Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 204 An Eye for an Eye! The Real "Four Protect One"

I held on for over thirty minutes in a disadvantageous situation, my nerves were on edge the whole time, and I thought I was about to turn the tide. Just when I was feeling really excited, someone turned the game around with an incomprehensible move.

This dramatic reversal and the extreme highs and lows in mentality were like a roller coaster ride.

The base crystal exploded. Bang took off his headphones with a gloomy look on his face, rubbed his hair, and stared blankly at the screen in front of him.

Especially when he saw that his two summons were still intact after the base exploded, and then looked at his teammates who were dead and scattered around him, he felt even more powerless.

Why is there such a huge difference between people?

Bang questioned himself more than once.

"Let's go, this game was a problem with our team composition, it's not your fault."

Faker patted Bang on the shoulder like an older brother.

He and Bang built the SKT dynasty together, and seeing his old partner like this now, he felt terrible.

Throughout the entire Skt dynasty, apart from the top lane which has been constantly changing, the other four positions have remained the same.

Bang's biggest weakness right now is his overly strong "competitive drive".

During last year's World Championship, Bang lost to RNG because his bot lane was constantly pressured, and he was ridiculed as a loser by Korean fans.

SKT blamed all the blame for their loss on Bang, which explains their strong desire to prove themselves.

This desire directly influenced everyone in SKT with Bang's ideas.

This kind of thinking is not fatal when facing an opponent who is not as strong as oneself, but when encountering a strong enemy, this impatience is undoubtedly very fatal.

"Tactically speaking, we didn't have any major problems. The main thing is to see how RNG adapts in the first game."

"I think you've all felt the changes in RNG. You can think about how to deal with them in the next game."

Seeing the listless state of top laner Hanzi and bot laner Bang, Kkoma could only offer words of comfort.

"After falling behind, our mid-game strategy was flawless, and we secured Baron Nashor in the final team fight, pushing RNG to the brink of defeat."

"However, the gap opened up in the early game was too large, and Bang's output alone is not enough in the short term. Khan gave us too many opportunities in the top lane this game. Khan, you need to reflect on this."

"I'm partly to blame for the top lane issues, but let's give Khan a damage-dealing top laner next game, otherwise we'll have a hard time getting ahead."

Coach Kkoma and Lee worked together to completely eliminate any potential conflicts within the team.

The fact that the opposing team got so fed in this game means Khan is definitely to blame. Rather than keeping it to himself, it's better to say it now.

If Letme could truly match Khan in terms of raw skill, or even outplay him, then why would he still be a support top laner for RNG?

Countless LPL teams are pursuing top-tier domestic top laners, seeking a stable carry position.

"Khan, Faker said he'll give you the counter pick next game. Are you confident?"

"I can do it!" Hanzi took a deep breath, his gaze firm.

But if someone could see his trembling hands from behind, they would understand that the tough guy he is now is just all bark and no bite.

The previous game's military-style training and lackluster performance completely destroyed Hanzi's competitive form.

Hearing what Hanzi said, Kkoma changed the subject, sighed, and said:

"Of course, I also bear responsibility for our draft in the first game. Our top, mid, and jungle were too weak in the early game, especially our mid and jungle. It was difficult for them to make any moves in the early game, especially Sejuani. Playing a macro-oriented game against a team like RNG is definitely not a good fit."

The combination of Galio and Sejuani is just like the classic combination of Spider and Renekton, both of which can have great control in ranked games or when facing weak teams.

However, if you encounter a strong team, they can basically disrupt your rhythm in the early game.

Like in the last game, Xiangguo, the Sejuani juggernaut, naturally understood this very well. He didn't try to invade your jungle at all. When playing a clumsy hero like you, the key is to compete in ganking.

Syndra is the easiest mid-lane champion to gank; she doesn't give you any chance at all, clearing the wave and then roaming to the other side.

In this situation, Sejuani, who doesn't deal damage in the early game, can't create a breakthrough.

Conversely, if you can pick a champion like Olaf or Rek'Sai, who has some fighting power in the early game, you might be able to stabilize the disadvantage in the top lane in the early game, drag it out to the mid-game, and open up the game.

"We can't keep relying on our fixed lineup. Next game, we need to adapt to different situations and pick some strong laners. Don't think we have a problem with our skills just because of one loss. Keep it up!"

