LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 479 I can easily solo kill you in the jungle at level 1.

BP officially begins.

According to the pre-match draw, LCK, which had the right to choose sides in the first game, took the initiative to choose the blue side at the start.

This is a good sign for KT, as it is well known that the blue side has a higher win rate, and since it is a BO1, there is not much room for error.

The significance of the right to choose sides becomes even more apparent.

In the second game, regardless of the outcome for the two teams, the LPL teams will alternate starting on the blue side.

The bright and shiny central screen at the scene.

KT, having proactively chosen the blue side, promptly banned Shen and Taliyah in their first two bans.

This is a blow to EDG's emphasis on synergy; clearly, Lin Ruo's Taliyah is still enough to make KT fear him in the match against FW.

This hero is too overpowered in the early game; as long as you can control the tempo, you can make a difference in almost any lane.

Lin Ruo is absolutely able to control the rhythm.

Therefore, KT did not hesitate to ban it. Although they could pick it first as the blue side, they believed that there was a better first pick to replace Taliyah at the moment.

Therefore, it is essential to press and hold the button before giving it to EDG.

On EDG's side, the bans also showed KT the same respect in their response.

We must eliminate all potential first-pick carries like Aatrox and Xayah, giving KT absolutely no chance of securing the meta carry in the first pick.
If Aatrox's strength wasn't universally acknowledged before, his five consecutive wins in the Intercontinental Cup so far have solidified his reputation.

Banning it is an inevitable choice.

As for Xayah, needless to say, as a rare ADC in this version with both output and self-preservation capabilities, her significance is self-evident.

At this moment, Miller, who was in charge of following up, was already analyzing the situation in full swing: "Both sides have picked heroes that are common in this intercontinental tournament in the first two rounds, so the next battle will be about the team's hero pool and tactical reserves."

"Indeed, it's very important that Aatrox is gone. If Darius is also eliminated in the top lane."

The child hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Normally, the top lane would be a drawn-out battle of two tanks pushing each other.

However, what's unusual is that Semb has a signature hero, Kennen, who can be used to fight in any era, so it's hard to say what will happen then.

Looking at the subsequent draft picks, it seems that KT had this in mind, directly banning Darius.

EDG quickly retaliated by pressing Kennen.

Even though KT hadn't played Kennen once in this Intercontinental Cup, Lin Ruo could still easily see through his opponent's hidden plans.

Semb doesn't allow showing off.

After the initial three-press maneuver, KT realized their strategy had been exposed and decisively locked onto Camille, the hero with the best ganking ability, in the first-floor position.

Camille, the hero most effective at engaging and locking down enemies in the early to mid-game, is also the hero that Lin Ruo fears the most.

KT's strategy of picking instead of banning is undisputed.

EDG then launched a ruthless counterattack, locking in the top and jungle duo of Mundo and Kindred without further ado.

The former is the best choice for top lane tanking and mid-game tanking, bar none. Kindred's biggest advantage when playing second is that she is not necessarily afraid in a head-on confrontation with Camille.

Of course, before reaching level 6, Camille with her double-bang kick was still much stronger than Kindred, but that was all. Kindred's agility gave her more room for maneuver and control.

This is also the most suitable option to counter Camille's early-game invasion.

However, KT then picked Zoe, using her long-range poke to target Kindred.

Then add Ornn, a rather helpless choice after Kennen is suppressed.

While you could use heroes like Gangplank, that would be a bit of a constraint on Camille.

Conversely, Ornn, facing Mundo's push, can better coordinate with Camille's early-game invasion, making him a more team-oriented choice.

In the first round, the final pick came to EDG's side, and Scout on the third floor decisively locked in Syndra for a head-on clash in the mid lane.

Especially when paired with Kindred, this mid-jungle duo is even stronger than the opposing team.

No one could fail to see that the clash between the two sides in Nakano was intense.

Although KT is somewhat reluctant to face EDG like this, they can't play the bot lane right now, and the top lane champion pool is also relatively scarce.

The strategy of prioritizing lane control in the middle lane offers greater flexibility and allows for quicker engagements between the two sides.

After establishing the basic format of the game, both sides quickly entered the second round of bans.

KT clearly removed Braum and Tahm Kench, two players with strong bot lane protection capabilities, which weakened EDG's ability to cope with pressure in the bot lane and prevented EDG's lineup from becoming more balanced.

EDG also disabled Karma and Thresh.

Later, in the fourth and fifth floors, EDG, on the red side, chose Ashe first.

The intention behind this choice is obvious: EDG's current lineup lacks initiation control, and Ashe's ultimate ability to draw initiation is a very good option.

