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

Chapter 233 The Number One in the World!

EDG then spent the rest of their time in busy training matches.

The World Championship patch has finally been updated, and they must adapt to this heavily nerfed patch as soon as possible.

After the group draw was temporarily finalized, even the coaching staff got busy. They had to quickly gather information on their opponents, because only by knowing your enemy can you win every battle.

Don't assume that the number one seed won't make it to the round of 16; EDG has a history of this.
Before we knew it, it was August 30th.

There are only five days left until the start of the qualifying rounds.

The EDG team arrived at Pudong International Airport today, embarking on their journey to Iceland once again.

Everyone had traveled this route once before and knew how arduous it was.

Fortunately, EDG has deep pockets.

Boss Ed Zhu was well-prepared and directly dispatched his own private jet to send the team members directly to Iceland.

The EDG team took a shuttle bus to their boss's private jet, and then walked up the small plane via the gangway, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Wow," even Flandre exclaimed, "This spot is way too spacious!"

It's hard to imagine that there are sofas, coffee tables, and refrigerators on airplanes.

Ahead, Boss Edward Zhu, with a kind and gentle expression, said softly, "Actually, MSI should have chartered a plane to take you there, but there wasn't enough time to apply for an international flight, so we had to make do with you. Now that we have the opportunity, we will definitely take good care of you so that you can participate in the competition in the best condition."

"You guys go ahead, I still have some things to take care of here," the boss said. "I'll come to Iceland to watch you play when you get to the knockout stage. Don't let yourselves fail to even make it to the knockout stage!"

"Don't worry, that's impossible!" Meiko had known her boss for many years, so she spoke much more casually. "Just wait and see our good news."

After everyone put their luggage away, they each found a comfortable spot to sit down. Meiko and Jie Jie sat together, while Ye Fu and his partner took out a tablet and planned to watch a movie first, just like they were at the base.

Saint Gun was sitting in his seat, casually scrolling through his phone, when he suddenly turned around and shouted, "Hey guys, this year's TOP20 is out!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, the EDG members immediately turned their attention to this.

In the early years, Riot Games would announce the official top 20 player list every year as the World Championship approached, which would attract considerable attention.

First, viewers love rankings, which always spark a massive cyber-cricket battle. Second, the rankings are incredibly unpredictable; almost everyone ranked number one by Riot Games dies instantly!
Dade in S4, Smeb in S6, Faker in S7, Uzi in S8, and Jankos in S9.
None of them could win the championship, and there were even few who made it to the finals!

Only Faker at his peak in S5 could withstand this attack.

Presumably because it was too abstract, or perhaps to avoid disputes, Riot Games stopped distributing the TOP20 after S10, and now it is distributed by high-profile sports media like ESPN.

With the precedent set by the "poisonous milk" of Riot Games, probably no one takes this ranking too seriously now, but that doesn't stop the EDG players from checking their own positions.

After all, their championship performance over the past year speaks for itself, and it's highly likely that all of them will be on the list.

Let's see who ranks the lowest!
Saint Gun sent the website address to the WeChat group, and Ming Jing also took out his phone to take a look.

I had just swiped down when I saw my teammate.

TOP20: Flandre.

"Some people think he's just riding the wave of the game, with his stats slightly inferior to top-tier top laners, and he rarely dominates matches. But in reality, EDG's rampant aggression in the bot lane is inseparable from his quiet contributions in the top lane. His team fight performances are often impressive, making him an indispensable piece of the championship puzzle."

Saint Gun looked at the comment and couldn't help but scoff, "Ranking me last? That doesn't make sense."

"Being on the list is enough!" Maokai laughed from the side. "I took a quick look, and there are only four top laners on the list this time. The other three are the core players of their teams. Your treatment in the game is not as good as theirs, so it is normal for you to be ranked behind them."

It's not hard to understand. EDG has always been a team that focuses on the bottom half of the map. With the stable performance of their two carries, the jungler and support can still manage to get by, and their stats won't be too bad.

But Flandre didn't get that treatment. While Kuku was killing Kuku and pushing in the bottom half of the map, he was still getting beaten up and ganked in the top lane. If he didn't die, he would be considered successful. His stats obviously wouldn't be good. Being ranked in the top 20 is already based on EDG's numerous championships this year.

Further down, you'll find some familiar faces.

Beryl, Ruler, Deft, GALA
Then, TOP15: Meiko, several of them are bot lane players.

"A well-rounded support player, proficient in both hard and soft support, as well as laning and roaming, is the key cornerstone of EDG."

TOP14: Jiejie
"As a jungler for EDG, what you need to do is keep up with the mid laner's pace and initiate good team fights. But I have to say, he did both of these things perfectly."

The EDG jungler and support, who were sitting together, saw this, exchanged a glance, and then both laughed.

All I can say is that the evaluation is quite fair.

There's nothing wrong with the rankings.

It's worth noting that neither of them made it to the LPL playoffs last year, so it goes without saying who the key contributors are this year.

Then, everyone continued scrolling down, wanting to see where the team's two carries were ranked.

