League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 217 Perseverance, Glory, and Hope

In the afternoon, Linko finished some work at other branches and hummed a little tune as he came to the training room. As soon as he entered, he noticed that the atmosphere in the training room was slightly off.

Everyone was watching Banbazi's replay on the projector, their expressions slightly grave.

Linko understood what had happened. He turned his gaze to the whiteboard beside him and saw the training match records on it.

Overall win-loss record: 2/4, with a win rate of only 30%. Banbazi also kept detailed records of the four games he lost.

Game 1: Win, the top, mid and jungle synergy secured the victory.

Game 2: Loss. Smeb's Maokai pick made it difficult to break through, and Mata roamed mid lane, completely crushing GodV.

Game 3: Loss. The bot lane didn't get any advantage and was completely crushed by Pawn's Twisted Fate's four-man gank.

Game 4: Loss. Mata ganked and killed Chen Dongqing in the top lane, disrupting the balance of the top lane.

Fifth game: Win. Both the top and mid laners scored single kills, securing a hard-fought victory in 45 minutes.

It's clear that the main problem lies in the bottom lane.

Then, it's the sixth inning.

"The bot lane laning was terrible today!" Coach Cui sighed deeply. "Why did they get killed in the last game?"

Xiao Ming lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly, "When I came back from placing a ward, I didn't pay attention to the enemy's positioning and got caught by their Flash."

Coach Cui shook his head, but didn't seem to blame him. He simply said, "The problems exposed today are enough for us to study for a long time. Bottom lane, practice hard. Jian Zihao, you should play some duo queue with Shi Senming recently to improve your teamwork."

Uz nodded, without refusing.

During the transfer period, QG played scrims with many LPL teams, but no problems were exposed at the time.

Since Deft left, competition in the LPL bot lane has generally been weak. Although Uzi and Xiaoming have only just started playing together, they can manage to cope.

But now, problems begin to arise when they start to compete against top-tier combinations like Deft and Mata.

In a high-level competition, a small mistake can decide the outcome, let alone the fact that Xiaoming made more than one small mistake.

In the early games, they would often inexplicably lose lane control, allowing Mata to roam to the mid and top lanes. The last game was even worse; they were directly killed in lane.

Shi Senming lowered his head even further.

At this point, Banbazi turned to Gao Dewei and said, "And the mid lane has the same problem. Why was he solo-killed in the sixth game?"

"It's simply that we just couldn't beat them," Godv explained. "We were only a little bit short."

"Here, you can try to outplay us with your skills! But you have to be like Chen Dongqing, winning every single time. If you lose, you'll be in for a beating," Banbazi said seriously. "Doinb was never solo-killed in the entire last year."

This seemed to hit a nerve, and Gao Dewei's expression instantly turned serious.

After saying this, Linko raised an eyebrow, knowing that he had to take action.

He stepped forward cheerfully and said, "What kind of team is KT? They're the LCK's super team! They were formed earlier than us, and their integration period was longer. Today is our first official scrim, so it's normal to be at a disadvantage. Everyone just needs to remember the problems and solve them one by one!"

Chen Dongqing nodded and sighed, "Actually, I didn't play well today either. I should have crushed Smeb, but I didn't expect him to hold me back."

"."

Linko turned around and said, "That's a bit of a stretch."

Gao Dewei thought for a moment, then simply said, "I really had a lot of problems today. I shouldn't have lost. I'll be more careful next time."

He and KT's mid laner Pawn are old rivals; their epic battle in 2015 remains an eternal classic.

In the Spring Split, EDG defeated LGD 3-2, while in the Summer Split, LGD defeated EDG 3-0. It can be said that both sides had their share of wins and losses.

But judging from today's results, Pawn is in better form than him.

Both of them had been benched for half a year, but Gao Dewei was still unable to accept that he had lost this time.

He was an experienced athlete who had experienced failure, and he knew that there was no other way to deal with this situation except to practice.

That's it!

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Linko called out. "We're almost at the hotel, want to go out for a bite to eat together?"