However, with the opposing team's Ornn and Camille initiating team fights so aggressively, iboy's situation is inevitably somewhat unfavorable. At this point, it will depend on what role Lin Ruo's ultimate can play in team fights.

"Ashe is really good. There aren't many good ADCs in the bot lane right now, so let's pick one that's more utility-oriented and not weak in the early game."

Miller was more in agreement.

However, KT's subsequent selection of Morgana caught him off guard.

This is clearly a hastily put-together solution to counter Ashe's ultimate ability.

As long as Ashe can be prevented from initiating the attack, Morgana's choice will definitely not be a loss.

Then came the mindless over-aggression in the bot lane, with Varus coming out to dominate the lane, seemingly trying to teach EDG's bot lane a lesson.

Then there's no way.

EDG added Nami on the fifth floor, abandoning their previous pick of Nautilus. With Nami, they could lane with Ashe, and her ultimate would also be an effective counter-pick.

With both sides' lineups finalized, each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but overall, KT's lineup appears to be more balanced.

However, EDG has Kindred, who can be considered the only late-game carry in the entire game.

Of course, this didn't stop KT's coach from beaming with joy, thinking his draft was excellent. In today's world, it's rare to find a team that can gain an advantage in drafting against EDG.

"Play well, don't feed in the early game, and look for opportunities in the mid-game." As always, Mingkai was on the bench, saying a few polite words.

How to put it? It's no different from what Lin Ruo used to hear Nofe say those two words every day.

Focus, focus...

Alright, Lin Ruo decided to say something meaningful. She turned to iboy in the bottom lane and instructed him, "Xiao Zhao, I have something very important to tell you. You are not allowed to use Project skin. You have to use my Ashe skin."

iboy: …

"Holy crap, have you no shame?" Tianye rolled her eyes.

Because of that eye roll, Lin Ruo decided he wouldn't even glance at the bottom lane, though he hadn't actually intended to in the first place. Playing Kindred requires mastering the skills of a skilled Miracle Walker before the first two marks.

Anyway, the referee left with a smile, while Miller in the commentary booth perked up and recounted the lineups of both sides: "KT on the blue side, Ornn in the top lane, Camille in the jungle, Zoe in the mid lane, and Varus and Morgana in the bottom lane."

"EDG on the red side, top lane Mundo, jungle Kindred, mid lane Syndra, bot lane duo Ashe and Nami. The first match of the BO5 finals of the 2018 Rift Rivals has begun. Who will be able to open the scoring for their respective regions? Let's wait and see!"

The words fell.

The nearly 20,000 spectators at the scene erupted in deafening cheers, with shouts of "EDG, keep going!" even reaching the soundproofed KT players' seats, startling all five of them.

As I said before, the home ground of the Chinese team is the real home ground.

Deft still feels a bit nostalgic about this, as he once received the same treatment in the LPL region.

Before their thoughts could linger for more than a few seconds, the ten people on both sides quickly entered Summoner's Rift.

The five KT players who had just left the house immediately gathered in the bottom lane's triangular bush area, attempting to launch an operation targeting lone individuals or those who were invading.

In contrast, EDG's positioning was much more conventional: a long, straight line formation to occupy all the entrances to the jungle from top to bottom and secure early-game vision.

1 minutes 40 seconds.

Both junglers started with red buffs in their respective top and bottom halves of the map, and the situation was developing in a relatively normal manner.

However, staring at Camille's movements after leveling up to level two on the minimap, the commentator Wawa quickly asked in confusion, "Isn't Camille going up? Why is she heading towards the river? Is she up to something?"

“Indeed, the old captain has an idea,” Miller quickly added from the side.

This move couldn't be clearer: the veteran captain Score clearly wanted to invade the red team's jungle and steal their blue buff as soon as he reached level two.

As professional commentators, Miller and Wawa know very well that the most important thing for a jungle carry is not ganking to create tempo, but jungle clearing efficiency.

This is the foundation of what is called taking off. Sometimes, even if you manage to catch someone, the kill might not be yours. For a jungler who is delayed in farming, this can't be considered a benefit in a certain sense.

Therefore, Score's approach is very threatening.

If a jungle carry loses their buff early on, they will be at a significant disadvantage compared to a conventional jungler in terms of tempo development.

However, the worst fear is that Camille probably isn't just after the buff.

Because Lin Ruo came down.

After completing the red buff and leveling up to level 2, Lin Ruo didn't intend to attack the F6 camp or follow the development strategy of red buff - F6 - three wolves and blue monsters. Instead, she was absolutely determined to start with double buffs and then wait for the right opportunity based on the location of the marks.

