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

Chapter 260: The Semifinals Begin!
With the conclusion of the match between RNG and T1, the World Championship has entered a short four-day break.

For the remaining four teams, they need to quickly digest the insights and gains from the quarterfinals and strive not to fall behind in the semifinals.

As expected, with three Korean teams facing one Chinese team, EDG couldn't secure any practice matches at this stage.

Even if DK and T1, as opponents, don't schedule scrims, the bottom bracket still has GEN, which is more than enough to meet the needs of both teams.

This is where RNG's importance becomes apparent. RNG's strength is no less than that of GEN, making them a better practice partner.

Moreover, after RNG's elimination, EDG no longer held back in their scrims, boldly using many of their hidden strategies, which greatly surprised RNG.

Wow, you can pair heroes like this? Why didn't we think of that before?

Holy crap, you know this hero too?

Isn't this something T1 just pulled out? They've already copied it?

With EDG playing all their cards, RNG struggled to even secure a single victory in scrims, getting thoroughly thrashed.

The game had only been going on for seven minutes when Xiaohu typed "GG" in the chat, signaling the end of the match.

"Who can beat you guys?" Xiaohu complained in the custom room after they came out. "This is too overpowered!"

Some of the moves were similar to Ming Jing's previous choice of using grasshoppers to fight demons, which were both unexpected and reasonable.

Some moves are similar to Poppy's Time Travel from T1, which are god-tier moves that can completely kill on first sight.

Many of these skills can be used to secure a kill on the first encounter, and in the hands of a team like EDG, they almost guarantee a point!
Having reached this point, Xiaohu felt somewhat relieved, and the regret of being eliminated earlier had vanished.

They are indeed still a long way from winning the championship.
Even if they beat T1 and DK, so what? Neither of these teams are weak. Even if RNG gets past these two hurdles, they will definitely have used all their cards and be exhausted.

In contrast, EDG can simply wait and relax.

Because they belong to different halves of the bracket, RNG and GEN have played many scrims. Xiaohu also knows the strength of GEN, and he doesn't believe that GEN can force EDG to reveal anything.

Facing EDG, who have shown all their cards in the finals, they will probably still be swept 3-0, right?
"I feel like you guys have the championship in the bag," Xiaohu typed. "Who can beat you guys?"

“That’s hard to say,” Meiko replied in a text message. “Let’s beat GEN first.”

For Meiko, every step after the quarterfinals is a completely new world, and he needs to be careful at every turn.

Before we knew it, it was October 30th, and the global finals officially entered the semifinals.

EDG's return to the stage has garnered significant attention from audiences worldwide.

Everyone understands that EDG, who are making great strides on the road to gold, are the biggest favorites to win the championship, but judging from the situation in the semifinals, EDG's situation does not seem so good.

Does the fact that the Korean team made it to the semifinals three times prove that the LCK region is significantly stronger, and that EDG's invincible performance in the LPL was just a facade?

Countless Korean viewers also hope that GEN can defeat EDG and secure the championship for the LCK region in advance.

With half an hour to go before the match, the live stream was already incredibly popular, with all sorts of comments flooding the screen!
[If you don't understand, just ask: What's the score today?]

[Is that even a question? It's definitely 3-0. I don't know what makes GEN think they can win.]

[Not GEN 3-0 EDG? This whole region is in chaos.]

[It's true, three of the four semifinalists are Korean teams. Doesn't that prove anything? LPL is just not good this year. How can it still be the number one region?]

[EDG wasn't even eliminated, so why does KRD dare to bark like a dog?]

[If you're so good, then win! GEN getting even one point today is a testament to their skill!]

Perhaps because LCK has been doing too well lately, many supporters have finally been able to speak out and have gained considerable attention in the live chat.

However, this does not diminish the confidence that the vast majority of viewers have in EDG.

EDG hasn't lost yet, so what makes you think you can say LPL is no good?
The live broadcast camera was looking down at the scene, and on the big screen, the countdown was steadily going backwards. Thousands of audience members had already taken their seats, each holding up their support items, creating a lively atmosphere.

It was clear that the vast majority of the audience were holding up EDG light sticks.

When the countdown reached zero, a fist logo burning with flames finally appeared on the screen, followed by a pre-made promotional video for the semi-final match.

The moment the camera cuts in, it shows Dettifoss in Iceland, where the powerful flow of water, carrying volcanic ash, forms a unique gray torrent that plunges straight down.

