the first blood, while NXG took down their bot lane duo.

Nine minutes in, the two sides engaged in their first team fight around the dragon.

Zyra's clever ward placement in SKT's jungle proved crucial, exposing Bengi's position, who was supposed to be hiding and waiting for his teammates.

Little Stone directly controlled the Mantis to sneak up next to the Prince, and with the help of his teammates, he not only stole the Ghost from the opponent's hand with the first move of Smite, but also took down the Prince's head.

Faker arrived quickly and, despite risking his life to kill the Mantis, was forcibly kept alive by Song Yuan's Crocodile.

With the junglers swapped, SKT lost an extra mid laner, forcing the purple side to give up the dragon.

SKT wants to delay their development, but with Faker's LeBlanc at 2-1, they are not completely helpless in the early game.

However, the situation changed instantly when Xu Jing's Ezreal did not immediately upgrade Tear of the Goddess after Iceborn Gauntlet, but instead upgraded to an item that was originally exclusive to junglers.

The Essence of the Lizard Elder

In the Chinese server, it is commonly known as the "Egg Knife"!
For a price of two thousand, it offers thirty attack power and 10% cooldown reduction, while also dealing physical damage and inflicting a total of 16-50 true damage on the target over a three-second duration.

Yes, even though Jiang Ming had already handed the stage over to the five young men, he still pulled out a series of insurance policies from his crotch in order to ensure a 100% victory in the final match of the finals.

The Ice Maiden's wall-blocking E technique, Ezreal's R-flash, and the unique build for Blue Ezreal at this moment.

In the second dragon team fight at the sixteen-minute mark.

Facing NXG's aggressive attacks, Faker's LeBlanc was unable to hold on alone.

In team fights, players must move forward to find opportunities, and when heroes move forward, they are more likely to be hit by skills.

Faker had already pulled off a series of impressive plays in an incredibly difficult situation, dodging Zyra's E and Lissandra's instant W, but he couldn't avoid Ezreal's predictable QR combo again.

With the presence of the Lizard Elder's essence, Little Yellow Hair's damage output had reached a level that was completely incomprehensible. With two skills plus a burning effect, the Demoness almost lost half her health.

"what!!!"

The three commentators on the OGN commentary desk were in great pain.

"Faker's performance has been suppressed, and we've lost the chance to contest this dragon. Vayne has only just completed Blade of the Ruined King, and it will be a very long time before Piglet can take over the battlefield..."

take over?

SKT can't wait that long.

With the second dragon secured, NXG's economy has achieved a complete breakthrough.

Facing SKT, who only had one LeBlanc who was doing relatively well, NXG's mid laner Lissandra rushed Abyssal Scepter first, while the top laner Renekton went for Black Cleaver, Mercury's Treads, and Spectre's Cloak.

Even the jungler Kha'Zix secretly pulled out a Maw of Malmortius!

In the following minutes, LeBlanc kept looking for opportunities, and with the help of Jarvan IV, Faker managed to kill Renekton on the side lane.

However, with EZ who was ahead in development, SKT was unable to stop NXG's advance head-on.

Vayne, with her short range and squishy build, has to retreat after taking two or three Q skills from Ezreal, otherwise they'll face Lissandra's E-Flash-W initiation.

Thus, despite losing one kill, NXG managed to take down several defensive towers.

The game is now in its mid-stages!
After finishing his equipment and taking several deep breaths, Faker checked his 4-2 score and led the way back towards his own top side of the map.

There, it was pitch black!
He had no other choice; once NXG secured Baron Nashor, they would have no chance of turning the game around.

"The final battle for Baron Nashor has begun!"

"However, only Faker on SKT's side is doing relatively well in terms of development. Vayne barely managed to get her Phantom Dancer, but the top, jungle, and support players' items are really too bad."

"On the other hand, NXG's economy was very even across the board, with the top, mid, jungle, and AD all having completed their key items."

"The most crucial thing is... there's too much magic resistance on the left side."

A decisive battle lasting twenty-eight minutes!
Faker's LeBlanc didn't choose assassination this time; instead, WR landed a double stun in NXG's formation, dealing very good AOE damage.

If Kha'Zix hadn't had Maw of Malmortius, and if Xu Jing's Ezreal hadn't cleverly used Flash immediately, the two would probably have lost their ability to fight on the spot.

In contrast, a relatively unknown Ice Maiden, who only knew how to use E-Flash to enter the fray, surprisingly managed to W four members of SKT.

As one OGN viewer put it after the match, this situation was a case of "We suspect the other three members of SKT all bought tickets, but we have no proof."

Yeah, I don't think Benji bought it; he's just a noob!
LeBlanc dealt massive AoE damage, but her teammates were cut off from the battlefield by Lissandra and couldn't follow up with their output. The outcome of the team fight was predictable.

EZ Kha'Zix used his abilities to reduce LeBlanc's health first.

The entire NXG team simultaneously flipped their targets, avoiding being lured in by Faker's low-health LeBlanc.

Song Yuan's Crocodile activated his ultimate skill and charged straight towards SKT's position.

However, there was one person who got there before the crocodile.

Zyra!

As a support, the massive body stayed with the team, and the ultimate skill was thrown into the SKT crowd.

As he moved his right hand back to the E skill, his gaze remained firmly fixed on LeBlanc.

The words Doflamingo had given him before the match kept echoing in his mind.

"Pangpang, you must remember, when fighting SKT, as long as Faker is not killed, the team fight cannot be considered a victory."

"Faker likes to use the support role as a breakthrough point."

"Then let's play along... find him, subdue him—and kill him."

It's now.

A strange feeling flashed through his mind, and Pang Ran typed his E skill without hesitation.

【Entwined Roots】!
Just then, in the game screen, the genius mid laner who had killed countless supports in this World Championship and was known as the support killer came straight at you!

……

"Wow!"

"Zyra! Zyra! The Entangling Roots have bound the returning LeBlanc..."

"Faker, with low health, was eventually chased down and killed by Kha'Zix. In the front line, EZ with three items dealt far more damage than Vayne."

"Vaine is dead. Vayne died instantly after using her ultimate."

"ACE!"

"it's over!"

When the last SKT player fell next to their own F4, Miller, Bella, and Xiaoxiao shouted almost simultaneously.

At 32 minutes into the game, the remaining three heroes from the blue team stormed into SKT's base and wiped out the health bar of the purple team's Nexus.

League of Legends Season 3 World Championship: NXG vs SKT!

NXG crushed the opponent 3-0.

(End of this chapter)