After these two rounds, the audience had to admit that DT’s strength was above IB.
IB’s most formidable jungle was completely overwhelmed by Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing. Even their proud bottom lane combination succumbed to the formidable individual abilities of Jiang Jin and Xu Shengwei.
As for the mid-lane…
IB’s mid-lane is useless!
Waxi is not even comparable to Feifei. Although Feifei also struggles, at least he can hold his own in the lane. But Waxi can neither win nor stabilize. Xiao Shengjing catches him as easily as cutting cabbage.
Currently, the only advantage IB has is their team coordination. DT’s coordination is indeed lacking a bit, but it doesn’t stop them from playing early-game compositions!
Ending the game at 20 minutes, there’s no need for coordination…
Public opinion instantly drowned IB. The barrage filled by keyboard warriors were all cursing IB as a basket of vegetables filled with a bunch of vegetables, and Waxi is the rotten cabbage inside, playing poorly and stinking up the place.
Even Wulen, who has never had any flaws before, was labeled as “pseudo-strong” after facing off against Lin Lan…
The once proud IB is now in a sorry state.
What’s even more tragic is that nobody sympathizes with them because of the training match incident!
Watching this on screen, ENG’s jungler Zhang Chao breathed a sigh of relief, “…Seeing IB lose so miserably, I feel relieved.”
His teammates burst into laughter after hearing this. They felt the same way.
Even Qi Mo had a smile on his lips. The more he watched DT, the more pleasing they became to his eyes. Although DT embarrassed them in the semifinals, they helped them vent their frustrations in the finals.
On the other side, every IB player hung their head in despair, bearing immense pressure.
They all knew the power of IB’s fans. They could either support them or destroy them. If they were really defeated by DT 3:0, the consequences would be unimaginable…
Waxi was also very anxious. He could barely scrape by in IB before, but judging by his performance today, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be criticized and forced into retirement.
He struggled to lift his head and looked at the coach, “How should we choose our lineup for the next match?”
IB itself has the strength, but they are constantly countered by DT, resulting in every lane falling slightly short.
The coach, under the pressure of “if you lose, get lost”, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “Do you know the story of Tian Ji’s horse racing? Let Lin Lan go mid, and have Waxi face him to maximize our advantage.”
But how to force Lin Lan to go mid? He clearly wants to go top.
The coach boldly proposed, “Have Wulen pick Sion. If Lin Lan wants to gain an advantage, he’ll inevitably switch lanes. When he does, we immediately swap heroes, using Sion to hold back Lin Lan’s development.”
Waxi:!
This move is brilliant!
Sion is a hero that won’t collapse whether he’s played in mid or top lane. It’s almost impossible for Lin Lan to gain an advantage as long as Sion bites down on him; they can drag him down with them.
Wan Xi himself is also skilled with Sion, so there shouldn’t be any problem with him playing mid-lane.
He immediately agreed, “Okay.”
But Wulen seemed a bit distracted. His Chinese vocabulary was limited, and during meetings, he often seemed like this. After the coach finished discussing, he explained in simple Chinese. Wulen furrowed his brow and asked, “How do we know if the heroes DT picks are the ones Lin Lan is playing?”
“Based on the hero pool and according to the data analyst’s analysis, Lin Lan’s hero pool hardly overlaps with Feifei’s. Once DT selects their heroes, we’ll know who’s playing.”
Wulen wasn’t entirely convinced. He seemed worried. But in the end, he reluctantly agreed with their explanation.
As the match point game was about to begin, all members of DT were in good spirits. Lin Lan said something while walking, making everyone laugh along.
The commentators joked, “DT seems relaxed, while IB looks deeply troubled.”
The camera panned to the faces of IB, causing the audience to burst into laughter. Except for Wulen, everyone had faces like they owed millions of dollars in debt.
[I have to say, if they really get 3:0ed by DT, the team’s losses are probably more than just tens of millions.]
[Haha, I wonder how much they’ll spend on just PR fees.]
[After the match, the value of the five players will plummet.]
[The team’s carefully cultivated image over the years will completely collapse.]
[It’s good that it collapses. Let everyone see their true strength, so they stop trying to piggyback on ENG and challenge top teams.]
[Haha, top teams? Sorry, they don’t deserve that.]
At this point in the game, the viewership in the live stream room had already surpassed 80 million, with a trend of continuous increase.