The camera zooms out, bringing the five EDG players into the frame.

Background sounds also began to play.

"EDG broke the curse of many years and made it into the semifinals, but they are now the only hope left for the LPL!"

The scene then shifts to Hekla volcano in Iceland, where bright red lava surges within the crater, and the five members of GEN soon appear at the foot of the mountain.

"LCK has secured three of the four semifinal spots, and GEN will fight for them!"

The scene then shifts to inside the competition venue, where the Summoner's Cup is gleaming under the dim lights.

The two teams walked towards each other from opposite sides of the stage, and then walked to the sides of the trophy.

The two mid-laners were positioned slightly forward, and the atmosphere was tense as they stared at each other.

"BDD is just one step away from success, and he is once again making his run for the championship trophy!"

In the background audio, BDD also spoke up, saying, "I think the reason I've been able to get this far is because I know how to face difficulties. No matter how many times I fail, I will always get back up."

The camera slowly pans to BDD's back, where the three English letters "BDD" are prominently displayed on his jersey.

But in the blink of an eye, the three letters had already changed to "Phi".

The scene shifts again, now showing Ming Jing's handsome face.

"As the only defending champion this year, Phi continues to demonstrate his strength to the world with perfect performances! His only goal seems to be the championship!"

Amidst the almost fawning commentary from European and American commentators, Ming Jing spoke softly: "I have never experienced failure since my debut. I believe this time will be the same."

Upon hearing this, the audience erupted in cheers, and the live chat was instantly flooded with comments like "crazy."

Mingjing's speech was quite brief, consisting of only these two sentences.

But given his outstanding achievements, these words carry immense weight.

Isn't this a pure massacre?
Are you still facing difficulties? Truly capable people don't face difficulties.
The promotional video ended there, and the live stream finally switched back to the live event.

The European presenter stood beside the Summoner's Cup and shouted, "Let's welcome both teams to the stage!"

"First up is EDG's number one seed—EDG!" The cheers from the audience were deafening, and the spotlight quickly moved to the left side of the arena. Under the spotlight, the five members of EDG walked onto the stage side by side!

Ming Jing stood in the center of the group, waving to the audience below, exuding confidence in every gesture.

When the cheers subsided, Europe spoke up again: "Now, let's welcome LCK's second seed, GEN!"

The five members of GEN, led by BDD and Ruler, also took the stage from the opposite side of the stage, but compared to BDD, GEN received much less cheers and seemed to have little presence.

"The semifinals have begun. Will EDG defend the region's honor and advance to the finals, or will GEN overcome their strong opponents and secure the championship for the region? Let's wait and see!"

The players took their seats, and the camera switched to the commentary booth.

Today's commentary team was quite impressive, featuring Guan Daxiao, Wawa Miller, and the three experienced commentators, who immediately started chatting enthusiastically.

"Hey, there's something to say about this match. What does Brother Guan say? Which side do you think will win today?"

"I have a chance, I have a chance. I still have to see it with my own eyes."

After the three of them briefly discussed and deduced the possible course of the game, the draft phase quickly switched to the ban/pick screen.

"According to the information we received, EDG was very fortunate to win the pre-match coin toss and even chose the blue side! This is good news."

"That's not entirely true. GENG's players actually have a deep hero pool, so the heroes on the red and blue sides aren't that big for them."

"walk slowly."

While the group was chatting, both coaches had already completed their first three bans.

On the blue side, Maokai had a clear strategy, banning Yuumi, Aphelios, and Syndra.

The first one is the strong cat in this version, while the latter two are average in this version, but they are the signature moves of GEN's two carries, so they are worth banning.

This shows EDG's composure in the current version, and they don't even need to use too many ban slots for the current version, because they not only know how to play the current version's heroes, but also how to deal with them.

On the other side, GEN, the red team, had a much more difficult strategy, honestly banning Twisted Fate, Lucian, and Graves.

There's no particular reason for this ban; it's just a normal version ban.

BDD is a top-tier mage, but his proficiency with Twisted Fate and Yasuo is not high enough to compete with Mingjing in a Twisted Fate/Yasuo matchup, so he can only honestly ban Twisted Fate.

"Then it's the blue side's turn. EDG doesn't seem to have any ideas yet. Will they pick Lee Sin or Jarvan IV?"

The commentators made a mistake in their judgment; EDG actually locked in LeBlanc for the mid lane on the first floor of the blue team.

