League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 346 The Group Stage Begins! (Thanks to WarmSun1314 for the Silver Alliance donation~)

(I really didn't expect to reach Silver rank, after all, I'm just a nobody who doesn't even have a leader in the alliance.)

With the qualifying rounds concluded, the countdown to the World Championship has officially begun.

All teams have identified their opponents, and the analyst teams of each team are in a state of intense activity. Each team has also chosen its hypothetical enemy and begun specialized training.

Samsung's appearance obviously added to QG's workload. The team started a training match with Samsung the next day. Both sides had their own agendas, trying their best to hide their own information while trying to find out each other's secrets.

Time flies.

The day finally arrived: September 5st.

Riot Games deliberately posted a tweet at noon Beijing time.

The group stage officially kicks off today! Are you ready?

Underneath this tweet, Riot Games also attached a picture, which was a newly taken official photo of Chen Dongqing after he arrived in Wuhan. In the picture, he is wearing the QG team uniform, facing the camera from a high position, with a smirk on his face and his right hand extended, making a gesture of imaginary chokehold.

If you're a Star Wars fan, you might immediately recognize this as Darth Vader's Force chokehold move from Star Wars.

Under this tweet, countless esports fans from abroad were extremely excited and overjoyed. There were even numerous fans of Chen Dongqing making wild comments under the tweet, saying that the god of top lane is about to start dominating the World Championship again, and other teams should get ready!

It can only be described as extremely cringeworthy.

Meanwhile, our top laner, God, has arrived at the Wuhan Sports Center by bus.

The moment Chen Dongqing stepped off the car with his backpack, the surrounding noise instantly escalated to another level, with countless fans cheering and screaming!

Chen Dongqing smiled and waved to his fans, and then he heard someone shout, "Go, Brother Shu! We must crush Samsung today!"

As the host country's number one seed, QG naturally had to take the stage in the first match of the group stage, hoping to bring good luck.

Their opponent was Samsung, the last team to join the group.

Chen Dongqing laughed and said, "Okay! I'll try my best this time and try to clear the top lane within thirty minutes, okay?"

"Great!" The surrounding fans echoed in agreement.

When Samsung starts playing the "turtle" strategy, breaking through in 30 minutes becomes a real challenge.

Chen Dongqing stepped into the venue and, as usual, went into the dressing room first to check the peripherals. The whole process was no different from that of domestic competitions. Even the staff responsible for collecting the peripherals were familiar faces from the LPL!

"That's the home advantage," Chen Dongqing said with a smile to the person next to him. "Seeing all these familiar faces makes me feel like I'm playing in the LPL, there's no pressure at all."

"That's you!" Meiko, standing nearby, complained as the EDG members entered the dressing room. "I get so nervous just thinking about the World Championship being held at home this year. I'm terrified something will go wrong."

"So what if there's a problem? It's just a matter of skill level." Chen Dongqing let the makeup artist paint on his face, then spread his hands like a bear and said, "Besides, your position isn't exactly easy to mess up, is it? In this version, supports can just pick a soft support to provide shields from behind."

"Indeed!" Shi Senming nodded in agreement. "I'll just pick Janna to stand in the back and protect Jian Zihao. If anyone tries to attack, I'll use my ultimate. I often don't even pick up the gold coins dropped by Ancient Coins. Who can kill me?"

Shi Senming's words clearly revealed his scoundrel mentality.

He also understood that in the QG team, the support player didn't need to put in much effort; he just needed to do his job well to win the game.

That's why Riot Games said in their review that he wasn't the strongest support, but he was the most suitable support for QG.

The phrase "suitable for QG" alone is enough to place him in the TOP20.

Of course, don't think this is easy, after all, some people will ruin the whole team just because they are greedy for that one ancient coin.

Chen Dongqing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Meiko frowned beside her: "What are you laughing at?"

Chen Dongqing waved his hand, "I thought of something happy."

Meiko didn't know what was going on with Chen Dongqing, but he didn't dwell on it. He simply said, "You're about to go on stage, right? Good luck! The reputation of our LPL depends on you guys!"

"Don't worry!" Chen Dongqing waved his hand, "I'll just play casually against Samsung! Watch and learn from them backstage, you might even have to play in the knockout stage."

While chatting, the simple makeup process was over. The QG members stood up together, gave their seats to EDG, and then went back to their rest room to wait for their match to begin.

Not long after, staff knocked on the door of QG's lounge.

Chen Dongqing immediately understood, stood up, and walked out of the lounge with his teammates to the backstage passage.

Standing at the head of the team, Chen Dongqing looked at the dazzling stage not far away, and the theme song MV of S7 inexplicably echoed in his mind.

In the video, he was standing in a similar position at the time.

Immediately afterwards, he heard Ren Dong's voice coming from the stage: "Good afternoon, everyone here and watching on your screens! Welcome to the Wuhan Sports Center!"

