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

Chapter 214 A crushing defeat

On the RNG player bench, the five players were extremely frustrated as they looked at the word "defeat" displayed before them.

It can only be said that the defeat was swift and devastating.

After that crushing defeat in the gank, they had no chance of winning and were pushed all the way down.

To defeat EDG, they needed to plan meticulously and pay close attention to every detail, barely managing to stabilize the situation for ten minutes.

But EDG only needs to seize one opportunity and deliver a devastating blow to make all their efforts in the game go to waste!
Besides EDG's strong execution and individual abilities, another key point is the difference in lineup selection.

This is the difference in team composition.

Trying to compete with EDG using a late-game composition is just too difficult; they simply can't survive the early game.

Fortunately, there are no spectators in the audience now, which is good news for them.

If the pressure is compounded by the deafening cheers of EDG supporters off the field, it's hard to imagine how immense it will be.

Everyone quickly got up and hurried backstage.

They need to discuss a solution quickly.

After returning to the backstage lounge, Tabe expressed similar thoughts to the RNG players during the post-match analysis.

"This game was definitely my fault." Tabe's Mandarin wasn't perfect, but he was very sincere. "I underestimated EDG."

RNG has undergone some training and improvement in all aspects during this summer split.

Tabe originally thought that the team was strong enough to compete with EDG in the late game, but now it seems that was wishful thinking.

In the current version, EDG is still too overpowered.

"Losing one game isn't a big deal. Now the loser chooses sides, so we'll still be on the blue side next game." Tabe continued, "Next game, we still need to speed up the pace and go head-to-head with EDG."

"But Xiaohu needs to be careful next game." Tabe looked at Xiaohu, the top laner, and said, "Once you get an advantage, you must move quickly. Suppressing the enemy top laner won't help you win. You need to spread your advantage to the bottom half of the map as soon as possible, and at the very least, you need to disrupt the enemy's dragon rush rhythm!"

"If we can secure just one dragon, our chances of winning will be much greater!"

EDG now has a very clear formula for how to win.

Of course, having a formula isn't a bad thing; it's a sign of a strong team, since it means that every player on the team can play the game in a familiar way, which greatly guarantees a lower performance level.

Without formulas and strategies, and if everyone acts impromptu, problems are likely to arise, since not everyone has such strong adaptability.

EDG's formula for the Summer Split is mid-jungle roaming + strong lane control in the bot lane to start a fast dragon race.

The stable lane control in the mid and bottom lanes almost always allowed EDG to gain an advantage in the bottom half of the map, and they could also use the pressure of the Dragon Soul to force the opponent to engage in team fights.

The games EDG lost in the regular season were mostly due to carelessness. Either the top lane had problems, or the bottom lane was killed in the lane. In the end, the team lost the dragon, the dragon-rushing rhythm was broken, and they were dragged into the late game.

What RNG needs to do this time is to replicate this process with their strength.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hu immediately felt a heavy pressure pressing down on his shoulders.

If they're going to go head-to-head, then he's destined to have to fight against EDG's two carries single-handedly.

Of course, he wouldn't be afraid.

"Row."

The break time passed quickly, and both players took to the stage again to begin the second game.

Since neither side switched sides, the bans for both sides remained largely unchanged.

However, the differences in location selection are quite significant.

With Lucian still banned, RNG opted for Gnar, a champion with stronger single-target burst damage, and paired him with Galio and Lee Sin in the mid and jungle.

Once these first three picks are made, it's basically confirmed that RNG will abandon the defensive counter-attacking style of the previous game, shift their focus back to the upper half of the map, and start an offensive duel with EDG.

EDG is not afraid of these things. They immediately picked Ornn in the top lane to withstand the pressure, and then locked in the Tristana and Kai'Sa double carry combination, which means they will continue to exert their strength in the bottom half of the map.

The lineups of both sides have now been determined.

Blue side RNG: Top lane Gnar, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Galio, Bot lane Aphelios and Lulu.

Red side EDG: Top lane Ornn, Jungle Xin Zhao, Mid lane Tristana, Bot lane Kai'Sa and Leona.

Upon seeing the lineups of both sides, the JDG team members all nodded in approval.

This is a standard misaligned attack formation.

In addition to ensuring the strength of the dominant side, both sides also ensure the lane control ability of the weaker side. At the same time, the output attributes are balanced and sufficient, and the front-line initiation and protection are all complete, which can be regarded as a top-notch draft.

"Then it depends on the offensive capabilities of both sides." Zoom asked, watching the two coaches exchange fist bumps in the center of the stage, "So, which side is likely to win?"

