IRAJAS Chapter 117

After balancing the score, the entire DT team breathed a sigh of relief.

Both sides returned to the same starting point, and DT violently unraveled the opponent’s strategy. In terms of momentum, they had the advantage.

As the game entered the third round, DT gained the right to choose sides again. They once again chose the blue side.

Both sides followed the same ban-pick strategies as the first two rounds. ENG replaced Akali, who had been banned in the previous two rounds, with Gragas, suddenly intensifying the atmosphere.

Akali is released by ENG?

The hero that Lin Lan went crazy with in the training matches is being released?

There was a murmur of surprise in the audience, and the bullet comments filled the screen. Even the commentators were anticipating: “Will DT pick Akali?”

Akali is a strong champion in this patch and has been banned multiple times in the summer tournament. Moreover, it is said that Lin Lan used Akali to dominate the mid-lanes of all LPL teams in training matches. Except for IB’s suicide move, almost no one dared to give him this champion throughout the summer split.

Now, with DT having the priority pick, ENG releasing Akali means they are handing the opponent a sharp knife.

Will DT pick her?

At this moment, DT is also torn internally. If they pick her, they feel it might be a trap. But if they don’t, they might end up giving her to the opponent.

Because not only is Lin Lan a high-level Akali player, but Qi Mo is as well. Although his Akali has seen less playtime, his skill is undeniable, and he wouldn’t perform poorly no matter what.

Lin Lan quickly filtered through the situation in his mind. He suddenly remembered the confrontation with ENG back then. He confidently picked Akali, only to be countered by Qi Mo’s LeBlanc. His Akali was shut down in the lane, and in team fights, she couldn’t match the flexibility of LeBlanc, resulting in a dismal defeat.

In the second game, they handed Akali to Qi Mo, who surprisingly didn’t dare to pick her even when LeBlanc was banned.

At that time, Lin Lan speculated that Qi Mo was someone who sought stability, perhaps lacking confidence in his own Akali, which was why he didn’t dare to pick her.

Moreover, upon careful recollection, Qi Mo had only played Akali against two weaker teams.

Lin Lan made a quick decision: “Give Kai’Sa to Xu Shengwei. We can’t give Kai’Sa to them.”

Kai’Sa provides significant benefits to ENG. Their AD player is well-suited to champions like Kai’Sa and Vayne.

But then, “Will they give Akali to Qi Mo?”

Lin Lan was confident: “He won’t dare to pick Akali.”

Shi Quan thought about Lin Lan still having LeBlanc as a counter to Akali, so he also agreed with this decision. “Okay, pick Kai’Sa.”

As soon as Kai’Sa was picked, Qi Mo’s expression indeed changed slightly.

But the audience below couldn’t understand the underlying currents, even the commentators felt, “DT snatched Kai’Sa. Akali should be given to ENG.”

Unexpectedly, ENG also didn’t dare to pick Akali. They picked Taliyah for the jungle and Zilean for support, once again giving Akali to DT.

The barrage couldn’t understand: [Huh? Why didn’t ENG pick Akali?]

[Akali is so strong in this patch!]

[In that case, DT will definitely pick Akali. Is ENG asking for trouble?]

[Do they think DT won’t dare to pick her?]

[Oh my god, my blood pressure is rising just watching this!]

[DT, hurry up and pick Akali!]

The selection right came to DT’s side, and they still didn’t pick Akali. Instead, they helped Jiang Jin get Thresh and Xiao Shengjing get Nocturne because both of these champions are crucial for DT. If they didn’t pick them, ENG would definitely ban them.

The commentator explained, “Nocturne is a strong champion in this patch. If they don’t pick him this round, ENG will definitely ban him in the next round, so DT can’t afford to not pick him.”

Although it makes sense, DT’s fans were disappointed.

God knows how much they want to see Lin Lan pick Akali!

The drafting power returned to ENG’s hands. They have the choice for two positions, and they will enter the ban phase again after confirming the first position.

This means they could completely pick Akali and then ban Galio in return, not giving DT a chance to counter-pick.

