League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 459 The Number One Tsar in the Chinese Server

If he can't end the game after helping Uzbekistan build such a huge advantage, then he'll have failed to live up to his two titles.

The match then naturally shifted into Uzbekistan's rhythm.

Farming, pushing towers, team fighting—Uzi didn't die once in the following game and even achieved a godlike streak, ultimately leading his team to victory!

Watching QG's smooth rhythm, countless fans exclaimed that it was just right!

[This game's rhythm is good; we should play like this!]

[Ah Guang was quite crucial this game; at level six, he cleverly called for the sheep in the bottom lane, helping Xiao Gou secure first blood.]

Indeed, Ah Guang made the difference this time!

[The key was the good tempo later on; they timed their tower dive right after Xayah reached level 5, snowballing their lead!]

This is somewhat similar to the games where Brother Shu used to be in. Brother Shu was always like that, playing a crucial role whenever he played a tank!

Backstage at QG, Uzi, his earlier Guan Yu-like demeanor completely changed, and grinned at Chen Dongqing, saying, "Awesome, Chen Dongqing! You completely outmaneuvered the enemy!"

Chen Dongqing said with a grin, "It's alright, this is how I usually play."

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

Chen Dongqing's tank, although it didn't appear many times, always left a deep impression.

He would withstand pressure in the early game, then lure the jungler to the top lane, trick the enemy bottom laner into leaving their base, and finally come to the bottom lane himself to help the team secure the first blood. Only Chen Dongqing could come up with such a bizarre strategy.

Others might think of it, but they wouldn't do it.

What Chen Dongqing taught A Guang in this game wasn't actually a single game strategy, but rather a game method.

In this game, A-Guang didn't actually make any impressive plays. His strategy was very simple: since you're playing a tank, don't worry about farming. You only need to focus on two things: first, help your teammates get fed; second, limit the enemy's carry in team fights. That's all!

All that talk about trading blows and farming is nonsense. No matter how well you play Ornn in lane or how fed you are, it's still not as good as using one ultimate in a team fight to knock up both of the enemy's carries.

"Did you learn anything, Yan Junze?" Xiaohu said with a grin. "If you can even pick up a tiny bit of Brother Shu's game strategy, you'll be a top-tier top laner too!"

A-Guang, standing nearby, also fell into deep thought for a moment.

He probably does have a talent for handling pressure. If you asked him to learn how to lane or how to split push, he probably wouldn't be able to learn it even after a long time.

But if you teach him how to handle pressure and how to start a team, he'll understand immediately.

Ah Guang has attained enlightenment.

Soon, the two sides took to the stage for the third game.

This time, nothing unexpected happened.

Top laner A-Guang played Sion, aiming for a steady win. He initially managed to get a 0-1 score while at a disadvantage, but then rammed into Xiaohu with his ultimate, helping Xiaohu secure the kill.

At the same time, Xiangguo also came to the bottom lane to help Uzi kill the enemy support.

Following that, QG coordinated closely in the bottom half of the map, snowballing their advantage. In the final team fight, Letme sacrificed himself, with Sion entering the fray at low health and using his zombies to absorb massive damage. In the end, a seemingly unremarkable push completed the comeback, winning 2-1!

"Alright, congratulations to QG for securing their third win of the regular season! Even without Shuge playing, they still maintain their top-tier strength in the LPL!"

Hearing the baby's celebratory voice, Chen Dongqing refreshed the anti-counterfeiting bar in his hand.

After the victory, countless posts sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Okay, okay, Letme isn't as bad as I thought.

[Just a useless player who only knows how to play tanky champions; that's the kind of top laner I dislike the most.]

It doesn't matter, just being able to stay is good enough, carrying the team is Tree's job.

Indeed, as long as he can get by, I'll call him a god among gods.

Chen Dongqing couldn't help but shake his head helplessly as he looked at the post.

When they lost the first match, the forum members almost confiscated A-Guang's horse.

After coming back from a 0-1 deficit to win 2-1, they completely reversed the situation and almost became a god among gods.

