“The survival instinct of Yuumi is really strong,” the commentator couldn’t help but laugh, “But to be honest, Yuumi and Evelynn are a perfect match. Evelynn goes into stealth, and Yumi’s attaching to her makes them both invisible. This combination becomes terrifying at level 6. DT’s champion selection is quite something…”
Indeed, Lin Lan was focusing on this strategy. Evelynn has high damage, and with Xiao Shengjing playing exceptionally well, Lin Lan only needs to provide healing, speed boosts, and unleash his ultimate to easily coordinate with Xiao Shengjing to eliminate the enemy backline. The opponents finally realized that Lin Lan wasn’t supporting Ayu, but instead, he was assisting the damage-dealing powerhouse, Xiao Shengjing!
“We can’t let them scale.” The enemy jungler stared fiercely at the bottom lane’s little cat, making his way down again.
Lin Lan continued to auto-attack the opponents. Each skill hit emitted a pleasant “ding ding” sound, and a golden glow surrounded him. He kept playfully jumping around, exposing himself in the vision, seemingly unaware of the impending danger.
The commentator’s heart tightened, “Yuumi has no self-protection ability. This situation is very dangerous!”
Seizing the opportunity, the enemy support directly flashed and engaged Lin Lan!
In an instant, Lin Lan used his W1(Yuumi)You and Me!: Passive: While on her Best Friend, Yuumi gains an additional 5/7.5/10/12.5/15% Heal & Shield Power (based on spell rank) and her ally also restores 3/5/7/9/11%4% bonus Ability Power health On-Hit %i:OnHit%.
Active: Yuumi dashes to an ally champion and Attaches to them. While Yuumi is Attached, she follows her partner’s movement and is untargetable except from towers. to fly back to Ayu, dodging the skill!
Wait, did Yumi’s W actually bait out the enemy support’s flash and crowd control ability?
The commentator exclaimed, “Beautiful! Yuumi immediately turns back, dodging the control! Now the opponents have no way to engage them!”
The opponents indeed decided to retreat, but Lin Lan once again disembarked from Ayu, jumping around mischievously. He even dared to come forward and auto-attack them.
Can they endure this?
The enemy jungler jumped out to engage Lin Lan.
At this moment, Lin Lan’s distance was simply not enough to reach Ayu’s body. The jungler was about to secure the kill, but suddenly, Yuumi flew up and disappeared.
The cat disappeared again?!
In the split second of 0.5 seconds, the opponents finally realized Evelynn was coming, but it was too late.
Lin Lan reached level 6 and immediately activated his ultimate.
His ultimate had a wide range, divided into 5 segments. Being hit by 3 segments would immobilize the target for 1.75 seconds. This time was enough for Xiao Shengjing to instantly kill the squishy targets.
Xiao Shengjing charmed the AD, dealt damage to the jungler, cooperated with Ayu’s damage to kill the jungler, and while activating the ultimate to finish off the AD, Lin Lan also dodged the enemy support’s hook.
Double Kill!
Lin Lan couldn’t help but want to give Xiao Shengjing a thumbs up after watching, his train of thought was too clear, and the damage calculations were very precise. If it were someone else, they might have killed at most the AD, but Xiao Shengjing took them all.
After this play, Xiao Shengjing completely took off, and Lin Lan also got over the earlier awkward phase. If the opponents dared to come and catch him, he dared to let them die.
By the mid-game, Lin Lan roamed with Xiao Shengjing. The double invisibility and high burst damage made it unbearable for the opponents. The economy tilted heavily towards DT, smooth and uncontested.
The audience witnessed Evelynn being terrifying for the first time, especially with Lin Lan’s assistance. He didn’t even need to charm anyone; a simple E2(Evelynn): Whiplash: Whip target with Lashers, applying on hit effects and dealing magic damage equal to 40% bonus Attack Damage plus 3% (+1.5% per 100 ability power%) of their max health. Then, gain 30% movement speed for 2 seconds.
Entering Demon Shade resets Whiplash’s cooldown and empowers it. When empowered, Whiplash pulls Evelynn to her target, dealing magic damage to them and enemies in the way equal to 75/100/125/150/175 plus 4% (+2.5% per 100 ability power%) of their max health.-Q3(Evelynn)Hate Spike: Evelynn’s Lasher strikes in the target direction, dealing 25/30/35/40/45 (+30% bonus Ability Power) magic damage to the first unit hit and causing Evelynn’s next 3 spells or attacks on that unit deal 15/25/35/45/55 (+25% bonus Ability Power) bonus magic damage. Then, Evelynn can recast this ability up to 3 times.
