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

Chapter 217 I dare not come back

"The Blue Team has secured the Rift Herald!"

In the clashes between top professional teams, every move must be considered in terms of gains and losses, because top teams are all good at minimizing their losses.

A team like the peak South Korean team could even play purely on defense and counter-attacks, dragging the game into the late stages by simply stopping losses.

RNG's ability to mitigate losses is top-notch. Taking advantage of EDG's gank in the bottom lane, they quickly moved to the top side of the map, causing Flandre to lose a significant amount of lane experience while securing the Rift Herald.

However, given the huge disadvantage in the bottom lane, this is clearly far from enough.

Mingjing TP'd back to mid, and didn't lose any lane minions at all. Furthermore, LeBlanc's W and R combo quickly pushed the minion wave into the tower, forcing Cryin to return to mid to farm.

This time, they won't be able to get out.

A LeBlanc with a 2-0-1 score is simply too strong in lane; Cryin, a mere Ryze, simply couldn't handle it!
Forget about roaming, Cryin even needs to actively call for the jungler to help clear the lane in order to have a chance to recall and replenish supplies!
Although Wei had the Vanguard in his hands, he was hampered by the mid lane and had no chance to use it to take down the first tower. He could only take it slow.

It took 11 minutes for the vanguard to finally crash into EDG's top tower and claim the first tower's bounty.

But at the same time, EDG's mid and jungle have once again ganked the bottom lane!
This time, RNG's bot lane duo managed to escape quickly, abandoning the minions and heading towards the second tower early on.

However, this was completely useless, because at this stage, EDG no longer needed a four-man gank to kill these two.

Nakano alone is enough.

A LeBlanc with Luden's Echo can easily crush a poorly farmed Miss Fortune.

LeBlanc had copied W beforehand, and used her ultimate to stomp on Miss Fortune first.

GALA dared not take this hit and could only dodge it.

He had barely dodged away when LeBlanc landed a W on his face, triggering Luden's Echo, and then landed a clean EQ combo!

With the E skill triggering the second part of Q, Miss Fortune's remaining 30% health vanished instantly!
"—Rampage!"

4-0, almost a rampage!
The remaining Titan was also knocked up by JieJie's EQ combo and then trapped by his ultimate.

Ming actually had Flash, but EDG's mid and jungle players both had the ability to chase, so he was too lazy to run and simply waited to die.

Behind them, Viper Varus drew his bow and fired a single arrow, piercing the heart of the Titan and securing the kill!

"Another perfect gank! EDG's mid and jungle are just too strong right now! They managed to take down the bottom lane tower and the dragon!"

From the commentary booth, Miller's voice boomed, "In that case, RNG doesn't make any profit at all!"

EDG's strategy for this game is very simple: play however you want in the top half of the map, Li Xuanjun said he can handle it anyway.

Even if Li Xuanjun ultimately fails to hold on, no matter how much of an advantage you have in the upper half of the bracket, it can't be more than our advantage in the lower half!
The dragon's howl echoed throughout the stadium as EDG secured two dragons in a row, steadily gaining momentum with the dragons!
Inside the RNG rest room, coach Tabe looked at the scene before him, lay back in his chair, and sighed, knowing that today was over.

Although he had some idea that EDG might be a difficult opponent to defeat, he really didn't expect it to be this difficult!

Ultimately, it comes down to the difference in individual abilities.

Actually, if you disregard the mid laners and compare the other four players on each side individually, the two sides can be considered evenly matched.

Ueno and his partner are performing consistently well, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to secure the first tower and the vanguard.

Although the bottom lane was at a disadvantage in the laning phase, they had chosen late-game focused champions, so their disadvantage was understandable.

If you remove the mid-lane 4v4, then the outcome is really hard to say.

But the problem is that it can't be removed.

Phi's dominance in the game is almost exaggerated.

TABE has been in the industry for ten years. He started as a player and once went head-to-head with Faker in S3, ultimately finishing as runner-up.

After becoming a coach, he saw countless geniuses.

But this was the first time he had ever seen a player like Phi.

As expected, the game did not last very long.

As early as 18 minutes in, RNG started fighting desperately in the dragon pit.

Xiaohu90, enraged, stood at the front, trying to win a small piece of land for his team!

But before Xiaohu could even grow bigger, he saw a LeBlanc use her W ability, Shadow Step, to teleport out from the darkness beside him.

Immediately afterwards, the Demoness waved her right hand and unleashed a flurry of QRE attacks!

The moment E is cast, LeBlanc uses W to teleport back and disappears into the darkness once more.

