LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 365 Did they really secure first place in their regular season group so quickly?

After ending his Dota journey, Lin Ruo didn't play many matches in the remaining regular season games. Instead, he started playing games like Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) every day, just like Lu Benwei.

Because Haro replaced him as the starting player to hone his skills, apart from the continued popularity of Dota Legends, Lin Ruo was like a complete slacker, occasionally picking up Go again after a long time to relax.

In the vibrant spring season at the end of March, the competition in the LPL regular season intensified in the middle and later stages. The battles between the weaker teams in the West became increasingly fierce, while the East was full of strong teams and the underdogs made for exciting matches.

EDG, who played two matches a week, finished the seventh week with two consecutive wins. Although both victories were hard-fought 2-1 with the inexperienced Haro on and off the field, the result was more important than the process when it came to the points ranking.

EDG will then face their third match of Week 7, during the prime time slot of 7 PM on the weekend, against JDG, a rookie team from the Eastern Conference.

On Saturday night, EDG announced their starting lineup for the match right on time, close to 11:30 p.m.

Lin Ruo, who had been absent from the regular season for three games, made a long-awaited return to the starting lineup, which surprised the audience and fans who had not expected it.

Lin Ruo, who hasn't played many training matches recently, didn't want to play either, but Ha Huang's excessive betel nut chewing caused mouth ulcers, and his condition was a bit poor.

Abu quickly decided to send Lin Ruo into the game, as they still needed to focus on the match against JDG.

If Snake, who hadn't yet faltered in the first half of the Spring Split, could be considered the most unexpected dark horse, then JDG, currently ranked third in the East, is undoubtedly the biggest dark horse of the entire season as the regular season progresses into its later stages.

Without a star-studded lineup, they fought their way to the playoffs in the highly competitive Eastern Conference thanks to their impeccable teamwork.

To paraphrase what netizens on Tieba often jokingly say, if this JDG team goes to the West and beats Snake and WE to get second place in their group, come find me if there's a problem.

No one knew how JDG had suddenly risen to prominence, except for Lin Ruo, who recognized the players on the roster.

Yagao, Zoom, Clid, and even Loken and LvMao in the bot lane—all of them became household names in later seasons.

Early in the morning of March 30, the entire EDG team set off for the neutral competition venue, Zhengda Plaza.

In their familiar rest room, EDG, who were preparing for the match, watched a Snake regular season game. They were just watching for fun, but to everyone's surprise, Snake, who had a classic late-game lapse, lost again.

After losing to SNG, Snake's record in the West dropped to 8 wins and 5 losses, tying for second place with WE who caught up.

With only 5 games remaining, both Snake and WE can only maintain their best record of 13 wins.

EDG is currently on a 12-game winning streak. Based on the data, if EDG wins this match against JDG, they will still be able to secure first place in the Western Conference with a significant lead in points, even if they lose the next five matches.

Securing first place in the group five rounds in advance is undoubtedly another unprecedented record in the newly revamped season.

Before going on the court, head coach Ming Kai was very excited: "If we win this game, we can easily beat the next five."

Lin Ruo nodded in agreement, coming up with the most attention-grabbing storyline: "A 13-game winning streak to take first place in Group A, followed by a 5-game losing streak to finish the season, wow, that'll definitely generate tons of buzz."

As the two were talking, it was fortunate that Abu, who was busy with other matters today, did not come with the team to the scene, otherwise he would have been scolded again with a low-pitched voice and a stern face.

...

With the post-match interviews from the morning session over, it was 19 PM when the EDG vs JDG match kicked off at the packed Zhengda Plaza.

In the commentary booth, the Haier Brothers, who were ready, smiled at each other in front of the camera, and their signature opening remarks rang out in the venue without reservation.

"Good evening, everyone, both at the venue and watching the live stream. Welcome to the eighth week of the 2018 League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Spring Split regular season. I'm Miller."

"I'm a doll."

Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, after a brief analysis of the previous match between Snake and SNG, the two immediately moved on to their main point:

"Regardless of the score at which EDG wins today's match, they will secure the top spot in the Western Conference five rounds in advance."

"Wow, so fast?" The doll, echoing Miller's words, appropriately expressed her shock.

After learning of the possibility before the match, he was indeed somewhat incredulous. After all, securing first place in the group five rounds in advance would be a truly terrifying feat.

As it turns out, EDG is indeed terrifying, and the other teams in the West are also playing along.

After pausing for two seconds, Miller continued, "There are quite a few changes in version 8.6, and we look forward to seeing how both teams perform in the draft phase."

He has many expectations, but what he values ​​most is the new champion Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void, who has only been in the game for less than two versions.

As a champion who immediately became a sensation in ranked and casual games upon her release, Kai'Sa is extremely popular. In less than two weeks since her release, her pick rate has been among the highest in the Korean server.

The reason for its popularity is simple: Kai'Sa is easy, straightforward, and stylish to play, and most importantly, her damage output is terrifying.

After all, she had the beginner buff, and later developments proved that Kai'Sa could have extremely high output capabilities at any stage.

In patch 8.6, Kai'Sa not only received a buff to the percentage damage from her passive Plasma, but also had her attack range increased by 25 yards, and even the cast time of her E ability was effectively reduced.

She almost replaced Lux ​​as the darling of the game.

With the buff to Sheepstick a couple of days ago, the fact that she's known as the "daughter's" real name is now completely confirmed.

Kai'Sa, who was originally only a T1 due to her slightly weak laning phase, has transformed into a T0, dominating both competitive and ranked matches.

Therefore, in Miller's view, Kai'Sa will definitely be the focus of this game, and if we were to add another one, it would be the reworked Swain.

The rework of Swain in patch 8.4 did not cause much of a stir in competitive play, but after Riot's relentless buffs in two consecutive patches, it finally got what it wanted.

The Q skill's cooldown is reduced by two seconds in the early game, the W skill's radius is increased by 60 yards and its diameter is increased by 120 yards, and the ultimate skill's burst damage is so strong that it can even pass through a group of hero units.

in short.

Raven has become a numerical monster, and now he can't stay out of the competitive scene. Riot Games has gone to great lengths to prove that the rework was the right thing to do.

The current Raven can play in the top and mid lanes, and even occasionally in the bot lane as an AD carry. If all else fails, he can also fill in as a support. He's almost become an all-around champion when it comes to jungling.

The unfortunate Magnum gunner was severely punished, and his chances of returning to the field are almost zero.

iboy, who used Tristana the most in the Spring Split, sat in the player's seat. He had little doubt that Riot Games wasn't targeting him, no, targeting EDG.

The little cannon was never strong to begin with, so I don't understand why it needs to be nerfed. It was only used to push lanes and AFK when the team needed it, but now it's been completely ignored and the game has been quit.

It's too cruel.

"What are we going to eat after the game? Old Bu isn't here, so do we have to go back to the club for dinner?"

After setting up the mouse and keyboard, Lin Ruo, who had nothing to do, felt a little hungry and muttered to herself in her seat.

“You can eat out, or you can ask Mr. Bu to transfer the money,” Tianye said with a smile from a distance.

Mingkai thought it made sense and decided to go downstairs to get Lin Ruo's phone and send the food that way. Boss Bu was unhappy, so he just used his phone to order food, since he knew the password anyway.

After a brief pre-match preparation, BP quickly kicked off the match amidst cheers from the crowd.

"The ban/pick phase begins. EDG is on the blue side, and JDG is on the red side. EDG's first three bans are Cassiopeia, Ryze, and Tahm Kench."

Miller analyzed at lightning speed: "JDG's first three bans were Sion, Swain, and Caitlyn. Mid lane Sion and the newly emerging Swain can't be allowed to EDG. Banning Caitlyn probably means they want to pick Kai'Sa."