Gao Dewei sat back down and said, "I won't go. I'll order takeout and play a couple more ranked matches."

Linko smiled when he saw this and came up to say, "Don't be so nervous, it's just a practice match. I'll treat you to dinner today, consider it a good omen for the new season."

Hearing this, Gao Dewei finally nodded; he still had to participate in the group activities.

Chen Dongqing also got up slowly, not taking the loss in today's training match to heart, because it was entirely within his expectations.

Moreover, he could foresee that QG would still be a top team once they resolved all the problems.

As Chen Dongqing left the base, he looked back and noticed that Coach Park and Shi Senming were walking at the back of the group, talking about something.

Chen Dongqing thought for a moment and slowed his pace, waiting until the two finished talking. Then he leaned over, hooked his arm around Shi Senming's shoulder, and asked, "What were you talking about with the coach?"

"Hmm," Xiaoming said, a little nervously, "basically, he told me not to feel pressured, to learn from the puppy, and that I'll gradually catch up. The coach also told me not to relax, and if I fall behind, he'll consider finding me a substitute."

Here comes the classic PUA (Pick-Up Artist) phrase.

Chen Dongqing smiled and asked, "So, do you think you can keep up?"

Xiao Ming hesitated for a moment, "I don't know either. To be honest, I don't even know why I ended up in this team."

In fact, Chen Dongqing also understood that Shi Senming was under more pressure than anyone else when he joined the team.

As another new player who joined this year, Gao Dewei, who came to QG as an LPL champion, will also feel pressure, let alone Shi Senming, who has never even won an LSPL championship.

It feels like you're just a farmer planting rice in the fields, but one day the emperor suddenly summons you to the palace and appoints you as the chief minister to assist him in handling affairs.

Isn't that ridiculous?

"You can keep up!" Chen Dongqing hooked his arm around Shi Senming's shoulder and said directly, "If I said that bringing you to QG was my suggestion, would you believe me?"

Xiao Ming suddenly turned his gaze and asked, "Why?"

For no reason other than that I am a time traveler.

"For no reason," Chen Dongqing casually lied. "I can see a player's potential from their gameplay, and your potential is very high. I can tell that you're no worse than anyone else."

"Really?" Xiao Ming's eyes seemed to light up.

Although the idea of ​​judging the upper limit by the naked eye sounds ridiculous, it's what the FMVP said, so he has to believe it!

"Really." Chen Dongqing said expressionlessly. "So, keep practicing."

"Mmm!"

Hearing this, Chen Dongqing finally felt relieved, patted Xiaoming on the shoulder, and quickly walked to the restaurant where they often ate.

This restaurant is a regular venue for QG's victory celebration banquets. Its advantage is that it's close to the base, just a few steps away.

After we sat down, Linko was still sharing what had happened to him recently.

Linko hasn't had a break in the past month. As the club's second-in-command in terms of finances and the head of management, he has to take care of the several newly established branches.

Especially when discussing the reserve team's youth training program, Linko remarked with some emotion: "The number of people signing up for the youth training camp this year is much higher than last year. That's the true value of winning a championship!"

Because the youth training team was promoted to the LPL last year, the second team was completely rebuilt this year, which is quite an achievement.

Linko handed the menu to Chen Dongqing and then asked, "Guess which seat has the most applicants?"

"Is that even a question?" Xiangguo said with a sneer, "It's definitely top lane."

Chen Dongqing's emergence has brought about tremendous changes to the top lane environment of the entire LPL and even the entire Chinese server.

Without going into too much detail, the unique pick rate of Fiora in the Chinese server proves everything.

"That's right, it's the top laners!" Linko sighed, "And none of these top laners like playing tanks; they all prefer damage-dealing fighters. It's ridiculous!"

Chen Dongqing chuckled and said, "That's good. Someone who can play a tank might not be good at playing a damage dealer, but someone who can play a damage dealer is very likely to be good at playing a tank."

You can let Smeb play Maokai, but you can't let A-Guang play Fiora, right?

"Among so many top laners, are there any particularly strong ones?" Xiangguo asked with some interest.

