League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 295 The Incense Burner Technique Shows Its Power for the First Time!

Seeing the LMS region eliminated, Chen Dongqing couldn't help but shake his head.

Pity.

If Flash Wolves can hold their nerve, they might actually be stopped by LCK in the semifinals.

But it must be said that it is indeed very difficult.

Banbazi turned his head and smiled, "But fortunately, we've also gathered the LCK's lineup order, which might be good news for our match tomorrow."

Of course, you can't believe everything you read.

After all, the strategy for LCK to compete against LMS and LPL is not necessarily the same.

The coaches of the four teams immediately held a short meeting to discuss the matter.

Chen Dongqing, having nothing to do, chose to casually play ranked matches.

Of course, he didn't play on the Taiwan server; he continued playing on the Chinese Super Server.

The skill level of the players on the Taiwanese server was too low, and the matches weren't very intense. Chen Dongqing felt it wasn't very exciting and preferred to endure the 50-60 ms latency and play in the Rift.

His current Summoner's Rift score is quite impressive; he is currently firmly holding the top spot and is even two hundred points ahead of Doinb, who is in second place.

On the contrary, Rouge from the StarCraft side is catching up more closely and has now overtaken Chen Dongqing again, returning to the first place.

Chen Dongqing was still using two different strategies to climb the ranks, and easily snatched first place back in just two games.

Rouge can play all night to catch up in points, but he can catch up in an hour.

I wonder if the other side will lose their composure.

Chen Dongqing's dual-thread operation once again surprised the other teams.

When Chen Dongqing regained the top spot in the Korean server and looked back, he found himself surrounded by a large group of people.

Xi Ye, looking completely unimaginative, exclaimed, "That's amazing, Brother Shu!"

"What's so special about this? Isn't it standard procedure?" Chen Dongqing said matter-of-factly.

As soon as Chen Dongqing started showing off, the people behind him dispersed, wishing they could spit on him.

Of course, their admiration for Chen Dongqing remained undiminished.

Look, this is what gaming talent is all about!

Mystic, who is from South Korea, was deeply shocked.

South Korea is a major star game nation, and almost all the young people in the country play this game.

Its status is very similar to the dominance of CrossFire in internet cafes ten years ago.

In this environment, Mystic was exposed to the game and played StarCraft for a while, and his skill level was quite good.

But it is precisely because of this that he can deeply understand the high value of Chen Dongqing's operation.

What a terrifying man!

Mystic gave Chen Dongqing a deep look.

The key point is that this guy is also handsome.

Dinner time came quickly. Because they were busy with their final training session, QG opted not to have a big meal and instead opted for a simple meal at the hotel restaurant.

As Chen Dongqing left the elevator, he happened to see the Flash Wolves players also exiting the elevator.

Chen Dongqing thought for a moment and said, "Not bad?"

"Oh, there's no need to say that," Karsa sighed. "I know we played terribly."

The Flash Wolves players also looked worried.

In their view, they really had a chance to advance, but they just didn't seize it.

As leaders of their local region, they inevitably felt guilty for failing to perform at crucial moments.

Karas thought for a moment and asked, "You guys will win tomorrow, right?"

Are they entrusting their children to others again?

Chen Dongqing's mind stirred slightly.

For some reason, QG is always seen as a target for abandonment.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely win."

"come on."

Chen Dongqing waved goodbye to the Flash Wolves.

After dinner, the LPL scrims continued.

Unlike the relatively relaxed atmosphere on QG's side, the other three teams took this match extremely seriously.

Unlike QG, who dominates international competitions, they are all tough opponents in international leagues, with the quarterfinals and round of 16 being commonplace for them.

Now, in the first Intercontinental Tournament, they have finally reached the finals of the international competition, and with their senior teammate leading the way, their chances of winning are extremely high.

They absolutely must seize this opportunity and win the championship.

Between training sessions, the four teams first held a short meeting together.

This small meeting is mainly to discuss tomorrow's competition and who will be the team playing in the first match.

The reason for holding this meeting is because of a minor conflict.

"Will QG be the first to play tomorrow?" Abu asked from the front, "After all, QG was the first to use this Incense Burner strategy."

Tomorrow, LPL will definitely be bringing out their long-treasured Ardent Censer strategy; that's for sure.

But according to the unwritten rules of the game, whoever comes up with the strategy gets to use it first, so QG should be the first to play tomorrow.

Then another problem arises.

"But we're the number one seed, so it's not really appropriate for us to go first, is it?" Banbazi said, frowning slightly.

Nobody will field the strongest team in the first match because the potential gains are too low.

