The group stage is divided into two rounds. In the first round, each team needs to play a bo11best-of-one match against the other three teams in the group, spanning three days.
The second round, which is the group elimination stage, requires the remaining three bo1 matches to be played in one day. The ranking is determined by points, and only the top two teams will qualify to advance.
A total of 6 bo1 matches are played across both rounds and winning at least 3 matches is necessary to secure qualification. Every point is crucial.
The group information has been fully disclosed. In Lin Lan’s Group C, the four teams are: DT, the number one seed from LPL; UT, the second seed from Korea; GTF, the number one seed from Southeast Asia; and FA, the third seed from North America.
DT is relatively strong and should dominate the other three teams, essentially securing the top spot in the group unless something unexpected happens.
The other three teams have similar overall strength, making their competition for the remaining spot highly intense.
However, Shi Quan also has his concerns: “DT can handle a bo5, but the variability in bo1 is too high. Do you have major tournament experience? I’m worried you might lose.”
His worry is not unfounded. Historically, many new teams that reach the world stage are eliminated due to lack of experience in major tournaments, whereas seasoned teams with more experience tend to advance further.
Jiang Xu is an ambitious top laner, and like Lin Lan, he thrives in major tournaments. So Lin Lan isn’t too worried about him.
Xu Shengwei, the bottom laner, has a calm demeanor and won’t get overly nervous even in a major tournament like this.
Xiao Shengjing needs no mention; he is the most composed member of the team and the most stable element in the squad.
Lin Lan’s only concern is Jiang Jin. His mentality has always been fragile, and being away from his familiar surroundings might cause him to react like a startled kitten.
Lin Lan has been discreetly observing Jiang Jin these past few days and even discussed it with Xiao Shengjing. It’s apparent that Jiang Jin feels uneasy, especially when facing unfamiliar players; his discomfort is visible to the naked eye.
It’s quite challenging for someone with social anxiety to leave home and participate in the world championship, having to interact with players from various countries.
To ease Jiang Jin’s anxiety, Lin Lan takes him along wherever he goes. As long as Lin Lan is present, Jiang Jin feels a significant sense of security.
Additionally, every time Jiang Jin sees Lin Lan communicating with other players using translation software, he feels a bit envious and wishes to be as fearless as Lin Lan.
On the first day of the group stage, DT faced FA, the team of friendly North American players who greeted them every day.
Before the match, the entire team was very serious. This was DT’s first time facing a team outside of LPL, and it was in a bo1 format, which is prone to upsets, leaving them uncertain about potential surprises during the match.
They watched other teams’ matches in the lounge and saw ENG easily secure a point, greeted by cheers of victory. The sight stirred a faint excitement within them.
Finally, it was their turn to compete. After checking their equipment, it was time to wait backstage. They listened to the host on stage introducing them in unfamiliar Korean. The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, with many familiar Chinese voices mixed in, making it momentarily feel like they were back in the LPL arena.
“See? Isn’t it alright?” Lin Lan rubbed Jiang Jin’s head and patted Xu Shengwei on the shoulder. “Play boldly. If anything goes wrong, the captain and I will cover for you.”
With Lin Lan’s reassurance, they had no more fears.
It was more effective than any motivational speech.
The five of them, ready and determined, stepped onto the stage one by one as the host introduced them, showcasing DT’s unique style.
The audience included not only LPL fans but also many Korean fans, all cheering for them.
Admiration for strength is a natural human instinct, sometimes transcending national boundaries.
The match was being broadcast live back home as well. This was DT’s first world championship match, and everyone was worried they might lose.
Fortunately, the five members of DT were not very nervous. They organized their equipment just like they did at home, entered the game, and conducted the usual ban-pick phase.
A bo1 tests a team’s overall skills the most. With the outcome decided in a single game, there is no time to correct mistakes, and each point in the group stage is crucial. A single misstep can cost a team their chance to advance, so both sides were extremely cautious.
After the version update, each team had a different understanding of the new version.
FA2In the raws, it says DT here, but it just doesn’t make sense. So, I changed it to FA left several powerful junglers open, which they considered strong, and targeted Lin Lan with three bans on mid-lane champions, then locked in the meta-dominant mid-laner, Cassiopeia.
These bans clearly carried a lot of tension. Seeing this, Lin Lan sighed, “If we don’t pick it now, will they continue to ban it in the next round?”
Although these bans were annoying, they also showed that FA feared Lin Lan, being wary of him even before the match began. This was a good sign for DT.
After thinking it over, Shi Quan decided, “Let’s pick the jungler and bottom lane first.”
In their strategy, the jungler was always the core of the team, so they needed to secure that role first. Additionally, if they didn’t pick Tristana for the bottom lane, it was likely to be taken by the opponents, who were skilled with that champion.
There was some hesitation among the team, “Shouldn’t we secure Lin Lan’s pick first?”
Shi Quan joked, “No worries. Lin Lan has a deep champion pool. They can’t ban them all. Even if they do, he can still play Yuumi in the mid-lane.”
His teammates burst into laughter, and even the well-trained referee behind them couldn’t help but cough to cover a laugh.
Lin Lan: ???
Who gave him that confidence?
DT picked Jarvan IV for the jungler and Tristana for the AD carry.
FA chose Sejuani for the jungler and Kai’Sa for the AD carry.