"There really is!" Linko nodded. "There's a kid named Bai Jiahao who's pretty good. His skills and awareness are great, but he's a bit rebellious and likes to talk back to the coach."

Chen Dongqing, who was listening nearby, almost couldn't hold back. After thinking for a moment, he said, "This one deserves special attention; he's a promising talent."

The group then chatted about interesting things related to the club. Linko even mentioned that their King of Glory division team was called "QGhappy," and that one of their side lane players, "Fly," was a fan of Chen Dongqing.

Oh my, isn't this General Flying Bull?

Chen Dongqing silently recited a sentence in his mind, but he just nodded happily without saying anything.

The following day, the QG team was again pulled by the league to shoot promotional videos and official photos.

Chen Dongqing frowned slightly as he looked at the team's newly issued uniforms: "Wow, there are way too many guys here!"

The QG team used to be very clean, with only a Douyu logo on the left cuff.

But now, all sorts of fancy investments have come in, with two on each sleeve, various logos and words on the chest, and two more on the back.

"These are all big spenders!" Linko said happily. "Otherwise, where do you think your ten million came from? It was from those two bosses on your right sleeve!"

Chen Dongqing looked at the left cuff, which read "XX Special Drink" and "XX Gaming Chair".

Of course, there were also aspects of the team uniform that Chen Dongqing was satisfied with.

For example, a golden star is printed on the QG team logo.

The promotional video and official photos were shot separately according to the Spring Split group stage. All the teams present today belong to QG's Group A.

The groups for the Spring Split were determined half a month ago.

The teams in Group A that QG is in are: QG, Snake, RNG, LGD, IG, plus FPX, who were just promoted.

Group B, where EDG is located, consists of: EDG, WE, VG, IM, GT, and OMG.

"Our Group A is truly full of talent." Chen Dongqing stood in the studio, looking at the group of people in front of him, slightly speechless.

This abundance of talent is certainly not an exaggeration.

Apart from QG and Snake Team, which ranked first and second respectively, the other three teams were extremely weak.

With a low-spec, all-Chinese RNG roster, lacking Korean players and without Uzi and Mlxg, they are destined to perform poorly this year, and even their survival in the league is in question.

Without Gao Dewei, LGD, currently led by the jungle duo, and without Ning and JackeyLove's IG, doesn't look like a strong team at all.

Overall, FPX, which was just established, actually looks like a strong team, since these teams would all have at least a league championship in later generations.

"Holy crap! A tree!"

On the eve of the shoot, the FPX members naturally approached, and Lin Weixiang smiled and raised his eyebrows, "What about last night's scrim? Should I mourn for you?"

After dinner last night, QG played another round of scrims with FPX, a total of seven games. QG won four of them, but in two of the three games they lost, Lin Weixiang carried the team.

Last night, Lin Weixiang's smug attitude disgusted QG.

"What are you pretending for?" Xiangguo said nonchalantly, "You know Chen Dongqing wasn't taking it seriously last night? Let's see how I crush you guys in the opening match!"

"I don't care!" Lin Weixiang declared bluntly, "I just remember the policewoman shooting you in the head twice yesterday, whoosh~ take off!"

Xiangguo's fist hardened.

At this moment, Doinb quickly stepped forward, put his arm around Xiangguo's shoulder, and started chatting.

At this moment, the young Zoom also came up to say hello and chatted with Chen Dongqing about last night's training match.

Chen Dongqing wasn't really serious last night, because the main purpose of yesterday's training match was to train the bottom lane. But even so, he was still put under a lot of pressure by Zoom, which greatly shocked Duke's young mind.

Just as the two were chatting, the IG team also came over. QG and IG have a good relationship and often play scrims together, so they were able to chat for a bit.

"It's a pity JackeyLove can't play yet," Uzi said to Kid. "Otherwise, you guys would really have a chance this year."

"It's okay," Rookie chuckled, "Come again next year! I can wait!"

Rookie has been carrying the team since joining IG in S5, and he's been working hard to keep it going until now, so one more year won't make a difference.

