LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 418 Have you ever seen a contestant who was just a spectator in the finals?

As for what kind of surprise it would cause in the hearts of European audiences, that was not something Lin Ruo should think about. In any case, the uproar naturally did not contain any aversion.

What surprised Western audiences was how quickly EDG had changed from being a domestic powerhouse last year to becoming a global champion.

All of this was simply because Lin Ruo joined the group.

Last year, Lin's critics could still attribute the credit to the championship-winning coach Nofe, but with Nofe's true colors being revealed this year at SKT, everyone knows the truth.

It seems that this EDG team relies solely on Lin Ruo, and there are no other possible answers.

Can one player change the entire team?
Lin Ruo did it, leading this EDG team, which was not perfect from the beginning, to the end.

Meanwhile, LCK also achieved this, with MS failing to reach the semifinals for two consecutive years and failing to enter the finals.

The Korean online community was still filled with lamentations, and people were still feeling guilty.

[Damn it, why does EDG always pick us to play against? We're strong enough to make it to the finals.]

Riot Games had already changed the rules, and we still got third place. Hmph, KZ really isn't even half as good as SKT.

Indeed, after much discussion, Korean netizens concluded that it was KZ who was the one who was disappointing.

You could have avoided facing EDG by getting second place, but instead you chose third and ran right into them. You've already handed them the knife, so isn't it only natural that you'd get stabbed?
Last year, LCK viewers could blame EDG for choosing SKT, who finished second in their group, but this year they have nothing to criticize.

Because KZ was third in the group, once he was third in the group, he would be third in the group forever.

All they can do now is watch the MSI finals, which have been heavily promoted as a Chinese civil war, unfold.

...

With only two days left until the final MSI, both EDG and FW, having no scrims to play, are making their final preparations.

As the competition nears its end, it's crucial to maintain a calm and composed mindset. Avoiding arrogance and impatience is the safest approach. That's why Abu took his team half a day to explore famous historical sites in France.

For example, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. During this time, Lin Ruo even passed by and smelled the Seine River to confirm whether it was as smelly as later claimed.

...

5 month 22 day.

This final internal battle has begun.

On the day of the match, the Zenith Arena in France was packed with people.

Even though FNC, representing Europe, did not make it to the finals, it did not affect the almost overwhelming popularity of the event today.

The entrance ceremonies for both teams were quite simple, without the extensive prelude typical of the LPL. The DJ's opening ceremony lasted less than 10 minutes.

As the host called for them to stand in the center of the stage, both contestants gazed at the trophy placed on the central platform for a moment.

The game officially begins.

The LPL viewers in the live stream also started to leave in a joking manner.

[Brothers, let's go. Lin Gengxin only has this much screen time; he'll just appear on stage and then leave. There's no need to watch the rest.]

Don't leave yet. Who knows, Lin might come on as head coach later.

[Call me if EDG is down 0-2, because LinGou will definitely play in the third game. If EDG is down 2-0, don't call me, because LinGou definitely won't play.]

[So here's the question: if it's 1-1, will you be invited?] [It's fine if Lin Gou doesn't play, or how about we do a live stream and watch the game together?]

During a break in the audience's discussion, the camera cut to the pre-match rest area, where Lin Ruo, despite not participating in the match, maintained a strong presence.

Because he successfully took over Mingkai's position, he used his notebook to explain the details that the starting players should pay attention to in the game.

Head coach Mingkai stood helplessly to the side, while Nofe, watching the live broadcast from across the ocean, felt a sense of déjà vu.

The camera then cuts back to the players' seats on both sides.

For FW, who were participating in the MSI finals for the first time, there was no nervousness at all, because reaching the finals was already beyond their expectations.

Therefore, the mindset is to believe that winning is not a loss and losing is a huge gain.

For EDG, the atmosphere was even more relaxed. The experienced players were extremely calm. Although GimGoon hadn't participated in many major tournaments, as a veteran who had traveled all over the country for many years, he was even more composed at such crucial moments.

The other two champion duo goes without saying.

iboy himself is a quirky guy, so there's no way he'd be nervous.

Haro, who had just debuted, did have shaky hands, but he would eat a couple of betel nuts before going on stage to relieve the problem; for him, it was like a painkiller.

The match started quickly, and FW, having anticipated this, immediately started with some fancy moves.

Maple picked the unpopular champion Aurelion Sol in this match, and it had a significant impact in the early game. His strong wave clear and roaming capabilities helped his team gain a huge advantage.

However, in the crucial team fight in the mid-game, EDG still managed to turn the tide of the game by relying on the Xayah-Rakan duo and Xin Zhao's excellent entry combination, achieving a 2-for-0 exchange and securing Baron Nashor.

After that, iboy's Xayah's damage output became increasingly explosive, and with GimGoon's Cho'Gath providing unparalleled tankiness, EDG continuously consolidated their advantage and ultimately won the game.

In summary, the situation in the first game was that FW's choice of Aurelion Sol seemed to establish an advantage in the early game, but their lineup had a clear disadvantage in team fights, namely, they desperately needed to kite.

As a result, after EDG initiated a perfect team fight in the mid-game, the situation instantly reversed.

In this game, FW considered the importance of the early game, but did not really consider whether the team was suitable for such a kiting lineup, since kiting is easy to lead to immediate failure.

In the mid-game, FW clearly failed to create enough space to maximize the effectiveness of their lineup.

In the second game, the stark difference in skill between the mid and jungle players was evident without any sense of incongruity.

With Xin Zhao as their jungler, EDG on the red side achieved a strong mid-jungle pressure in the early game with Haro and Scout's Zoe, securing two consecutive kills on the enemy Taliyah at level five.

With the mid-lane advantage spreading, in the subsequent bottom lane team fight ten minutes later, FW's Camille had half her health taken down by Zoe before even landing and entering the fray, which directly led to the emergence of their biggest weakness in team fights.

Without any means to initiate team fights, FW was caught off guard by Zhao Xin's flash attack and sweep, which disrupted their formation and led to a complete rout.

After a team fight, EDG gained a significant economic lead, not to mention that in the late game, EDG had a Sivir who could take over the game once she got fed. In the end, they won the game in just over 25 minutes.

2: 0!

Lin Ruo didn't play, but EDG still managed to secure match point by nearly shutting out the opponent.

The difference between BO1 and BO5 was fully demonstrated in the Flash Wolves' performance. They did not have sufficient tactical preparation. In the first game, it was because the players did not coordinate their movements well.

The second game was entirely due to Flash Wolves giving EDG too much initiative in the draft phase. The combination of Zoe and Xin Zhao meant that there would be a bloodbath in the early game.

(End of this chapter)