That's how netizens are; their opinions change very quickly.

If you lose the first game, I'll call you a paramecium; if you win the fifth game, I'll call you a fierce tiger king.

While browsing the forum, Chen Dongqing heard the people around him getting up one after another.

He also stood up and went out to greet his teammates.

As you can see, Ah Guang did not return.

It's obvious that he went to give an interview.

Not long after, Ah-Guang appeared on the TV in the lounge.

"Hello everyone, I'm Mouse, the substitute top laner for QG." It's clear that A-Guang has a clear understanding of his role, as he directly states that he is the substitute top laner.

The host, Yu Shuang, responded with a smile, easing A Guang's tension, before posing her question.

The first question is simple and quite conventional—how you feel after winning.

"It actually felt pretty good," A-Guang said honestly. "Because we won today by coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1. I was under a lot of pressure at the time, and the game was quite thrilling, but thankfully we still won in the end."

"Coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 is truly remarkable!" Yu Shuang continued, following up on A Guang's words, "After losing the first game, what adjustments did your team make?"

"Actually, we didn't adjust anything much." A-Guang scratched his head sheepishly. "In the first game, the main problem was with my top lane. Back in the rest room, my teammates and coach pointed out the problems I had in the previous game, and then Brother Shu gave me a lot of crucial advice, and then we came back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1."

Yu Shuang was a little surprised: "Brother Shu didn't play today, but he can still contribute to the team?"

"Yes, he practically taught me everything step by step!" Letme even showed gratitude as he said this: "Actually, the reason I started practicing Ornn during the Spring Split was because Shu taught me. I'm very grateful for Shu's guidance!"

In fact, Chen Dongqing didn't do anything; he just gave him three brocade pouches and told him to follow the instructions in the pouches.

But it was precisely these three tips that benefited him greatly!

After today's match, A-Guang felt like all his years of professional gaming had been for nothing.

It turns out that all these years, he's been in a state of complete confusion!

Below the stage, countless audience members couldn't help but grin.

It has to be Brother Tree!

Even if he's sitting backstage, he helps the team win the game.

Inside the QG lounge, Uzi paused for a moment upon hearing this.

What are you talking about?

I carried you to victory in two games with MVP awards, and instead of thanking me, you thanked someone sitting on the bench, right?

Makes no sense.

At the same time, Xiao Hu also looked displeased.

You, Yan Junze with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, said before that you had no feelings for Brother Shu, but now you're sucking up to him?

However, Xiao Hu didn't take A Guang seriously.

There is also a difference between substitutes and starters.

Once Brother Shu returns to the team, I can fawn over him anytime. How can you compete with me while sitting on the bench?

"It seems like being able to be a substitute for a player like Shu Ge is really a lucky thing," Yu Shuang said with a bright smile when talking about Chen Dongqing. She continued, "After defeating JDG, QG will play WE away in the next match. Do you have any goals for yourself in the upcoming schedule?"

"Actually, I don't really have any goals to set," Ah Guang said embarrassedly. "I can only hope that I can guarantee I won't lose before Brother Shu comes back."

On June 24th, QG traveled to Xi'an to begin their away game trip.

After Xi'an, they still have to fly to Chongqing to face Snake on June 28th.

Chen Dongqing was completely absent from these two matches.

As you know, as a substitute who is clearly tanking and will not play, it's already more than enough that Chen Dongqing is even in the home team's locker room.

Away game? Impossible.

Chen Dongqing is eager to play DOTA2 training matches. As for his teammates, he wishes them all the best in Xi'an and Chongqing.

As for the result, it goes without saying that the four players in the lower half of the bracket performed well. This time, the distribution was quite even, with each of the mid, bottom, marksman, and support players winning an MVP award, bringing the regular season wins to 5.

After everyone returned, QG continued their campaign on July 1st and July 3rd, facing off against VG and IG respectively.

VG was alright; they weren't a particularly strong team. Uzi simply made a simple move and easily won the game.

But it's hard to say about IG.

