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Chapter 112 Unprecedented: Six Mid-Lane Changes! (Please Subscribe)

Yu Shuang, dressed in a bright red cheongsam, stood in the middle of the stage and picked up the microphone.

"Next, please welcome the EDG team players to the stage!"

The spotlight suddenly shone on one side of the stage, and accompanied by rousing war music and thunderous cheers and boos, the EDG players, dressed in black and white team uniforms, walked onto the stage one by one, led by their coach, QuickStar.

"Top lane, Mouse!"

Ah-Guang smiled shyly and waved to the audience, which elicited a round of applause.

Immediately afterward, Yu Shuang's voice suddenly rose: "Jungler—Clearlove!!!"

"Factory Manager! Factory Manager! Factory Manager!" The crowd erupted in unison, and countless support signs waved wildly.

Mingkai had a serious expression and sharp eyes. He only nodded slightly to the audience. His signature calm demeanor only made the fans scream even louder.

This is enough to show how popular the factory manager is right now.

Without pausing, Yu Shuang shouted the next name with almost all her might: "Mid Laner Unreal!!!"

What happened next was something no one expected.

The roar in the stadium reached a new peak. If the factory manager's appearance was like streams flowing into rivers, then Li Fan's appearance was like a tsunami!
Screams, cheers, and even some discordant hisses mingled together, creating a unique, huge, and contradictory sound field that belonged to him alone.

Such explosive popularity... it's no exaggeration to say it has surpassed the factory manager's.

It's amazing that a mere introduction could generate such a huge response.

Many people who followed the match couldn't help but marvel at what a phenomenal player he was.

But what made all of this possible was the individual's strong abilities.

People are playing other games, but League of Legends players are still dominating the competition, and you can't even complain about it.

The lights followed his tall, slender figure, but Li Fan's face showed no particular expression.

"AD, Zet!"

"Support, Meiko!"

The two introductions were almost drowned out by the previous wave of noise.

Meiko smiled and tugged at the somewhat reserved Zet, and the two bowed to the audience together.

After all the EDG members had appeared, they stood on one side of the stage.

Yu Shuang took a deep breath, her voice rising again: "Next, let's welcome their opponent, R~N~G!"

The lights on the other side of the stage came on, and another stirring battle song began to play.

"Coach, Firefox!"

"Top lane, Letme!"

"Jungler, mlxg!"

The fans' enthusiasm remains undiminished, especially when they mention mlxg, whose wild playing style has earned him a large following.

Yu Shuang paused for a moment: "Mid lane, Xiaohu!"

Xiao Hu walked out smiling and even made a heart shape with his hands for the camera, eliciting laughter and cheers.

But when his gaze swept over Li Fan's figure, it unconsciously became much more serious.

"ADCUzi!!!"

The shouts of "Uzi! Uzi! Uzi!" were deafening, almost lifting the roof off the stadium.

Jian Zihao strode out with his head held high, his chubby face radiating absolute confidence; he was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

"Support, Ming!" Young Shi Senming followed behind Uzi with a bright smile, looking completely carefree.

Both teams took to the stage, standing on either side of the stage, separated by the silver dragon trophy in the center.

The trophy has been placed in the center since the semi-finals.

Therefore, the momentum displayed by both sides was just like that of a final match.

After all, this is quite normal; if you lose... you'll be eliminated, right?

All the hard work in spring is for naught if you don't win the championship.

Both players have taken their seats, and the camera is now focused on the commentators!
Today's commentators are Jide, Su Xiaoyan, and Changmao.

"Welcome everyone to continue watching the semifinals of the 2017 LPL Spring Playoffs!" Remember spoke first.

"We just witnessed Team WE advance to the finals, and in the next match between EDG and RNG, both teams are showing a strong determination to win and are fully prepared."

Su Xiaoyan chimed in, "Yes, you can feel it from the pre-match atmosphere and the players' reactions as they entered the arena. The level of attention this match has garnered and the pressure on both sides are unprecedented."

I'm sure both teachers have their own opinions about these two teams.

"Based on the data we obtained before the match and the performance of both teams throughout the spring season, I think the core tactics for today will be very clear."

On EDG's side, since Unreal joined, their tactical focus has clearly shifted towards the mid lane. Clearlove is also very happy to help the mid lane establish an advantage, and then use the strength of the mid and jungle to radiate to the side lanes. "I remember seeing that he was prepared, and he was able to answer Su Xiaoyan's question immediately."

