You've only been playing for half a year, and you've already reached the finals?

Chapter 180 Finally Got Fooled!
"boom!"

With a loud bang, the DK base exploded once again, turning into countless fragments!
Below the stage, audience members from Reykjavik held up all sorts of support items, sending waves of cheers back to the stage.

On the LPL commentary booth, the three commentators, including Wa, Mi, and Guan, also showed obvious joy on their faces.

"Congratulations again to EDG!" Wawa's voice was full of passion. "They've won the second game!"

"Never such a wonderful start!" Miller clenched his fists, making a fist gesture. "With three championship points in hand, we're just one step away from the championship!"

In the final, leading South Korea 2-0, what is the significance of that?

It's no exaggeration to say that this has never happened before.

Although the Chinese and Korean regions have been rivals for many years, due to the early weakness of the LPL, the two regions have actually met in the finals quite a few times.

If you count them up, there are only five World Championships in S3, S4, and S10, and MSI in S5 and S8.

In these five matches, either the LPL collapsed completely and could not recover, or the two teams fought back and forth, with the LPL ultimately winning with great difficulty.

A two-nil lead like this is unprecedented!

At this moment, countless viewers in the live broadcast room were making a ruckus, eagerly anticipating the moment EDG would lift the trophy.

【There has never been such a wonderful start! 】

Wow, is this really the EDG I know? They're so consistent! So strong and stable!

Hello, this is the EDG you know. Don't forget who the first MSI champion was!

[That's true. EDG's poor performance was at Worlds, but when have they ever gone easy on them at MSI?]

We're going to win!

[Don't rush, there's still one more game. How do you explain a comeback from 0-2 down to 3-2?]

Don't make me laugh, Little Fei hasn't even entered the second stage yet, DK can only win one game at most.

Indeed, if the Death Knight can even reach the second phase, that would be considered a success.

The camera then pans to the players' bench, where Ming Jing is smiling and fist-bumping with his teammates, feeling relaxed and happy, yet also carrying a hint of regret.

Mingjing expected to face DK again in the finals and thought it would be a thrilling battle.

But who could have imagined that it would end like this?

All I can say is that times have changed.

The Death Knight (DK) is no longer the dominant force of the current version and has lost its former dominance.

Mingjing's skills continue to improve rapidly as his understanding of the game deepens!

With the ebb and flow of power, the two sides are no longer evenly matched as before.

On the LCK commentary booth, Roaring Emperor looked at the scene of defeat before him, wanting to say something but holding back.

In this desperate situation, he didn't know what to say.

"Ah, it really is pizza now," commentator Kim Dong-jun murmured. "Is there still a chance, DK!"

"There will be a chance!" The last commentator, CT, had his hands clasped together in a prayerful gesture, his voice filled with hope: "Trust in DK's players! As long as they haven't lost the third game, anything is possible!"

Listening to CT's words, the LCK viewers were not very interested.

A comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2 in the final? The chances are extremely slim.

Especially the form of the DK players.
The camera then pans to the DK players' bench, where the five players look completely dejected. Clearly, the 0-2 deficit has dealt them a huge blow.

Since their rise in the S10 Summer Split, in every BO5 series, they have either dominated the entire series or suffered a narrow defeat due to a single misstep.

When have I ever been beaten like this before?
The DK players now understood that the championship was infinitely far away from them.

The group hurried back to the backstage lounge.

At that moment, the director was showing the post-match data summary page on the TV in the locker room.

On the damage bar charts of the ten heroes from both sides, one person's damage bar stands out, even reaching the side of the DK player, standing out from the other nine!
In just 28 minutes of gameplay, Xerath unleashed a staggering 30,000 damage, averaging over 1,000 damage per minute, a truly astonishing sight!
With such terrifying damage, the MVP award was naturally a foregone conclusion and could only be given to Ming Jing.

Ming Jing's handsome face appeared in the frame. He pointed at the camera, his expression exuding a domineering air.

A KDA of 6-0-10, a damage share of 44.3%, and a terrifying 100% teamfight participation rate all demonstrate Xerath's dominance.

Showmaker couldn't help but show a pained expression when he saw such terrifying data as soon as he entered the room.

Showmaker also understands that this game is all about the mid lane difference.

For the first ten minutes or so, neither mid laner left the mid lane, which is quite rare in professional matches. After all, in professional matches, the mid laner usually shares the role of the core of the game's tempo with the jungler.

Showmaker didn't move in the mid lane because he really couldn't. Under Xerath's relentless bombardment, he couldn't even leave the tower, let alone roam.

Ming Jing didn't move in the middle lane because he didn't need to.

Xerath's ultimate ability, with a range of 5000 yards, is enough to allow him to reach every corner of the Rift.