"Is that even a question?" Toothpaste said. "I'm definitely rooting for EDG. How can RNG's early-game aggression compare to EDG's?"

"That's hard to say." Zoom shook his head. "I feel like Xiaohu's Gnar has some merit."

JDG has also faced RNG before. In their regular season match, Xiaohu picked Gnar in two consecutive games, giving JDG a crushing defeat!
His textbook-perfect split-pushing, rage control, and team fights left Zoom in awe.

He's truly amazing; calling him the world's best Gnar wouldn't be an exaggeration!
If Xiaohu can still perform at the same level against EDG, then it's really hard to say what the outcome will be!

The match started quickly, with the camera first switching to the middle lane.

Ming Jing picked Tristana to counter Galio, which was still a good matchup. When the minion waves overlapped, he did the same thing he did against Icon, going over the lane at level one to block the minions' auto-attacks.

However, this wasn't the first time he had used this tactic, so it had lost its effectiveness as a "first impression kill."

Upon careful examination, it is not difficult to crack this trick.

After all, this move relies on precise timing to hit the hero at the exact moment the minion launches its basic attack.

All you need to do is use movement skills to advance or delay the timing of Tristana's basic attack hitting the hero, so that Tristana's basic attack can't be timed, and that will naturally break the deadlock.

Therefore, Cryin had a clear strategy: the moment Tristana launched her basic attack, he immediately used his E skill, Righteous Punch.

Galio first took a step back, delaying Tristana's basic attack, and then threw a punch straight at Tristana.

At this moment, the minions have turned their firepower towards Tristana. If his E hits, Tristana will lose a lot of health!

But Ming Jing reacted quickly. The moment Galio stepped back, he had already turned around and created distance, just outside Galio's E range. Galio's punch ended up being delivered to his own face.

Ming Jing didn't hold back, immediately investing his skill points into E [Explosive Spark] and quickly applying it to Galio. He then used it on Galio despite being hit by a few basic attacks from minions, and with the final explosion, he reduced Galio's health by 40%!

However, because he failed to control the minion aggro this time, Ming Jing himself also took a lot of damage from the minions. Moreover, because [Explosive Spark] also hit many minions, the minion wave situation became unbalanced at this moment, forming a trend of pushing towards the opponent.

Of course, this is also what Mingjing wants. Since they can't control the minions' aggro, it's better to just push quickly.

With a continuous stream of lane control, Mingjing naturally has more room to maneuver.

With the passive effect of her E skill, Tristana's wave clear ability is unparalleled.

After clearing the first wave of minions, Mingjing quickly pushed forward and also placed a ward in the enemy's F6 camp.

Although we could guess that the enemy jungler was farming from bottom to top, it would be better to provide a ward to confirm it.

A fake eye fell, and F6 was found lying perfectly intact in the camp.

Not long after, the Blind Monk finally came into view.

At this moment, Lee Sin is standing on the red buff, in his eight-hit state, clearly indicating a route to clear all six jungle camps and quickly reach level four.

Mingjing informed his teammates of this information and then continued laning.

Beside him, Jie Jie heard this crucial news through voice communication. After a moment's thought, he decisively changed his strategy.

What else is there to say? Invade!

Jie Jie is an intrusion enthusiast whose fighting spirit is no less than Kanavi's. He will never miss an opportunity to intrude.

JieJie also achieved a quick level 3 in half of the map, and then went straight into RNG's top and jungle areas.

At the same time, Mingjing used his E skill on the siege minion, quickly pushing the siege minion line in the middle lane, and then went straight to support it.

Cryin was trapped by a whole wave of siege vehicles and couldn't provide any support. Wei didn't dare to confront them head-on and could only watch as his blue buff area was riddled with holes.

After stealing the blue buff, JieJie also farmed the top river crab before leisurely returning to his own bottom blue buff area to continue farming, easily securing all three buffs.

In the RNG backstage area, Tabe looked at the scene before him, and his expression began to look strange.

The plan was to have a half-area attack, but they ended up taking over the entire blue zone at the start. How can they even have a proper attack now?
At this point, the camera switches between the top and bottom feeds.

On the top lane, Flandre had a slightly tough time in lane, since Ornn really couldn't do anything against Gnar.

Fortunately, Wei was countered in the top half of the map, so he didn't go to the top lane at all, and Flandre was relatively safe.

As for the bottom lane, the situation is relatively even. RNG's Luna and Aphelios combination is quite strong in the early laning phase, while EDG's Kai'Sa and Leona struggle to gain an advantage and find it difficult to execute their signature tower dives.

Unable to get past the tower, JieJie was itching to play and could only vent his anger on Wei.

