League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 285 That's Enough

"Alright, let's congratulate QG! They've taken the lead and won the first game!"

Colonel Guan laughed and said, "It's clear that QG has undergone a complete transformation since Brother Shu came back!"

"Yeah!" Remember chimed in excitedly, "This match was just like the one against EDG. Uzi was heavily targeted, but it was useless! Because Tree in the top lane would make the difference!"

By now, the whole world understands that when facing QG, targeting only one lane is ineffective.

Because QG's two main carries are positioned on opposite sides of the map, if you target one, the other will always step up and end the game.

To beat QG, you have to completely shut down both of their main carries.

But this alone is something that no team in the world can do.

Because Gao Dewei and Xiang Guo are not pushovers either.

Meanwhile, IG's backstage staff were also researching this issue.

The TV in the lounge was showing the selection of the MVP for the first game.

Without a doubt, this MVP award can only go to Vayne.

With a score of 11-0-2, Vayne dealt a staggering 43% of the damage because Uzi hadn't even had a chance to unleash his full potential yet!

This percentage of damage is truly astonishing!

Chen Dongqing raised his hands to his eyes, striking a pose as if aiming a pistol, which complemented the marksman attributes of the VN behind him.

If you also consider that QG's AD carry is Uzi, this feels a bit like NTR (Netorare, a form of infidelity/cheating).

The current IG coach, Mafa, has no way of dealing with this behemoth standing in the way of the team.

This is no longer a tactical issue; it's a matter of the players' skill level.

Their team's star player, Rookie, was locked in a fierce battle with the opposing team's GodV, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

GodV was only the third-ranked player in QG, and sometimes he was even ranked fourth.

Do you think this can be compared?

TheShy then said in Korean, "If I were given the second pick for top lane, I might be able to put up a fight against the other team."

Rookie relayed TheShy's words in Chinese, causing a moment of silence in the lounge.

Coach Mafa immediately rejected the suggestion.

This is their turn to choose sides, and they will almost certainly choose the blue side. It's unlikely that TheShy will get the counter pick.

What? You actively chose the red side?

No need.

In Mafa's eyes, TheShy is not worth the team's sacrifice.

At this point, Su Xiaoluo proposed a new strategy: "Let the enemy team have Camille, weakening their top laner's laning ability, then let the top laner withstand the pressure, and continue to focus on the bot lane with Xayah and Rakan. What do you think of this?"

The people on IG looked at each other.

They were also undecided.

But it's not impossible.

For example, in that game just now, if the top lane hadn't collapsed so badly, they could actually have won.

A Vayne going 3-0 in seven minutes is terrifying to even think about.

Although Mafa disliked the manager's interference in business development, upon closer examination, he realized that this approach wasn't entirely unacceptable.

QG hasn't picked Xayah and Rakan yet, always banning them themselves, which obviously shows they're not very proficient with them. If they pick blue buff, they'll most likely get it.

"That's settled then. Duke will play in the next game."

When it comes to handling pressure, Duke is clearly more experienced.

Upon hearing this, TheShy couldn't help but sigh and lower his head.

Sitting next to him, Rookie reached out and patted his younger brother on the shoulder, telling him in Korean not to be discouraged, that this was just an adjustment period.

In the corner of the lounge, Duke, who was suddenly called out, shuddered and abruptly raised his head.

Gods and demons must choose me!

When Chen Dongqing went back on stage, he saw that the opposing top laner had become Duke, and he smiled and waved to him.

But Duke didn't seem to want to interact with this demon much. He simply nodded, turned around, sat down in his seat, and started frantically logging into his account.

Chen Dongqing raised an eyebrow and sat back down in his seat.

As planned, IG's draft picks in this game included Camille, Galio, Xayah, and Rakan, and they also picked Rakan first.

Between Xayah and Rakan, Rakan has a higher priority, so you should prioritize picking Rakan.

QG's Xayah and Rakan weren't high priority picks to begin with, and now that Rakan is gone, they certainly won't pick them. Instead, they'll choose Camille and Galio.

QG's consistent draft strategy involves using Camille as a top/jungle flex pick, leaving the top lane choice for last.

This is why TheShy can't have a Counter bit.

For QG on the red side, Ilex is always the last pick for top lane, without exception.

The business plan was completed quickly by both sides.

Blue side IG: Top laner Renekton, jungler Lee Sin, mid laner Cassiopeia, bot lane Xayah and Rakan.

Red team QG: Top lane Kennen, Jungle Camille, Mid lane Galio, Bot lane Ashe and Lulu.