Take today's example, LMS sent out their fourth seed in the first match.

If you send out QG at this time, wouldn't you be making a fool of yourself?

Even if they wanted to get off to a good start, they should have sent a strong team, but not an overly strong one.

For example, in the LCK, they sent out their second seed, SKT, in the first game, which was quite reasonable.

So here's the question: if QG doesn't play in the first game, what should the other teams do? Can they use this incense burner?

At this moment, Banbazi glanced at Chen Dongqing.

Theoretically speaking, this incense burner technique doesn't belong to QG; it's unique to Chen Dongqing.

He can make the decisions.

Chen Dongqing was sitting in the back, sipping his Coca-Cola, when he noticed his coach's gaze and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He thought for a moment and then said, "This incense burner technique isn't anything special. You can use it if you want, it's no big deal. But I only have one requirement: if you use my technique, you have to win!"

"Great!" A cheer rang out in the lounge, with many people shouting "Brother Tree is awesome!"

It's unclear when exactly, but Chen Dongqing has become a symbolic figure in the LPL, with players from the same region all following in his footsteps.

Although this figure was a tiny bit far away, almost invisible.

"But that brings us back to the question," Banbazi said, looking at the other teams, "who will play in the first match?"

Upon hearing this, each team displayed a different expression.

The expressions of the WE and FPX players clearly showed a hint of eagerness, with Lin Weixiang even raising his right hand high, as if afraid the coach wouldn't see him.

The EDG players, however, looked hesitant.

It's normal to hesitate at this point, since the first person to step up usually carries a heavier responsibility.

However, compared to the other two teams, EDG's hesitation seems out of place.

WE is eager to prove themselves, so of course they can't wait to be the first to play.

And FPX, needless to say, their corporate culture is all about charging forward.

Abu sighed inwardly upon seeing this.

In fact, mentality is also an important component in professional competitions.

Even within the same team, different mindsets can lead to different outcomes.

You may have been hesitant and timid before, with immense self-doubt, even thinking you couldn't beat Vietnam.

But after being eliminated, this team was able to launch an incredibly smooth offensive, even utterly crushing that year's champions.

What's scary isn't losing the game, but rather the fear of things escalating after a loss, leading to increasingly worse performances.

WE is a good team; after losing a match, they only think about how to win back the game.

But EDG's morale was definitely lacking.

As for the two teams that raised their hands, they were actually quite good.

WE's second seed perfectly fits the description of "strong, but not the strongest".

As for FPX, the fourth seed, it goes without saying that their strategy was a classic example of "Tian Ji's horse racing" (a Chinese idiom referring to a strategy where one player outmaneuvers another to control the market).

In the first game, both players played their cards based on intuition, and neither of them made any mistakes.

Banbazi then looked at Chen Dongqing and suddenly asked, "What about you? Who do you think should play in the first game?"

Chen Dongqing pointed to himself: "Let me choose? That doesn't make sense."

"This strategy is yours, so of course you have the right to decide who to put in action."

"In that case," Chen Dongqing scratched his head and looked at the two teams of contestants next to him.

Both teams were watching him.

Chen Dongqing thought for a moment and said, "You know, the people from FPX are my brothers."

At this point, the FPX members' eyes lit up, sensing that their opportunity had arrived.

As the fourth seed, helping the team secure their first BO5 victory is truly a remarkable achievement!

But Chen Dongqing quickly changed the subject, saying, "So, brothers, let's take a break. Let WE go first, let them be the vanguard, and get a win."

The FPX players collectively changed their expressions like they were performing a Sichuan opera, their faces turning resentful.

Xiye clenched his fist and shouted, "OK!"

"OK, then the first match is set."

Banbazi laughed and said, "I hope WE can get off to a good start in tomorrow's first match and gain an advantage for our LPL!"

"As for the teams in the second match, we'll decide tomorrow based on the situation!"

After the meeting, it was time for another busy training match.

This time, the group practiced until midnight before finally choosing to rest.

WE were still the last to leave. They had practiced the Ardent Censer strategy all night and had perfected it to an extreme.

Without dawdling, everyone rushed back to their rooms to shower and rest after the training match, striving to recover to their best condition.

Time quickly came to 7 PM on July 9th.

The Asian Intercontinental Championship finals have officially begun.

WE's players stepped onto the stage and saw their opponents for the first match.

Unfortunately, LCK made the same decision as LPL in this match.

It was a decision they made yesterday.

They decided to send out a strong, but not the strongest, team – the second seed, SKT.