With the advantage in the jungle, JieJie became increasingly reckless. He accurately predicted the time when the F6 camp would spawn and once again invaded the enemy jungle on time!

This time, it was even the husband who was caught in the act. Wei was right next to the F6 camp, but he could only endure the bitter consequences of being NTR'd as he watched the small cannons that had already come to support him.

By this point in the game, anyone could tell something was wrong.

The mid-lane Tristana has such a strong lane control that it's easy to predict that EDG will likely be able to easily take the next dragon.

If this trend continues, won't EDG slowly devour this game?

There was no other way, so RNG decided to speed things up.

Taking advantage of Cryin's unused Flash, RNG decisively attacked the top lane while EDG was taking the dragon!

Flandre understood the principle of playing it safe in the half-lane, and knew he should play it safe at this point, but Galio teleported to cut off his retreat, leaving him with nowhere to escape!
But Flandre's death was not without its merits.

His death created space, allowing the team to easily secure a dragon. Moreover, his tower dive was superb; he used his W to block Galio's W, then used his E to knock Galio, who was tanking the tower, into the air, forcing Cryin to Flash out of the tower.

"Although RNG ultimately secured the kill, they didn't actually gain much from this play!" On the commentary desk, Wawa crossed his arms and said, "Galio's Flash could very well become a liability!"

It can only be said that his words came true.

After successfully diving the top lane tower, RNG's next step is naturally to try and secure the first kill.

Although Galio no longer has two summons, his ultimate is still useless, and he remains a formidable force in the upcoming Vanguard Squad!
With the advantage of Gnar, the Vanguard should belong to them!
But the unexpected still happened.

At 7 minutes and 30 seconds, in the middle lane.

Cryin's Galio was not at full health at the moment, with only half health remaining.

His plan was to finish off the last wave of tower attacks, then return to base to replenish supplies, and be ready to face the vanguard team at full strength.

But Ming Jing's killing intent surged as he looked at the half-health Galio under the tower!
How to kill this wave? It's simple: don't give Galio a chance to trigger Aftershock, then unleash your full damage combo, and you're done!

Without hesitation, Mingjing used his W ability to jump into the tower.

The jump point was perfectly chosen, closing the distance and bringing Galio into range without giving him a chance to retaliate.

W quickly unleashes [Explosive Sparks] in mid-air, then activates Q for acceleration upon landing, and lands with a single basic attack!

Cryin sensed Ming Jing's intense killing intent, and his adrenaline began to surge. He didn't even dare to breathe and quickly used his E skill to escape.

But taking advantage of Galio's retreat during his E skill, Mingjing landed a basic attack, stacking the Explosive Sparks to two layers. After waiting a moment for the basic attack interval, he immediately flashed in and used RA to attack Galio!

When Galio's ultimate and basic attack bullets hit him simultaneously, the explosion sparks and refreshes Tristana's W!

But Cryin reacted quickly, activating the charge of W just before being hit by the ultimate, and using the damage reduction of W to withstand this small burst, allowing him to survive with a sliver of health!

But it wasn't a big problem. Mingjing jumped again with his refreshed W, followed up with a basic attack, and easily got the kill!

"EDG Phi has killed RNG Cryin!"

The news of the solo kill in the mid lane resounded throughout the venue, and the three commentators in the commentary booth instantly erupted in cheers!
"Solo kill!" Rita exclaimed, her mouth agape. "Wow, so confident!"

After the solo kill, Tristana's W refreshed again. Facing the Lee Sin who came to support, Tristana used W to escape, and then casually dodged Lee Sin's ward-hopping Q with a turn, successfully escaping.

Upon seeing this, everyone—from coach Tabe and the RNG players to the RNG supporters—changed their expressions.

Because they all knew it was all over.

"Ten seconds left on the Vanguard countdown, Cryin died under the tower!" In the commentary booth, Wawa's eyes widened. "Isn't this a problem? Xiaofei's team has a tank!"

In the EDG voice chat, everyone cheered. JieJie reacted quickly and swiftly led Meiko to move towards the top river.

Mingjing quickly returned to base to replenish supplies, and then teleported to the front, relying on the numerical advantage to firmly occupy the Baron pit!

Although Cryin was playing Galio, he could have respawned and used his ultimate to engage from a distance, but with the Baron pit occupied and Ornn and Leona blocking the way, Xiaohu couldn't even squeeze in, so Galio's entry into the fray became a pipe dream!
"The Red Legion has captured the Rift Herald!"

The news that EDG had secured the first seed resounded throughout the stadium, indicating that RNG's rhythm for the game had completely collapsed!
This collapse occurred even earlier than the previous one.

(End of this chapter)