Meanwhile, another person appeared in front of Chen Dongqing.

TheShy stood up a little shyly and greeted Chen Dongqing, "Tree-kun, I'm your fan!"

Chen Dongqing's expression immediately changed: "Don't say that!"

At this moment, the makeup artist also came over and gestured for QG to go in first for makeup, and the three teams finally separated.

Upon entering the studio, it's immediately apparent that this year's LPL event organizer is no longer Banana Culture, but Vision Culture; even the logo on the floor stand has changed.

Clearly, Banana Culture's outrageous performance last year not only amazed the audience but also angered the higher-ups. This year, the top management of Riot Games China directly established Vision Culture and secured the hosting rights for themselves.

Seeing this, Chen Dongqing nodded in satisfaction.

There won't be any more organizers like Banana Project in the future.

As for the subsequent filming, Chen Dongqing had only one feeling: exhaustion.

The production team probably considered that Chen Dongqing had won too many MVP awards, and if they didn't take more official photos, they might not have enough. So they took a lot of photos right away and then slowly selected them.

The promotional video was similar, with Chen Dongqing as the absolute protagonist, having a lot of screen time, and standing in the center of the group photo, which made Zoom in the back quite envious.

After all the filming was finished, Chen Dongqing was finally able to rest. On the bus back, Banbazi was still urging him: "Today's filming wasted time, so we need to make the most of the training matches. Don't do any live streams after dinner tonight. Go to sleep after the training matches."

"Okay." Everyone in QG nodded in agreement.

The team still has problems that need to be addressed, and they are unwilling to take a break.

QG's adjustment period continued until the day before the start of the Spring Split.

"Sigh, Shi Senming, how many times have I told you? You absolutely cannot run away at a time like this. Even if it means sacrificing yourself, you have to push forward!"

During the post-match debriefing, Jian Zihao's slightly complaining voice could still be heard, sounding somewhat helpless.

Hearing this, Shi Senming said somewhat aggrievedly, "But I think this wave is really difficult to fight, and if the two of us just leave, that exchange of blows will be a win for us."

"What's the point of trading kills?" Uzi sighed. "The enemy jungler has already ganked top. We have to push the wave in, even if it kills us, and then call for Xiangguo to tower dive! Otherwise, top will have been ganked for nothing!"

Shi Senming was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then lowered his head and said, "Mine."

Since arriving at QG, Shi Senming has been duo-queuing with Uzi, and he feels that his laning ability has really improved a lot compared to before.

At least now, when facing KT again, the bot lane is no longer a reliable point of attack in terms of laning.

But a sense of the big picture isn't something you can develop by playing duo queue.

Shi Senming still couldn't keep up with QG's offensive pace.

If the top lane gets ganked, the bottom lane absolutely must dive the tower to get back.

This would be unthinkable for other teams, but for QG, it's the norm.

"But no matter what, today's training match results are already quite good!" Banbazi looked at the tactics board and nodded in satisfaction.

Although there was a minor hiccup in the bottom lane, we actually won all our scrims today, without losing a single match.

Although the bottom lane is slow to gel, the top lane is surprisingly well-coordinated. The trident of Chen Dongqing, Xiangguo, and Wei Shen has an advantage against almost any team.

"The teams weren't strong today, it wasn't very interesting." Xiangguo shook his head. "We'll have to wait and see how good they are in the main competition tomorrow!"

Chen Dongqing was also eager to get started, "Just waiting for the main competition!"

These past few days of training matches have almost tortured him to death.

In order to hone his skills in the bottom lane, the coaching staff always told Chen Dongqing to play cautiously, which made him sleepy every time.

He's determined to dominate the competition tomorrow!

"We'll start with Liu Qingsong tomorrow!" Uzi said, clearly looking forward to tomorrow's match.

The next day, Chen Dongqing got up early, washed up, and planned to go out to buy breakfast before coming back to watch the live stream.

However, it's also a bit sad to think about, because after Doinb left, Chen Dongqing is now the one who gets up the earliest. He's the one who opens the training room door every day, which gives him a sense of how much time has passed.