Remember immediately added, "That's right! And for RNG, their cornerstone is undoubtedly Uzi in the bot lane."

“We all know mlxg’s style. He may not provide as much nanny-style protection as Clearlove, but he often puts offensive pressure on the bottom lane to help Uzi open up the game and then use the laning advantage and equipment lead in the bottom lane to end the game.”

Su Xiaoyan nodded: "It seems that the three of us agree on one point, so I think the key matchup today is the intensity of the mid-jungle confrontation, as well as the ability of the bottom lane to withstand pressure and break through."

"All the analysis and predictions are just a prelude; the real answer will be revealed in the upcoming match."

"Both teams are ready. Let's move on to the draft phase of the first game of this BO5! RNG is on the blue side, and EDG is on the red side!"

In just twenty minutes, the number of viewers in the live stream reached 19 million!
We're just one million short of breaking the 20 million mark... This would have been unimaginable in the past.

It's worth noting that last year's World Championship finals only had 15 million viewers.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that no LPL team made it to the finals. Some people don't like watching matches without LPL teams.

It's never quite right to see teams from other regions win the championship.

No matter how exciting the game is... I won't pay attention.

Even so, the sheer volume of buzz surrounding the RNG vs. EDG match still astonished everyone.

Is it because these two teams are incredibly popular, or because of Unreal Engine?

It's terrifying to think about, so much so that no one dares to think about it further.

Jin Yibo sat backstage, his expression unchanged, but he was secretly overjoyed.

To be honest, he now hopes EDG wins. If they win and announce the regular season MVP and best mid laner in the finals, how high will their popularity and buzz go?
Of course, if EDG loses, then these two awards will become a joke.

It's risky for someone so talented to not even make it to the finals, but he's willing to take the gamble.

Unreal will see how far you can go; we haven't seen a newcomer like this in a long time.

Especially this year, there has been a great deal of policy support.

Feng stood behind Xiao Hu, flipping through his notebook, his brows slightly furrowed.

He leaned down and asked in a voice only his teammates could hear, "Li Yuanhao, are you confident you can win if we let the enemy team have LeBlanc?" Xiao Hu stared at the screen, his lips moved, but no sound came out.

What flashed through his mind was the image of LeBlanc getting a pentakill with fireworks in the video, that unimaginable maneuver... and the resulting suffocating pressure.

Looking at Xiaohu's silent profile and slightly tense shoulders, Feng Ge understood. He stopped asking and instead asked, "What about Syndra? Can we handle her if we release her?"

Xiao Hu still didn't answer, but subconsciously licked his dry lips.

Sometimes, the default is the clearest answer.

Feng sighed inwardly...

Damn!

You didn't play a single game in the regular season, and this is your first time facing them in the semifinals. Why are you so afraid?
On the other hand, I can understand Xiaohu. Unreal's understanding and operation of these two heroes are in a class of their own in the current LPL.

In such a crucial semi-final, if Xiaohu doesn't want to take the blame, he naturally won't take that risk.

But this is a very troublesome thing for the coach. If these two heroes cannot be released, then it will be difficult to draft!
"Let's ban Yao Ji." Feng Ge's voice came through the microphone, and you could tell he was really tired.

RNG made their first move and unhesitatingly banned LeBlanc.

"Oh? RNG's first ban was LeBlanc, Unreal's signature champion! That's a lot of respect!" Remember exclaimed.

EDG banned Galio, a champion that fits RNG well. QuickStar believes they have mastered this champion.

Ban Galio directly to avoid future trouble.

RNG then banned Syndra and Ashe in their next two picks.

EDG's lineup here consists of Kog'Maw and Elise.

"RNG is determined to shut down Unreal's two signature heroes in the first round!" Su Xiaoyan said with a hint of surprise. "This is rare in previous matches; usually, they only target one point."

"This shows that the RNG coaching staff is very wary of Unreal, and is willing to sacrifice some other strong meta heroes in order to limit his burst damage and roaming ability in the early and mid-game."

"Let's take a look at RNG's first pick... Lee Sin."

"I chose Lee Sin first, helping Xiangguo get the jungler pick."

"This decision is also fine. We should pick a jungler first instead of other heroes. Both Clearlove and Mlxg play this hero very well."