Humanoid, Khan, Keria, Nuguri, BDD.

TOP9: Faker
"A GOAT-level player, and also the oldest player in this TOP20, is still charging towards his fourth championship trophy!"

For Faker, this might be the lowest ranking he has ever achieved.

In previous years, whenever he entered the World Championship, he was basically in the top three, and even in S9 he was in the top 1 position.

I guess I'm really getting old now.

Next up are two more LPL players.

TOP8: Xiaohu
"A player with a strong core is willing to make any changes for the team, even if it means leaving the mid lane he has cultivated for many years. But there is no doubt that his strength is still the same as ever."

In terms of rankings, Xiaohu is currently the world's number one.

TOP7: Tarzan
Once the rankings reach this point, the players who appear next will basically be the absolute core of the team.

TOP6: Canyon
"He is arguably the strongest jungler right now, and his mid-jungle duo with Showmaker is terrifying! He deserves a higher ranking, but his two runner-up finishes in the finals have lowered our expectations for him. He needs a championship to prove himself."

TOP5: Chovy
"He is the absolute core of HLE, and he deserves great credit for the team's entry into the World Championship."

TOP4: Viper
"A near-perfect ADC, impeccable in every aspect, the best second option, but his teammates' performance is too dazzling, so he can only be placed in this position."

When Flandre saw the rankings, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh my, Dohyun is fourth! The top three are already decided."

With the rankings completed to this point, most of the candidates have been eliminated, making it clear who hasn't yet appeared in the rankings.

Only those three mid laners are left.

TOP3: Doinb
TOP2: Showmaker
“Statistically, his performance is in no way inferior to any mid laner, but he also faces the same problem as his jungler teammates – he needs to defeat Phi to prove himself, and the World Championship is the best opportunity for that.”

It can only be said that in the current version, the role of the mid lane is beyond doubt.

Teams that truly have the ability to contend for championships almost always have a strong and distinctive mid laner!
As the undisputed star of the competition, the mid-lane players from all sides will inevitably compete in this year's World Championship to determine the strongest.

And the first place, needless to say.

TOP1: Phi!

"The youngest FMVP in history, the first player in history to achieve a Grand Slam of FMVP awards, and also the youngest player in this World Championship!"

"His champion pool, last-hitting, laning, and team fights are all top-notch. If I had to describe him in one word, it would be his ID—Phi, which means perfect." "He has already proven his unparalleled ability on the big stage and has won all the championships this year. What he needs to do next is to win the final championship and complete the golden road that no one has ever done before."

Seeing the long string of comments under Ming Jing's post, several teammates stared wide-eyed.

"Wow," Meiko laughed, "ESPN is being way too obsequious, are they some die-hard fans?"

After reading ESPN's comments, Meiko felt like her keyboard was overflowing with milk!
The last player to be hyped up like this was Uzi in S8, and we don't need to say more about how that turned out.
"It's alright, it's alright." Ming Jing laughed, "Isn't this all the truth? There's nothing wrong with it."

"Indeed." Several teammates agreed.

Ming Jing's perversion was common knowledge, and his teammates could only sigh in disbelief.

Ming Jing glanced at the comments one last time, and then opened the forum to take a look.

At this time, the forum was also buzzing with discussion about this ranking.

Regarding Ming Jing being ranked number 1, the forum members don't seem to have any objections. Judging from Ming Jing's performance this year, it would be a big problem if he didn't rank first.

But there were many more arguments afterward.

For example, why is Chovy ranked fifth? It's true that Chovy is the absolute core of HLE, but the problem is that HLE is only the fourth seed.

Both are fourth seeds. What makes Leng Shao worse than Chovy? Why is one not on the list while the other is ranked fifth?

Of course, some people think this is just Leng Shao's son trying to provoke a fight. He's a fake strong mid laner who clings to Tarzan's coattails. He can't fight tough battles, yet he dares to provoke Chovy.

As for who is ultimately stronger, only the results will tell.

Because HLE and LNG are in the same group in the qualifying round, they will soon have to compete on the first day of the qualifying round.

At the same time, the DK team, who had just landed in Iceland, also saw this ranking.

Showmaker didn't even look at the last few places; he flipped straight to the end of the article.

Seeing that he had indeed been outdone by Phi, Showmaker was naturally unwilling to accept it.

Who wouldn't want to be the best professional player in the world?

Showmaker often fantasizes about what he would be like without Phi.

He should already have one title in hand and be aiming for a back-to-back, right?
Phi stole his championship life.
"Brothers, we can't afford to lose this time," Showmaker said softly.

"Do not worry."

Several teammates turned around, their faces resolute, and said, "We will win!"

They had to admit that DK in the Summer Split was somewhat inferior to EDG.

EDG in the Summer Split was at their absolute peak, winning all their regular season matches and remaining undefeated in the playoffs. Their terrifying dominance made KD and the others feel despair!
However, the patch released by the designers was a fatal blow to EDG, greatly narrowing the gap between the two teams!

The gap between the two teams is now extremely small!

