Chapter 112: Unprecedented, Six Bans On Mid Laner!
Yu Shuang wore a bright red qipao again, standing in the middle of the stage and picking up the microphone in her hand.
“Next, please welcome the EDG team players to enter!”
Spotlights suddenly shone toward one side of the stage, accompanied by stirring marching music and thunderous cheers and boos, EDG’s players in black and white team uniforms, led by coach Kuaisu Xing, walked onto the stage one by one.
“Top Laner, mouse!”
A Guang smiled shyly and waved to the audience below, eliciting a wave of kind applause.
Immediately after, Yu Shuang’s voice suddenly rose sharply: “Jungler—Clearlove!!!”
“Clearlove! Clearlove! Clearlove!” The audience instantly erupted in unison chants, with countless support signs waving wildly.
Ming Kai had a serious expression and sharp gaze, merely nodding slightly to the audience below in greeting; that signature steady demeanor instead pushed the fans’ screams to a new level.
This was enough to show how high Clearlove’s popularity was at this stage.
Yu Shuang didn’t pause, shouting the next name with almost all her strength: “Mid Laner Unreal!!!”
An unexpected scene appeared that no one had anticipated.
The noise in the arena reached a new peak; if Clearlove’s entrance earlier was streams converging into rivers, then Li Fan’s appearance was simply a tsunami descending!
Screams, cheers, and even some discordant boos mixed together, forming a massive and contradictory soundscape unique to him.
Such explosive popularity… it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it had already surpassed Clearlove.
Just a single entrance introduction could generate such a huge reaction.
Many people following this match couldn’t help but sigh that he was truly a phenomenal player.
But what forged all this was still his rock-solid strength.
While he’s playing other games, League of Legends is still dominating the arena; you can’t even trash-talk if you wanted to.
The lights chased his tall figure, and Li Fan’s face showed no particular expression.
“AD, Zet!”
“Support, meiko!”
These two introductions were almost drowned out by the previous wave of noise.
Meiko smiled and tugged at the somewhat stiff Zet, and the two bowed to the audience together.
EDG’s full roster had made their appearance and stood in place on one side of the stage.
Yu Shuang took a deep breath, her voice rising high again: “Next, let’s welcome their opponents R~N~G!”
Lights lit up on the other side of the stage, and another stirring battle anthem played.
“Coach, FireFox!”
“Top Laner, Letme!”
“Jungler, mlxg!”
The fans’ enthusiasm showed no sign of waning, especially when mlxg was announced; his wild playstyle had also earned him a large fanbase.
Yu Shuang paused: “Mid Laner, Xiao Hu!”
Xiao Hu walked out smiling and even made a heart gesture to the camera, sparking a burst of laughter and cheers.
But when his gaze swept over Li Fan’s figure, it inadvertently became much more serious.
“AD C Uzi!!!”
“Uzi! Uzi! Uzi!” The chants were deafening, nearly shaking the arena’s roof.
Jian Zihao strode out proudly, his chubby face full of absolute confidence; he was thoroughly enjoying this moment.
“Support, ming!” The young Shi Senming followed behind Uzi with a brilliant smile, looking utterly carefree.
Both teams’ players had all entered and stood divided on either side of the stage, separated by the Silver Dragon Trophy in the center.
This trophy had been placed in the middle position since the semifinals.
So both sides showed the same momentum as if it were the finals.
After all, this was very normal; losing meant… elimination, right?
As long as they didn’t win the championship, all their spring efforts were in vain.
Both teams’ players were seated at their battle stations; the camera cut to the commentator desk!
Today’s commentators were Ji De, Su Xiao Yan, and Chang Mao.
“Welcome viewers to continue watching the 2017 LPL Spring Split playoffs semifinals!” Ji De spoke first.
“We just witnessed WE team advancing to the finals, and in the upcoming EDG vs RNG matchup, both teams showed no intention of losing and came fully prepared.”
Su Xiao Yan followed: “Yes, from the pre-match atmosphere and the players’ entrance reactions, you can feel that this match’s attention and the pressure both sides are under are unprecedented.
For these two teams, I believe the two teachers have their own views.”
“From the data we got pre-match and both teams’ performances throughout the Spring Split, I think today’s tactical core will be very clear.