"Oh?" Miller was slightly surprised. "You picked it instantly? You're very confident, Fei-ge!"

Colonel Guan thought for a moment and nodded: "There's no problem. After all, BDD is good at traditional mage heroes, but LeBlanc is usually quite effective against traditional mages."

"In that case, GEN doesn't really have anything to say. They'll probably pick Lee Sin and Lissandra."

Guan Daxiao has been a fan of StarCraft for many years and knows GEN very well, so he naturally knows their drafting strategy.

GEN's jungler Clid is an absolute Lee Sin master. With most champions banned in the current patch, Lee Sin is still available, so GEN will definitely pick him without hesitation.

Then, Lissandra is not only a counter to LeBlanc, but also a good partner for Lee Sin. Guan Daxiao can't think of any reason why GEN wouldn't pick her.

But if even Guan Zeyuan could think of such an obvious draft, how could EDG, who actively picked LeBlanc, not have thought of it?
Seeing GEN's Lee Sin and Lissandra instantly locked on the first and second floors, the EDG players were also discussing among themselves.

"The enemy team really picked Lee Sin. How about we pick Poppy? Zhao Lijie should be fine with that, right?"

"I'm sure I'm proficient, but let's not rush. We're still in the planning stage, so we can wait a few more picks. What if we pick Poppy and the enemy team doesn't pick a mobility item?"

"Alright, let's take the road first."

After saying that, EDG quickly locked onto Miss Fortune and Nautilus on the first and second floors.

The EDG team actually looked down on Miss Fortune, believing that she was useless except for her lane dominance and that she couldn't reach her full potential in team fights.

But this team really needs a champion like Miss Fortune with strong lane dominance, so this pick is fine.

"EDG's LeBlanc, Miss Fortune, and Nautilus combo is incredibly strong! It seems they still want to win in the early game!"

"That's to be expected. After all, it's very difficult to play against a team like GEN in the late game. Even if EDG's two carries are capable, their team's operational decision-making and experience in late-game team fights may not be up to par."

On the other side, GEN didn't seem to want to fight EDG in the laning phase, and locked in Rakan as their third pick to coordinate with Lee Sin and Lissandra's roaming rhythm.

This idea is certainly not wrong, but it plays right into EDG's hands.

Yes, yes, everything is correct!
In the second round of bans, EDG directly targeted the bot lane, banning Jhin and Xayah to deny Ruler any chance to farm in lane.

GEN, on the other hand, generously gave their ban slots to the jungler, banning both Jarvan IV and Xin Zhao.

GEN clearly understands that EDG's rapid early-game momentum is due not only to the stable performance of the mid laner, but also to the indispensable contribution of jungler JieJie.

By sealing all the heroes that JieJie has been using recently, EDG's rhythm can be disrupted.

But the EDG players just laughed when they saw this.

It's still in the planning stages!

On the fourth move, GEN, without much thought, immediately locked in Varus.

With Miss Fortune picked and Aphelios, Xayah, and Jhin all banned, Ruler doesn't have many tanky champions left to choose from.

"Then it's EDG's turn to finalize their lineup. Let's see what kind of top and jungle players they'll add!"

EDG didn't hesitate for long and quickly locked onto Poppy on the fourth floor!
The emergence of Poppy as a jungler is a godsend for EDG. This is exactly the jungler the team needs right now, so JieJie has been practicing overtime. He has played countless games in the past few days and has managed to get a basic grasp of the champion.

Looking at the overall picture, it's not hard to see that EDG's first few draft picks were all setting up for Poppy.

Why would he unusually choose the top lane first? It's one thing for Mingjing to have a high level of proficiency with LeBlanc, but using LeBlanc to bait out the enemy's Lee Sin and Lissandra is another matter entirely.

It's no exaggeration to say that EDG designed their entire draft and ban phase around Poppy.

As for the top lane, they locked in a Renekton, who also focuses on early-game laning, and the lineup was finalized first.

On the GEN side, everyone was a little surprised by EDG's Poppy pick, but they quickly adjusted and replaced the originally planned Jayce with Kennen, thus finalizing their lineup.

Blue side EDG: Top laner Renekton, jungler Poppy, mid laner LeBlanc, bot lane Miss Fortune and Nautilus.

Red side GEN: Top lane Kennen, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Lissandra, Bot lane Varus and Garen.

The two coaches exchanged fist bumps in the center of the stage, and the match quickly began!
(End of this chapter)