"So, this match is a fair contest between the two sides!" Wawa shouted from the commentary booth. "Then this match is going to be interesting!"

A fair battle between the second seeds—this is the time to directly test the strength of both regions.

This is also a replay of the group stage matches.

In their last encounter, WE lost the match.

This time, even Chen Dongqing took it seriously and watched the match closely.

WE has decided to bring the Ardent Censer strategy to the stage this game, so their bot lane pick is of paramount importance.

After a round of selection, the bottom lane duo was finally decided.

This time, WE played extremely arrogantly, directly choosing the Kog'Maw and Lulu combination, whose late-game capabilities are arguably the best.

On the other side, SKT's bot lane featured a relatively standard Ashe and Karma.

Upon seeing the pair, Chen Dongqing couldn't help but smile.

While the Ashe and Karma combo boasts top-tier laning capabilities, its weakness lies in its ability to suppress opponents rather than secure kills, and its late-game potential is also relatively weak.

Even more outrageous, even if this combination pushes the lane into the tower, their jungler and mid laner don't know how to dive the tower.

How can you cross the line if there's no control over it?

In this kind of matchup, WE only needs to provide enough support to the bottom lane, and the game will improve quickly.

Whether the bottom lane can get enough protection depends on the mid-jungle matchup between the two sides.

The mid-lane duel between the two sides in this game was also a highlight.

During the group stage, the mid-lane matchup was Galio versus Cassiopeia.

Xiye used a Galio build with Mercury's Treads and Hextech Protobelt, but he was severely pressured.

Because Faker's Cassiopeia had already built a huge advantage during the transition from Mercury's Treads to Hextech Protobelt, it was too late when Xiye started building Abyssal Mask.

But this time, Xi Ye came prepared; he wasn't pretending anymore.

This time, Xiye went straight for the mid lane and picked Lucian, bravely showing his strength to fight against Faker's Orianna!

Seeing this match brought back some memories for Chen Dongqing.

The match started quickly.

In the mid lane, Xiye firmly controlled the lane thanks to the absolute advantage of the heroes' attributes, sending wave after wave of minions into the tower.

However, Faker remained calm in this situation, steadily farming minions with Orianna and keeping the CS difference between the two players very close.

For four and a half minutes, the two sides battled in the midfield and the field.

Score's Prince took advantage of Lucian pushing the lane and decisively launched a gank, but Condi's Lee Sin was also nearby. After a scuffle, all four of them used Flash and nothing happened.

Seeing that neither of the mid laners had Flash, Xi Ye glanced at the enemy Orianna and his killing intent began to rise.

Both teams recalled to base in the mid lane to replenish supplies, and then teleported back online simultaneously.

After Xiye went online, he immediately changed his laning style. Lucian began to aggressively pressure, and he would decisively move forward whenever there was an opportunity to trade blows, playing very fiercely.

The reason for this battle was the equipment that both sides replenished after returning to base.

Faker's recall build included a Doran's Ring, a Control Ward, and a Health Potion.

LCK's emphasis on vision control leads them to habitually buy control wards after recalling to base.

But Xi Ye is terrifying.

After returning to town, he immediately bought a second Doran's Blade and then used three health potions!

Three reds against one red, the attrition will not result in a loss!

In the mindless trade, Faker was quickly reduced to half health and had to crouch under the tower waiting for the minion wave to arrive.

Xiye wasn't in a hurry to push the lane; he only last-hit minions and slowly pushed, relying on potions to gradually increase his health.

At 5 minutes and 55 seconds, the last wave of minions was drawn out and cleared, and Lucian reached level six.

The minion wave pushes towards the tower.

Xi Ye looked at the Clockwork, which was only at level five, and his killing intent began to rise.

As the minion wave pushed into the tower, Xiye immediately threw out a W in the opposite direction to refresh his dual pistols, then started with a basic attack followed by a Q, then activated his dual pistols again, and finally used his ultimate [Holy Lance Baptism]!

Loot! Loot! Loot! Loot! Loot!

Countless bullets were fired wildly at Faker.

Faker's Orianna cast a shield on himself with EW and tried to use the speed boost to create distance.

But he went up, and Xi Ye went up; he went down, and Xi Ye went down.

This is not a reaction.

Every move he made was perfectly predicted by Xiye!

Grab it! Grab it! Grab it!

The moment the bullet brought Faker to low health, Xiye canceled his ultimate, used both guns and his E skill to create distance.

The dual pistols finished off Orianna, and the E skill allowed him to escape the tower with low health. The combo sequence was practically perfect!

The news of the first blood flashed across the screen, triggering a fierce shout from the audience!

