LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 524 IG Can't Beat GRF?

"Brothers, don't be too proud. GEN is probably the easiest team to beat in our group."

After the match ended, Lin Ruo saw his two good brothers smiling broadly and immediately offered a word of advice.

What's so fun about catching rotten fish and shrimp?

Unlike him, he calmly got up, his face expressionless, and first drank the water in his cup and filled his hand with it.

At this moment, the official camera naturally focused on Lin Ruo. There was no way around it; after all, he was the most impactful player in this game.

He held up one finger and shook it at the camera, indicating that his first opponent was not very good. This is Lin Ruo's way of dealing with people.

Commentator Guan Zeyuan could only smile wryly: "GEN really didn't put any pressure on EDG at all. Even Lin Shen is speechless."

Wang Duoduo smiled and then looked at Guan Zeyuan's not-so-good expression, teasingly asking, "How are you, Brother Guan?"

At this moment, Guan Zeyuan muttered to himself, revealing a profile that looked utterly dejected: "I'm actually alright."

Losing to EDG isn't shameful, but as I said before, you lost way too badly, like you were playing against bots.

"Oh, this is also EDG's first time defeating a Korean team in the group stage since participating in the World Championship."

As the grieving Guan Zeyuan struggled to find something to distract himself, the director presented a rather interesting statistic.

This victory over GEN marks the first time EDG has successfully defeated a Korean team in the group stage since participating in the World Championship in 2014.

It's an exaggeration, but it's true.

Guan Zeyuan thought about it and it was true. In 14, LPL champion EDG was crushed by champion SSW in the group stage.

The situation didn't improve much at the 15 World Championship, where they were defeated twice by SKT in the group stage, a result of their revenge.

In the following 16 years, South Korea was not included in the group stage, but they still created the shameful record of being unable to beat wildcard teams and finishing second in the group stage, thus giving the opportunity to European and American teams that were originally guaranteed to reach the semi-finals.

Finally, there was the 17 World Championship. This time, Lin Ruo was there, and EDG was already one of the world's top teams. Unfortunately, they didn't encounter any Korean teams in the group stage.

So in 18, EDG, who had been invincible for almost two years, finally defeated a Korean team in the group stage of the World Championship for the first time.

In short, this data is so outrageous that even Guan Zeyuan is somewhat at a loss for words.

At this point, defeating Korean teams is commonplace for EDG. However, compared to the EDG of the past, it is easy to think of the importance of Lin Ruo.

Without Lin Ruo, there would be no EDG team as we are today.

Upon seeing this data, LPL fans on Tieba were filled with mixed emotions.

[This data is a bit abnormal. Without Lin Ruo, I almost forgot that EDG used to be the king of domestic competitions.]

This is the perfect example of how one person can change an entire team.

[Indeed, Mingkai was able to carry the team to its feet at the World Championship, Lin Ruo's leadership ability is terrifying.]

[Lin Shen, he's not just a hero for EDG, he's a hero for the LPL too, tsk tsk.]

The LPL has already surpassed the LCK, who would dare to dream of that? But with Lin Ruo, it's something we can dream of.

After returning to the locker room after the match, Lin Ruo rested briefly before immediately giving a live interview to the South Korean media.

As the MVP of the first game, it is only natural for him to go on stage for an interview.

The South Korean female host looked at Lin Ruo with mixed feelings, greeted her according to the procedure, and then asked a few questions that she had prepared in advance.

"First of all, let's talk about the strategy for this game's Taliyah. Why did Lin Ruo change his previous approach of focusing on ganking the top lane instead of staying in the bottom lane the entire time?"

Clearly, the South Korean commentator still doesn't quite understand how to capitalize on trending topics, jumping right in with such technical questions.

If it were an LPL host, they would have already done a game to comment on the opponent's performance.

Lin Ruo calmly replied as usual: "Because we got Sion in the draft, and with absolute lane control in the mid lane, ganking bot is the easiest way to get results. Besides, Varus is GEN's core position."

cough cough.

