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

Chapter 275 Rhythm
"Oh, it really is a card game!"

Colonel Guan nodded in satisfaction at Ming Jing's choice. "Although using Ice Maiden as a counter has a very high floor, Xiao Fei's first choice will never be the floor, but the ceiling! So his choice can only be Twisted Fate!"

"But we still need to be careful," Miller added from the side. "It feels like Twisted Fate would face a lot of pressure in the laning phase against LeBlanc."

"I don't think we need to worry about that," Colonel Guan said with a smile.

Miller smiled and said, "That's true."

As they were talking, EDG continued making their selections.

After Twisted Fate, EDG locked in Jarvan IV. Since Jarvan IV received a slight buff at Worlds, he has become Zhao Lijie's favorite champion, and his priority in the team is undoubtedly the highest.

Now that EDG has both their signature champions, Twisted Fate and Jarvan IV, who are strong in terms of tempo, they are confident and don't know how they can lose.

Meanwhile, DK's choices also progressed rapidly. After LeBlanc, the team quickly added Rakan and Xin Zhao as their jungler and support for engaging the enemy.

"Wow, that's fierce, DK!" Miller was slightly surprised when he saw the jungler and support duo. "Are they going to go head-to-head with EDG?"

With both sides locking in their tempo heroes, the game was destined to be brutal.

Of course, this is exactly what both teams excel at, and it was a situation that was expected to occur before the match!
Once the draft phase is completed to this point, the basic framework is already established. The next step is to identify and address any shortcomings in this core strategy.

EDG then locked in Kennen as their third pick to supplement AP damage, and in the second round, they were the first to pick Jhin.

Once the game is decided on a hard-fought rhythm, it's clear that AD carries can't pick late-game carry champions; if they do, the game will collapse.

DK was certainly aware of this, and they subsequently added two more carry heroes, Bomb and Jayce, thus finalizing their lineup.

"In that case, DK's lineup this game is indeed very aggressive!" Miller glanced at the map and gave a final comment, "They pose a huge threat to the backline!"

Whether it's Zhao Xin or Rakan, or Jayce or LeBlanc, or even bombs that can deal damage from thousands of yards away, they all pose a great threat to the carry!

In addition, neither of EDG's carries had any mobility skills this game, making them even more vulnerable against DK's lineup.

"It's really tough," Colonel Guan said, arms crossed and rubbing his chin with his right hand. "Is there any way to help? Can Lulu save us?"

"Lulu can't protect the two carries either, and Lulu's offensive attributes are too weak, which puts her at a disadvantage in terms of tempo!"

Are there any heroes with a divine touch who can turn the tide of the current situation?
In the previous game, DK faced a similar problem but did not provide an answer.

And in this game, EDG happened to have the answer.

In the quarterfinals, T1 faced RNG's aggressive lineup and locked in Zilean support, which proved incredibly effective and secured the victory!
After watching that match, EDG felt that this tactic would definitely work against DK, so they also added it to their item pool.

And right now is undoubtedly the best time!

Without much hesitation, the Time Guardian swiftly locked onto the target, once again eliciting cheers from the audience!
"Wow, time!" Colonel Guan and Miller exclaimed in unison. Then they looked at each other, and Miller said, "It really is no problem!"

What could be a better protective skill than resurrecting on the spot?
Furthermore, Zilean's double bombs for wave clear and his speed boost also allow supports to keep up with the mid and jungle's pace.

"Wow, it's an EDG player!" Remember laughed. "His champion pool is so deep, and he learns things so fast!"

T1's two signature moves, Poppy and Zilean, which they pulled out in the quarterfinals, have been completely copied by EDG.
In the audience, T1 players looked at the scene before them, exchanging glances, unsure of what to say.

Are you really going to take advantage of us?
Keria, the support player, let out a cold snort.

Unexpectedly, the strategy he painstakingly developed against DK was actually used by EDG!

All I can say is that RNG put too much pressure on them.

If they had less pressure in the quarterfinals, perhaps they could have saved more for DK, and perhaps they could have stolen a game by taking advantage of time.

Of course, judging from the level of performance of both sides in the semi-finals, even if they steal a game with their trump cards, it wouldn't make much difference. At most, it would just turn the score from 0 to 3 to 1 to 3.

In this year's World Championship environment, T1 is still far from winning the title.

The two teams swapped heroes, and the lineups were officially finalized.

Blue side DK: Top lane Jayce, Jungle Xin Zhao, Mid lane LeBlanc, Bot lane Bomb Garen.

Red side EDG: Top lane Kennen, Jungle Jarvan IV, Mid lane Twisted Fate, Bot lane Jhin and Zilean.