In this match, IG continued to adhere to their fixed strategy of ganking the bottom lane.

However, they did not expect that QG had changed their strategy in this game, and Xiangguo also shifted his focus to the bottom lane.

Since you've chosen Renekton for the top lane to just coast along, Renekton is a champion that's all about being a utility champion, strong in the early and mid-game.

Then just pick an AD Kennen for Chen Dongqing and let him play it. Anyway, the top lane will definitely be advantageous, and Renekton's strong advantage in the early and mid-game won't be able to be fully utilized.

Then helping the bot lane is the end of the game.

We can't keep ignoring Uzbekistan, can we?

Within three minutes, Xiangguo made a gank in the bottom lane, forcing the enemy Xayah to use Flash.

At 4 minutes and 43 seconds, Ning also made a move on the bottom lane, but Gao Dewei immediately teleported to protect him.

Rookie was also knocked out!

The two sides clashed in the bottom lane for a long time, but no one got a kill.

Six minutes in, Xiangguo seized an opportunity when Gao Dewei had a big move and directly attacked the bottom lane.

Camille used her E-flash to kick Xayah in the face, followed by Galio's ultimate. Xayah, who was level 5 and didn't have Flash, couldn't escape the magic circle. After being knocked up by Galio's ultimate, Galio followed up with crowd control, and Uzi walked over and secured the kill with two arrows!

But then, IG launched a counterattack.

Eight minutes later, Rakan reached level six. With Xayah baiting him from the front, Rakan initiated with a RE Flash W combo, which was unstoppable, and was forcibly lifted up by Uzi!

Ning appeared from the flank, landed a Q, and then used his second Q to secure the kill.

In the first eight minutes of the game, the two sides traded kills, resulting in a slow 1-1 score.

It's clear that both sides are playing very cautiously, not daring to be too aggressive.

IG is being cautious because QG is a formidable opponent, and they have to be careful.

QG is being cautious because they don't care; they'll play it safe and Tree will make a move.

The camera cuts to the top lane, where Kennen is seen pinning Renekton under the tower and beating him up.

After attacking twice, the crocodile under the tower had only one-third of its health left.

At this moment, Kennen seemed unable to hold back any longer and used his E to charge towards the tower!

The crocodile used his ultimate ability to heal, but it was completely useless!

Kennen also activated his ultimate, using the attack speed bonus after his E skill ended to chase down the crocodile and auto-attack repeatedly, stunning him repeatedly and easily securing a kill.

"Cinnabar!" exclaimed the commentator, "and we can see that the top laner has already gained nearly ten kills!"

Below the stage, countless dogs sighed repeatedly.

I sent it again.

This summer, the team finally solved the bot lane problem and brought in Ning instead of Kid, making fans really think IG was about to take off.

But as it turns out, IG is still lacking something.

They simply couldn't find a way to win the game.

This is LPL.

Being a fan of any team other than QG is destined to be torture.

After the top lane becomes unbalanced, the inevitable result is that IG will need to put some effort into the top side of the map to prevent the top lane from being completely overwhelmed.

But with the focus shifted to the top lane, Uzi in the bottom lane was freed up again.

Ashe initiates with her ultimate skill, followed by Lulu's speed boost as they chase and unleash a barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, IG's bot lane Xayah and Rakan were not afraid and immediately used their ultimate abilities to counterattack, with both sides exchanging firepower!

But as it turns out, Lulu was a bit of a fool.

At 28 minutes and 22 seconds, amidst the passionate cheers of QG fans, IG's crystal shattered for the second time.

At this moment, on Lingshi Road, is the EDG base.

"Wow, QG really went all out in those two games!"

The EDG players looked at each other in disbelief as they watched the explosion at the IG base.

They knew that this version of IG was actually quite strong.

Even in scrims against them, IG's win rate was quite good.

But this very team was completely crushed by QG in both games.

The EDG players recalled their match against QG a few days ago.

In that match, EDG defeated QG 2-1, breaking their winless streak against QG and improving their head-to-head record against QG to 3-16.

Judging from this match, it's clear how hard-won that victory was a few days ago.

Thinking of this, the EDG players sighed again, and even Clearlove felt a pang of sadness.

Since their inception in Season 4, EDG has been the dominant force in the LPL. From Season 4 to Season 5, they won three LPL championships and one runner-up title.

But since S6, when QG was formed, they have never won a championship, winning two runner-up titles in a row, and this year they didn't even make it to the finals!

