LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 419 Do you understand the value of a "lying-down crown"?

After the two games ended, Taiwanese netizens on the Taiwan Black & White Forum resigned themselves to their fate, acknowledging that they were no match for EDG.

Even against EDG, where Lin Ruo wasn't playing, they were decisively defeated 2-0.

If EDG hadn't actively chosen KZ as their semifinal opponent, Flash Wolves' chances of making it to the finals would have been extremely slim.

As everyone knows, Flash Wolves often defeat LCK teams in BO1 matches, but when it comes to a BO5 series, LCK teams show Flash Wolves what cruelty is.

Fortunately, Flash Wolves have experienced such a cruel fate relatively few times, because they are usually eliminated in the BO1 stage.

The most typical example is the 16 World Championship, where they defeated SKT in the group stage, but were then eliminated by EDG's second team IM, who had made three consecutive changes of plans.

As expected, they can dominate the top team, but they can also get double-killed by the bottom team, handing IM their only two wins.

So today's situation is not surprising. In fact, Flash Wolves have a very low win rate in BO5 playoffs, probably because they have played relatively few matches and have little experience.

As a result, aside from the players' form, there were quite a few drafting mistakes in the second game.

However, when the finals reached the third game, Flash Wolves proved why they had made it to the finals: they still possessed considerable strength. They ultimately defeated EDG in a relatively overwhelming manner, winning a game from a critical match point.

With Graves paired with Galio, and Gangplank providing long-range support, Flash Wolves have created an extremely aggressive playstyle, clearly their final secret weapon for the finals.

The match had just ended, and the two players had barely stepped off the stage when the official live stream chat was flooded with messages about Lin Ruo's upcoming appearance.

[EDG lost, isn't Lin playing?]

[What's the rush? Lin Gou will only play in the most crucial moments. He'll play when EDG loses another game and goes into a best-of-five series.]

Haro's mentality has collapsed. Lin needs to get on the court soon, otherwise we'll start calling him a "carry-on-the-win" dog.

[Is that really necessary? I wouldn't do that. Even if Lin Gou (Lin Gengxin) plays, I'd still call him a "carry-on-the-win dog." After all, winning one game isn't as impressive as winning two.]

...

Lin Ruo, who was watching the game in the lounge, would occasionally glance at the live chat comments. To the netizens' comments, he would only say, "This is ridiculous."

Just kidding, isn't 3-1 the standard score in international competition? How could we possibly lose?

It really doesn't make sense. It's just a classic game where they let the opponent win one game. Lin Ruo doesn't think Flash Wolves can choose a lineup that is so strong at protecting Graves in the later stages of the game.

He didn't think Haro was that weak, that losing just one game would make him lose his temper.

I still remember when Haro faced LCK champion KT in the World Championship, he shouldered the pressure in the second round and his performance was quite impressive.

As for their performance in carrying EDG to the World Championship, there's no need to say more. No matter what, they are more than capable of dealing with a provincial team.

Therefore, he didn't think there would be any major problems in the fourth game. The team had a margin for error, and there was really no need to rush into the next game after losing just one.

At the start of the fourth game, Flash Wolves seemed to have run out of ideas, and EDG once again found a clear point of suppression in their lineup.

That is the so-called bot lane selection. EZ and Braum seem to have a lot of late-game dragging ability, but in reality, it will result in a serious lack of initiative in the early game. This point must be considered in conjunction with EDG's draft.

The reason is that EDG fielded the Xayah-Rakan combination. Xayah alone is just an ADC with little fighting power in the early game, but when paired with Rakan, Xayah's fighting power in the early game increases significantly.

The FW duo thought they could withstand the pressure, but the top and mid lane duo of Malzahar and Sion showed them that there was no possibility of them withstanding the pressure.

EDG's early game strategy is very clear: once Sion has his ultimate, he can not only teleport to the bottom lane, but also drive there to tower dive without any problems.

With the Banner of Command active, top lane Sion can also have a certain ability to push the lane, thus creating an early-game advantage across all three lanes, which naturally gives Haro many ganking opportunities.

The significance of picking Graves, who is strong in the early game, will undoubtedly increase significantly.

With multiple control options available, Haro's task is to work with Xayah to maximize damage output and eliminate every enemy who gets controlled.

The fourth game wasn't a massacre, but after a series of large-scale team fights, EDG was the one who benefited more.

As a result, the Flash Wolves, having accumulated small losses over time, will find that if they make a significant mistake, the situation can be escalated to an irrecoverable abyss.

Unfortunately, EDG's lineup was too good at initiating team fights, and the outcome was predictable.

From the high ground tower, to the tusk tower, and finally to the bare crystal, the Flash Wolves' fountain structure collapsed amidst deafening cheers from the audience.

Even without Lin Ruo, EDG still easily won 3-1 against Flash Wolves.

"A legend is born! They are the first MSI three-time champions, EDG!" The moment the crystal exploded, the European commentators danced with excitement, even more so than the three LPL commentators on site, as if they were wearing EDG jerseys.