"After a week of fierce competition in the qualifying rounds, the sixteen teams that will compete in the group stage have been finalized, and the tournament will officially begin today!"

"Over the next ten days, the sixteen teams will be divided into four groups to determine the final eight teams advancing to the knockout stage!"

"But before that, let's first invite the 2016 World Championship winners—QiaoGu—to come forward and return the Summoner's Cup!"

With a wave of his hand, Ren Dong caused the stage lights to flicker and fade away.

The process of returning the trophy was rehearsed yesterday, so Chen Dongqing was experienced. He reached out and laboriously lifted the trophy that was placed next to him.

"Wow, it's so heavy!" Chen Dongqing exclaimed with some difficulty. "It didn't feel this heavy when I won the championship last year!"

Despite his words, he walked briskly onto the stage, holding the trophy in both hands.

In that instant, all the spotlights shone on him, making the Summoner's Cup shine brightly.

Countless spectators couldn't wait to start cheering and screaming, creating an incredibly powerful atmosphere. Even the numerous teams sitting backstage could clearly hear this terrifying sound wave!

This is QG playing at home!

When the world's most popular team appears on their home turf, they deserve this kind of momentum!

Chen Dongqing stood in front of the trophy stand and waited for a moment. Uzi and Xiangguo quickly walked to his sides. The three remaining champion members each held one hand and slowly placed the trophy in the center of the stand!

This was a moving scene, and countless photographers pressed their shutters, flashes went off wildly, capturing the moment on their memory cards.

Ren Dong then continued shouting, "Alright, let's welcome the rest of the teams! Next up is the first seed from Group B, SK Telecom T1, the number one seed from the LCK region!"

As Ren Dong was speaking, the QG members slowly left the scene.

Now it's time for the sixteen teams to take the stage and showcase their skills. However, the stage for this competition is clearly not large enough to accommodate all the players from these sixteen teams, so they will be taking the stage one by one.

Meanwhile, Lee Sang-hyeok walked onto the stage from the opposite side of the stage, which once again caused quite a stir.

Currently, Faker doesn't have much conflict with the LPL region. In fact, because of their repeated losses to QG, viewers are even more fond of Faker.

Of course, their general thinking is that Faker is already quite old and can be considered a veteran with a distinguished reputation, so respect is all that matters.

After Faker, G2 and FW teams also took to the stage. The domestic audience was quite enthusiastic, offering polite cheers instead of anything too extreme like "going to the library."

Ren Dong then invited the eight teams from the No. 2 seed pool to the stage one by one.

On the big screen, the logos of the sixteen teams shone side by side.

Ren Dong immediately shouted, "All sixteen teams have assembled! Thus, the month-long 2017 League of Legends World Championship officially begins!"

With Ren Dong's shouts, the team presentation segment ended. Teams that did not have a match today could prepare to leave, while teams that had matches but were scheduled for later returned to the rest room, waiting to go on stage amidst a long period of tension and anticipation.

QG and SSG, who were in charge of the unveiling, went back to the lounge to get their mice and keyboards before going on stage!

The live stream had now switched to the commentary booth, where Wawa and Miller, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately took over the conversation.

"Alright, welcome to the match between QG and SSG! This is not only the first match of the S7 World Championship main event, but also the first match for the LPL, and QG's first match! I hope the QG players can live up to expectations and secure a winning start!"

In the footage, both players have taken to the stage and are preparing for the match.

The director seized the opportunity to show the match data for both teams.

Upon seeing the data, the child couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

What is this thing?

Even the audience below the stage gasped in surprise!

QG——SSG.

90.7% - Win Rate - 57.5%

10443 — GD (Leading in Average Economy) — 2044

92.5% – Baron% (Baron's Control Rate) – 61.2%

"QG's average gold lead of over 10,000 and their 92% Baron control rate are terrifying!" Wawa couldn't help but grin at the sight. "Compared to Samsung, their stats are just too much!"

The doll spoke quite frankly, because what he said wasn't just baseless criticism; it was based on solid evidence, and he spoke openly and honestly.

This is the source of QG's confidence!

"That's absolutely outrageous!" Miller couldn't help but laugh. "But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, QG's dominance in the region is unmatched, while SSG stumbled their way in, only managing to qualify as the third seed through the gauntlet!"

Seeing this data, the two commentators' confidence soared, but before they could say anything more, the director's prompt came through their headsets.

The child perked up and immediately said, "Alright, the draft phase has begun. Let's turn the camera to the players and coaches on both sides and see how the draft goes!"

"QG had the first choice of side in this game, but this time they actively chose the blue side. Compared to the Summer Finals, their draft strategy should have undergone a slight change!"

The drafting and banning (BP) process in the World Championship is actually quite different from that in regional competitions.