The other four DK teammates were almost always in a four-on-five situation. The fact that they were able to hold out for 28 minutes is a testament to their exceptional abilities!

Showmaker nearly shattered his Dao heart upon thinking of this.

Am I really that weak?

Am I really not qualified to win the championship?
Coach Kkoma stood in front of the locker room, looking at the dejected players, and sighed slightly.

Kkoma is a seasoned coach who has experienced many battles, including coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2.

But he also understands that in the current situation, the chances of coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 are extremely slim.

After all, the first two games were really badly lost, and there was not even a glimmer of hope for victory.

But you still have to struggle.

He quickly organized his thoughts, then coughed twice to draw the team's attention.

Seeing the dejected look on his teammates' faces, Kkoma said, "This is a competition you've been looking forward to for half a year. You can't accept this result, can you?"

“It’s normal to lose your composure when you’re down 0-2,” Kkoma said patiently. “But that doesn’t mean we should give up.”

Have you watched the 2013 OGN Summer Finals?

Upon hearing Kkoma's question, all of DK's players looked up.

They certainly saw it.

It's fair to say that no professional player in South Korea hasn't watched this best-of-five series.

This best-of-five series was the first time in LOL esports history that a team came back from a 0-2 deficit to win a final match. It was the origin of the "Double Zed" battle and the beginning of Faker's legend.

The DK players are all juniors who grew up watching Faker's matches, so they naturally admire him greatly.

Otherwise, Showmaker wouldn't have shown such genuine emotion in his interview at last year's finals.

“Back then, Sang-hyeok also felt just as lost as you do now.”

Kkoma, who experienced this classic BO5 firsthand, patiently explained, "But he never wavered, because he always believed he could win. And then he did."

"So don't be discouraged, kids!" Kkoma shouted. "The BO5 isn't over yet! You are the strongest team in Korea, and you have the ability to defeat all enemies!"

At this point, the DK players seemed to be injected with some kind of power, and their eyes regained their sparkle.

"Yeah, who says we're bound to lose?" Ghost shouted at the same time, "It's time to show EDG what we're made of!"

Seeing that his words had an effect, Kkoma breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he didn't stop talking and continued shouting, "Let's not think about coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2, let's win the next game first!"

The break time passed quickly.

Both players returned to the stage.

When the EDG players took the stage, the audience below the stage erupted in cheers and applause.

With these two smooth victories, countless local viewers who were originally neutral have joined the EDG camp, making EDG's supporter group even larger!
In contrast, the DK members' appearance on stage was much quieter.

The crushing defeat in the first two games dampened the spirits of countless LCK supporters, with many shy people putting away their cheering sticks and becoming mere bystanders, or even joining the EDG camp.

Only a few die-hard fans were doing their best to create a commotion, but in the vast venue, this amount of noise was negligible.

Feeling the difference in treatment from the audience, the DK players were all determined to win back a point in this third game!
The third draft phase began quickly.

Since the positions of both sides remained unchanged in this game, there were not many changes in the draft phase; it was still the same framework.

EDG still reserved the counter pick for Mingjing, while DK, after suffering losses with Xerath, consciously gave up on short-legged mage carries like Viktor and Orianna, and proactively locked in Zoe.

Zoe is a traditional lane bully, and there aren't many champions who can suppress her in lane.

Since EDG was still on the red side this game, Lee Sin was still banned, so Mingjing didn't have much of a choice and simply locked in Syndra, intending to confront her head-on.

The two sides traded blows, and the lineups were quickly finalized.

Blue side DK: Top lane Aatrox, Jungle Nidalee, Mid lane Zoe, Bot lane Tristana and Garen.

Red side EDG: Top laner Renekton, jungler Udyr, mid laner Syndra, bot lane Kai'Sa and Nautilus.

Looking at DK's lineup, Mingjing knew this game was going to be tough.

The DK in this game was incredibly strong in mid-game team fights! Although the first two games were won easily, the draft and ban phase played a significant role in that.

One game with Diana and another with Xerath, both of which caught DK completely off guard.

But now, with neither side employing any tricks, and after a balanced and stable draft, DK, sitting on the blue side, has finally entered their comfort zone.

Ming Jing took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his state, and entered the competition.

This Syndra vs. Zoe matchup was a high-intensity laning phase, so Mingjing didn't go for the overpowered build with Tear of the Goddess and True Sight, but instead started with a Corrupting Potion.

Besides providing ample healing, the Corruption Potion has another key feature: while the potion is healing, it adds a burning effect to skills!
In a mage-on-mage environment, the potion of corruption is far more potent than the Doran's Ring.

As soon as he went live, Mingjing maintained a very aggressive attitude, almost chasing after Showmaker's Zoe with his Q!