Actually, there are other reasons as well. As Lin Ruo said at the beginning, GEN is currently a complete mess, with only Ruler able to carry the team. So if I don't target Ruler, who should I target?
Sure enough, once Ruler collapsed, Crown Bro went into hiding, and as for Cuvee, he simply started feeding.

"I see." The host nodded in understanding, thinking to himself, "So it really was a draft problem? Then it really is the coach's fault."

The arguments on Korean websites mostly focus on Edgar, which is indeed reasonable.

Lin Ruo thought this was barely acceptable, but if the GEN team members thought the same way, then it would be a bit troublesome.

And the reality is that GEN really thinks so.

BP led to the defeat.

But what kind of draft resulted in being treated like a bot from the very beginning? And Cuvee's individual performance completely wasted Urgot's strength.

Lin Ruo could only say that if GEN really thought that way, then there was absolutely nothing wrong with them winning the round of 16.

"So, the second question is, after playing against GEN, EDG also got off to a good start and is currently ranked first in Group A. How would you evaluate the team's performance today?"

"They didn't perform very well. It's mainly because GEN didn't play to their level. I could feel that they were in a bad state. I don't know if they can adjust in the future. If they can't, they might not be able to advance from the group stage."

After Lin Ruo finished speaking, a few small boos immediately rippled through the room.

LCK fans are clearly dissatisfied. We accept that we can't beat EDG and they've been treated so arrogantly, but what's with saying they might not even make it out of the group stage?

That's a bit of an exaggeration.

Even the LCK female host at this moment felt that Lin Ruo's expression was too unrealistic.

They're from the LCK.

The last time a team failed to advance from the group stage was back in 13. In the five years since then, the number of teams that have reached the quarterfinals is very small, let alone the group stage.

Even if they pull away, they can't possibly be eliminated in the group stage.

None of the audience members or staff who held South Korean citizenship believed this claim.

Lin Ruo was not in a hurry to argue, and answered the questions as usual before leaving.

However, the atmosphere on Korean online forums, which was originally focused on criticizing GEN, has inadvertently improved.

LCK netizens strongly refuted Lin Ruo's claim that GEN might be eliminated in the group stage.

Do you think our LCK is like your LPL from a few years ago? Don't worry, even if we're bad, no team will be eliminated in the group stage of the World Championship.

[That's incredibly arrogant of him! How could he say something so unreasonable? No matter how strong Lin Ruo is, I will never have a good impression of this player.]

[It's so disappointing, I wonder if GEN can come back in the second round.]

[Ahem, let's not even think about that. Let's just focus on getting out of the group stage. That would be a slap in the face to Lin Ruo, letting him spout nonsense.]

[@GEN Esports Club, you've seen it yourselves, people are saying you won't even make it out of the group stage. You'd better figure out what to do.]

GEN saw it, but like most Korean netizens, he didn't take it seriously.

...

Outside the Busan venue, the EDG team, having finished their first day of competition, boarded a bus to return to their hotel.

There are four more matches to go, including one between IG and MAD from the LPL, which is pretty much the same as before.

In the first round, IG also easily defeated their good brothers from Taiwan.

Ning dominated the game from the very beginning, completely overwhelming his opponent in his lane.

After watching the match, Lin Ruo was just wondering what would happen in the second round.

Besides that, what he was probably most interested in was the debut of LCK champion GRF. This time, GRF was different from other LCK teams, and their performance was quite stable.

They easily defeated the wildcard team without any suspense, but what's truly anticipated is tomorrow's second match, a highly anticipated showdown against IG from the same group.

Similarly, there's the match between RNG and FNC in Group D.

It can be said that apart from the match between EDG and GEN on the first day, most of the key matches were scheduled for the second day.

However, Lin Ruoke didn't care about any of that. She opened Twitter, which had been unusually active these past few days, and decided to stir things up first.

This is a classic GIF of the god of death knocking on the door. The GEN door has been smashed open, and blood is flowing everywhere without any cover.

Next, according to the schedule, we'll face G2 tomorrow, followed by the trembling TL.

Western netizens, seeing Lin Ruo's everyday happy day, have to admit that when it comes to creating drama and using memes, she's almost on par with them.