After some thought, DT decided to pick a champion for Jiang Xu first. “Let’s get Urgot for Xiao Xu. They might ban him in the next round.”
After saying this, he looked at Lin Lan, “Xiao Lin, you don’t mind, right?”
Lin Lan was so frustrated he could almost spit blood. If minding could change anything, he would certainly mind…
In the second ban phase, FA continued to target Lin Lan, banning even some champions that weren’t particularly strong.
Now Lin Lan truly felt like the scapegoat. After scrolling through the champion list, he couldn’t believe it, “I only have Zoe left to play.”
His teammates were stifling their laughter, and Shi Quan, smiling, tried to comfort him, “Zoe is great! Playing Zoe is so much fun.”
Then they locked in Zoe for Lin Lan and Lulu for Jiang Jin.
As a result, Lin Lan once again became the team’s scapegoat. Despite having the potential to carry, he was stuck playing Zoe every game.
The live chat of the domestic broadcast was filled with laughter, and even the commentators couldn’t hold back. “I remember Kiner saying in an interview that he was excited about going to the world championship because he’d have many champions to play. Who would have thought that Kiner would still end up playing the same champions at the world championship!”
The chat was already cracking up, creating a harmonious atmosphere. They weren’t too worried about winning or losing because FA’s strength was significantly below DT’s. They were more interested in seeing DT’s performance at the world championship.
In the early years, a rookie team that had dominated domestically went to the world championship, expected to continue their domination. However, their performance plummeted, and they were crushed in the group stage. They barely made it out of the group stage after a tiebreaker, only to face the number one seed from Korea and get sent home in the quarterfinals.
So, they were very concerned about DT’s form.
As the game started, it was evident that Jiang Xu was indeed a player made for big tournaments. He played Urgot flawlessly, showcasing various expert maneuvers that left his opponent bewildered.
In the bottom lane, Jiang Jin initially made some mistakes. But after a few minutes of laning, he gradually regained his rhythm, executing several impressive plays that helped Xu Shengwei gain an advantage.
The mid-lane was even more one-sided. Lin Lan’s skill level was far above his opponent’s. Utilizing Zoe’s agility, he continuously toyed with his opponent.
Lin Lan thrived even more in high-stakes tournaments than Jiang Xu. Facing unfamiliar opponents seemed to activate his competitive instincts, leading to plays that surpassed his usual limits.
After a few exchanges, both domestic and international viewers understood clearly.
The opponent was nowhere near Lin Lan’s level!
He could exploit even the slightest distance gap, making his opponent’s scalp tingle as he chipped away at them with four or five passive hits.
He could use minion positioning to force his opponent into the landing spot of his E skill.
He could use the displacement from his R skill to instantly dodge the opponent’s root ability, then turn around and deliver a lightning-fast combo of damage.
Under his exceptional control, his opponent appeared stiff and clumsy, always just a hair’s breadth away from a successful move, but always falling short by that tiny margin!
This small margin, when compounded, resulted in Lin Lan leading by nearly 30 CS in the laning phase.
At this moment, Xiao Shengjing came out from base and directly ganked mid.
Cassiopeia is quite vulnerable in the early game due to her lack of mobility. So the opponent played very cautiously, always holding onto their ultimate to counter any aggression. Xiao Shengjing had already tried to gank twice without success.
Cassiopeia’s ultimate, Petrifying Gaze, is extremely powerful, capable of instantly petrifying all enemies facing her within its range.
The moment Xiao Shengjing appeared, Cassiopeia flashed without hesitation to avoid the crowd control, then positioned herself under the tower, holding her ultimate, waiting for Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing to dive. If she timed her ultimate well, there was a high chance of a counter-kill.
This sequence had the audience on the edge of their seats, as the outcome hinged on this critical moment.
Cassiopeia lured them under the tower and suddenly flashed her ultimate.
At this critical juncture, an extremely intense moment occurred: both Xiao Shengjing and Lin Lan simultaneously turned their heads, dodging Cassiopeia’s deathly gaze.
As long as their eyes were not looking directly at Cassiopeia, they wouldn’t be petrified. But instead, only slowed.
After dodging the petrify, Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing each used a skill to take down Cassiopeia and then left triumphantly.
Anyone who has faced Cassiopeia knows how difficult it is to dodge her ultimate, as the petrification effect triggers almost instantly.
Moreover, the opponent used an R-Flash combo, making the speed even faster. Dodging it through sheer reflexes is nearly impossible; it requires exceptional predictive abilities!
If only one of them had successfully predicted and dodged the ultimate, it wouldn’t be enough to shock everyone. The astonishing part was that both Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing managed to do it simultaneously!
This wasn’t a matter of chance!
DT’s players were undeniably and extraordinarily strong!
This maneuver ignited discussions both domestically and internationally. In just a brief moment, the formidable synergy between DT’s mid and jungle players was revealed, causing many teams to feel a sense of dread.
The rest of the match was practically one-sided. DT dominated in all three lanes, and the game ended in a mid-game push. The North American players couldn’t believe it: “Is this the end?”
The referee responded, “It’s over.”
DT’s first match concluded perfectly.
After the match, discussions about DT surged both domestically and internationally. Before the world championship, many people were unaware of DT. This wave of interest led many to observe the team closely, curious if they were truly as strong as rumored. Consequently, DT even gained some popularity in North America.
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