Zoe already has a very high initial movement speed, but Mingjing still maintains an extremely high Q skill hit rate. With the combined effects of Corrupting Potion and Aery, he rapidly reduces Zoe's health!
Although Ming Jing himself was not in good health due to frequent blood transfusions, as long as he could suppress Zoe, it would be a win!

After gaining control of the mid lane, Mingjing quickly extended that advantage to his teammates.

In the eight-minute team fight, Mingjing used RQE to stun all three members of DK's top, mid, and jungle.

With the help of Renekton and Udyr, EDG won a great victory in the Vanguard team fight!

With a 3-for-0 exchange and the Rift Herald, EDG once again gained the early game advantage!

Moreover, this advantage continued to expand. After taking a tower with the first turret and killing Canyon's Nidalee in the jungle, EDG's economic lead once reached as high as 3,000!
On the LCK commentary booth, all three commentators were almost in tears, shouting "pizza!" while urging the DK players to wake up!
Fortunately, the DK team never gave up.

After being resurrected, Canyon decisively abandoned the jungle monsters and chose to take a risky approach, going to the side lane to solo gank the crocodile.

Nidalee is a champion who cannot accept dying.

It's no exaggeration to say that every time this hero dies, the team's win rate drops by 10%!
To make up for the losses from the casualties, Canyon must take risky actions to recover the losses!

EDG wasn't entirely unprepared. JieJie realized early on that Flandre might be in danger, so Udyr was ganking in the top lane.

However, DK's Aatrox, Nidalee, and Riven were simply too powerful. Flandre and JieJie's Renekton and Udyr duo supported each other, fighting and retreating. Not only did Flandre not escape, but JieJie also got caught in the crossfire.

A clean 2-for-0 exchange saw Nidalee secure a double kill, instantly turning the tide of the game!
In the subsequent dragon fights, DK's powerful teamfight coordination was once again demonstrated.

First, the double poke composition of Nidalee and Zoe caused EDG to suffer continuous health losses, forcing Meiko's Nautilus to forcefully flash in and initiate a team fight.

However, his hook only brought back the Greatsword Demon. Although his subsequent ultimate skill knocked up Nidalee, it was meaningless when the team couldn't keep up.

Although Nuguri was hit by the first wave of crowd control, he didn't panic. With his ultimate activated, Aatrox didn't retreat but advanced, hitting three people with an E followed by Bloodthirst, and then a passive attack, almost filling his health bar to full!
Immediately afterwards, the Sword Demon brandished his greatsword in the formation, transforming into an immortal war god!

At this moment, Nidalee and Tristana also entered the fray to reap the rewards.

Mingjing seized a good opportunity, coordinating with Udyr's Flash Slam, and used a combo to kill Nidalee.

Viper also dealt maximum damage, with Kai'Sa flying in and killing Tristana.

But EDG really had no way to deal with the remaining Aatrox.

As long as the hero Aatrox can withstand the first wave of damage in a team fight, he will basically not lose any health afterward.

Knowing that there was no chance of winning this team fight, and with his skills on cooldown, Ming Jing simply turned around and retreated, watching his teammates die one by one.

A 4-for-2 exchange disrupted EDG's dragon rhythm and dealt them a heavy blow!
With Aatrox gaining momentum, DK's side lane pushing was finally able to unfold. The jungler and support used Aatrox's side lane advantage to gradually spread out vision, and then started their most proficient ganking strategy of grouping up and attacking the side lanes.

EDG did a good job of defense, also setting up defenses on the side lanes, turning this gank on the side lane into a multi-player team fight.

However, the result was less than ideal. After several team fights, EDG was not completely crushed, but they did not gain any advantage either, and their disadvantage grew larger and larger.

The game finally came to a 37-minute mark with the Elder Dragon fight. Nuguri's Aatrox stepped on the Baron buff and the Earth Dragon Soul, transforming into a giant boss in the river.

Mingjing unleashed a full combo, managing to bring the Sword Demon to near-death, but the Sword Demon's Demon Drinker immediately triggered, creating a magic shield longer than his lifespan that filled the health bar to its maximum, leaving Mingjing only able to marvel at the numbers.

Fortunately, the magic shield couldn't stop physical damage. Flandre's Renekton used a red-rage W to bite, and Viper's Kai'Sa followed up with an AQ combo, finally killing the big boss.

"However, the rest of DK's players are still in too good form. EDG paid too high a price to kill Aatrox!"

Nidalee, Zoe, and Tristana are all excellent teamfight finishers. Taking advantage of EDG's lack of available skills, the three of them decisively entered the fray and dealt damage, eliminating all five members of EDG. Then, they pushed forward and won the game!
One to two!