This is just perfect timing and strategy!

ENG fans suddenly got excited too. They also wanted to see what kind of Akali player Qi Mo is, as this champion is reportedly a must-pick in scrims.

After an exciting wait, ENG surprisingly locked in Galio and then banned Akali.

The barrage was instantly filled with question marks, and even the commentators exclaimed, “They’re not picking Akali? ENG is playing it too safe!”

A smirk appeared on Lin Lan’s lips. He had guessed it right.

Qi Mo, the old fox, would never pick a champion he wasn’t sure about! He had lost to himself like this in the Spring Split. Why wouldn’t he learn from it?

With the bans over, ENG had limited options due to DT banning many AD champions, leaving them with no choice but to pick Tristana.

It was DT’s turn to pick, their last chance to choose, with only the top and mid lanes left.

For the top lane, it would definitely be either Sion or Ornn. Choosing Ornn would definitely be better than Sion, leaving ENG with no choice but to go for Sion.

So how will Lin Lan choose?

Galio’s passive counters all AP mages, halving Lin Lan’s champion pool directly. What’s left either gets banned or doesn’t fit the stage, leaving Yasuo as the only viable option.

But with DT banning Gragas, Lin Lan obviously can’t play Yasuo anymore, as their jungle synergy would be severely weakened.

After DT hesitated for a long time and then picked Ornn, they suddenly pulled out a Sand Emperor.

Standing atop the Golden Empire with golden armor all over his body. Beneath the icy armor lies a fierce will for revenge, ruthless and disdainful of the world, accompanied by the stirring phrase: “Shurima, your emperor has returned!”

Azir, the Emperor of the Sands!

He’s a late-game mid-lane champion!

Although he’s classified as a mage, Azir’s soldiers have basic attack effects, giving him considerable mixed damage in the early game. So, he’s not afraid of Galio in the lane.

What’s even more remarkable is that Azir can use his Sand Soldiers to perform basic attacks on his behalf, effectively extending his basic attack range. This to some extent avoids Galio’s attack range, and if Lin Lan plays well, he can even pressure Galio in the early game. By the late game, his impact will far exceed that of Galio!

Qi Rong had only heard of Azir but never played him. So, she anxiously asked the person next to her, “Can Azir fight against Galio?”

Before the person could explain, the commentator on stage already mentioned this: “The mid-lane will come down to who plays better. If Azir plays well, he can completely dominate Galio from start to finish. Similarly, if Galio plays better, Azir won’t have a chance to scale. He’s much clumsier than Galio in terms of support.”

Qi Rong understood now. So it’s about who’s more skilled between Qi Mo and Lin Lan, right?

As both sides entered the game preparation phase, from the director’s camera, Qi Mo and Lin Lan both looked very relaxed, giving the impression that they had confidently chosen their respective champions.

However, the commentator suddenly wondered, “Isn’t this kiner’s first time playing Azir? And using Azir to fight against Galio seems to be the first time in the summer split. We haven’t seen it in the spring split either, right?”

His partner agreed, “Yes. But there has been a precedent in the LCK. In theory, it should be a fifty-fifty matchup, depending on how they play.”

The match entered under the gaze of the masses, with both sides going online, and the director wisely focused the camera on the mid-lane.

The laning phase is where you can truly gauge a player’s skill. At level one, Azir is slightly stronger than Galio, so Lin Lan can freely last-hit minions and even chip away at his opponent’s health.

However, once Galio reaches level three, the situation will immediately reverse. At level three, if Galio gets close to Azir, he can easily burst down at least half of Azir’s health with one combo. Therefore, Lin Lan must maintain his distance and must not allow Qi Mo to get close.

As both sides reach level 3, Lin Lan’s test has just begun.

In theory, Azir’s attack range is slightly longer than Galio’s melee range. But in practice, Galio will avoid the Sand Soldier’s attack range and move towards Azir, creating a triangle formation. This puts Lin Lan in a dangerous position within Galio’s attack range, and Azir’s health is extremely fragile. If he gets close to Qi Mo even twice, he’s basically done for.