Recast: Fires spikes through the nearest enemy, dealing 25/30/35/40/45 (+30% bonus Ability Power) magic damage to all units hit.-R4(Evelynn)Last Caress: Evelynn unleashes her demonic energy, becoming untargetable and decimating enemies in front of her. She then warps backwards. Deals 125/250/375 (+75% bonus Ability Power) magic damage, increased to 300/600/900 (+150% bonus Ability Power) to enemies below 30% health. Upon cast, set Demon Shade to a 1.25 second cooldown. combo could take out the opponent.
Sometimes, the opponent’s AD would just reach the second turret and suddenly be taken away by a fleeting shadow, absolutely unstoppable!
During this time when the opponent’s AD kept dying, Ayu activated his powerful development potential, steadily completing his items.
Although the top laner, Lu Shi, didn’t farm well, he built tanky, making the opponent doubt their life. The enemy’s already poorly developed AD felt like scratching an itch when attacking him.
So, in every team fight, Lu Shi would tank in the front, Xiao Shengjing would eliminate the backline, Lin Lan protected Ayu for sustained damage, and Feifei dealt with poke, forming an unbeatable formation.
As the crystal exploded, DT secured victory, and the audience was still immersed in the perfect coordination between Evelynn and Yuumi in the previous match.
[Woah, this combo is invincible!]
[The cat paired with stealth champions is so disgusting.]
[Captain Xiao killed 12 people, too terrifying.]
[The opponent’s AD literally disappeared in a second, playing a black-and-white game.]
[The new champion has only been out for two weeks, and Lin Lan is playing so amazingly? It’s too exaggerated…]
[We have to ban them next round, can’t give it to them.]
While chatting, they entered the ban-pick phase for the second game. The opponents directly banned Xiao Shengjing’s Evelynn and even banned Kha’zix, which could also go into stealth.
In the final ban, there was a long hesitation between Lin Lan’s Thresh and Yuumi. Eventually, they chose to ban his Thresh.
After all, no matter how well Lin Lan played a utility support, he still relied on his teammates. But with a playmaking support, Lin Lan’s Thresh, he could win even against a strong opponent.
Seeing Lin Lan’s Thresh being banned again, the commentator teased, “It seems Lan won’t get Thresh in his lifetime.” The barrage burst into laughter.
Following the routine, Coach Zhang let Feifei and Ayu pick their champions first and left the last position for Lin Lan. “Should we pick the support first?”
Lin Lan shook his head, “Give it to Lu Shi.”
He played Ornn exceptionally well in the last game, and at this moment, his hands were still hot. The opponents might ban his champion.
Lu Shi was already prepared to be sacrificed, but Lin Lan once again gave up his position for him. Unable to resist, Lu Shi turned to look at Lin Lan, only to find that Lin Lan didn’t notice. Instead, he saw Xiao Shengjing glance over, with a faint, cold, and somewhat murderous look in his eyes.
Lu Shi shivered. Why did it suddenly feel like the atmosphere in the venue had gotten colder?
After giving up his position to Lu Shi, they indeed banned Yuumi, and Xiao Shengjing picked Kindred. The challenging decision for the support was once again left to Lin Lan.
The strategic approach for this game was similar to the previous one: withstand pressure in the top lane, survive the mid-game with the jungle and mid-lane, and rely on Ayu’s late-game damage. Lin Lan’s task was straightforward: revitalize the entire lineup.
Looking at the current composition, Lin Lan instantly formulated a rough tactical arrangement in his mind and derived the optimal solution from it.
To revitalize the lineup, they needed to overcome the awkward phase upfront. Lin Lan had to pick a support who could dominate the lane and protect teammates in the mid-game.
A greenish figure slowly jumped onto the screen.
The commentator was puzzled, “This champion?”
The Chronokeeper, Zilean.
This champion had a very low margin for error and was challenging to control. Once a mistake was made, it could lead to a comprehensive defeat.
[Oh my God, he’s bold to pick this!]