EDG is prioritizing the bot lane to alleviate pressure as much as possible, so they locked in Varus and Lulu for the bot lane duo.

This combination doesn't face much pressure in the bottom lane; at least they won't get ganked.

Let's stabilize the bottom lane first; RNG's bottom lane duo is putting a lot of pressure on us.

The top lane is still a low priority right now. As long as Galio isn't available, you can just pick any of the three remaining champions: Nautilus, Cho'Gath, or Shen.

As for Camille, she can't use it without Galio's protection.

RNG locked down Lucian Bron on the second and third floors.

To some extent, they treated EDG's bot lane as noobs and were trying to break through.

EDG secured the Titan on the third floor.

This clearly means the counter position will be reserved for Nakano.

The second round of business matching (BP) has begun.

QuickStar clearly understands where RNG's tactical focus will be.

“Ban Shen”.

EDG's fourth ban was Shen, a champion Letme excels at and can use his ultimate to provide long-range support to the bottom lane.

"EDG has chosen to target the top lane by banning Shen. This is to limit Letme's support and reduce the pressure on RNG's bottom lane in a sudden situation where they outnumber or outmaneuver each other."

When Feng saw this move, his brows furrowed even deeper. There was nothing he could do; with two heroes banned in the mid lane, it was indeed difficult for him to pick Shen.

"We'll ban Taliyah," Feng responded, continuing to target roaming mid-lane champions.

Make sure that problem doesn't occur in the bot lane laning phase.

EDG's final ban was almost without hesitation; QuickStar immediately picked Cho'Gath.

"The big bug is gone too. Is EDG going to shut down all the tank champions that can be used in the top lane? Now there aren't many top lane champions left to choose from."

RNG banned Ryze as their fifth pick.

This caused the three commentators in the commentary booth to exclaim in surprise.

"My God, four mid lane bans! RNG's focus on Unreal today is absolutely insane!" Changmao couldn't help but exclaim.

This is really taking it too seriously. How can a rookie mid laner cause RNG so much trouble?
They directly eliminated four mid-lane heroes.

On the EDG player bench, QuickStar looked at Li Fan: "The mid laners we can use outside are Orianna, Vladimir, Kassadin... What do you want to use? I'll figure out a jungler for you."

"I'll use a wind-up one..."

"Alright, let's get Mingkai's men first?"

The Lion Dog player is not very good at playing; if you want to bring the ball into the field, Centaur or Nocturne are better choices.

However, since the enemy team doesn't have Galio or Shen, there's no need to build Nightmare; Hecarim is a safer choice.

Although the factory manager's men had a famous scene of galloping horses, they were actually quite good at it.

RNG hesitated for a long time before finally locking in Viktor and Jayce for top lane.

That's right, Letme will also take on the role of carry in the team.

We won't just pick out meat for him all at once.

During the regular season, Letme picked Fizz, Camille, Jayce, etc., many times...

Although the results have been mediocre, RNG will still give him this tactical role.

Or rather, Feng thinks he has the potential to become a player like Looper.

Now everyone's attention was focused on EDG's final hero selection.

"Four mid laners have been banned, plus Lucian, and Viktor has been picked... In fact, six mid laners have already been banned, which really tests Unreal's champion pool." Su Xiaoyan's words also made everyone very curious.

Everyone says he has a deep champion pool, now it's time to put that to the test.

"Orianna! Locked in! EDG locked in Orianna on the fifth floor!"

This choice was both unexpected and perfectly logical!
"This hero can be said to be the trump card of all mid laners, a versatile hero, and a late-game carry!"
RNG banned all of Unreal's signature assassins and early-game powerhouses, hoping to force him to pick unfamiliar or late-game scaling champions. But Unreal countered by pulling out his most classic, stable, and fundamentally challenging champion: Orianna!

"Moreover, this Orianna pick perfectly complements EDG's lineup! Nautilus, Hecarim, Orianna—the teamfight control chain and combo ability of this top, mid, and jungle is terrifying!"

The lineups for both sides have been finalized.

RNG (Blue Side): Top lane Jayce, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Viktor, Bot lane duo Lucian and Braum.

Red side EDG: Top laner Nautilus, jungler Hecarim, mid laner Orianna, bot lane duo Varus and Lulu.

(End of this chapter)