LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 334 Is it not natural for a lion dog to kill a praying mantis?
1 month 26 day.

The third week of the regular season has quietly arrived.

The EDG team arrived at the Shanghai Arena on time to prepare for the match. They met and chatted with the IG team backstage before taking their seats on stage at 19 p.m.

The official LPL live stream rooms on various platforms also quickly opened up secondary live stream rooms, and the number of real-time viewers exceeded the number of viewers in the main room match between BLG and LNG that was taking place at the Chongqing home venue in less than 5 minutes.

This is one of the advantages of having a home stadium; the game can start on time and there is no possibility of delays due to previous matches being too close, just because they are in the same stadium.

This not only greatly saves the audience's waiting time, but also makes the operation and management of the competition more convenient.

The commentary team today consists of familiar faces.

I remember Rita.

After a brief opening remark, the two quickly moved on to analyzing the match: "IG defeated two strong teams, WE and OMG, at the beginning of the season. With three consecutive wins, their current form is unstoppable, truly deserving of the title 'Galactic Battleship'."

After listening to what I remembered, Rita chimed in, "Although EDG has only played two regular season matches so far, they have already defeated strong teams like RNG. As the Grand Slam winners last year, their form is actually quite explosive."

"Yes, after Lin Ruo switched to the jungle role, he won the MVP award in three out of four regular season games. As a rookie jungler who just entered the competition, his performance is remarkable."

I remember feeling deeply moved.

Before the match started, the live broadcast director also showed the league data of the two junglers, both of whom were among the top. However, compared to Lin Ruo, who plays a jungle carry style, Ning's data was slightly inferior.

The camera pans to the players' bench, where Ning, the foreign jungler, is picking his ear, seemingly doing nothing.

JK rubbed his hands nervously, but then he suddenly realized something: his bot lane opponent was iboy, not Lin Shen, so why was he nervous?

How could he have forgotten about that?

JK breathed a sigh of relief after realizing what had happened, and joked with everyone, "Ning is going up against Lin Shen, I hope he doesn't get turned into a background character."

"Me, afraid of him? I've only been playing jungle for a few days, and I've already crushed mlxg." Ning said proudly.

Rookie, standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Beating mlxg isn't impressive enough?"

King Ning's face darkened: "No, do you really want me to tell you I'm afraid before you're satisfied...?"

Anyone who watched the first two regular season games would know that it's impossible for him not to be wary of Lin Ruo.

This guy has an absurdly high talent for jungling, and his champion pool is equally deep. He often pulls off unconventional jungling moves, and Ning is genuinely worried about what kind of different pick he'll pull out today.

After a brief preparation, the draft phase began amidst Lin Ruo's yawn from EDG's side.

EDG, on the blue side, banned Ryze and Vladimir in their first two bans.

The two mage carries have seen a significant increase in their pick rate in the Spring Split after being buffed, and for IG, both of these heroes can be used as mid or top laners.

Banning it is absolutely necessary.

In the commentary booth, Remember analyzed the draft and said, "IG first banned Camille. Although Ning has been practicing her recently, they still need to prevent EDG from picking her first on the blue side."

"Dragon Girl also pressed it. This Ning King probably hasn't practiced much, so it's not easy to pick. We can only deal with it by banning him instead of picking him."

IG's draft strategy clearly demonstrates their tactical intent: to target Lin Ruo's hero pool.

After all, in the first two matches of the season, if we really want to find the key point in EDG, there is no doubt that Lin Ruo's rhythm has driven the entire team, and limiting him is a very necessary measure.

EDG was not to be outdone, and last-hit Zac in response to being targeted.

With IG banning Sejuani as their third pick, the situation of the game quickly became clear.

Zoe, along with Azir, are two of the top mid-lane champions in this patch.

EDG now has only one option: to lock in Ornn on the first floor.

For Scout, who has a relatively wide champion pool, he can play either Azir or Zoe, so picking Ornn first is more meaningful.

Next up is IG's choice.

Zoe, first pick by the red team.

Furthermore, pairing it with Kha'Zix in the jungle increases the early-game strength available to players.

EDG locked in Azir, and when Mingkai asked him, Lin Ruo confidently picked up a Rengar for himself.

A poodle is good for fighting mantises.

With IG securing Gangplank for TheShy, a champion capable of farming without taking damage against Ornn, both sides quickly entered the second round of bans.

With the top, mid, and jungle positions now settled, both sides are trading blows in the bottom lane.

Thresh and Braum, EDG presses all the buttons.

In the current version, picking the ADC isn't very effective because the support can restrict the ADC selection.

IG followed the same strategy, removing Tahm Kench and adding Leona as a possible pick.

In IG's fourth pick, the team chose the relatively strong Kalista to anchor the team.

EDG then revealed their countermeasure: an EZ and Shen bot lane combination.

Rita had some expectations, but she didn't expect the result to be even more outrageous than she had anticipated: "EDG really pushed the bot lane to the limit."