But will EDG let them go? Miller pondered.

Clearly, JDG has a backup plan regardless of whether they let her go or not: they can use the recently buffed and re-released Xayah and Rakan to counter her. This is the best option to suppress Kai'Sa, bar none, except for Caitlyn.

Realizing JDG's intentions, EDG didn't hesitate to lock in Xayah on the first floor.

Giving Xayah and Rakan to the enemy team just to pick Kai'Sa is clearly a loss, even though Kai'Sa is incredibly strong in team fights right now. There are still ways to counter her. JDG, not wanting to contest the Rakan and Kai'Sa combination, opted for the safest pick: Sejuani and Alistar, two veteran junglers and supportes with strong synergy.

Without further ado, EDG still signed Rakan, and with the addition of Jarvan IV from Demacia, it's as if no one has any connection to him.

Perhaps feeling that Kai'Sa would have a hard time surviving against Jarvan IV, JDG opted to lock in Jhin, providing support from behind and making the laning phase less difficult compared to Kai'Sa.

Both sides entered the second round of banning.

EDG eliminated Gangplank and Camille, effectively targeting Zoom in the top lane.

JDG also banned GimGoon and Scout's signature Ornn and Galio.

"JDG locked in Jayce first. Zoom's champion pool is indeed very wide. If he picks Jayce, he definitely won't have too much trouble in lane."

After analyzing for a moment, the doll said, "EDG's fourth pick should only be Gnar, right? They can secure lane priority and lock it in, no problem."

The words fell.

On the fifth floor, EDG instantly spotted and locked onto a very rare hero: Fizz for mid lane.

Miller, the commentator, was pleasantly surprised and said, "Scout is very confident. Fizz has recently topped the win rate charts for mid laners in the Korean server, and his pick rate has also jumped into the top three. The buff effect is evident."

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

JDG hesitated for a long time, clearly not expecting the Fizz to appear.

Finally, based on the champion pool, we locked in Vladimir for yagao, a champion that wouldn't be at a disadvantage in lane, and could also coordinate with the jungler and support to initiate team fights.

"So the lineups for both sides are finalized. EDG on the blue side will have Gnar in the top lane, Jarvan IV in the jungle, Fizz in the mid lane, and Xayah and Rakan in the bot lane."

"The red team, JDG, consists of Jayce in the top lane, Sejuani in the jungle, Vladimir in the mid lane, and Jhin and Alistar in the bottom lane."

Miller's passionate words rang out, and both sides quickly entered Summoner's Rift to assemble amidst a chorus of cheers.

From God's perspective, the two teams, both capable of fighting each other, had basically the same level 1 setup, blocking the river and facing each other from afar, with neither having any intention of invading.

Both sides have the ability to invade, which actually curbs their interest in probing the jungle.

On the calm map, Lin Ruo chose to start his jungle run at level 1 in the blue monster area, which surprised the two commentators.

"The Prince of the Blue Buff?" Miller racked his brains trying to figure out a feasible plan. The Prince was supposed to gank the bottom lane to help with a gank...

This might be possible for other teams, but for Lin Ruo, who never cares about the bottom lane, what can he do if he doesn't go to catch the bottom lane?

In the video, Lin Ruo controls the prince to stand still, and decisively attacks during the gap when the blue monster respawns. With Gnar's help, it is much easier.

The only definitive answer to why he chose to start with blue buff is to focus on mid-lane farming at both levels.

Generally speaking, ganking mid after starting with red buff is much more difficult than ganking mid after starting with blue buff.

The reason is the positioning of the mid laners. In the first three laning phases, most mid laners on the red side will position themselves in the upper half of the map to effectively avoid ganks from the jungle.

They might even leave vision at the entrance to the lower river jungle or in the F6 area to detect movements.

The red buff mark, which applies slow and burn effects, definitely provides a greater kill bonus than the blue buff mark, so it's perfectly normal to take precautions against unexpected arrests in the red zone.