At the very least, it's far smaller than the gap between JDG and DWG last year.

If JDG could win last year, there's no reason why DK can't win!
The Gulfstream G650ER landed and slowly slowed down on the runway at Reykjavik Airport in Iceland.

Ming Jing also woke up from the large, flat sofa and looked out the window.

It was still a long journey, but this time the plane was relatively spacious. After the plane stabilized in the air, I was able to stand up and move around freely. The travel experience was much better than the MSI trip. Mingjing even felt a rare sense of comfort.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, then followed the group off the plane, put on his mask, and took a car to the hotel to report for duty.

With the World Championship in its final countdown, there's not much time to rest, so training is the top priority!

Before we knew it, it was August 5th.

As the National Day holiday draws to a close in China, thanks to Riot Games' promotional efforts, countless people tuned in to the official tournament livestream to watch the opening match of the qualifying rounds.

LNG vs. HLE.

This is undoubtedly the most watched match in the qualifying rounds!
The qualifying rounds use a single round-robin format, with five teams playing each round. The first-place team advances directly to the group stage, while the second through fourth-place teams compete in two best-of-five (BO5) matches for the second spot.

In the "group of death" between China and South Korea, all teams will have to pull out all the stops to compete for that qualifying spot.

During the draft phase, HLE began to make bold attempts, selecting a double flex pick of Irelia and Tryndamere.

Tryndamere mid lane is a popular build recently, similar to Lee Sin or Irelia with maxed W, focusing on fast wave clear and strong fighting.

However, LNG has experienced both Mingjing and Doinb's strategies, so they are quite adept at handling mid-lane warriors. They can lock in the Jax + Gragas solo lane combination as a counter-pick, and no matter how HLE's two heroes change, they can handle both of them.

And that was indeed the case. Gragas, with his big belly sticking out, was knocked over and thrown off balance by Chovy's Tryndamere in the mid lane, completely disoriented.

In the top lane, A-Le played Jax. Although he couldn't gain a significant advantage against Irelia, ensuring his farm was no problem at all.

Once the two-piece weapon set is completed, fighting Irelia will be like spinning tops!
With both the top and mid lanes in a bad position, Deft in the bottom lane was under immense pressure and had to take risky moves in an attempt to gain some advantage in the laning phase.

But the result wasn't pleasant. During a lane push at the eight-minute mark, Tarzan, playing Qiyana, used the Explosive Orb near the tri-bush in the bottom blue buff area to launch a surprise attack on Deft's Miss Fortune in the bottom river!
Even if Miss Fortune used Flash, it was useless. Qiyana used her ultimate to push her against the wall, and with Rakan's follow-up W, Deft died on the spot!

Later, Leng Shao's Gragas also came to the bottom lane to join the fun. With his full control abilities, Gragas, together with Rakan's R-Flash-W, caught the Miss Fortune who didn't have Flash on the spot!

No one expected that, despite being at a disadvantage in the top and mid lanes, the bottom lane would be the first to collapse!
At this point, the outcome of the match was essentially decided, and LNG simply snowballed their lead.

Although Light in the LNG bot lane is not known for his laning prowess, he is consistently reliable as long as he has enough gold.

The two sides fought fiercely into the late game, with Cold's Gragas being both tanky and dealing damage, providing excellent protection for Light.

Ah Le's weapon is a dragon, and together with Iwandy's Luo, they fought their way in and out of the formation seven times!

The final team fight took place on HLE's high ground. Tarzan's Qiyana used her ultimate to stun three opponents, and with the overwhelming advantage of their lineup, LNG pushed forward and easily ended the game!

"Awesome! Awesome!" Ming Jing watched the match and nodded in praise of LNG's performance.

If LNG wins this crucial match, they will essentially be guaranteed to finish first in their group and advance directly to the next round.

We've already beaten the South Korean team, so beating a wildcard is a piece of cake.

Subsequently, LNG's performance was indeed stable enough, defeating several wildcard teams one after another, ending their qualifying journey ahead of schedule with a perfect record.

HLE finished in second place and advanced to the BO5 stage.

Of course, the Korean team is always reliable in BO5 matches, so there were no problems. They easily won the second spot with a simple 3-0 victory.

"Congratulations to LNG, HLE, DFM, and C9 for successfully advancing to the final group stage! The four teams will be assigned to groups A, B, C, and D according to the principle of avoiding teams from the same region within the same group!"

Because the four teams that advanced this time only had one possible group due to the avoidance principle, there was no draw process and the teams were directly assigned.

HLE was placed in Group C, the only group without a Korean team, LNG was placed in Group D, the only group without a Chinese team, and C9 was placed in Group A because of a conflict with 100T from Group B.

EDG was assigned to the last remaining DFM.

This time, the group stage draw is completely finalized!
Group A: DK, FPX, RGE, C9
Group B: EDG, T1, 100T, DFM
Group C: PSG, FNC, RNG, HLE
Group D: MAD, GEN, TL, LNG
With the group stage underway, the S11 World Championship truly begins!
(End of this chapter)