One thing is very obvious: the drafting and banning (BP) phase at Worlds is extremely competitive.

Because this match is very important, no one wants to lose.

If you're playing in the playoffs within your region, you might think you can handle Kalista, so you'll try to let her go and play her a bit more.

But in the world championships, no one would be willing to take that risk.

Often, some heroes aren't actually that strong, but the risks are there, and many teams really don't dare to try them.

In this situation, QG also chose to change their BP strategy, switching to the blue side.

Of course, inevitably, after selecting the blue buff, the tactics will have to shift towards the bottom lane.

"Alright, both sides made their bans very quickly. QG on the blue side banned Gragas, Poppy, and Janna, while SSG on the other side banned Kalista, Fiora, and Jayce as their last pick! Now it's time to select!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than QG made a swift selection, immediately picking Lulu.

On the other side, SSG also acted swiftly, locking onto Logarmar.

Xayah and Rakan are still invincible in this version, but Rakan doesn't synergize well with Ardent Censer, so they usually need to pick a soft support in the mid lane. Karma is the best choice, so they have to pick her first.

However, SSG still has some concerns.

Because QG's draft picks are very flexible.

If SSG needs to pick Karma, then no matter which of their champions they pick—Xayah or Rakan—the other one is easily eliminated.

If SSG picks Xayah, QG could easily move Lulu to the mid lane and then pick Rakan. In that case, QG's mid-support composition would actually be better.

Rakan's priority is definitely higher than Xayah's.

There was no other way for Samsung but to pick Rakan and then let Xayah be available. Let's see what QG has to say.

If QG picks Xayah, both bot lanes will be uncomfortable and stuck in an awkward position.

At this point, Banbazi was also asking Uzbekistan for his opinion.

Uzi grinned and sneered, "Is that even a question? Xayah and Rakan are easy prey, aren't they? Let them pick! Give me Caitlyn, if we can't take down their bot lane tower in ten minutes, I'll eat my hat."

"That's what I've been waiting for!" Banbazi patted Uzi's broad shoulder, telling Xiangguo to lock onto Sejuani first, and then to have Godway on the third floor lock onto the policewoman.

SSG, on the other hand, locked onto Kasumi on the third floor.

Thus, the tone of the business agreement between the two sides was set.

QG hopes to rely on Sejuani's early game tempo and Caitlyn and Lulu's pressure to push the bottom half of the map, which is the standard QG Caitlyn tempo.

On the other hand, SSG employs a variety of drafting strategies.

They then added an excavator as their fourth pick, leaving the counter pick for the top laner.

SSG's top laner Cuvee has also performed exceptionally well this year. Among the top 20, he ranks the highest among Samsung players, at number 8, which is comparable to Smeb. He is a reliable top laner.

Of course, every top laner in the world needs to play a game against Ilex to prove their true strength.

Faced with the first pick, Chen Dongqing and Gao Dewei discussed it and decided to pick Galio for the mid lane to counter Karma while also providing front-line attributes.

Chen Dongqing, however, took a different approach and targeted a hero that no one expected—Ryze!

Ryze also received a major buff in this version, with the AP ratio of his W increasing from 0.2 to 0.6.

This significantly increases the hero's damage in the late game, with a single combo dealing hundreds more damage, which is quite considerable!

However, the buffed Ryze is usually picked in the mid lane, so this is the first time I've seen him picked in the top lane.

This unusual hero selection made Cuvee hesitate for a long time. After confirming that QG's lineup would be Ryze in the top lane, he finally decided to pick Jarvan IV!

Ryze is a champion with distinct characteristics: he's strong in sustained combat, has a powerful crowd control ability that roots and immobilizes enemies, but he's slow.

The Prince has distinct characteristics: he is stronger than Ryze in a stand-up fight, and due to the special mechanism of his EQ combo, he can forcefully dash forward while under the root effect, making him an absolute counter to Ryze!

Furthermore, to put it another way, Prince is a popular top laner in this version, so there's no problem picking him as a front-line utility champion to initiate team fights!

At this point, the heroes for both sides have been determined.

Blue side QG: Top lane Ryze, Jungle Sejuani, Mid lane Galio, Bot lane Caitlyn and Lulu.

Red team SSG: Top lane Jarvan IV, Jungle Rek'Sai, Mid lane Karma, Bot lane Xayah and Rakan.

With the ban/pick phase over, the first match of the group stage officially began amidst cheers from the audience!

The group stage matches won't be written out of context; there will be a storyline structured around them.

Once this part of the story is over, you'll directly enter the elimination rounds; it won't be long.

Then here's an update for Ryze.

(To ensure a good reading experience, the update about Ryze mentioned at the end of the chapter is placed at the end. Because the illustration on Qidian has a minimum size limit, I have included some extra content from the top and bottom.)

See you tomorrow, guys!

(End of this chapter)