Since starting with red buff wasn't going to be easy, Lin Ruo decided to start with blue buff and roam to the mid lane.

The blue buff mark didn't help with ganks, and with a fixed mindset, few mid laners would think about the possibility of the enemy jungler ganking mid at level two.

But Lin Ruo just happened to come.

Even with Gnar openly helping out, the opposing team could definitely know his jungle movement through online information.

At this moment, Yagao in the mid lane would only assume that Prince Blue was going to go bot lane, never imagining that he would come to the mid lane at level two to look for a target.

Meanwhile, in the red buff area on the same side, Zoom's Jayce was helping his Sejuani clear the jungle. After helping, he switched to Reinhardt and went back to lane, completely unaware that Jarvan IV was strolling in the river next to the wall.

Lin Ruo, who hadn't mastered the Q skill "Spear Piercing Strike," stood upright and lurked in the river bushes.

The vampire's positioning was almost exactly as he had predicted, not only biased towards the upper half of the map, but also completely unprepared for the river situation.

Scout, still at level 1, uses his E to initiate a forward jump, using the slow effect of landing to initiate and restrict the Vladimir's movement, creating more possibilities for the Prince's attack later.

In this situation, Lin Ruo manipulated the prince to walk out of the bushes and immediately used his EQ combo on the vampire who was being shoved in the face by the little fishman.

A flash of golden light appeared.

Yaogao reacted extremely quickly and dodged away, but the next moment he was still lifted up by the prince.

Miller, in the commentary booth, exclaimed in surprise, his eyes lighting up as he said, "What a beautiful seven-shaped EQ flash! It knocked up the vampire, and although it didn't deal any damage, it successfully launched him into the air."

This knockback meant that the vampire in the blue team's half of the area had nowhere to retreat.

Lin Ruo, having anticipated Yao Gao's movements, perfectly executed the two-stage arrest operation, quickly delivering the electric shock to A and easily securing the kill.

First blood.

Taking first blood in two minutes, and only faster, there is no fastest, Lin Ruo, who came in a dashing manner, took the bounty and walked back to the lower jungle in a dashing manner.

The silent scene was quickly replaced by the loud sounds of both sides entering the game's canyon.

The only difference is that at the beginning there were cheers, but now what Lin Ruo could hear through her earphones was hysterical cheering.

"Lin Shen always comes up with some crazy tricks when he appears; he knows so much how to catch people."

The excited child was filled with emotion.

Watching Lin Ruo jungle is a real treat, because he's always either invading or ganking, and he always has a million ways to appear in the enemy's sight, unlike many junglers who just focus on farming at the start of the game.

"This first blood was indeed unexpected. We all say that vampires are not easy to kill, but this is level 1. Without Blood Escape, they are too easy to kill."

Miller analyzed the situation, glancing at the talent tree, and said, "Fortunately, Yagao has the Unsealed Secret Manual, so he can teleport back to lane after resurrection without losing too many minions."

This was something that Yagao could barely accept; he really hadn't expected the prince to suddenly turn around and arrest him.

But what he didn't expect was yet to come.

Lin Ruo, who had entered the lower jungle and killed the red monster to reach level three, controlled the prince and turned back towards the middle lane. Since he dared to gank the blue monster, he would definitely gank the red monster if he had it.

Miller watched in horror: "Here we go again. Is Lin Shen really this ruthless today?"

Less than half a minute had passed when the Prince, having finished off the red buff, suddenly appeared in the mid-lane bush, but this time he was standing at the bottom.

However, the vampire is still positioned high up, so a direct attack won't work; at least two EQ combos are needed to take down the vampire who's so far away.

Lin Ruo chose to ignore the target and walk out, launching a second gank on yagao. Catching someone was simple; the little fish could make the first move.

However, this time yagao controlled the distance quite well, unlike the first wave where he was almost face-to-face with the little fish.

Fortunately, the little fishman had Blink, but the vampire did not have Blink at all.

(End of this chapter)