So Lin Lan’s best choice would be to let the minion wave come to his tower, last-hit under the turret, and wait for jungle assistance.

But to everyone’s surprise, Lin Lan had no intention of backing down. He bravely used his Sand Soldiers to continuously last-hit minions and chip away at Qi Mo’s health. Despite Qi Mo using the triangle formation to force him to reposition, Lin Lan didn’t retreat. He moved around the center, always maintaining a safe distance, almost exchanging positions with Qi Mo.

Qi Mo released a Q, but Lin Lan dodged it, so he didn’t dare to press forward.

The psychological shadow left by Xiao Shengjing in the previous two games made him feel the danger of his position. Qi Mo had to abandon his aggressive strategy and both sides returned to their original positions.

Qi Mo’s retreat meant that Lin Lan had passed the first hurdle.

He became even more audacious in using Sand Soldiers to sneak in damage. With the harassment, Galio quickly dropped to half health and had to give up on the minion wave.

With this retreat, Lin Lan completely seized the initiative.

He summoned Sand Soldiers to block Qi Mo’s movements, continuously attacking both him and the minions. Under the barrage of Sand Soldiers’ attacks, Qi Mo could only use his Q ability to last-hit minions.

This situation was unfavorable for ENG. Taliyah had to come to the mid-lane early to gank. But the moment he showed himself, Lin Lan immediately turned around and used a WEQ drift, smoothly evading the danger.

Zhang Chao couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn.”

Azir’s drift could be said to be the longest among all mid-lane champions in the entire league, and it could pass through any wall. Taliyah simply couldn’t catch him!

Qi Mo fell silent for a moment. “It’s okay. When I reach level six, we’ll go for a gank.”

He steadily reached level six, greatly enhancing his ability to support, something that Azir couldn’t match.

Once Qi Mo reached level six, he began to look for opportunities to roam to the bot lane.

While Lin Lan’s Azir was dominant in the mid-lane, once he left the safety of his Sand Soldiers, he became very vulnerable. He couldn’t leave the mid-lane, nor could he support like Qi Mo.

Xiao Shengjing had a bad feeling about this. “Galio’s level six. Be careful in the bot lane.”

Jiang Jin responded with a grunt and started placing wards cautiously.

Just as he moved, thousands of miles away, Taliyah suddenly unleashed his ultimate, trapping Jiang Jin and Xu Shengwei together, while also activating the “Hero’s Entrance” marker on himself.

This was Qi Mo’s ultimate!

This was ENG jungle’s most powerful move!

Once they coordinated, DT’s bot lane would fall into endless disadvantage…!

With everyone’s spirits sinking, Xiao Shengjing immediately headed to the bot lane, while Jiang Xu was the first to teleport down. The enemy top laner also followed suit…

With a total of nine players on both sides present, only Lin Lan couldn’t make it!

Azir’s drawback lay in his cumbersome nature!

As everyone’s spirits sank, they all thought DT was about to suffer a massive defeat.

But just before Qi Mo’s ultimate was about to descend, Lin Lan suddenly performed a perfect drift, directly pushing Qi Mo, who was hiding in the bushes, away.

With a resounding “boom”, accompanied by the majestic command of the Sand Emperor, “Charge!”

Galio’s ultimate was interrupted on the spot!

In the absence of vision, Lin Lan executed a combo of WERQ followed by a flash, unleashing a spiral R, interrupting Qi Mo’s ultimate on the spot!

This drift almost crossed over half the screen, taking only 0.7 seconds in total. Meanwhile, Galio’s ultimate takes a full second from activation to descent. Lin Lan squeezed in within that 0.3-second window. And in the absence of vision, he maximized his ability to interrupt Qi Mo’s ultimate!

This scene shocked the entire audience.

Keep in mind, without vision, it means you can’t judge when Galio activates his ultimate. So, what did Lin Lan rely on to time that 0.3 seconds!?

Could it be screen-cutting?

Damn, what kind of speed demon is this…

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