It's actually hard to say which lineup is better or worse; both sides have their own opinions, and it all comes down to which side performs better.

The three commentators at the LPL commentary booth analyzed the situation for a long time, but ultimately ended their analysis with the phrase "Trust the players."

The live stream camera panned around the audience seats and then switched back to the game, where both players had already emerged from the fountain.

"Neither side has made any level one arrangements yet. Under the immense pressure of this finals, the high-risk decision of a level one team fight may not be the right choice!"

"Minions are online, the laning phase has begun!"

There wasn't much to say about the initial laning phase.

On the top lane, Flandre is under a bit of pressure and has to be careful when last hitting minions.

After all, Nuguri picked Jayce later to lane against Kennen. As the undisputed best player in the world, picking a champion later and gaining an advantage in lane is no problem.

But it's still holding up relatively well.

In the mid lane, Mingjing faced much less pressure. Although Twisted Fate wasn't as good as LeBlanc in laning, he still didn't have much pressure in the early game. Both mid laners were farming minions, and it seemed relatively peaceful.

As for the bottom lane, it's much more intense.

Meiko's Zilean force dominated the lane bushes, playing aggressively from the very beginning of the laning phase, chasing after the opponent and throwing bombs.

DK's bot lane wanted to fight back but were powerless, since their Bomb Garen combo wasn't meant for laning.

Luo barely managed to heal the two with his Q skill, just enough to keep their health up and allow them to land a last hit; if that was enough, it would be considered a success.

But EDG clearly didn't come here to gain a lane advantage.

While they were gaining an advantage in the bottom lane, JieJie's Prince was also rapidly farming jungle camps before heading straight for the bottom lane.

A three-man gank on the tower, it just happened!

There's not much to say about this tower dive, because from a bird's-eye view, it's clear that DK's jungler wasn't even in the bottom half of the map; the two junglers were farming in different positions.

Whether they survive or not depends entirely on the fate of the DK duo.

But it must be said that the duo did a pretty good job.

Watching Meiko tank the tower with her basic attack, Ghost wasn't in a hurry. He tried to get as close to the tower as possible while waiting for an opportunity.

After the turret's second basic attack hit Zilean, Ghost used his W ability to blast him back into the turret!

With only level three at the moment, the tower's damage is still a bit excessive, and Meiko obviously can't withstand three hits.

With the turret about to fire its third attack, Meiko had no choice but to Flash away from the turret. As a result, the turret's aggro shifted to the Prince.

Beryl was prepared. Rakan quickly used W to lift him over, and even wanted to use the fully heated turret to kill the prince first!

JieJie reacted quickly, not giving him the chance, and dodged the attack with a flash.

Moreover, it must be said that the damage from the fully preheated defensive tower is too high; Jie Jie lost half of his health after just one hit.

This forced Jie Jie to turn around and walk out of the tower. On the way out of the tower, he took another hit and finally walked out of the tower with low health.

At this point, the turret's firepower shifted back to Viper.

Viper wasn't even at full health to begin with; he could barely withstand two tower shots, and after just one cannon shot, he was down to only 30% health.

Fortunately, the bomb was already low on health. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Viper's Jhin fired the fourth bullet, finally emptying the bomb's health bar!
The instant after attacking, he flashed out of the tower, dodging the tower's fatal shot!
"First blood!"

This first blood still resulted in a kill, but the cost was clearly quite high.

"They paid the price of three Flashes just to barely get First Blood!" Colonel Guan frowned as he watched this: "This tower dive went a bit awful."

“After all, it’s a three-way crossing,” Miller sighed. “And both of the DK’s are under control, so it’s really not easy to cross.”

What's even more frustrating is that Bombers usually have teleportation abilities, so Ghost was able to teleport back online shortly after dying, further reducing the losses.

All things considered, EDG can be said to have gained nothing from this move!

If we also consider JieJie's tower diving as a resource expenditure, then it could even be considered a loss!
Don't forget, Canyon's Xin Zhao farms in the opposite direction, and he has his own rhythm.

The camera quickly cuts to the road again!
Then, the top lane minions also pushed into the tower, and Flandre, whose health was only half, was facing a gank from DK's top laner and jungler.

Flandre actually did a pretty good job trading blows in lane, considering Nuguri's Jayce also had very little health left, around half.

However, in the current tower diving environment, Nuguri's health is obviously not important. Even if Jayce is low on health, he can still complete the tower dive.

Canyon's Xin Zhao activated his Q to poke the turret twice, then used EA to knock up Flandre's Kennen, followed by his W [Wind Slash].

Taking advantage of the control, Nuguri's Jayce also used QEWRQ, and swung the hammer into Kennen's face!

