The viewers who previously said Lin Lan couldn’t play Zoe instantly changed their tune: [Lol. It seems like he can actually play?]
[Not as bad as I thought.]
[Haha, he’s even suppressing Qi Mo. Unbelievable.]
[You can feel Lin Lan’s relaxation through the screen.]
[Not bad, it’s watchable.]
[So weird. Is this really the same Lin Lan who couldn’t land a single Q on stream? (doge).]
The reason fans lacked confidence in Lin Lan was because, whether in matches or streams, his Zoe play had always been underwhelming—his Q’s were either too long or too short, and he relied on his speed to deal damage with Zoe’s passive.
In a match, especially against an opponent like Qi Mo, landing a Q seemed almost impossible. If he could land all his passive hits, that would already be impressive.
Lin Lan understood this well, so he used almost all his Q’s to control Qi Mo’s movement, ultimately hitting the minions. Just the damage from his passive already gave him a slight lead over Qi Mo.
Moreover, this approach solved Zoe’s slow wave-clear issue. As long as he reached level 3 smoothly, he could use his mobility to toy with the enemy mid-jungle duo.
The result made it look like Lin Lan was completely suppressing Qi Mo.
Qi Mo realized that Lin Lan’s playstyle had exceeded his expectations, so he needed to modify all the strategies he had previously made against him.
After being hit by two auto-attacks from Lin Lan, Qi Mo immediately changed his strategy: “Zhang Chao, stop farming the jungle. Come to mid directly.”
A normal jungler would only gank after clearing their jungle camps. But Qi Mo wanted to catch Lin Lan off guard.
Upon hearing the captain’s command, Zhang Chao immediately abandoned the jungle monsters and headed to the mid-lane. Lin Lan was still happily pressing forward, bouncing around as if unaware that he was becoming the prey of his opponents.
Qi Mo remained completely composed, continuing to lane as before. As Lin Lan entered their kill zone, Zhang Chao rushed out without hesitation, ready to slow Lin Lan with his W ability.
Qi Mo also instantly dashed forward, unleashing a QA combo.
As a level 2 Zoe, Lin Lan had no escape skills. He only had an E to stun, but regardless of who he stunned, he would still need to use Flash to escape.
Fans were sweating for Lin Lan, but he seemed unfazed, continuing to bounce around leisurely.
If he gets caught by Sejuani’s crowd control, he’s 100% dead, right?
Lin Lan could only survive by using Flash.
Just as Sejuani was about to slow him down, Lin Lan suddenly made a slight sidestep, dodging Sejuani’s W, and then happily continued walking towards his turret.
This small movement directly shattered ENG’s jungle-mid synergy. They didn’t have enough damage to kill Lin Lan, so they could only watch as he walked back to his turret.
The casters were amused: “That sidestep was so clever! Kiner wasn’t panicking at all because he knew only Sejuani had crowd control. So as long as he dodged her, there was no way they could catch him.”
When a player is playing an unfamiliar champion, they’re actually not confident in themselves. Add to that the pressure of such an important final and a crucial match-point game, it’s difficult for any player to stay calm.
But Lin Lan remained completely composed. He even confidently turned around and used E on Sejuani, hitting her with a QAQA combo.
This play gave DT a slight advantage. Xiao Shengjing seized the opportunity to steal a buff from the enemy, giving him a slight lead over Zhang Chao in experience and tempo.
Though it was just a tiny lead, it was crucial in the early game. Xiao Shengjing reached level 6 before Zhang Chao, meaning ENG would have to either sacrifice a player or use Flash to survive.
Nocturne’s ultimate is extremely annoying both in the early and late game. It closes the enemy team’s vision, leaving them with only a small area to see, and then leaps halfway across the screen to assassinate the enemy’s carry, easily disrupting the enemy’s formation.
When Xiao Shengjing was about to reach level 6, almost all of ENG’s members made a retreat. Qi Mo also cautiously set up vision control.
They absolutely couldn’t let Nocturne gain an advantage.
Otherwise, the mid-game tempo would completely break apart.
Seeing Qi Mo retreat, Lin Lan became even more audacious. He continuously utilized his skills to displace himself using the terrain advantage, darting around in Zimo’s blind spots.
The casters joked, “Kiner isn’t afraid at all because the enemy Sejuani is still not level 6?”