The phantom chain that had already been thrown was stretched out into a long line and hit Gnar precisely.

At this moment, Mingjing's LeBlanc equipment can be described as luxurious: Luden's Echo, Banshee's Veil, Sorcerer's Shoes, and a six-stack Killing Ring. This exaggerated equipment makes LeBlanc's damage far exceed the norm!

And coincidentally, Xiaohu didn't build any magic resistance items because he was laning against Jayce, and Gnar is also the type with relatively low health. Now, LeBlanc's QRE combo dealt bone-deep damage!
Xiao Hu didn't even have time to react before he watched his health bar be instantly emptied and the screen turn gray!
"Huh?" Even though Xiao Hu was a seasoned veteran, he couldn't help but gape at the scene before him.

Holy crap! What kind of damage is this?!

With the death of Gnar, the backbone of the team fight, the team fight had already fallen apart before it even began.

EDG immediately launched a frantic chase, pursuing the enemy all the way from the river to their second tower, and only left satisfied after forcibly taking down Ryze and Nautilus!
At 19 minutes, EDG controlled another water dragon, entering a winning hand state.

At 22 minutes, the Enchantress unleashed her power again.

Nobody knows how LeBlanc got into RNG's top and jungle.

But the result was that LeBlanc once again performed the "health bar disappearing trick," and her three skills, QRW, instantly exploded on Xin Zhao. Wei only blinked, and Xin Zhao under his command became a corpse.

"The jungler is dead! That's bad news. EDG is in the top half of the map; they can start Baron Nashor right away!"

This sudden acceleration from the Baron Nashor left RNG in a state of panic.

The other four players also moved towards the upper half of the map, and even tried to coordinate with Baron Nashor to drive away EDG's players.

But EDG's discipline wouldn't allow their opponents such an opportunity; RNG couldn't even get close to the dragon pit!
"The Red Legion killed Baron Nash!"

With the Baron buff secured, the game has officially entered the final stages!
At 25 minutes, EDG secured the Water Dragon Soul and, with the help of two lanes of super minions, launched their final push!

Jayce, LeBlanc, and Varus are all excellent at harassing before team fights. With the Water Dragon Soul buff, RNG couldn't outlast them or clear the lanes, so they simply opted for a head-on burst.

Ryze's ultimate sent Xiaohu's Gnar into the fray, which looked impressive, but it was actually quite humorous. Gnar was immediately stunned by Varus's ultimate as soon as he landed. There was no one around him, so he ended up with an awkward missed ultimate, and was then stomped to death by LeBlanc!
The remaining RNG players rushed forward like moths to a flame, but in the end they only became fuel for LeBlanc's Mejai's Soulstealer!
"A 5-for-0 wipeout! EDG is about to end the game!"

At 26 minutes and 43 seconds, EDG pushed forward and ended the game!

The three commentators immediately started shouting.

Rita smiled and said, "Congratulations to EDG!"

Wawa immediately chimed in, "Yes, congratulations to EDG! They swept RNG 3-0 and successfully advanced to the year-end finals! They are still undefeated in this playoffs!"

Finally, Miller said, "At the same time, they also secured LPL's first World Championship ticket in advance with their excellent record of winning the Spring Split championship and guaranteeing a runner-up finish in the Summer Split! The EDG of yesteryear has truly returned!" Miller's last sentence was entirely a heartfelt statement from the veteran player.

After all, when many people first started watching the games, they heard stories of EDG dominating the league.

However, with the disappearances of both the fat alpaca and the factory manager, this scene has not been seen for many years.

They're back! They're all back! EDG has reigned supreme again!

Is another dynasty emerging?

[Winning both spring and summer titles, then reaching the World Championship quarterfinals, right? You wouldn't dare come back.]

[That's right, it's not that it's returned, it's that it's become even stronger!]

[Let's go! With Xiaofei on our team this time, we'll win the Summer Championship and the S Championship too!]

The camera panned to the EDG players' bench, where all five players stood up simultaneously, bumped fists with each other, and walked together to the other side of the stage.

The camera followed the crowd's footsteps and moved to the RNG players' bench.

Seeing this, Wawa continued, "At the same time, I hope RNG can continue their efforts in the upcoming matches."

"They still have a revival armor, and they still have a chance for revenge! Moreover, as the runner-up in the Spring Split and guaranteed third place in the Summer Split, they are currently ranked second in the league, and they are very close to the World Championship!"

The RNG players had already stood up, but their expressions were rather grim.

Logically speaking, this loss shouldn't be considered a major blow to RNG, since in a double-elimination format, even if they lose, they still have a chance to come back from the brink of defeat.