I watched the whole thing. GEN died so miserably. I hope the great G2 can hold on a bit longer tomorrow.

[I suddenly feel that the probability of Group A being called the "Group of Death" actually has another meaning: that EDG will remain undefeated and eliminate all other teams.]

I don't know, but G2 and TL are definitely out, and they'll probably get wiped out again in the second round.

Knowing that the pictures will continue to be updated in the next two days, and that G2 and TL's rooms will be filled with blood one after another, the people having fun can't hold back anymore.

However, before that, they need to focus on another major battle.

That was the final match of the first day, a battle for European and American honor between G2 and TL. Undoubtedly, it was a decisive battle for influence among European and American viewers.

Whether European viewers will wreak havoc on Twitter tonight, or North American viewers will redeem themselves and get revenge, remains to be seen.

This match started by continuing the traditions of Europe and America.

Will the start be uneventful? Of course not, let's each give away a wave of kills to create some excitement.

Then, 15 minutes later, TL gave G2 another huge advantage.

Just when the audience thought G2 was going to win, the brothers started.

Ah P will give one, and Wunder will give one.

After four or five rounds, the two sides were back to square one. What's even more incredible is that TL managed to steal Baron Nashor in 35 minutes, making victory seem imminent.

Then comes the most exciting part of the story.

Despite having the Baron buff, Team Liquid was inexplicably wiped out by G2 in the Elder Dragon team fight.

In the end, G2 prevailed and secured a dramatic victory in this thrilling game.

Yes, you'll never guess the process, and the result is just that bizarre.

This has been the competitive practice in the European and American regions for the past few years. Unsuspecting viewers might think they've been bet, but only those familiar with the European and American regions know the truth.

Isn't this basic stuff? Don't be silly.

The epic battle between Europe and North America has undoubtedly given the victorious LEC fans a second chance to breathe on Twitter.

After the match, Perzk, in a post-match interview, mocked Team Liquid, saying that the North American champions couldn't beat their third seed from Europe and asked if they even knew how to play.

Meanwhile, he also tagged Doublelift on Twitter, asking if he remembered the vows they made before the World Championship. Now, who is the hero and who is the coward?

There was no need to wait for the senior brother to come out and defend him; Perzk immediately started photoshopping the GIF that Lin Ruo posted, and finally changed the image of the Death God holding a scythe to G2 Esports Club.

Then they swapped the G2 and EDG icons in the other three rooms.

The Grim Reaper wielding a scythe was the first to emerge from the blood-soaked TL room, while the people from the other two rooms of EDG and GEN trembled in fear.

European audiences were left completely bewildered.

Look how arrogant Perkz got after beating TL; he actually wanted to beat EDG to a pulp.

Is it that they overestimate TL, or overestimate themselves?

However, this doesn't stop European viewers from cheering. It's okay, it's okay, as long as G2 wins the game, we can cheer however we want.

As for what happens next, I'll criticize you after you lose.

If we win, we should celebrate together.

Anyway, the next day is the big battle against EDG. If we can't beat them, we can always look back at history.

...

And so it went.

The next afternoon.

The second day of group stage matches has begun as scheduled.

Clearly, the most noteworthy match today is not the seemingly unremarkable game between EDG and G2, but rather the epic battle between IG and GRF.

Every LCK fan is waiting to use this match to test the strength of their champion.

The Busan venue was packed with people, and even outside the venue, many LCK fans came to watch the game.

Faced with such tremendous support, the fledgling GRF team didn't feel too much pressure; instead, they were more excited than anything else.

The EDG members, who had returned to the rest area, watched the match on time.

Mingkai stroked his chin, very curious about who would win or lose the game. In his opinion, the two teams were not that different in strength.

"Lin Ruo, who do you think will win?"

Lin Ruo, without any hesitation, calmly stated her long-held thoughts: "Let's see what direction IGBP is taking. If they can focus on the top lane, I think their chances of winning the game will definitely be much higher."

It's always the same old saying.