Relying on the attack speed transferred from the cannon form's W, the passive skill allows for a rapid hammer strike, followed by E [Thunder Strike]!
The damage from both of them completely depleted Kennen's health bar!
"DK Nuguri has killed EDG Flandre!"

After diving the tower, Canyon quickly turned around and left the tower, without even needing to use Flash.

Although it was only a one-for-one exchange, the difference between the two sides in the back and forth was enormous.

The most obvious difference lies in Flash. All members of DK's team still have Flash available, giving them a significant advantage in the ensuing skirmishes!

The DK members obviously wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The camera then cuts to the bottom lane.

After diving the tower, EDG's bot lane duo recalled to base to replenish their supplies, while on DK's side, Ghost TP'd back to lane, farmed a few low-health minions, and then pushed the minion wave forward with Beryl's help.

The two sides' bottom lanes created a time difference in recalling.

As Beryl returned to town, he switched screens to look at other roads, and quickly made up his mind.

After returning to the city, Luo bought straw sandals, but instead of rushing back down, he and Zhao Xin, who had also returned to the fountain, rushed out of the base.

The advantage from the first wave of attacks has been established. If they can speed things up and gain an additional advantage, they will firmly control the early game rhythm!

And the target is the cards!

In the mid lane, Ming Jing had just pushed the minion wave into the tower and was about to recall to base to replenish his supplies.

His health is currently around 80%, but his mana is almost depleted.

In a high-intensity laning phase, it's absolutely unacceptable for Twisted Fate to casually draw blue cards to regain mana.

Fortunately, the minion wave has now pushed into the tower, allowing him to return to base for a supply rush.

Although the first round of exchanges wasn't ideal, at least he gained some kills. As long as his development isn't affected, he's confident he can set the pace.

But as soon as he turned around and took a step, he saw movement behind him.

A Rakan emerged from the darkness, and an E [Dancing Together] flew to LeBlanc's side.

At the same time, LeBlanc used her W to cross the minion wave, followed by an E-flash to get close!

This move was too sudden, and facing the LeBlanc's flash to her face, Ming Jing, with his card, had no room to maneuver and could only watch as the chains hit.

Meanwhile, Beryl's Rakan seized the opportunity, following up with his second E, but he didn't use W immediately, clearly intending to wait until the imprisonment ended before making his move.

Furthermore, Zhao Xin emerged from the darkness from behind and charged forward with a gun.

Three grasps and one
Ming Jing never expected that he wouldn't be caught while pushing the lane, but just before he was about to return to the city after the lane was over, he was suddenly caught in a serious accident.

DK had just completed the tower dive when he quickly accelerated to gank mid again. This kind of variation is truly unpredictable.

Ming Jing looked at the three people in front of him, his mind racing as he considered how to deal with them.

First of all, if he hadn't used Flash, he definitely wouldn't have survived.

If the opponent uses Flash to lock him down, and he still manages to escape without using Flash, then he's really disrespecting the opponent.

If flashing
Mingjing thought there shouldn't be any problem.

Zhao Xin doesn't have the same map mobility as Rakan and LeBlanc, so he was already quite a bit behind Rakan. Now that Rakan has two E abilities to follow up, Zhao Xin is even further behind.

Even with the support and mid laner's crowd control abilities, it wasn't enough for Xin Zhao to get within range of [Wind Slash and Lightning Strike], so he had to use W-Flash to force his way in.

As long as Zhao Xin doesn't use Flash, Ming Jing only needs to draw a yellow card, freeze Zhao Xin the moment he charges in, prevent him from being knocked away, and then Flash away to easily escape.

As Mingjing had imagined, things unfolded exactly as he had envisioned. With Luo using a W to launch the enemy into the air, Canyon realized the distance was too great and had no choice but to use W-Flash to force his way in, followed by an E.

During this time, Mingjing's finger remained hovering over the Flash button, but in the end, he did not press it.

no need.

Firstly, the opponent has already used two Flashes, so even if he dies this time, it will be a worthwhile death.

Secondly, he pushed the lane into the tower and was planning to go back to base anyway. Whether he died or survived, he would have teleported back to base and then returned to lane, so it didn't really matter; he wouldn't have lost minions.

Thirdly, the enemy Rakan still has Flash. Even if he uses Flash to survive this wave, he will still die when the enemy Rakan ganks mid with Flash in the next wave. So it's better to save Flash to prepare for the next wave where he might suffer even greater losses.

Thinking of this, Ming Jing simply saved his Flash and watched as the LeBlanc finished him off with a final auto-attack, emptying his health bar.

(End of this chapter)