What kind of synergy can EZ and Shen have? It's obvious that after level six, it's purely EZ solo bot lane.

The gameplay it demonstrated was crystal clear: Lin Ruo's Lion Dog was going to do things, and the entire EDG team was going all out to cooperate.

Last year's core bot lane strategy has long since disappeared with Lin Ruo's position change.

"Xiao Zhao, can you hold your own in the bottom lane?" Coach Ming Kai asked kindly.

Making a rookie AD carry endure pressure every day is really unfair.

"You can still stay calm even if you're just lying down and winning," iboy said with a smile.

All he needs to do in this game is stay alive. Isn't that just being carried to victory? The team doesn't even need him to deal much damage.

With few support options left for IG, coach Mafa opted for a more conservative pick, Taric, after careful consideration.

While it may weaken the laning ability of the bottom lane, it has a significant effect in limiting Rengar's engage.

"So now the lineups for both sides are finalized. EDG is on the blue side, with Ornn in the top lane, Rengar in the jungle, Azir in the mid lane, and Ezreal and Shen in the bot lane."

"The red team, IG, consists of Gangplank in the top lane, Kha'Zix in the jungle, Zoe in the mid lane, and Kalista and Taric in the bot lane."

"Both teams are ready. Let's dive into the regular season showdown between EDG and IG. Which of these two teams, both on winning streaks, will suffer their first defeat? Let's wait and see!"

As Ji De finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd, and the small number of IG fans were mercilessly crushed by the large number of EDG fans.

Even in their previous match against RNG, EDG still commanded a huge following. That's the power of a champion; their fanbase is enormous.

Moreover, EDG is already a top-ranked and popular team in the league.

With cheers of support, the ten people from both sides quickly entered Summoner's Rift.

As soon as they emerged from the fountain, Lin Ruo shouted into the voice chat, "Jing Gong, follow me, let's get First Blood."

"Where do you want first blood?" GimGoon was a little confused. Did they want him to send Ornn to invade the jungle?
Lin Ruo pinged the red team's top jungle area; the first jungle camp he wanted to farm was the red buff there.

Rengar is a champion who can burst down opponents quickly. He can choose to attack with a combo, retreat, and then attack again. He can use bushes as a base to launch attacks and kite, making him extremely strong in jungle combat.

The bushes next to Red Monster are a natural battlefield for him, so there's no reason not to invade.

Therefore, Lin Ruo chose Domination Electrocute as the primary rune for this match, which enhances Rengar's burst damage, and Sudden Impact combined with his dash ability can significantly increase damage. Eyeball Collection increases attack damage, and Ingenious Hunter reduces the cooldown of active item abilities.

The secondary rune tree is Sorcery, with Ultimate Hat reducing ultimate cooldown and Gathering Storm effectively increasing late-game damage.

Both sides are in their normal positions, and there is no action at Level 1.

Perhaps considering the possibility of Rengar's invasion, TheShy's Gangplank deliberately crouched in the upper triangular bush area to visually inspect the river.

Rookie's Zoe also lingered at F6 alongside the Kha'Zix to be ready for an invasion at any time.

Lin Ruo drove straight to the line and then wandered around in the river grass.

His first priority was to confirm whether IG would place wards in the river mouth area. In the end, it turned out that they did, at least during the time he could observe, there were wards in place.

However, this eyeliner arrangement was a clever decision that backfired.

They placed snipers in the small bushes in the river, which is the first place most junglers would place when they leave the jungle, and then invade the jungle as needed.

However, the vigilant Lin Ruo walked from the center line into the wide riverbed grass to observe the field of vision, which completely avoided IG's advance reconnaissance.

If the subsequent invasion goes in by slightly blocking vision along the river mouth, IG won't notice it immediately.

"The captain has fallen into the upper triangular grass," came Jin Gong's reminder.

Lin Ruo's expression shifted slightly.

IG clearly anticipated this, but they once again misjudged the location Lin Ruo would use for the invasion.

Thinking that the scouts in the river hadn't found anything, the Rengar and Ornn were lying in ambush in the upper river bushes, preparing to use the triangular bushes to invade.

Lin Ruo thought that the two eyeliners were perfectly placed, but in reality, they yielded no results. In her opinion, IG's Level 1 defensive operation was a complete failure.

As the agile Zoe returned to her lane along the river wall, IG's top and jungle also began their attack on the red monster.

GimGoon's Ornn had circled back from his own jungle to the mid-river bush. The two of them used the river wall to successfully enter the jungle and headed straight for the red buff area along the bushes behind the red monster.

From God's perspective, the IG fans at the scene were on tenterhooks.

"IG is in a bit of danger this time. If it really comes down to a fight, EDG's top and jungle will definitely have the advantage, but it's unlikely that they can get a kill at level 1."

In my opinion, the target of both sides is still the red monster. Whoever can use Smite to secure the monster and level up to level 2 will undoubtedly win the invasion.