He gave a lot of instructions, but they were all nonsense. After the break, Kkoma blurted out a "wait and see" response.

The situation will be even more dire this time.

Because RNG chose the red side in this game.

RNG's signature move in S7.

Compared to the severity of the situation for SKT, the situation for RNG is much more harmonious.

"I almost lost the last game, oh my god, I haven't played Lee Sin in ages, I'm really bad."

Xiangguo said with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Don't panic, we'll figure out a way to continue our military training next time."

"OK, OK"

In just a few words, RNG's tactical approach for the next game was already very clear.

"What tactics do you think SKT will use to contain us in the next game? We're on the red side, and they won't be able to get counter-pick positions, which should be tough for them."

"It will probably depend on individual ability?"

Xiao Hu thought for a moment and said uncertainly.

Ultimately, Faker from S8 is still Faker. Even in defeat and defeat, Faker's pride remains.

In the last game, Faker was completely dominated by himself and utterly crushed. If nothing unexpected happens, Faker should pick a champion that he's strong in lane this time.

"So, how should we proceed in the next round?"

Chris was very single, and the facts proved him right; asking that question was indeed the easiest way to save himself trouble.

"Four protect one," Li Luo said casually, his manner reminiscent of Zhuge Liang waving his feather fan from the city tower, pointing out the direction of the country.

The true "four protect one" strategy is a very attractive tactic.

Because this is the best way for a weak team to defeat a strong one, and the most effective tactic for creating miracles.

Countless teams have tried and become obsessed with the "four-protect-one" strategy, but when this tactic is mentioned, a team name will pop into everyone's mind.

Rng!

Is there a significant skill gap between the other members of the team and the opposing team?
Is the team's operation a complete mess?

Is there no one on the team who can step up in the mid-to-late stages?
In this situation, to win, you can only choose utility heroes and protective heroes for the underperforming players on the team—heroes who can be effective even without spending much gold. Give all the extra gold to the team's star player, and entrust the outcome entirely to the player who most wants to win.

Even if the team is not as strong as the opponent, as long as one of the two carries in the team is a world-class player who can see the gap between them and the opponent, and all resources are poured into that person, there is hope of winning.

The most famous example is RNG's predecessor, which was created by Royal Never Give Up (RNG).

In S3 and S4, Royal Club won the runner-up title in the World Championship. Logically, the team configuration should have been very strong, but in fact, the team configuration at that time, that is, the players' hard skills, were actually very weak.

The fact that the Royal Family has been the runner-up for the past two years shows that they have a very obvious weakness.

For example, in S3, Lu Benwei boasted that he was evenly matched with Faker and often solo-killed Faker in scrims, but anyone with a discerning eye could see from the data that Lu Benwei's stats were among the worst of all mid laners in the entire S-series.

As for the jungler, in the S3 World Championship, Royal Club made it to the finals and faced the strongest Korean team, SKT T1. At that time, SKT T1, led by Faker, swept through the world's top teams and was virtually invincible.

Royal Club faced immense pressure from their strong opponents. Lucky, playing the jungler role, picked Elise in all three games, but they were ultimately swept 3-0, finishing as runners-up.

After returning to China, Royal Never Give Up (RNG) faced various forms of ridicule from domestic fans, with Lucky, the jungler, being nicknamed "Spider-Man" by netizens.

Despite the poor performance of the mid and jungle players, Royal Club in S3 still managed to reach the finals by relying on Chris's ancestral four-protect-one strategy.

By Season 4, Cola in the top lane and Corn in the mid lane were both incredibly popular, but nowadays, very few newer League of Legends fans remember their names.

They're just average players who occasionally shine, but the rest of the time they're either just coasting along or dragging things down.

In today's esports environment, he would probably have been forced to retire by the trolls.

But back then, it was precisely because of Royal Club's four-protect-one strategy and Uzi's freakish skill that they made it to the finals of the World Championship again.

The fact that the team has been dragged to the top stage by relying on the same tactics repeatedly is why there are far more dog fans abroad than in China.

Although many people criticize Uzi, most of them say: "The idol pays the price for the fans' actions."

The unique cross-dressing culture in China has led these people, who are actually dog ​​haters but disguised as "dog fans," to excessively amplify the negative aspects of their youthful arrogance, such as "AFK bathing" and "Royal Family is the only one in C."