"Nice! Su Hanwei!" The WE team's voice chat rang out in the LPL rest room—the rest room is directly connected to the players' voice chat.

Cheers erupted from the LPL backstage area!

Solo kill on Faker, achievement complete! And it was a tower dive solo kill!

Seeing this, Chen Dongqing knew that he had already won the round.

If the mid laner wins, then the bot lane will have a chance to survive.

Once the Ardent Censer monster is fully formed in the bottom lane, it's practically invincible!

Furthermore, WE's advantage in the mid and jungle continues to widen.

Eight minutes in, Condi's Lee Sin came to the mid lane and seized the opportunity when Faker's Flash was not yet ready. He used R-Flash to kick Faker back, forcibly taking him down in front of SKT's Jarvan IV, which once again caused a cheer from the audience.

With a significant advantage in the mid and jungle, WE's bot lane support Zero was able to farm very comfortably.

That's right, whether the ADC farms or not is irrelevant; the support's farm is the most important factor!

If it weren't for the support item's restriction on last-hitting, my brother-in-law would have loved to let the support last-hit all the minions!

Twelve minutes later, the key equipment appeared.

The incense burner has suddenly appeared!

From this moment on, WE's game pace began to accelerate rapidly.

With the golden combination of AD Hurricane and support Ardent Censer, the bot lane laning situation began to reverse!

SKT's bot lane duo, Wolf and Stick, were playing well and even had a slight 10-CS lead. However, when they returned to lane and tried to continue their previous pressure strategy, problems arose.

This big-mouthed butterfly seemed to completely disregard the two of them, and the Monarch Butterfly flapped its wings and swooped upwards!

SKT was completely confused, thinking that the enemy jungler had come. After confirming that the enemy jungler had just shown up in the top lane, the two of them decisively went forward to counterattack!

Ashe's ultimate, Karma's W+RQ combo, both of them unleashing all their damage!

This burst of damage was indeed impressive. Even with Lulu's ultimate, Kog'Maw was still reduced to half health by this combo!

And that's it.

The giant mouth started spitting out saliva, and its health bar started to rise instead of fall!

The Ice Hand was almost exhausted from shooting, but the damage it dealt was still less than the amount Kog'Maw recovered!

Finally, with Lulu's Q skill slowing him down, the brother-in-law forced Bang to use his ultimate, then flashed forward as well, spitting twice and using his ultimate again, easily securing the kill!

The situation in the bottom lane reversed instantly!

At that moment, everyone in the audience cheered, but also with a hint of astonishment.

This doesn't make sense!

How could Lulu, who only played for a little over ten minutes, possibly beat Ashe and Karma?

What about the subsequent damage to the two? Why isn't Big Mouth losing health anymore?

And that's not even the scariest part.

After the fight, Kog'Maw pushed the lane with Lulu's shield, and his health immediately began to rise rapidly!

When the minion wave pushed the tower, Kog'Maw was already at full health.

Immediately afterwards, Lulu gave another shield, Kog'Maw spat a few times, and killed Karma under the tower. Then, he casually attacked the minions a couple more times, and his health was back to full.

The bottom lane tower was also demolished as a result.

On SKT's side, their batons have gone numb.

What's going on here?

How did their perfectly good advantage just disappear so inexplicably?

Immediately afterwards, the two-killed Kog'Maw returned to base to replenish supplies, and when he went out again, he had an extra Bilgewater Scimitar in his hand, and his equipment speed began to increase.

Everyone originally thought that this game would be a carry game for Xiye in the mid lane, but inexplicably, Kog'Maw stole the show!

"Now it seems that this incense burner is to blame." LPL commentator Simier focused his attention on Lulu's equipment.

Lulu didn't bring any extra equipment this time.

Even the red bottle and straw sandals didn't appear.

After ancient coins, the next item is the incense burner.

But the effect is quite remarkable.

And when Kog'Maw arrives in the mid lane and joins Lucian, it becomes even more terrifying.

Lulu uses her left hand to accelerate and her right hand to shield, applying one shield to each of the two marksmen. WE immediately enters an invincible, all-out push state!

This is WE's extension of the Ardent Censer strategy – mid and bottom double marksmen!

The result of having one more person consume the incense burner is that there is one more invincible character.

In the end, during the 27-minute team fight, Lucian and Kog'Maw were surrounded by the pink light of Ardent Censer, and countless bullets were fired in succession. With their near-invincible tankiness and the AD's sufficient output, they defeated SKT!

WE won 1-0 in this battle of the second seeds, giving LPL a one-point lead!

(End of this chapter)