And now, this situation is unfolding.

With Ornn in front and Rengar behind, TheShy, constantly moving in and out of bushes, was the first to be hit. Fortunately, his last move was to leave the bush, avoiding Ornn's close-range auto-attack.

However, he couldn't avoid the lion dog's actions no matter what.

Taking advantage of the passive position, Lin Ruogang stepped into the edge of the bushes and, once he was within reach, immediately leaped and landed on the face of the captain who was descending.

After entering the damage range, press the Q skill to create a straight-line attack with a small dash, which also damages Kha'Zix behind him.

Neither Ning nor TheShy dared to confront them head-on; they could only follow Rengar after he turned around.

Lin Ruo had already turned back into the bushes, ready to pounce. At this moment, blocking IG's top and jungle was an Ornn.

TheshyQ starts by kiting, and after being hit by Ornn's forward burst of flames that inflicts the Fragile effect, taking another auto-attack will significantly reduce his health.

Therefore, he could not directly go forward and drive them away.

Ning initiated with a Q attack, but fortunately Ornn drew the Red Monster's attack, forcing Gingon to retreat behind Rengar.

The four people on both sides, who had finally separated, all turned their attention to the surviving red monster.

Even before EDG's top and jungle arrived, the red monster had already been reduced to about half health.

As Ornn lured the red monster into the bushes, Lin Ruo, controlling the Rengar, pounced again before retreating back into the bushes.

The red monster suddenly reached 622 health. Ning hurriedly stepped forward and used A to try and smite it. He was waiting for the cooldown of his Q skill to come down and then use Smite.

However, the Lion Dog was obviously faster than him, and when there were skill combinations, it could naturally land a Smite within a higher health range.

Rengar's Q skill has been refreshed, but Kha'Zix's Q skill is far from being refreshed.

King Ning immediately regretted his earlier hasty and rough handling of Ornn.

However, it's pointless to think about it now. With the third pounce from the lion dog, the red monster with over 500 health points crashed down.

A glow of upgrade light appeared, and the poodle's level instantly reached level two.

The prey is dead, and a new prey is about to be born.

Lin Ruo, who instantly learned the E skill, controlled Rengar to slip and throw out a lasso to slow down Kha'Zix. After chasing for a moment, he hit the second lasso with precision.

This is a strike that is fully charged with ferocity. The additional effect is not just physical damage and slowing, but also a direct 1.75-second stun effect.

Kha'Zix, unable to dodge in time, was immediately immobilized and his Electrocute triggered, further reducing his health.

Lin Ruo, who caught up, did not use a basic attack. Instead, she calmly walked past Kha'Zix's position and came to the bush next to F6. She turned around and triggered her passive to pounce and bite, followed by her Q to move forward.

Kha'Zix's health was reduced to below half in one go, and then Ornn, who had been tanking the Captain's damage, launched a series of attacks, inflicting the Fragile effect with his fire breath.

Ning, who had already reached the area next to the wall, quickly used Flash to create space.

Ornn followed closely with a flash, and GimGoon unleashed a basic attack with a hammer. Under the Fragile effect, the damage was considerable, and before anyone could react, Kha'Zix was reduced to a critically low health state.

Ning hurriedly maneuvered Kha'Zix forward to the Blast Fruit area. After being hit by another attack, he stepped on the explosive and bounced to the outside of the high ground wall, finally managing to create some distance between himself and Ornn.

Just as he was feeling relieved, something popped into his head and Ning Wang felt terrible.

The poodle is behind... behind which one?

Of course, it was behind the bushes outside the high ground wall. Suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared, and the ferocious hunting lion appeared in the bushes, leaping at Kha'Zix who had just landed near the high ground wall.

With a thud, the piercing attack followed by a forward thrust landed instantly, dealing maximum damage and securing the kill the moment Kha'Zix passed through the gap in the middle and entered the high ground.

First blood.

As the sound of the first blood echoed throughout the vast canyon, the scene erupted in cheers.

"King Ning has reached the high ground, but he's only going up to corpses!"

The commentator, Ji De, raised his voice to the maximum: "Lin Ruo was very decisive in this move. From the bush near the red monster to the bush near the F6 camp, and finally to the bush outside the high ground, he perfectly utilized every inch of Rengar's passive damage."

“Yes, Lin Ruo didn’t waste any damage this time,” Rita chimed in.

This is a complete mastery of the poodle.

...

"Nice, nice!" GimGoon shouted excitedly in the voice chat.

Ning from IG was extremely frustrated: "This is really tough."

Having his red buff stolen and first blood taken from him, who knows how difficult his situation will become afterward.

Playing Kha'Zix would be a nightmare; you'd get chased all over the jungle by Rengar.

"It's okay, come gank bot lane, I'll carry you." The great JK comforted him.

This is absolutely true. Ning really needs to be targeted right now, as EDG's bot lane lineup is a sure-fire weak point.

(End of this chapter)