After all, the 18 IG team was not an opponent that could be easily defeated by A-Guang with a sudden tremor or a sudden awakening.

Faced with the combined attack of IG's top, mid, and jungle players, even if A-Guang is good at playing it safe, he still has to obediently hand over his life.

In the first game, TheShy picked Fiora and vented all the frustration he had suffered at Chen Dongqing on A Guang.

So you're QG's top laner?

The level 1 player directly pushed out of the experience zone, forcing A-Guang to come up and exchange health in order to gain experience.

Once their health is low, we'll call on Ning to tower dive and take them down in one fell swoop.

Once he had a kill advantage, TheShy went on a rampage, pushing the minion wave to the tower before unleashing his ultimate to secure a solo kill!

After the four-hit combo, the ultimate ability counter next to Fiora's health bar showed 1.57 seconds, a standard four-hit combo in one second!

After TheShy got fed, the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. In the mid-game team fight, Uzi had a huge advantage and Ashe was chasing and shooting at the enemy. However, a Fiora suddenly appeared from the side and killed him with her ultimate after only two hits.

Uzi was speechless and could only helplessly accept the defeat, preparing to make a comeback in the second game.

In the second game, Uzi stood out and regained his footing in the bottom lane. He first gained an advantage by relying on the early-game pressure of EZ and Karma, and then relied on the all-around fighting ability of the two goddesses EZ in the late game to win the game!

On the other hand, IG stopped pretending and directly pulled out their Draven in the third game.

The combination of Draven and Nautilus pushed the laning phase to its extreme.

On the other side, Uzi also picked Caitlyn Lux, maximizing his laning strength, and the two sides fought fiercely in the bottom lane.

As always, in a 4v4 even match in the bottom lane, the side with the stronger top laner will win.

Unfortunately, TheShy is far more powerful than A-Guang.

In 18, TheShy was at his peak at 19 years old, still the unstoppable top laner.

This time, TheShy chose Camille, specifically targeting A-Guang's Sion. He easily secured a solo kill by kicking the minion wave into the tower twice with true damage.

After TheShy gained an advantage, he cleverly extended that advantage to his teammates. With Camille's teleport flank and engage, JackeyLove's Draven successfully converted his passive stacks and made a play.

Ultimately, QG, facing a disadvantage, had no choice but to lose the match 1-2.

Although QG's players and fans were somewhat disappointed by the loss to IG, it was still acceptable.

After all, IG is clearly the second-best team in the LPL after QG, and may even be the second-best in the world.

Without Shu Ge, it's normal for QG to lose to IG.

On the contrary, it would be abnormal to win, right?

The regular season wins and losses don't matter. We'll see the two teams again in the playoffs. When Brother Tree returns, we'll get our revenge!

That evening, the QG team reviewed the two matches they lost that day.

"The first game was mainly a collapse in the top lane, but there's not much to talk about in this game," Banbazi said. "Once Chen Dongqing comes back, this problem will be solved. The key player today is still IG's Draven."

JackeyLove truly lives up to his reputation as a Draven master. His strength after picking Draven was immediately apparent. He held his own against Caitlyn and Lux ​​in lane, and after a mid-game cash-in, he took off!

"I think I wasn't aggressive enough in the bot lane this game," Uzi said. "Next time I can play more aggressively, and we should still have the advantage."

"Being aggressive makes you vulnerable to being hooked," Shi Senming said helplessly. "With Titan always in front, I don't dare to touch Draven."

"If all else fails, we can switch lanes," Chen Dongqing suddenly said from the side. "Let me go to the bottom lane. As long as we avoid Draven's power spike for a few minutes, it'll be easier to win."

"Switch lines?" The thought flashed through Uzi's mind.

Anyone who played since Season 6 knows that this lane-swapping strategy existed in the first half of Season 6, but it disappeared with the introduction of first blood towers and tower protection.

If we switch lanes now, the primary issue is how can the top laner withstand Draven's attacks alone?

Chen Dongqing said with a grin, "This is my task. Just leave it to me."