But this time it seemed a bit unexpected. As soon as Chen Dongqing went downstairs, he saw that the lights in the lounge were on.

He was slightly dazed. He peeked out and saw someone sitting in the spot where Doinb had been.

But this time it's Wei Shen.

"Why are you up so early today?" Chen Dongqing asked, leaning closer to him.

"I'm a little excited, so I got up early to practice," Godwin said without turning his head. "Today's game is very important to me."

Wei Shen is a straightforward person. He doesn't hide anything when he's under pressure; he'll tell you if someone asks.

This match was indeed important for him.

After all, QG was supposed to play in the opening match, and in order to ensure that the opening match would generate enough buzz, the league directly set FPX as QG's opponent.

The battles between the members of the championship team were obviously very exciting, but this also put a lot of pressure on Godwin.

After all, this is a head-on confrontation between him and his former mid-laner Doinb. If QG loses, it will be a disaster.

At this moment, we can see that Goldwyn is in training mode, playing Syndra and farming minions alone in the mid lane, probably trying to get a feel for the game.

Syndra also underwent changes in the preseason. The W ability to grab three balls was removed, and now the evolved W deals an additional 20% true damage, basically emphasizing a repetitive back-and-forth movement.

The designers created a Syndra with three orbs, making it impossible to use this champion in the World Championship. Doinb was able to solo kill Faker with this champion.

But after the World Championship ended, they immediately retaliated.

Why has League of Legends, as a competitive sport, never quite reached mainstream popularity? It's because designers can influence the game's direction to a certain extent.

When you try to change this or that in order to achieve balance, the balance is already compromised.

Chen Dongqing expressed her understanding and asked, "Have you had breakfast? Do you want to go out for breakfast together?"

"Let's go, I've been waiting for you." Gao Dewei turned off the training mode, and the two left the base.

It was noon soon, and the QG team arrived in Lujiazui by bus.

The LPL competition venue in 2017 was moved from Hongqiao Tiandi to Zhengda Plaza.

The fact that the competition venue is located in the city center shows that LPL has indeed become wealthy.

Through the car window, Chen Dongqing saw the shimmering Huangpu River, and he knew this was just the beginning.

The group quickly arrived at Zhengda Plaza, went through the backstage passage directly to the ninth floor, and arrived at the contestants' lounge.

Linko handed over the peripherals for inspection, while the others went to the dressing room.

Chen Dongqing let the makeup artist apply makeup to her face, but at that moment Linko suddenly walked in and said helplessly, "Shi Senming, did you forget to charge your mouse?"

"Ah!" Xiao Ming suddenly realized, "I really forgot."

Since taking over the LPL, Vision has added many new rules, such as mandatory attire and the requirement that wireless devices be fully charged before entering the venue, otherwise a fine will be imposed.

"It's alright, just a fine of five thousand," Linko said with a smile. "Be careful next time."

Shi Senming sighed; his mission was cut short before it even began.

He only makes 500,000 a year, and this time they deducted 5,000 from his salary. He was heartbroken!

Chen Dongqing grinned, relieved that he hadn't forgotten.

After finishing her makeup, Chen Dongqing saw Lin Yuanhua on her way back to the dressing room.

She's not hosting today; she's just here to watch the game.

Seeing Chen Dongqing with his teammates, the two didn't exchange many words. Lin Yuanhua made a cheering gesture, and Chen Dongqing smiled and nodded.

The veterans at QG seemed unfazed by the situation, except for Shi Senming, who leaned over and grinned, asking, "Is this Sister-in-law Shu?"

"What's this 'Sister-in-law Tree' thing? Kids, don't talk nonsense." Chen Dongqing shoved Shi Senming's head away, looking smug.

Xiao Ming felt a little wronged, thinking to himself, "You're only a year older than me."

But he didn't say it aloud.

Back in the locker room, the coach and manager gave the QG players a pep talk, and soon staff knocked on QG's door, signaling them to get ready to go on stage.