[I noticed; he doesn’t like conventional supports; he prefers the more flexible ones.]
[Isn’t he afraid of making mistakes?]
[I remember this match is DT’s do-or-die game, right?]
[My God, daring to pick such a champion in a do-or-die match. How confident is he in himself…]
After five years in the professional scene, Lin Lan had incorporated various playstyles into his bones. Many game situations only required a glance for him to know whether they could be played. Whether advancing or retreating, it was all within Lin Lan’s control. Combined with the refinement from various World Championships, he had long developed a big heart. Even if he were lifted onto the stage of the World Championship now, he would remain as steady as an old dog.
As he went to the top lane, Lin Lan comforted Ayu, “Don’t be afraid, just play normally.”
“Okay.” After playing several matches in these few days, Ayu realized that Lin Lan didn’t rely on luck to win games; he truly possessed the ability.
He didn’t know why Lin Lan had concealed himself in the past, but now, Lin Lan was a guiding light for him, making him no longer afraid, no longer intimidated.
Ayu’s playstyle had become noticeably more confident. Under Lin Lan’s guidance in the past few days, he gained many insights. Even when facing formidable combinations, he could calmly engage with the opponents.
After two coordinated moves, Lin Lan expressed his satisfaction, “You’re doing well.”
Ayu, being praised, felt a bit embarrassed, his face turning shy and red.
Later on, Lin Lan disappeared from the top lane.
At level three, Lin Lan suddenly disappeared again. The opponents quickly signaled the mid-lane, but when the mid-lane retreated, Lin Lan slowly reappeared.
Huh? He didn’t go for the mid-lane. What was he up to?
At level three, Lin Lan suddenly disappeared again. The opponents signaled the mid-lane, but Lin Lan didn’t go there either. After disappearing for a while, he leisurely returned to the top lane.
What? Was he playing with them for fun?
On the third disappearance of Lin Lan, the mid-lane from the opponent’s side had become numb. He thought of finishing the wave of minions before leaving.
At that moment, two bombs suddenly flew out from the bushes, instantly immobilizing him in place. A Kindred with time acceleration jumped out, delivering three swift blows, leaving him in low health.
The mid-lane opponent flashed away while grumbling, “Kindred came mid, why didn’t you signal?”
The bot lane was puzzled, “We did signal; you just didn’t leave.”
Only then did he realize that he had been fooled by Lin Lan’s disappearing act three times, just like in the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’
Damn it, was Lin Lan playing the disappearing trick twice just to trick him?
Fortunately, he flashed away.
He really thought he had escaped, but with a “whoosh,” Kindred flashed in and instantly killed him.
Wasn’t this too arrogant? In his dying moments, he managed to unleash all his skills on her face, and combined with the tower’s attacks, he could surely take Kindred down with him.
Right when Xiao Shengjing was about to die, he suddenly used his ultimate.
Lamb’s Respite!
A golden light instantly descended upon the earth, sheltering all things. No matter how much damage Xiao Shengjing took, his health bar remained firmly locked by the golden light.
Lin Lan came back up to give him a speed boost, and the two of them walked side by side. The jungle couldn’t catch up, even if it wanted to.
Dead mid-laner: ???
Only then did he realize that this was actually a level six Kindred, while he, a mid-laner, was only level five. Why did she have level six?
Audiences and commentators watching from the God’s perspective could see that Lin Lan’s Zilean had a hidden passive skill – he could store time as experience points. When it was full, he could upgrade a teammate who was just about to level up. The two times he disappeared earlier were precisely to upgrade Xiao Shengjing.
Consecutive upgrades put Xiao Shengjing’s experience points ahead of the enemy mid-laner, making tower-diving for kills a walk in the park.
Feifei exclaimed, “Lin Lan, your gameplay is so advanced!”
Lin Lan chuckled softly, “Indeed.”
He wouldn’t tell him that he had fallen victim to this trick in the past. He would never forget that annoying Zilean.
That guy who shamelessly tried to join his team, got rejected, and then ran off to his rival team. Every day, he researched topics like “How can a support roam to the mid-lane?” and “How can a support play to annoy the mid-lane?” and “Can a support solo kill in the mid-lane.”
Jiang Jin, morri.
Even thinking about that ID now gave him a headache.
Author’s note:
Thanks to the little angels who dropped landmines: Drowning 2.