Banbazi rubbed his chin: "Okay, OK, we'll try it out in the next practice match if we have the chance."

Before he knew it, Chen Dongqing's vacation had quietly come to an end. The Intercontinental Championship was about to begin, and Chen Dongqing would officially return to training matches.

Of course, that was two days later. As the meeting ended, Chen Dongqing dragged his chair back to his seat, put on his headphones, and started the live stream.

Chen Dongqing's live streams still follow the same style: he starts by playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), and once the number of viewers in the chat increases, he lets the comments decide which game to play.

Because he recently announced his foray into DOTA2, he plays DOTA2 more often.

It might be partly due to the celebrity effect; with Chen Dongqing, a top LOL influencer, driving the growth of DOTA2's daily active users recently, DOTA2's daily active users have increased significantly.

However, the style of the comments on the bullet screen was a bit strange today.

Today, instead of having Chen Dongqing play a game, everyone had him watch a video recently posted by QG's official Weibo account.

"Video?" Chen Dongqing scratched his head.

He knew that QG's official Weibo account often updates with microphone footage or videos from the rest area after matches.

He hasn't played in any recent matches, so what does that have to do with him?

Although he was a little confused, he still did as he was asked, just to accumulate livestream hours.

The title of this video is—"The Best Azir in the Chinese Server"

"Huh? The number one Azir in the Chinese server?" Chen Dongqing was a little confused by the title. "Wasn't Xiaohu's Azir a joke?"

The comments on the screen that showed Chen Dongqing the video were all smiles, telling him to watch it first and then decide.

Click on the video, and after the intro and the sponsor's appearance, the main content will begin quickly.

The film begins with a generally oppressive atmosphere.

The group returned to the lounge with their heads down, discussing the reasons for their previous defeat.

As soon as Chen Dongqing saw the rest room, he knew what time it was. It was obviously more than a week ago, when QG lost the first game to JDG.

After losing the game, everyone was blunt and pointed out the problems that A-Guang had at the time.

Because this was the second time this problem had been committed, everyone in QG was quite serious at the time, including Chen Dongqing.

However, after judging A-Guang, the QG team did not take any further steps, but quickly began to study the strategy for the next game.

Chen Dongqing then heard himself in the video say, "Okay, I'll teach you a few moves."

Chen Dongqing suddenly understood what the title "China's No. 1 Azir" meant.

The second game began shortly afterward.

"If we pick Kai'Sa and Nautilus, and then ban Ezreal, the enemy will definitely pick Xayah and Rakan. Liu Shiyu, you should go gank bot lane as soon as you reach level three and force out their Flash."

The screen switches to the game, and Xiangguo uses Flash + EQ to catch the enemy Xayah's Flash.

From this moment on, the seed has been sown.

"Once Yan Junze reaches level six, Liu Shiyu, you go top lane and help him clear the wave," Chen Dongqing said with a smile. "The enemy bot lane Xayah and Rakan will definitely come out to push the wave when they see Liu Shiyu showing up in top lane. Then, after Yan Junze pushes the wave, he should quickly recall and go straight to bot lane. Got what I mean?"

This move is a win-win situation: it helps the top laner clear the lane and lures the enemy out. Once the enemy bot laner comes out, Ornn goes to the bot lane and uses his ultimate to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy Xayah who doesn't have Flash.

One powerful move helps the team create an opening!

[Wow, you're rigging the game, aren't you?]

Brother Tree has always been a master at trading.

[He hasn't even played, yet he can predict the outcome of the match just by standing backstage? Amazing!]

[So this is what "the best Azir in the Chinese server" means? Is Tree Bro controlling the Sand Soldiers in the background during the match?]

[I was wondering why Letme's play was so brilliant; it turns out it was Tree's direction.]

[Letme did mention in his post-match interview that Shuge taught him a lot after the match, but I really didn't expect that "taught" meant hands-on instruction.]

Immediately afterwards, the scene switched back to the lounge.

Chen Dongqing is still working on his next plan.