For EDG, since Unreal joined, their tactical focus has clearly shifted toward mid lane. Clearlove is also very willing to help mid establish an advantage, then radiate to the side lanes through mid-jungle strength.” Ji De seemed prepared too; as soon as Su Xiao Yan asked, he could lay it out.
Ji De immediately added: “Exactly! For RNG, their cornerstone is undoubtedly bot laner Uzi.”
“We all know mlxg’s style; he might not provide as much babysitting protection as Clearlove, but his offensive pressure often goes to bot lane, helping Uzi open up the game, then using bot lane’s laning advantage and equipment lead to end the match.”
Su Xiao Yan nodded: “From this, we three all strongly agree on one point, so today’s key matchup, I think, is the intensity of the mid-jungle confrontation, as well as bot lane’s resilience and breakthrough ability.”
“All analysis and predictions are just the prelude; the real answer will be given by the match about to begin.”
“Both teams’ players are ready; let’s enter the BP phase of this BO5 first game! Blue Side RNG, Red Side EDG!”
Meanwhile, the live stream room’s popularity had surged to 19 million in just these short 20 minutes!
Just one million short of breaking 20 million… something unimaginable in the past.
Keep in mind that last year’s World Championship finals only hit 15 million.
Of course, this had something to do with no LPL team reaching the finals; some people don’t like watching matches without LPL teams.
Seeing teams from other regions take the championship always feels uncomfortable.
Even if the matches are exciting… they don’t care.
Yet even so, the heat from this RNG vs EDG match still shocked everyone.
Was it these two teams’ own explosive popularity, or because of Unreal?
A chilling thought that no one dared to dwell on.
Jin Yibo sat in the backstage, his facial expression unchanged, but his heart was blooming with joy.
Honestly, he now hoped EDG would win; once they did, announcing the regular season MVP and Best Mid Laner in the finals—what would the popularity and heat reach?
Of course, if EDG lost, those two awards would become a joke.
It was risky, but he was willing to bet.
Unreal, let’s see how far you can go; it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a rookie like this.
Especially with so much policy support this year.
Feng Ge stood behind Xiao Hu, flipping through his notebook with furrowed brows.
He leaned down and asked in a voice only the players could hear: “Li Yuanhao, if we leave LeBlanc open, do you have confidence to play it?”
Xiao Hu stared at the screen, his lips moving but making no sound.
What flashed in his mind was the video of LeBlanc getting a pentakill with fireworks, that unimaginable operation… and the top-tier suffocating pressure it brought.
Feng Ge looked at Xiao Hu’s silent profile and slightly tense shoulders, already understanding; he didn’t press further and asked instead: “What about Syndra? Can we handle it if we leave her open?”
Xiao Hu still didn’t answer, just subconsciously licked his somewhat dry lips.
Silence, sometimes, is the clearest answer.
Feng Ge sighed inwardly…
Damn it!
Not encountering it once in the regular season, first time facing them in the semifinals, and you’re this scared?
But then again, he could understand Xiao Hu; Unreal’s understanding and operation of these two heroes were in a league of their own in the current LPL.
In such a crucial semifinal, Xiao Hu naturally wouldn’t risk it if he didn’t want to take the blame.
But for the coach, this was a very troublesome matter; if these two heroes couldn’t be left open, BP would be difficult!
“Ban LeBlanc.” Feng Ge’s voice came through the mic, sounding truly a bit tired.
RNG’s first ban unhesitatingly put LeBlanc on the ban spot.
“Oh? RNG’s first ban goes straight to Unreal’s signature among signatures, LeBlanc! That’s giving sufficient respect!” Ji De said loudly.
EDG banned Galio here; Galio fits RNG very well, and Kuaisu Xing still believed they practiced this hero a lot.
Directly banning Galio to avoid future trouble.
RNG’s next two bans were Syndra and Ashe.
EDG’s were Kog’Maw and Elise.
“RNG is determined to shut down Unreal’s two signature heroes in the first round!” Su Xiao Yan’s tone carried a hint of surprise. “This is rare in previous matches; usually they only target one point.”