EDG's first victory against QG was achieved by taking advantage of the opponent's incomplete lineup and the absence of their star player, resulting in a hard-fought three-game series.

That's so discouraging.

"Ahem." Abu thought for a moment and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. In our opinion, QG also has problems! What's the use of a strong top lane? It's the bottom lane meta now, and it's our meta. We just need to maintain our good form, and I believe we can win!"

EDG is destined to stand at the top of the league. No matter how badly they lose, they will always keep their sights on the championship.

The factory manager then put aside his sighs and started watching the live stream again.

The two players are shaking hands at this moment.

Chen Dongqing stood smiling in front of Rookie and said that familiar "Go for it!" again.

Rookie just felt a little tired.

Having been the team's leader in IG for so many years, it feels like nothing has changed; I've always lost more than I've won.

"Everything will be better next year," Chen Dongqing said with a smile. "You still have an AD carry who hasn't played yet."

Rookie then looked up and nodded, saying, "Once Jackey gets on the court, we'll definitely win!"

After more than half a year of training and matches, Rookie has a lot of confidence in his 16-year-old brother.

"There's still one round left in the regular season, see you next time." Chen Dongqing patted Song Yijin's arm and walked towards the next person.

Before me stood a tall, rather imposing contestant.

Chen Dongqing's height of 183cm is already quite outstanding among professional players, but he is still slightly shorter than Ning Wang.

The person in front of me seemed quite dissatisfied with the defeat. He shook hands with a strong grip, but he didn't say anything defiant. He just stood there with his head held high, exuding an air of dominance.

The two were not very familiar with each other yet, so Chen Dongqing simply nodded in acknowledgment and then looked at the next person.

Duke.

It could be described as old rivals meeting again, or as enemies meeting on a narrow road.

Chen Dongqing could clearly see the word "frustration" on his opponent's face.

But Chen Dongqing could also understand what was causing the other person's frustration.

It's been over a week since the Summer Split started, and Duke hasn't played a single game.

My first match was against QG, and I was playing under pressure, with my teammates not helping me at all.

That's worse than not going at all.

Even though Duke is usually optimistic and has a great attitude, he is finding it difficult to cope with this situation.

Chen Dongqing was the perpetrator, so of course he couldn't say anything. He simply shook hands and then bowed with his teammates in the center of the stage.

While packing up his peripherals back at his spot, Xiangguo remarked, "Matches with Chen Dongqing are so much easier. Bai Jiahao is really unreliable."

"That's normal." Chen Dongqing didn't deny the situation and said with a smile, "69's current level is passable, but when it comes to playing against EDG, he's still a bit lacking."

The group walked back to the backstage chatting and laughing. As expected, Chen Dongqing was stopped by Yu Shuang halfway there.

After taking a week off, he delivered a phenomenal performance in his first game, racking up incredible stats, making it impossible for him to avoid being interviewed.

Holding a microphone, Chen Dongqing walked around the stage with Yu Shuang, not forgetting to turn back and glance at the MVP candidate.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the MVP of this game.

This was a classic game where the two AD carries dominated, accounting for 60% of the team's damage output. However, Uzi, as the core of the team in the mid-game, achieved a higher participation rate and tower pushing stats, so the MVP of this game was awarded to the bottom lane.

The end of the MVP phase means the start of the interviews.

Chen Dongqing followed Yu Shuang to the interview area, and then saw the red light on the camera turn on.

"Okay, welcome to the post-match interview. Today we've invited Brother Shu, who's back from his leave, for an interview. Brother Shu, please say hello to everyone!"

The nickname "Brother Tree" has now been accepted by the public and is even widely known abroad.

Chen Dongqing greeted everyone cheerfully, immediately causing a stir among the audience.

The audience was quite satisfied with Chen Dongqing's first appearance in the summer competition.

Yu Shuang quickly began asking questions, starting with her usual question about any special feelings she had about the victory.

"I'm very happy to have won this match. After all, you know, we, QG, lost the last match against EDG."

Chen Dongqing said with a smile, "After losing the match, I saw many fans expressing regret and disappointment. So this match can be considered a boost to their morale."

It's precisely because they've never lost that the matches they've lost seem all the more glaring and conspicuous.

Fortunately, after Chen Dongqing returned, the game was won easily.

Yu Shuang smiled and asked her second question: "Since this is Brother Shu's first appearance in the Summer Split, let me ask you again, what are your goals for the Summer Split?"

"What are my goals for the Summer Split?" Chen Dongqing thought for a moment and said, "I'll try to win the FMVP."