However, after three crushing defeats, the RNG players simply couldn't be optimistic.

Even if they manage to fight their way back from the loser's bracket and have another best-of-five series against EDG, will they be able to win?

To put it another way, can they really fight their way back from the loser's bracket?
Today's crushing defeat has made the RNG players deeply doubt their own abilities.

Without a chance to think, the two players clashed head-on.

Ming Jing walked up to Xiao Hu, raised his right fist, and said, "Good luck, see you in the finals."

Mingjing's words were truly sincere.

Little Tiger actually played quite well today.

Although he failed to lead the team to victory, he did add some suspense to what would otherwise have been a uneventful match.

Of course, this is not the most critical thing.

The key is
Perhaps due to their complementary styles, RNG seemed easier to beat than LNG.
If we face RNG again in the finals, that would be fantastic, we'd just take them!

Xiao Hu, of course, had no idea about Ming Jing's perverse sense of humor. He simply assumed it was the victor's pity, so he nodded in agreement and lightly bumped fists with Ming Jing.

Ming Jing punched his way through the stage, bowed with his teammates in the center, completed the post-match procedures, and then packed up his equipment to leave.

However, he had barely returned to the lounge and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when today's host, Liu Hang, approached him, indicating that Ming Jing had an interview scheduled for today.

Ming Jing nodded and waited backstage with Liu Hang.

At this point, the official MVP of the third game was also announced.

In the third game, EDG's teammates actually performed quite well, after all, it was a crushing victory.

But he can't compare to Mingjing.

The LeBlanc with a score of 9-0-5 achieved a 31.25% damage share, making her performance data impeccable.

What's even more terrifying is that the data falls far short of capturing the greatness of the Enchantress.

Don't forget, the situation in this game was forced out by LeBlanc through a series of solo kills!
If you had solo kill data, you would find that nearly half of LeBlanc's kills were solo kills!

The voice of the on-site commentator could still be heard.

"That means Xiao Fei is getting his third consecutive MVP award today! He's taking all the MVPs he missed out on in the last game!"

"This guy seems to have some substance; he's really got some nerve today!"

"Next up is the interview segment. Today's interviewee is none other than Phi, the three-time MVP. Now, let's turn the camera to the main stage!"

Upon hearing the narrator's voice, Liu Hang beckoned Ming Jing to walk onto the stage and begin today's interview.

"Let's start with a standard question," Liu Hang began. "Winning the upper bracket final means EDG has secured a spot in both the Summer Finals and the World Championship. How do you feel about that?"

"It's alright." Ming Jing smiled and said, "It's just a spot. These are things that EDG should have gotten anyway, so I don't think I'll have any feelings about it. For me, the joy of winning a game is far greater than these things."

Upon hearing this, the live chat exploded with comments.

It has to be said that Ming Jing is a complete addict; all he wants is the thrill of battle, and rankings and honors are secondary.

"Yes, for EDG, who won the Spring Split and had a perfect record in the Summer Split regular season, qualifying for the World Championship is only a matter of course!"

Liu Hang echoed twice, then continued, "After this BO5 ends, EDG will wait for the loser's bracket match to decide the outcome in the finals. Are you confident about the finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center?"

Ming Jing replied without hesitation: "Of course, I have always believed that EDG is the strongest team, and I have always believed that EDG can win all the championships!"

Upon hearing these words, both the commentator and the host were terrified.

That's incredibly arrogant!
This would have been a major blow to any team in history.

But it's actually not that bad for EDG in this context? It's even somewhat reasonable.

There's no way around it; EDG's record so far is just too dazzling.

When talking about invincible teams that have taken the path to gold, many people will think of RNG from S8.

Before the crushing defeat of 1020, RNG's momentum was no less than that of EDG today, and perhaps even greater.

However, if you compare the RNG of that time with the current EDG, you will find that this EDG is much stronger.

As the primary core member, Mingjing is truly reassuring.

"We hope that Phi can fight even harder in the upcoming matches and give us even more exciting games!"

The interview session ended there. Ming Jing handed the microphone back to Liu Hang and then waved goodbye.

Back in the backstage dressing room, Ming Jing packed his backpack with practiced ease and then left with the group.

As is customary, EDG holds a celebration banquet after winning a crucial match.

Sitting on the bus, Ming Jing found a comfortable position and then opened the Anti-Fighting Forum, where he immediately saw the rating post.

[2021 LPL Summer Playoffs Upper Bracket Final: EDG 3-0 RNG (Other rating posts deleted)]

(End of this chapter)