"The enemy Xayah is dead, so she'll definitely lose some experience, right? Shi Senming, don't roam now. Stay in the bottom lane and farm experience to level up. Once you're level six, push the minion wave to the tower, use your ultimate, and dive Xayah again!"

This time, the command was even more outrageous. He directly controlled four sand soldiers to play the game, and even calculated the support from the enemy's mid lane. The three-on-two attack instantly became a four-on-three attack.

Ultimately, with a top-tier one-for-two exchange, Uzi continued to extend their advantage and secured the victory!

Even at the end of the video, the club's official Weibo account was still up to something, photoshopping Chen Dongqing's face onto the Tsar's body, and then photoshopping his teammates' faces onto four sand soldiers, instantly making things hilarious.

At this moment, the barrage of comments was also at full speed.

[Okay, okay, so this is what it means to be the number one Azir in the Chinese server]

[I never expected Brother Tree to control the Sand Soldiers so well!]

[This is truly outrageous. QG really can't do without Shu Ge. Without him, this team might not even make it to the top four.]

[Bullshit! With a puppy backing him up, how could he not make it to the semi-finals?]

Indeed, it's not that bad.

Chen Dongqing looked at the comments and laughed helplessly. He shook his head and said, "Actually, I didn't do anything. It's mainly because my teammates played well. They all understood my tactics. I just explained the strategy to them."

Chen Dongqing turned off the video, then started scanning the bullet comments and randomly selecting games to play.

He randomly took screenshots from the comments section, and then directly selected the last game to play. This time, he chose PUBG.

"Want to play PUBG? Sure!" Chen Dongqing licked his lips. "It's been a long time since I've played."

As soon as the game started, Gao Dewei, who had just received a message from a friend who had come online, immediately sent a question mark.

Chen Dongqing replied with a question mark, and Gao Dewei immediately sent a team invitation.

The chemistry between the former LGD duo meant they didn't need any extra communication.

The LPL Summer Regular Season was suspended after the QG vs. IG match ended.

After a two-day break, the Intercontinental Championship will officially kick off on July 6th.

And there is another crucial change in this Intercontinental Tournament – ​​Brother Shu, who has been resting for more than half a month, will officially return to the Intercontinental Tournament!

The thought of this gives countless QG fans a great sense of hope.

With Brother Tree back, QG definitely won't lose again, right?

Just then, everyone's phones popped up with a message that ilex live streaming had started.

Everyone happily clicked on the live stream, and then saw Chen Dongqing land, pick up an AK, and instantly wipe out the entire area.

Good, good, there's more and more hope now.

The two-day rest period passed in the blink of an eye. After two days of rest and adjustment, the entire QG team packed their bags and embarked on their journey to the Intercontinental Cup.

This year's Intercontinental Cup will be held in Dalian, with the LPL as the home venue.

According to the rules, the top four teams from the Spring Split will qualify for the Rift Rivals: QG, IG, FPX, and EDG.

And coincidentally, all four teams are based in Shanghai.

Because of the convenience of the home venue, the four clubs in Shanghai arrived in Dalian on the same plane well in advance.

After getting off the plane, everyone boarded two buses and crowded into the hotel lobby.

Xiao Hu, participating in the intercontinental competition for the first time, seemed like a curious child, turning around and looking at the people around him.

Having experienced the MSI, Xiaohu no longer has much fear of the Korean region.

After playing against BDD for several rounds, Xiaohu even had the thought that "LCK champion mid laners are just like this, not even as good as Rookie."

He now firmly believes that LPL is the number one region.

And right in front of us are the four teams that will be in the top four of the first division!

It's no exaggeration to say that the twenty starters currently in this hotel lobby represent the top fighting force in the LPL and even the world.

This year's World Championship winner will most likely be one of these four teams.

Thinking of this, Xiao Hu shook his head again, dismissing the unnecessary thought.

It's too early to talk about winning the championship.

What they need to do now is to first win the Intercontinental Cup and solidify LPL's reputation as the number one region!