Chen Dongqing spoke confidently before the match because he believed that even if QG was targeted by the designers, they would not lose.

The audience below the stage erupted in applause and cheers, clearly very excited.

Brother Shu's interviews never disappoint.

After the interview, Chen Dongqing walked briskly back to the lounge, just in time to hear Linko shouting loudly ahead of him:

"That was a great win! After this match, there won't be any strong opponents until the Intercontinental Championships. Let's aim to win them all!"

Listening to Linko's words, Chen Dongqing quickly lay down on the sofa in the lounge, recalling the match schedule in his mind.

After the IG match ended, only LGD and Snake remained as opponents before the Intercontinental Cup.

They are not really formidable opponents; QG could easily defeat them.

QG is now able to study their opponents in the Intercontinental Cup.

According to the plan, the top four teams from each region's spring split will participate in the Rift Rivals, so we need to study all four LCK teams at once, which is a challenging task.

As Chen Dongqing pondered this, he took out his phone and casually opened Tieba (a Chinese online forum).

This is an unmissable toilet surfing session after the game!

At this time, the competition had just ended, and the Anti-Japanese Bar was at the peak of discussion, with countless posts emerging.

Chen Dongqing glanced at it and realized that the rating post hadn't been published yet.

He sighed, slightly disappointed, and could only look at other posts.

"Just joined. What's your opinion on Tree's burst damage Vayne build? Is it viable in ranked games?"

How would you rate IG's top laner, TheShy?

Given the choice between the two, Chen Dongqing clicked on the second option without hesitation.

Perhaps because of his rebirth, Chen Dongqing always had an inexplicable enthusiasm for posts evaluating TheShy.

The comments below are also quite classic.

"This top laner is actually pretty good against other top laners, but every time he faces Tree, he just keeps feeding. It's really annoying."

"IG really fed too many in the first game. If they had fed fewer, they wouldn't have lost so quickly."

"Fun fact: TheShy is currently ranked first on the solo kill list, and also first on the solo kill victim list."

"There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how this player's style is. Instead of hoping he won't feed, you might as well hope he beats Tree Bro."

"Beat Brother Tree? You're dreaming."

Chen Dongqing squinted slightly as he looked at the post in front of him.

Why does this feel so déjà vu?

How come TheShy in 17 and TheShy in 23 have the same reputation?

Just as he was about to continue posting, Linko in front of him suddenly started calling on everyone to get up and get ready to eat.

To celebrate this relatively long-awaited victory, Linko decided to treat himself to something nice today and decided to go out for American barbecue.

The barbecue restaurant was recently recommended by Uzi and Godeway, two chubby guys. The reviews they heard were all quite good, so of course they had to give it a try.

Chen Dongqing, of course, would not refuse such a thing and readily agreed.

The group quickly got into the barbecue restaurant by car, and ten minutes later, plates of barbecue were served.

In front of Chen Dongqing was a pork rib. After being grilled, the surface of the rib was slightly charred, and the rich fat was sizzling out.

Chen Dongqing put on gloves, grabbed the ribs and pulled, tearing off a portion of the ribs.

Although it appears oily, it doesn't feel greasy at all upon tasting. Instead, it transforms into an exquisite tenderness and a burst of rich, fatty aroma that fills the mouth. The smoky, fruity notes also help to cut through the richness, instantly enriching the flavor of the ribs.

"Not bad!" Chen Dongqing nodded in satisfaction, giving it a very high evaluation.

He turned his head to look, only to find that Uz had no time to talk and was focused on the barbecue in front of him, eating with his mouth full of oil.

Chen Dongqing glanced at it sideways for a while.

This guy really doesn't care about weight management.

Fortunately, during the recent off-season, Chen Dongqing secretly guided Uzi to undergo a full-body check-up.

The test results were good, of course. At this point, Uzi didn't have anything like diabetes; his glycated hemoglobin level and everything else were normal. He only had carpal tunnel syndrome—a common occupational hazard for esports players, which is unavoidable.

Uzbekistan is currently riding high, winning every match and taking home every championship. With such a cheerful mood every day, his health is naturally much better.

That's enough.

These days, QG has brought in a professional sports rehabilitation team and will arrange regular physical examinations, putting the health of the players first.

Going forward, the QG team will undoubtedly get better and better.

Chen Dongqing stuffed another piece of rib into his mouth and chewed it with satisfaction.

That's enough.

Sorry I'm a little late.

I'll be on time tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)