The audience watching the game mostly fell into three categories: IB fans, ENG fans, and the few remaining were either bystanders or fans of DT.
As IB fell behind, their fans dared not speak up. It was all ENG fans relentlessly mocking them, along with some bystanders who had been affected, all joining in the criticism. The entire barrage was filled with negativity towards IB.
Jiang Xu, watching the game in the audience, didn’t need to read the barrage to know which way public opinion was going. He held a mindset of watching a good show: “IB is probably going to crash hard.”
Qi Rong turned to Jiang Xu curiously, suddenly thinking of something. “You’ve been a fan of YTF, ENG, and even DT. Why don’t you support IB? I heard IB is really strong too, a formidable team…”
“IB?” Jiang Xu smiled, didn’t say much, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.
The lighting in the venue was dim, casting Jiang Xu’s eyes in shadow. He adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose, his expression beneath the lenses gradually turning indifferent, reflecting the atmosphere of the venue lights.
The atmosphere on-site was fervent, and the commentators on stage were very passionate because this could very well be the last game of the spring season.
After Lin Lan took his seat, he put on his headphones and adjusted his equipment. He habitually ran the headphone wire behind him and clipped it in place.
“Snap,” the clip broke in the middle, splitting into two.
Lin Lan didn’t pay it any mind. He asked for another one from the staff, but as soon as he pinched it, it broke again.
The broken clip lay in Lin Lan’s palm, and he stared at it intently. Suddenly, his eyelids twitched as if some nerve had been touched.
“Use mine.” Xiao Shengjing offered him his spare one.
Lin Lan accepted it, straightened out the headphone wire, adjusted his posture, and the overhead light flickered, making him slightly dizzy. His eyelid twitching became more pronounced.
He shook his head forcefully to stay alert. Coach Zhang’s voice came through the headphones, “They picked Sion, probably to force Xiao Lin to mid. Xiao Lin, what do you think?”
Lin Lan saw through their scheme at a glance. He knew IB’s coach too well; he understood their intentions inside out. That’s why they had been dominated in the draft for these few rounds, including how they would play in-game and their strategies. Lin Lan could anticipate everything, which was why DT was winning so effortlessly against them.
“Waxi can also play Ornn; this is a flex pick.”
“What do you think, Xiao Lin, mid or top?”
If Lin Lan went top, Wulen would play Sion to hinder his growth. If Lin Lan went mid, they would immediately swap the hero for Waxi to play.
As the disadvantaged side, IB had priority selection in this game. They chose the red side because they wanted the last counter pick.
This strategy is simply unbeatable…
Feifei also realized that his underperformance had caused Lin Lan a lot of trouble. He looked at him with concern, “Lin Lan, can you play?”
Lin Lan wasn’t incapable of playing, he was just thinking about how to avoid laning against Sion. If he got hindered in his development, DT would be in trouble.
He calmly scrolled through the champion pool and stopped at a certain point, “Help me pick Ryze.”
Coach Zhang was shocked. Lin Lan wanted to play a mage?
Excluding Lux, a support champion Lin Lan had played in the past, he had hardly ever played any mage champions!
The team’s data analyst had emphasized that Lin Lan excelled at warriors and assassins, completely different from Feifei’s playstyle. And now Lin Lan was telling him he wanted to play a mage? It was surreal…
Feifei was a bit shocked after hearing that. “Lin… Lin Lan, are you serious?”
Lin Lan nodded. He had thought it through. “I’ll go mid. They’ll definitely think I’ll go top so I can avoid laning against Sion. Plus, Wulen playing an assassin champion would definitely be more advantageous for us than Waxi playing one.”
Playing a champion type he had never played before, Xiao Shengjing could almost predict how confusing it would be for IB once Ryze was picked.
And Lin Lan wasn’t impulsively picking a champion; he had always played mid-lane, so there was no reason why he couldn’t play Ryze, a powerful mage.
Xiao Shengjing couldn’t help but glance at Lin Lan. This was the first time he had seen Lin Lan play a traditional mid-laner on the stage. He wondered what stunning plays Lin Lan would make.
He was the first to agree, “I think it’s a good idea.”
Since both Xiao Shengjing and Lin Lan agreed, there was no need for anyone else to object. However, Coach Zhang muttered to himself, “When did he practice Ryze? Why didn’t I know…”
Once Ryze was selected, almost everyone assumed it was Feifei’s champion. He had played a lot of Ryze and Viktor this season, followed by Malzahar.