Feeling their hearts pounding, the DK members all stood up and quickly returned to the backstage dressing room!
Thankfully, we finally won!
As the coach said, they are the champions of South Korea, and of course they have the ability to defeat any team!

"Congratulations to DK!" The Roaring Emperor spread his arms wide and drew out his voice: "Rising from adversity and taking a point! I knew they could do it!"

"Go DK!" Kim Dong-jun was incredibly excited. "Let's make history by becoming the first team to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 in a final!"

The LCK commentators' voices were so loud that they could even penetrate the soundproof walls and reach the ears of the three LPL commentators.

The doll listened to the faint voice in her ear and felt helpless for a moment.

They only won one game, but they're acting like they've won the championship.
"Fortunately, although we lost this round, the score is still 2-1!" Wawa laughed. "Our advantage is still very significant!"

"Yes!" Miller nodded emphatically. "In the fourth game, the right to choose sides will return to our side. Now we just hope that EDG's players can make good adjustments after they go back and make sure to take advantage of the right to choose sides!"

At this moment, countless viewers in the live broadcast room were already arguing wildly.

What on earth is Flandre doing? How can he make Nuguri carry like this? He can't even control Aatrox with Renekton?

[What the hell? Flandre was at a disadvantage in lane? Wasn't it Lotus who hooked Aatrox into his face in a mid-game team fight, turning the game around?]

[I think Xiaofei is just so-so. I almost forgot what champion he was playing this game. Is he paying homage to Knight?]

[That's enough, everyone upstairs. It's rare to see EDG lose a game, so why are you jumping up and down like this?]

[The person upstairs is obviously a Royal Never Give Up (RNG) fan. Seeing their favorite team get crushed by EDG, they're just hoping EDG gets crushed too. That's how it is.]

Surely no one actually believes that DK can let a comeback from 2-0 down to 3-2?

Next, the Death Knight will need to face the second phase of the flying attack.

The camera then pans to the dressing room where both teams were resting.

It was clear that the EDG players, despite losing the match, didn't seem to be under any pressure; some were even laughing and chatting.

With a 2-1 lead and the right to choose sides, EDG had nothing to fear.

Because they all know that if they return to the red side's DK, there will definitely not be enough ban slots.

In the next game, DK will definitely reveal something.

They will surely seize this opportunity and end the game in one fell swoop!
Meanwhile, in the DK lounge, everyone was having a tense discussion.

"Diana, Lucian, Akali, Lee Sin," Kkoma muttered the names of several heroes.

The bans for the next game will be selected from these four, with three chosen from each.

The one that slips through will most likely be snatched up by EDG.

"In fact, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Kkoma said with a helpless smile.

Diana, Lucian, and Akali are all heroes that EDG has tested in actual combat. Numerous teams, including their own DK, have proven the strength of these three heroes with painful defeats.

In contrast, Lee Sin was only one of the bans they had guessed.

In situations like this, you have no choice but to gamble.

I'm betting EDG won't play Lee Sin mid.

If you can win the gamble, the future will be bright!

The break time was over again, and both players took to the stage once more!

Compared to last time, DK has clearly received a lot more support this time.

With everyone feeling a little more at ease, they went on stage to prepare, and the business plan began.

"Alright, the fourth round of ban/pick has begun!"

In the commentary booth, Wawa's voice was incredibly loud, "As expected, EDG, who have the right to choose sides, have returned to the blue side. Let's take a look at the ban picks for both sides!"

"On the blue side, EDG still chose to ban Morgana, Senna, and Aatrox! They directly banned Aatrox, who won MVP in the last game. EDG is really not stubborn at all!"

"Not being stubborn is definitely the right thing to do! On the other hand, DK's three bans have changed slightly; they've chosen to ban Diana, Lucian, and Udyr!"

After confirming that Lee Sin would be allowed to join the ban phase, Kkoma made further optimizations to the ban list.

He decided to go all the way and released Akali as well, then gave the third ban to jungler Udyr.

With EDG already banning Morgana, the only remaining high-priority champions are Lee Sin, Akali, and Rumble.

Regardless of which one EDG chooses, DK can take the other two as a last resort.

Judging from this round of exchanges alone, DK definitely came out ahead!

However, the only potential problem is that Akali is actually at a disadvantage when facing Lee Sin.

If EDG really does have Lee Sin in the mid lane, then they'll have no choice but to put Akali in the top lane.

This version of Akali in the top lane isn't very strong.

The DK members stared at the BP screen in front of them, some even starting to pray.

Don't choose that.
But on the large screen in the arena, where the DK players couldn't see, the director was focusing the camera on the EDG players' seats.

When Mingjing saw the blind monk being released, his smile was incredibly bright!

Finally got fooled!
Lee Sin, lock on!
(End of this chapter)