A Sejuani not yet level 6 lacks in control chains and even more so in damage. He faced a very awkward situation—no matter who he tried to catch, he couldn’t kill them, and wherever he went, Xiao Shengjing’s ultimate support would always be faster than his.
Where could he reason with that?
Since the failed attempt to catch Lin Lan, the seeds of trouble had been planted.
Damn. Why did it feel like every time he ganked Lin Lan, it was like ganking himself? Zhang Chao couldn’t help but curse Lin Lan in his heart.
He returned to his jungle and found his stone creatures stolen again. Clearly, he had set up a tricky vision, so why did the opponent still manage to evade it?
After cursing Lin Lan, he started cursing Xiao Shengjing for not being fair.
On the big screen, Zhang Chao’s casual stroll followed by his grumbling expression made the audience laugh. They all saw how Xiao Shengjing avoided the vision and managed to clear out the jungle monsters before him, with a clear train of thought throughout. Zhang Chao seemed like a headless fly in front of him.
The commentator chuckled, “Indeed, ENG did suffer a lot in the jungle. But aren’t these two players about the same age?”
Both players debuted in the same year. But one was in the LDL while the other was in the LPL. As a result, Xiao Shengjing, who climbed up from the LDL, played smarter than Zhang Chao.
Moreover, because Qi Mo was too stable, Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing didn’t really target him. They mostly focused on the jungle, and throughout these four games, he was the one who felt the most uncomfortable.
Ah, suddenly felt sorry for Zhang Chao.
Being tormented by DT’s jungle hahaha…
But this torment quickly ended when Lin Lan wanted to pressure Qi Mo aggressively and invade the jungle. Qi Mo suddenly engaged on him, chaining him and landing a combo.
This combo didn’t have much effect on Lin Lan. He waited until the last moment of the chain’s lockdown, and immediately used his ultimate to retreat and break free from the control. He then threw a long-distance Q to hit the opponents from afar.
Of course, this Q didn’t affect Qi Mo either. He used his W to dodge all of Lin Lan’s abilities, only taking one basic attack and Lin Lan’s predictive E throughout the whole engagement.
And Lin Lan only suffered a QA’s damage. Both sides had no real harm, but this interrupted Lin Lan’s rhythm of invading the opponent’s jungle.
It’s strange. Why does it feel like Qi Mo suddenly became aggressive?
Although Lin Lan found it strange, he didn’t dwell on it deeply. Such overthinking and speculating on the opponent’s playstyle were only suitable for Qi Mo, not for him. He needed to find a way to regain his own rhythm.
This thought improved his mentality a lot.
So…
He displayed an icon of Poro sticking out its tongue right in front of Qi Mo.
Qi Mo:…
The commentator chuckled when he saw this, “This icon is so cheeky! I’ve noticed that this player, Kiner, really has a big heart. He’s not nervous at all even in such an important match, picking Yasuo first and then Zoe, and his gameplay is very confident! Moreover, his overall condition today is very okay. Despite losing the first game, he can adjust his state so well. That’s the charm of young players…”
Upon hearing this, fans faintly understand why they love watching Lin Lan’s matches so much.
Because seeing him is like seeing another version of themselves. Even in the finals, he still enjoys the game itself, and he can still win with his powerful skills.
So everyone feels relaxed watching his matches as if there’s someone who can handle anything, even if the sky falls.
Moreover, they noticed that Lin Lan’s mindset while playing Zoe has changed.
He used to be very averse to this champion, so fans also felt a lot of pain watching. But when Lin Lan changed his mindset, the essence of the game also changed.
It doesn’t seem so difficult anymore?
Who cares, as long as it’s enjoyable.
Someone in the audience shouted, “Come on, Lin Lan!”
Then more voices followed, all cheering for him.
Although the official headphones are designed to block out most of the noise, there’s still a faint sound that can seep into the players’ ears. Lin Lan obviously heard it, and when the camera caught him, he smiled.
The crowd got even more enthusiastic. The ENG fans didn’t want to be left behind, joining in the cheers. The tension on both sides escalated instantly.
At the 11-minute mark, there were still no kills on either side, maintaining a high level of laning.
During this time, Sejuani attempted two ganks in the bot lane. The first time, her ult was blocked by Jiang Jin. T, and the second time, she aimed perfectly but was dodged by Xu Shengwei’s swift flash.