Seeing Lin Lan choose to go top, Waxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn’t have to lane against Lin Lan.
Both sides continued to pick and ban champions, finally reaching the crucial moment. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what kind of champion Lin Lan would play.
A familiar figure appeared on the big screen, and DT almost instantly picked Ornn.
“Ornn? Is Kiner going to play Ornn? Locked in! It seems Kiner wants Ornn to face Sion. In that case, the top lane should be even and unlikely to get any kills. Indeed, in the match point game, DT still wants stability. Without any surprises, they will probably go for a late-game showdown with IB…”
After DT picked Ornn, Waxi also quickly picked Twisted Fate to counter Ryze.
Seeing DT’s choices, the audience was somewhat disappointed. What’s exciting about two tanks brawling it out? They would rather see Lin Lan pick a carry-type champion. It’s not that Lin Lan can’t play tanks well, but they feel that if Lin Lan plays tank, DT would lack damage output.
[It’s over. DT will lose with this lineup.]
[If they aim for a late game, DT probably won’t be able to compete, right?]
[Feifei’s roaming is terrible. Don’t expect him to play carry.]
[Help. Is Lin Lan playing tank? DT won’t actually rely on Xu Shengwei for damage output, right?]
[I could tell with my eyes closed that DT is going to lose.]
[Is DT trying to gift a game through friendship…]
[Please don’t, pretty please. I want to see a 3:0! A 3:1 won’t taste the same!]
After the barrage of comments settled, the players exchanged champions. When the roaming mage ended up in Lin Lan’s hands, it suddenly stopped.
Commentator: “Still not swapping? There’s only 10 seconds left. If you don’t swap now, you won’t be able to.”
As time passed slowly, Lin Lan and Feifei still showed no intention of exchanging champions. The commentator suddenly woke up, “Oh, is Ryze going to be played by Kiner? Is he going mid this game?”
The audience erupted into astonishing gasps. This flex pick was completely unexpected! Only DT could elevate the atmosphere during the draft phase in the entire LPL!
IB’s coach’s face changed slightly. “Wait, what’s going on with the other side? Why is Lin Lan playing Ryze?”
He kept flipping through the records in his hand, clearly stating that the probability of Lin Lan playing Ryze was: 0!
The words of the data analyst echoed in his ears: “Lin Lan leans more towards warriors and assassins, hardly ever playing traditional mages, more offensive…”
Why did he… go against the odds?
The coach’s face at IB changed color, and through the headphones came Waxi’s desperate voice: “What do we do, Coach?”
What to do? He wanted to know too!
He frantically searched for a solution, and the referee’s warning sounded through the headphones: “Please leave the field within 10 seconds. First warning.”
He desperately flipped through his notebook, trying to find a way to crack Lin Lan’s strategy. The referee’s warning sounded again: “You have 5 seconds left, please leave the field immediately. Final warning.”
His hands went limp, realizing that Lin Lan was someone without weaknesses, like the vast ocean, where one couldn’t see the end. All one could see was just the tip of the iceberg…
[Oh my, this swap is too awesome!]
[I feel relieved seeing Lin Lan picking a carry…]
[But Lin Lan has never played mages before.]
[Feifei has never played Ornn either… Was this a last-minute decision?]
[Huh? Forced to swap champions?]
In fact, the five members of IB on the field also held such hopes. They all hoped that Lin Lan and Feifei were forced to swap champions due to unforeseen circumstances, rather than it being planned in advance.
Otherwise, it would be too brutal…
“Hahaha, IB probably never imagined that Lin Lan would play Ryze.” Feifei was quite proud; he rarely showed such confidence in matches, his face full of smiles. “I can also play Ornn. Lin Lan asked me to practice this champion before, saying it suits me well. I’ve played it and it indeed fits me. During team fights later, I’ll flash onto their fattest targets. It’ll be an even exchange, I won’t be at a loss.”
Seeing Feifei so confident, Jiang Jin couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. He didn’t know how Lin Lan managed to brainwash Feifei every day, convincing someone so lacking in confidence to become so self-assured.
After hearing Feifei’s words, Lin Lan immediately responded, “Yes, that’s the way to play. Just like that.”
His gaze was sincere, his tone genuine, showing no signs of joking. It was as if Feifei was truly that capable in his eyes.
Feifei felt even more elated after hearing this. He couldn’t wait to get into the game and show Lin Lan an extreme performance in the late game.