The team leaders of the four teams took the team members' ID cards and checked in at the front desk in the lobby. Linko took a stack of room cards and handed them to his team members: "Well, as usual, you'll need the ID cards when you return, so keep them here. You can distribute the room cards according to your own habits. Anyway, there are still six of you in three rooms."

The QG team consists of seasoned veterans of the World Championship, and no team in the world has more experience in pre-match preparation than them.

Chen Dongqing went upstairs to get a room key. Of course, he was still sharing a room with Xiangguo. The two of them strode quickly to the seventh floor, pushed their suitcases into the room, and then rushed to the training room.

The training room for the Intercontinental Championships was quite unique. Twenty-eight computers were packed in a large conference room, with a large projector in front of them. About twenty internet-addicted teenagers were training loudly and boisterously in this conference room, which could only be described as a return to the internet cafes of middle school days.

Chen Dongqing and Xiangguo looked around at the seats and quickly sat down by the window.

Based on their experience last year, the two rows in the middle of the meeting room are a major no-no and should absolutely not be occupied.

Firstly, the temperature in Dalian is already high in July. Although there is air conditioning in the room, the heat generated by the dozens of computers and dozens of people in the room makes it impossible to lower the temperature.

Therefore, sitting on the side where the air conditioner can reach is the smart choice.

And most importantly, when the four teams sit together, there will inevitably be internal training matches. The team sitting in the middle, with people on both sides, is easily pulled into training matches by the teams in the adjacent rows.

That's so tiring!

The best approach is to sit comfortably on the sidelines and let things slide!

Lin Weixiang, who also played in the Intercontinental Cup last year, was well aware of this as well. He quickly rushed into the training room, exchanged a glance with QG, and then tacitly chose another row of seats against the wall.

EDG's decision-making is always slow, and this characteristic was also reflected in their scramble for seats. When they leisurely arrived at the meeting room, they found that only the middle seats were left. Meiko's face immediately fell. "Damn! They moved so fast?"

"What's wrong?" JackeyLove swaggered into the rest room, and immediately noticed FPX and QG lined up on either side of the training room. He frowned and said, "Aren't you guys from the same team? Why are you sitting so far apart? Aren't you going to lose?"

As they were talking, JackeyLove swaggered forward and sat down next to QG, saying, "I want to sit with Brother Shu and learn how to play!"

This is IG's first time participating in the Intercontinental Cup, and everything around here is obviously quite new to the IG players.

TheShy also came closer and shyly greeted Chen Dongqing.

Chen Dongqing smiled and greeted him, then turned away, secretly sneering.

The practice match later will exhaust you guys!

"Alright, is everyone here?" Linko's voice rang out from the front, this time deliberately raising his voice to draw everyone's attention.

Because QG is the Spring Champion, they are naturally the leader of this competition. The coaching staff is mainly based on QG's coaching staff, and the pace of the competition should follow QG's lead.

Seeing that the screen had quieted down, Linko smiled and said, "Now that everyone's here, let's have a short meeting and talk about the versions first."

After saying that, Linko handed the floor to Banbazi.

This wasn't Banbazi's first time participating in the Intercontinental Cup; he did something similar last year, so he's quite experienced. He turned on the projector early and opened the pre-prepared PowerPoint presentation.

Seeing this, Abu couldn't help but think back to the Asian Games qualifiers.

It seems that QG's coaching staff really does create a detailed version PPT for each patch?

This is such a huge workload!

It seems that QG's strength is not only due to the strength of its players, but also to the coaching team's serious attitude and management style.

Didn't you see how obedient Uzi is to this team?

Just then, Banbazi opened the PPT and began to speak: "As you all probably know, this Intercontinental Cup is using version 8.13. This is just a minor version update, so there aren't many changes. Only one hero rework is worth noting."

"The designers have confirmed that the reworked heroes can be selected in the Intercontinental Cup."

As you flip down the slides in the PPT, a crimson figure wielding a giant, lifeless sword appears on the screen, surrounded by churning mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Aatrox, the Darkin Blademaster.

(End of this chapter)