Sword Emperor is the biggest weak point in the entire game, so we'll have to see if IG will notice this and take all-out measures to suppress TheShy, so that the scene from S9 will be repeated in advance.

However, judging from the draft picks, IG clearly did not achieve this.

In the first round, as the blue side, they surprisingly thought that TheShy's champion pool was wide enough, so they prioritized helping the bottom lane choose champions and settled on the strong bottom lane combination of Alistar and Kai'Sa.

In this game, IG did not use the bot lane as a support role. They were undoubtedly playing a three-lane push strategy. Having Kai'Sa meant that the bot lane had lane priority.

The troublesome part is that GRF finalized the deals for Urgot and Aatrox right there on the first and second floors.

Yes, if you don't take one, then I'll take all the ones in front of me and not give you any.

This undoubtedly reduces TheShy's options significantly.

Their dominance on the top lane has undoubtedly dropped a level.

Although getting Ryze later on gave him an advantage over Aatrox in the mid lane and secured lane priority in advance, the real problem was that Ryze didn't have the ability to roam around before level 6.

Moreover, the Sword Demon is capable of fighting.

In the second round, GRF banned Jayce and Irelia, further reducing the options for top lane.

Ultimately, TheShy locked in Fiora as his counter to Urgot in the top lane.

Ning Wang confidently pulled out the Blind Monk.

In contrast, GRF continues the premise of a melee-heavy lineup, meaning we can play without a mage lineup and still be pressured in the early game.

However, we must be fully capable of fighting, so in addition to Urgot and Aatrox, we added Xin Zhao, maximizing our early-game team fight strength.

Adding Tristana and Braum to the bottom lane provides a safety net for the mid-to-late game.

The match unfolded with this kind of draft strategy. GRF followed IG's thinking, which was to avoid going to the top lane if possible and to focus the battle on the mid lane as much as possible.

In the early stages, provide appropriate assistance to the bottom lane.

At 6 minutes, the first blood was drawn in the mid lane.

Ryze's wave clear ability is good, but when paired with Lee Sin, he is ultimately inferior to GRF's Xin Zhao and Aatrox mid and jungle.

Then, 10 minutes later, GRF started swapping lanes, moving Tristana to the top lane for long-term farming.

By the mid-game, Baolan's Alistar had started to roam more, which put JK in a very bad position in the top lane, while Viper's Tristana was farming faster and faster.

After 20 minutes, GRF's strategy of forcing dragons around Tristana proved consistently effective.

This prevented TheShy from split-pushing while also allowing for occasional trades of kills.

Ultimately, IG almost completely fell victim to GRF's strategic maneuvering throughout the entire match.

"See that? They dare to pick up the 'knife team' on the other side, and they're not weak at all."

Tianye rarely sees this lineup. It turns out that when a team has Aatrox and Urgot, they can be this fierce in fights even without mages.

IG's loss was entirely justified, because GRF was indeed very well prepared.

iG failed to see exactly where GRF's weaknesses lay.

As soon as the match ended, LCK fans, who had been silent for a long time, raised their chests in triumph.

They knew that GRF was indeed strong enough to deserve the title of the best team in LCK, and even more capable of representing LCK to achieve excellent results in the World Championship.

Defeating IG is the best proof.

"Sword Emperor managed to survive again." In the EDG rest room, Lin Ruo smiled. If it were him doing the draft, the top laner would have priority.

What era are we living in? Still dreaming about the Three Lines of Power? You're just daydreaming.

IG's draft picks were too idealistic. They thought they could dominate the bottom lane while not losing out on the top lane, and the result was predictable.

"Don't worry, I would never do a draft like that." Mingkai shook his head. Anyway, he had long been an expert in letting the bot lane roam freely.

In EDG's draft, Kai'Sa is not a priority pick for either the red or blue side.

"No problem." Lin Ruo wasn't worried at all. As long as they could get familiar with the basics, and as long as the Sword Emperor was still the Sword Emperor, there were plenty of ways to deal with GRF.

GimGoon might not have enough pressure, but that's okay. If the top laner isn't good enough, the jungler can make up for it.

I just don't know if I'll run into GRF later.

(End of this chapter)