“This shows RNG’s coaching staff has an extremely high level of wariness toward Unreal, willing to sacrifice some other strong meta heroes to limit his early and mid-game burst and roam ability.”
“Let’s see RNG’s first pick… Lee Sin.”
“Still picking Lee Sin first, grabbing a jungler for Xiang Guo.”
“This decision is fine too; no matter if it’s Clearlove or Xiang Guo, they both play this hero very well.”
EDG still prioritized bot lane first here, to ease bot pressure as much as possible, so the bot duo directly locked Varus and Lulu.
This combo has little pressure in bot lane; at least it won’t get randomly killed.
Stabilize bot first; RNG’s bot duo exerts solid pressure.
Top lane’s priority is still low now; as long as there’s no Galio, just pick any from Nautilus, Cho’Gath, Shen.
As for Camille, without Galio’s protection, it can’t be picked either.
RNG locked Lucian and Braum on floors 2 and 3.
In a sense, treating EDG’s bot as noobs to break through.
EDG took Nautilus on floor 3.
Clearly leaving the counter picks for mid and jungle.
Second round BP begins.
Kuaisu Xing was very clear where RNG’s tactical focus would be.
“Ban Shen.”
EDG’s fourth ban went to Shen, which Letme excels at and can remotely support bot with his ultimate.
“EDG is targeting top here, banning Shen to limit Letme’s support and reduce RNG bot’s potential instant multi-man pressure.”
Feng Ge saw this ban, his brows furrowing deeper, but there was no way; with two mid heroes banned, it was hard for him to take Shen.
“We ban Taliyah.” Feng Ge responded, still targeting mid roam heroes.
Ensuring bot laning doesn’t have that issue.
EDG’s final ban had almost no hesitation; Kuaisu Xing directly took Cho’Gath.
“Cho’Gath is gone too; EDG is banning all usable tank heroes for top! Now the remaining top heroes outside… not many choices left.”
RNG’s fifth ban was Ryze.
This made the three at the commentator desk can’t help but exclaim in surprise.
“My god, four mid bans; RNG’s emphasis on Unreal today is simply insane!” Chang Mao couldn’t help but cry out.
This was way too much emphasis; was a rookie mid laner really giving RNG such a headache?
Directly banning four mid heroes.
At EDG’s player bench, Kuaisu Xing looked at Li Fan: “Remaining usable mids outside are Orianna, Vladimir, Kassadin… what do you want? I’ll match jungle for you.”
“I’ll use Orianna…”
“Alright, then first get Hecarim for Ming Kai?”
Clearlove’s Rengar is average; for diving in with the team, Hecarim or Nocturne both work.
But with no Galio or Shen on the enemy side, no need for Nocturne; Hecarim is steadier.
Clearlove’s Hecarim has the famous sweeping advance moment, but he plays it decently.
RNG hesitated for a long time but ultimately locked Viktor and top Jayce.
Right, Letme also carries responsibility in the team.
They won’t just give him tanks blindly.
In the regular season, Letme picked Fizz, Camille, Jayce many times…
Though the results were always average, RNG still gave him that tactical status.
Or rather, Feng Ge believed he could become a player like Looper.
Now everyone’s attention was on EDG’s final hero pick.
“Four mid bans, plus Lucian and Viktor picked… actually six mids banned; this really tests Unreal’s champion pool.” Su Xiao Yan’s words piqued everyone’s curiosity.
Everyone said his champion pool was deep; now was the time to test it.
“Orianna! Locked! EDG locks Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork, on fifth floor!”
This pick was too unexpected yet made perfect sense!
“This hero can be called every mid laner’s trump card, ultimate utility, late-game core!
RNG banned all Unreal’s strong assassins and early powerhouses, trying to force unfamiliar or late-game scaling picks, but he countered with the most classic, steadiest, and most fundamentals-testing Orianna!”
“And this Orianna perfectly fits EDG’s lineup! Nautilus, Hecarim, Orianna—this top-mid-jungle team fight control chain and combo power is terrifying!”
Both sides’ lineups are confirmed.
Blue Side RNG: Top Jayce, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid Viktor, Bot duo Lucian with Braum.
Red Side EDG: Top Nautilus, Jungle Hecarim, Mid Orianna, Bot duo Varus with Lulu.