Jiang Jin understood why Feifei was so confident. Praised like this by Lin Lan every day, even a saint would feel buoyant…
As the game progressed, both sides cautiously laned.
Waxi knew he was laning against Lin Lan in the mid-lane. But when he saw him on the battlefield, he couldn’t help but feel a slight panic.
This was the player who could even beat Qi Mo… He had no confidence in dealing with him!
The less confident he felt, the more he would falter.
Lin Lan spent two waves of minions just to make him afraid to even last hit under the tower.
Lin Lan found it amusing. “Seriously? Are you scared of a level one Ryze? Where’s the damage?”
His teammates burst into laughter upon hearing this, with Xiao Shengjing even cutting to Lin Lan with a special glance, finding it quite amusing indeed.
Scared of a level one Ryze like this? Lin Lan might be strong, but he’s still human. He couldn’t break the game’s mechanics. A level one Ryze simply doesn’t deal damage; it’s like scratching an itch.
Lin Lan continued to skirmish with him for a while longer. Waxi was overly cautious, always feeling like Xiao Shengjing was about to gank him. Whenever Lin Lan moved forward, he would retreat.
Seeing that the opponent didn’t even have the intention to fight back and kept cautiously retreating, Lin Lan couldn’t help but quip, “Is he having a mental battle with the air?”
If IB had to resort to such a weak mid-laner after he left, Lin Lan couldn’t help but want to laugh. If the big boss of IB still remembered him, he really wanted to go up to him and mock him.
Who exactly couldn’t do without whom?
He aggressively pressed on Waxi, settling old scores while exacting new revenge. Without hesitation, he unleashed a combo of WQEQ, interspersed with several auto-attacks, triggering Electrocute, and astonishingly took nearly half of the opponent’s health.
The commentator exclaimed excitedly, “This harassment is absolutely invincible! I believe Kiner not only knows how to play Ryze but is likely an expert Ryze player.”
His co-host nodded in agreement, “I’ve played Ryze for almost a hundred games myself. Honestly, those auto-attacks are incredibly difficult to weave in. It’s nearly impossible to maintain the attack speed.”
Yet Lin Lan made it look effortless. He even adjusted his position, effortlessly last-hitting minions along the way.
[Lin Lan seems to know how to play Ryze?]
[Damn, he sure does. Anyone who’s played Ryze knows how tricky those auto-attacks are.]
[I can attest to that. WQEQ isn’t hard, but those auto-attacks are!]
[Feifei also doesn’t seem like it’s his first time playing Ornn.]
[So DT wasn’t forced to swap champions after all…?]
When the camera shifted to the top lane, it was evident that Feifei had a strong adaptability to Ornn. What’s even more remarkable is that he’d rather not farm than let Wulen control the lane.
Wulen might be proficient, but he was still playing a utility top laner. What could he do against an Ornn who didn’t need to farm?
And there’s no way the jungler could help him with that…
Feifei was close to reaching level six. As soon as the jungler showed up, he would trap them in a 1v1, making it impossible for them to kill him…
[I just realized how brilliant DT’s champion picks are, taking care of every teammate!]
[Oh no, my head is itching. I feel like I’m growing a brain…]
Deng couldn’t gank the top lane, and he didn’t dare to gank the mid lane. So naturally, he turned his attention to the bot lane.
But every time he made a move, Xiao Shengjing was there. As soon as he dared to show himself, he would immediately be counter-ganked.
And let’s not forget, Lin Lan had priority in his lane; his support would definitely arrive faster than Waxi’s. Deng simply couldn’t make a move easily.
Lin Lan reached level 6, and Waxi couldn’t hold on any longer.
He was completely outplayed by Lin Lan, missed two waves of minions when he recalled, and was still far from reaching level 6.
Huddled under the tower, he signaled to his teammates, “Lin Lan has ult.” As for why he didn’t have it, don’t ask him. He was wondering too…
Now that Lin Lan was level 6, his ultimate could teleport himself and nearby allied champions to another location. Who knows, he might even bring Xiao Shengjing along with him.
Both Wulen in the top lane and the bot lane retreated, thinking they were safe. But in the next moment, Lin Lan’s ultimate appeared under Waxi’s feet!
What? Teleported under the tower?!
The caster exclaimed, “Kiner actually teleported directly under the enemy tower. Oh my god. What kind of play is this!”
The entire arena was stunned by this move. They had seen tower dives before, but nothing like this.