On the other side of the LPL commentary booth, the Haier Brothers, who were almost overshadowed, along with Rita, also tried their best to make their most excited voices.

"Congratulations to EDG on winning the MSI championship three times in four years! This achievement is no easier than winning the World Championship, and they are now fully capable of challenging for the same record. I believe the MSI three-time champion is just the beginning!" "EDG's championship journey will continue, and it will continue for a long time!"

The players embraced each other excitedly, and the cheers for their victory grew louder and louder. From the aisle below the stage, Lin Ruo followed all the EDG staff onto the stage.

Is this what it feels like to win a championship by lying down? Actually, it's nothing special for him. If he could just sit back and watch the finals and collect some big swords while lying down to win, that would be more interesting.

The Flash Wolves team next door still shared the same expression as the losers from beginning to end; regret and disappointment permeated the room, but this was only part of it.

After all, half of their runner-up finish was due to their good performance in the group stage, while the other half was obviously due to EDG giving them a hand.

So regret isn't everything. They can accept the result, unlike LCK teams that have historically lost to EDG, who are completely unable to accept the future of losing their dominant position.

After a brief handshake, the entire EDG team returned to the center of the stage.

Lin Ruo was very familiar with this plot. He led his team, each member holding one hand, to lift the championship trophy high and welcome their MSI summer.

Spotlights converged overhead, golden rain fell, and cheers from the crowd repeatedly shattered the vast rooftop stadium.

"Let's congratulate EDG!" Host Sjokz took the stage to lead the welcome ceremony, conducting an interview before the awards ceremony.

Since he didn't play, Lin Ruo, who was finally not the focus of attention this time, quietly chatted with head coach Ming Kai.

The real focus should be on the five players who are fighting tooth and nail on the field.

After a 10-minute interview, the process naturally led to the final award ceremony, which was officiated by Riot Games co-founder Tryndamere and other executives.

The athletes stood in a row, their only task being to bow their heads and wait for their medals to be hung around their necks.

Lin Ruo, who was the first to receive her medal near the backstage entrance, took a bite and couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. This time, the medal was finally pure gold, much more valuable than the photo frame given to her by the LPL Spring Split champions.

Yes, the champion's victory wasn't for nothing.

After the awards ceremony came the final segment: the announcement of the FMVP.

Host Sjokz waved his hand and announced the winner of the FMVP: "Let's congratulate Scout on winning today's FMVP!"

For most viewers watching today's match, it was a completely predictable choice; Scout's Zoe in the second game and Malzahar in the third game were decisive.

This is clearly a well-deserved FMVP award, the kind that won't be used as a stain on his reputation even after he leaves EDG.

Watching Scout lift the FMVP trophy, Lin Ruo calmly posted a selfie of herself biting the medal with the caption, "Champions are always within easy reach." She then posted it on Weibo.

The comments section is in a bad state, with "lying down and winning" comments making up a third of the comments.

[I'm requesting that Lin Gou be stripped of his championship. He didn't play a single game in the finals; he relied entirely on his teammates. Brothers, support me and I'll report him to Riot Games' official Weibo account immediately.]

[Damn it, why don't they stream it? It's so boring for me.]

[Brothers, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and go to the forum to rate it. Give Lin Gou one star on all of them.]

Lin Ruo, who hadn't yet stepped down from the stage, saw these comments and couldn't help but check the post-match scores on the forum.

The number of people giving real-time ratings is constantly increasing, and the top few reviews are quite objective.

[One point is the most I can think of. To be honest, you really disappointed me today. You were practically invisible the whole time. Honestly, did Peanut treat you to beef noodles instead?]

[I'd give him a 2 out of 10. He wasn't always invisible; I saw him in the break room during the commercial break.]

[I watched the game, and I can vouch for it. Lin was practically invisible all day, not even managing a single kill. It was a terrible performance compared to his usual invincible form.]

[Your form has declined. Lin should retire soon, otherwise you'll ruin your reputation. Look how badly you played today.]

[It's like this: a professional Go player is playing League of Legends; we should be tolerant of an amateur player who suddenly switches careers.]

Yes, it's normal that Lin Gou's performance in the MSI finals wasn't great because he was preparing for the MMORPG Cup in June. After all, League of Legends isn't his main job, and he only earns 6 million a year, so why would he push himself so hard?

Lin Ruoxin was stunned after reading it. If netizens hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten that he had a world Go tournament to participate in less than a week.

I had to post another Weibo update, so I promptly picked up my phone and started editing after stepping down from the stage.

"We are the champions, we are still the champions. Thank you to all my teammates for their hard work, and thank you to all the spectators for their support. See you in the main tournament of the Mengbaihe Cup in June."

I heard that the prize money for winning the Mengbaihe championship is 180 million yuan, which is quite considerable. So Lin Ruo has a reason to participate.

(End of this chapter)