This means there's a high probability that Score, who finishes defeating the red monster and heads straight for the blue one, will run into it.

Given this, if it were a two-level duel, Kindred would definitely be at a disadvantage.

In other words, Lin Ruo is in a very dangerous situation.

In the commentary booth, Miller was already quite tense: "The situation is a bit bad. In a one-on-one fight, Camille with her double-bang attack is not something Kindred at this stage can withstand."

In terms of the situation, the best outcome might be to give up the blue monster in exchange for Kindred's safe escape.

However, that depends on what the two do next.

Score's first intention was naturally to open the blue pit, but to prevent this, the first thing he did after entering the blue pit was to place a ward in the path next to the wall.

In order to prepare for the possible sudden appearance of Kindred.

Unfortunately, Lin Ruo, who was controlling Kindred, appeared shortly afterward. Their eyes met those of the falling Orb of Light, and she naturally noticed the situation at the Blue Pit.

Some overconfident Score players started using basic attacks to drain mana and activate their passive shield as soon as the ward fell. If they stepped on the blast fruit and fell into the pit at that moment, Lin Ruo believed that they would definitely be the ones who lost.

Fortunately, the timing was clever, giving him a chance to probe through the wall, and the two sides immediately began an open battle.

Kindred didn't immediately jump into the pit, and Score didn't dare to fight anymore, so he quickly distanced himself from the blue monster.

Lin Ruocai, upon realizing this, turned around without hesitation and stepped into the blue pit using the Blast Fruit, ensuring that the blue monster could not hit him while simultaneously launching a basic attack on Camille.

First, activate E skill to release the prey area and slow down the enemy, then chase and continuously attack with basic attacks.

Without hesitation, Score turned around and used his E skill to stun the wall and kick back up.

This is an absolute showdown in the capital city, because neither side's bottom lane can come at all.

The clash at level 1 resulted in both supports losing about two-thirds of their health, and the intense battle in the mid lane meant they would have to stay in lane for a short time.

If the support can't come, the AD is even less likely to abandon the minion wave and come before reaching level two, which is why Score dared to counterattack.

As the hook lock was about to be activated, Kindred was immediately immobilized, enduring Camille's basic attacks followed by her Q, which Camille attempted to use to launch a powerful attack and inflict greater vulnerability.

Lin Ruo remained calm and composed, fighting and retreating simultaneously. He had his Q skill, which was always refreshed, ready to make it easier to escape at this moment.

How to separate them? Of course, it can't be done by separating them at the nearest point, because then the Steel Shadow could still entangle him.

Reaching the wall, Lin Ruo used Q to enter the small passage. This was the best way to create distance, avoiding potential attacks from the blue buff while also allowing for a counterattack against Camille inside the pit.

Don't forget, he's the one with the long reach, so because there's an eye in the pit, he can easily take down Camille.

Meanwhile, Camille, leaning against the wall, could only watch helplessly as he attacked. To avoid the blue monster's attack, Score's first thought was to retreat.

However, considering that the double-bang was already charging up and seeing that Kindred had lost almost half of her health, Score gritted his teeth and suddenly flashed over the wall.

With a flash of golden light, once that kick lands on Kindred, the opponent will be rendered powerless in his presence.

Even if Kindred uses Flash, he may still have the option to wait for E to refresh before chasing and securing the kill.

Even if all else fails, exchanging Flash is inevitable, in which case he can use his health advantage to take down the blue buff and gain an advantage in farming jungle camps.

The enemy jungler is low on health, and it's too late for the enemy support to come over now.

This flash-over-the-wall double-kick combo seems like a perfect choice for Score.

However, the biggest problem is that all of this seems to fall within Lin Ruo's design scope.

Compared to the veteran captain Score, Lin Ruo believed that his biggest advantage was his reaction time. So, in the half-second that Camille hovered over the wall, he roughly knew what Camille was trying to do.

In a split second, the two flashes were used almost simultaneously.

The scene, which had just quieted down, erupted again amidst gasps and shouts.

From the more obvious perspective of the commentator, they can see the most important point, which is...

"Camille flashes! Ah! The firecracker missed, but Kindred actually dodged upwards first!"

"My God, what a terrifying reaction! No, this must be a prediction!"

Miller in the commentary booth was almost dumbfounded. Camille's double-kick cooldown was over, what did that mean...?

Kindred's health didn't drop significantly, so the two sides widened the distance again. There was no doubt that the short-range Camille, who was alone in the deep pit, would suffer direct damage from the long-range Kindred.

The situation reversed so quickly it was mind-boggling.

(End of this chapter)