Chen Dongqing nodded and shouted, "I've won the first MVP of the Spring Split! Let's go!"

Xiangguo and Uzi followed closely behind, shouting, "You can forget about it!"

Having weathered the trials of the past year, QG has now arrived in the LPL as a champion, with only one goal: to win everything!

The stadium was already packed with people, with countless spectators waving their light sticks and making noise.

The event began with a promotional video for the Spring Split.

The promotional video opens with the camera cutting to Uzi, Rookie, and Clearlove in turn, and the color tone of the video is adjusted to a relatively somber gray.

Rookie plays guitar alone in a Shanghai skyscraper, Factory Manager trains alone in the training room, and Uzi walks on a pedestrian bridge. The three of them talk to each other, expressing their own perseverance.

This promotional video is divided into three parts. This is the first part – the perseverance chapter, dedicated to the veteran players who have persevered in the competition.

Soon, the screen went black, and the promotional video transitioned to its middle segment.

It was still the overpass, and Uzi's broad figure reappeared, walking slowly towards the camera.

Just then, a figure suddenly stepped out from below the camera.

The person had their back to the camera and was wearing a hood, but it wasn't hard to tell who it was from their slender figure and handsome appearance.

Behind the figure, several English letters were engraved.

"Ilex"

The screen then transitions to displaying all the championships LPL won last year.

Along the way, QG won the Grand Slam honor in 2016.

This is the second part – the chapter of glory.

As the champion region last year, LPL carries unparalleled glory.

The Glory chapter has only one protagonist, and that is the FMVP!

As Chen Dongqing slowly moved forward, the representatives of the other teams soon appeared, and the twelve teams were quickly introduced.

The promotional video quickly cut to its final segment.

Another group of people appeared.

JackeyLove, iboy, and others also appeared in the shot, occupying a significant portion of the screen.

As young players who have not yet played but are already highly anticipated, the two represent a part of the future hope of the competition area. The group came out from behind Chen Dongqing and walked in the same direction as him.

But the main character is still Chen Dongqing.

Because Chen Dongqing is not only the FMVP, but also a 19-year-old young player. He is both an honor and a hope.

At the end of the Hope segment, Chen Dongqing takes off his hood and looks back at the camera.

At this moment, the colors also become brighter.

The video ends here.

Holy crap, that's awesome!

[Tree Bro is the main character; the entire story unfolds from his perspective.]

Of course, if you become the Finals MVP, you're also a main character.

Hahaha, Brother Tree has shown off again!

Backstage, Chen Dongqing looked at the screen and got goosebumps.

Why did he feel that the awkwardness was just right?

Then, host Ren Dong quickly took to the stage and shouted, "The 2017 LPL season begins again! Who will win the Silver Dragon Cup? Let's wait and see!"

"Today, the Spring Split opening match is about to begin. Let's give a warm round of applause to the 2016 World Championship winners—QG!"

Ren Dong drew out his words and shouted loudly, and the stage instantly spewed out a torrent of dry ice, and the lights began to flash wildly!

Amidst the deafening cheers of the audience, the QG team finally took to the stage!

Since QG defeated three Korean teams to win the championship, it can be said that most LPL viewers are their fans, and no team can compete with them.

Next, Ren Dong invited FPX onto the stage. Although the cheers were still enthusiastic, they were clearly no match for QG.

Hearing the cheers from below the stage, Doinb felt a pang of sadness, which was precisely the reason he left the team.

Although QG has a large fan base, Doinb understands that the vast majority of fans are fans of Chen Dongqing and Uzi, and his fan base as a mid-laner is not very large.

When QG's top laner and AD carry are mentioned, people think of "the world's best AD carry" and "FMVP".

When people mention mid lane, they think of "freeloaders", "playing the game by taking advantage of the situation", and "the real-life leader of the banner".

Doinb's eyes gradually turned serious.

Today, I must win!

"Alright, please take your seats, both players. The first game's ban/pick phase will begin shortly!"

Sorry, I forgot to set it to update automatically after the update.

(End of this chapter)