Xiao Shengjing roamed mid and top lanes and visited the bot once. But the ENG team remained solid, not giving any openings, seemingly aiming to prolong the game…
“They want to drag it out to the late game,” Xiao Shengjing quickly analyzed the situation, “They want to rely on Kog’Maw’s damage to turn the tide.”
ENG’s bot lane has been cautious and the jungle has been protecting them, indicating their intention to rely on Kog’Maw’s damage to turn the game around.
Up to this point, DT still hadn’t secured any kills. Lin Lan furrowed his brows, sensing something unfavorable.
And as expected, his bad feeling soon came true.
ENG initiated a 5v2 skirmish, directly killing Xu Shengwei on the spot, granting the kill to Kog’Maw. Jiang Jin managed to escape under the cover of Xiao Shengjing’s ult with the use of his flash.
At the 15-minute mark, the first kill of the game finally erupted.
Balance seemed to be shattered in that instant.
Although Zoe is strong in lane, her support and team-fighting abilities are far inferior to LeBlanc’s. Qi Mo would endlessly delay the game, dragging out Lin Lan’s power spikes. Once Kog’Maw completes three items, DT won’t have any chance to turn the game around…
Lin Lan realized that they couldn’t let the game proceed smoothly like this. He had to disrupt something; since they couldn’t match the opponent’s support, they had to force them to come to them.
He signaled Xiao Shengjing and the two of them went to take down the Rift Herald. The opponent clearly noticed it too. Qi Mo positioned himself on the side. Both top laners also came over simultaneously, and even both supports rushed over.
Commentator: “Is ENG going to engage in this team fight?”
The team fight on both sides was evenly matched. It was all about who could outplay the other. Lin Lan predicted that Qi Mo wouldn’t take risks, which implied where he might be.
But in the next moment, Qi Mo gave Lin Lan a huge surprise.
He didn’t wait as Lin Lan had envisioned, lying in ambush for the final blow. Instead, he constantly dealt damage from the sidelines, attacking aggressively, using just one combo to bring Xiao Shengjing down to half health.
Jiang Jin immediately raised his shield to escort them. But who could stop a LeBlanc wanting to sneak in some damage?
With a couple of hits, Qi Mo stepped up to expend a wave of attacks, and Xiao Shengjing’s health instantly dropped to a dangerous level.
His damage was even higher than they had imagined!
Lin Lan had to step back, trying to relieve some pressure off Xiao Shengjing.
Both top laners and supports from both sides pressed forward, and Sejuani finally arrived. Sejuani threw a Glacial Ultimatum into the Dragon pit, forcing Xiao Shengjing to retreat.
This retreat gave Qi Mo an opportunity.
Once he steps up, Xiao Shengjing will undoubtedly die!
Xiao Shengjing was also sharp-minded. Before entering LeBlanc’s kill range, he instantly activated his ult.
Qi Mo’s vision was completely black. He couldn’t see where Xiao Shengjing was at all. He could only see a small area under his feet.
Lin Lan had also recharged his Q ability, ready to counter-kill Qi Mo at any moment. But in this instant, Qi Mo suddenly predicted and executed a two-step combo, instantly stomping Xiao Shengjing to death.
Lin Lan: !
How could this happen?
He didn’t have time to think further. Faced with the two landing points of LeBlanc’s abilities, he couldn’t predict which one Qi Mo would choose. So, he used his Q ability on the first landing point and his E ability on the second.
Normally, Qi Mo should have chosen to endure the damage from the Q ability. But if he did, he would have nowhere to go because Lin Lan’s E ability was waiting for him at the second landing point, stunning him instantly upon arrival.
Lin Lan set up a trap to kill him instantly.
But just then, Qi Mo made another unconventional move.
He actually chose to endure the damage from the Q ability. After being hit by Lin Lan, he quickly returned to the second landing point and was caught by the control of the E ability. It was this damage that lowered his health to a critical point, and suddenly, with a “bang”, he entered his passive stealth state, instantly splitting into two LeBlancs and disappearing in front of Lin Lan…
At this moment, Qi Mo’s teammates also pressed forward, successfully rescuing him. Sejuani also jumped down, ready to seize the Rift Herald with the advantage of smite.
The situation instantly shifted in favor of ENG.
Lin Lan felt a moment of numbness on his scalp.
Qi Mo actually… calculated the damage from his passive?
He felt that Qi Mo’s mastery of LeBlanc had surpassed his own. The hand holding the mouse began to tingle faintly…