Lin Lan’s ultimate opened a portal on the spot, teleporting himself, nearby allied champions, and even minions to the target area. As he landed, he brought along three minions with him. Since the tower prioritizes attacking minions, Lin Lan walked away unharmed under the enemy tower, dodging Waxi’s Card Q directly.
Waxi noticed Lin Lan’s murderous intent and started to use his Q on himself.
He instantly switched to a Gold Card to stun Lin Lan, attempting to counter-kill. However, the defense tower still didn’t target Lin Lan!
Because Lin Lan’s Q ability was directed towards the minions, Waxi was too nervous. Seeing Lin Lan raise his hand, he thought he was about to attack him, only to be tricked into using his Gold Card!
Waxi’s first reaction was to retreat. Suddenly, a werewolf appeared in the darkness, raising an ice pillar to knock him back. While cooperating with Lin Lan, they took less than 3 seconds to kill him!
Xiao Shengjing played a Troll in this game. His control combined with Lin Lan’s control was almost invincible. Even under the tower, a Gold Card still meant certain death!
Lin Lan got the kill, earning the First Blood bonus, and directly adding 600 gold to their account.
They took turns tanking the tower, and both of them left alive.
Waxi looked pale as he stared at the screen. IB’s rhythm was already off.
But, this was just the beginning.
After killing Wan Xi, Lin Lan recalled and immediately rushed from the top lane to the bottom lane, directly facing off against Deng’s gank attempt.
Then, he teleported back to the mid lane to defend the tower, using his skills to send Waxi back to base again. Then, he teamed up with Xiao Shengjing to take down the dragon, and he even took the enemy jungle’s blue buff on the side, returning to the mid lane to continue his ruthless harassment.
Ryze is a burst damage champion, known as the “Rune Mage”. His only weakness is mana dependency. After taking the enemy’s blue buff, Lin Lan relentlessly expended mana. Once depleted, he went to secure his own blue buff, repeating this vicious cycle, allowing the snowball to roll bigger and bigger…
When a team’s mid-laner collapses, other lanes, especially the jungle, will find it extremely difficult to play.
Deng’s frustration was palpable. After losing the second dragon, followed by the Rift Herald, he finally couldn’t hold it in anymore: “How am I supposed to play like this?”
There was silence in the voice chat; Waxi dared not speak.
The pressure Lin Lan exerted was akin to that of Zilean, no, it was even stronger than Zilean.
Every time he returned to the lane, it felt like being imprisoned, where the opponent always managed to deal damage with unimaginable maneuvers…
Once again killed by Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing’s tower dive, with the mid-lane tower also falling, Waxi checked the game time and was shocked to find it was only 10 minutes into the game. The collapse was too fast, too terrifying…
He rubbed his face vigorously in an attempt to wake himself up, only to find his hands trembling. Gripping the mouse tightly, Lin Lan used Q to speed him up, swiftly W to slow him down, then instantly refreshed Q skill, followed by a basic attack, another Q, then E skill to reset Q skill, another basic attack…
He had just come out at full health, only managed to last-hit two minions, and now he was back to base with low health…
The barrage was in an uproar at this point. While they knew Wan Xi was not very skilled, they hadn’t expected him to perform this poorly. He had already given three kills to Lin Lan! Plus, with Lin Lan’s kill in the bottom lane and two assists, his score was now 4-0-2. He was basically one item ahead of Waxi!
It’s important to note that Ryze is a champion with unlimited scaling. The damage provided by his passive increases as his ability power increases, with attribute growth being extremely terrifying!
A professional player once said, as long as Ryze gets going, there’s no team he can’t fight. With his high-frequency skill refresh, alternating between acceleration and deceleration, and his unique ultimate ability… what can you do against Ryze?
IB hasn’t even reached the late game yet, and they’re already completely unable to play. The commentators are at a loss: “How can IB win?”
Wulen chose a utility top laner, with all the damage relying on the mid and bot lanes. However, their mid and jungle were completely outplayed by Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing, and the bot lane didn’t gain an advantage against Xu Shengwei.
How can they win? No matter how they play, it’s impossible to win!
IB fans are already feeling hopeless. Are they really going to watch themselves lose 3-0?
Author’s note:
Yes, indeed, I’m going to make you lose 3-0.
![Mister, I Want a Divorce [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/先生，我想离婚.jpg "Mister, I Want a Divorce [BL]")