But who hasn't flamed someone while playing games?

Who hasn't had their mentality shattered while playing games?
But if we really have to judge success or failure by results...

Uzi only has two flaws: he couldn't play Jhin in S6 and he couldn't play Xayah in S7. As a world-class ADC, his limited champion pool at crucial moments led to a natural disadvantage for his team in the draft phase, which can indeed be considered a flaw.

However, this flaw has been perfectly rectified by Li Luo today.

Therefore, when the suggestion to play a four-protect-one strategy was made, the teammates just glanced at it with surprise and didn't have any other opinions.

"If they want to rely on individual skill, let's show them what a real four-protect-one strategy looks like, okay?"

"Sure, we're on the red side this round, so we'll give you the counter-position directly."

Chris nodded, indicating that the team could allocate all resources to Uzi whenever he needed them.

Chris's performance in the ban/pick phase can only be described as above average; compared to truly top-tier coaches, there is still a significant gap.

However, he excels in building rapport with his teammates and is able to fully utilize every aspect of their game, which is Chris's strength.

the most important is--
He trusts his old partners very much!
"Alright, everyone, welcome back to the 2018 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational Finals. Behind me is the Zenith Arena in Paris. Hello everyone, let me reintroduce myself: I'm Wawa, I'm Miller, and I'm Longhair."

As the break ended, the spectators outside finished using the restrooms, rested, and sat back down in their chairs, waiting for the match to begin.

The big screen began playing individual promotional videos that the contestants had filmed previously.

When RNG's individual promotional video was played, cheers erupted instantly, with shouts of Chinese voices filling the air, turning the European and American home stadium into a Chinese home stadium.

"Wow, just like the promotional video says, Uzi is now a household name, his popularity is no less than Faker's. The team's promotional video also mentioned that this year's MSI is of great significance to RNG and the entire LPL region."

"Can they win the MSI finals after three years? Can they lift their first world-class trophy of S8 and continue their winning streak? The players ahead are ready. Let's move on to the draft phase."

The commentator had barely finished speaking when the screen switched, and the game's ban/pick interface lit up.

In the second match of the MSI finals, RNG will face off against SKT. In the previous match, RNG was on the blue side, so in this match, the roles will be reversed, with RNG on the red side and SKT on the blue side.

Right from the start, Skt decisively banned Syndra, showing respect to Xiaohu.

RNG didn't let Skt off the hook either, banning Gangplank and Irelia, which are LCK teams love to play, giving Khan no chance to shine.

SKT's second ban was Kai'Sa for the bot lane, and after some hesitation, they banned Rakan, the support for the bot lane.

RNG ultimately banned Camille.

Both sides' banners clearly did a lot of research.

If SKT wants to rely on individual skill, they definitely can't let Rakan appear. In this version of MSI, Rakan is a hero that can both initiate team fights and counter-attack.

Skt, on the blue side, can only pick one champion. If they can't get Xayah or Rakan, picking Rakan alone isn't very useful.

RNG banned Camille because they didn't want to give Skt any flexibility.

While Camille isn't popular in solo queue, she's still a comfortable pick in competitive play as a counter to top laners or a key jungler.

"Both sides' bans were fine, but Syndra is out of the meta this time. Let's see how Xiaohu handles it. And here's the first pick: let's see what champion Stk will pick? Oh? He picked Ryze?"

SKT decisively chose to play as a roaming champion, which can be described as a form of "stealing instead of playing".

This season, Xiaohu's two most played champions are Ryze and Syndra.

"Since Xayah wasn't banned this game, both sides will definitely pick her. In this version, Xayah still has the highest pick rate in the bot lane at this MSI. Rakan was banned by SKT in both games, so RNG on the red side can pick her this time."

"Either pick both sides, or pick one. The little dog played Xayah exceptionally well last game; let's see if he picks Xayah here."

As the most overpowered bot lane ADC in this version, you should pick him if you can.

Xayah's combat power becomes extremely terrifying in the mid-to-late game. If you can get Xayah and Rakan, the opponent can just go for it.

"Huh, Karma here? Is she for the bot lane support?"

"Wow, another Janna! RNG is up to something. Are they going to go for a four-protect-one strategy again?"

The three commentators were left speechless, both amused and exasperated by RNG's champion picks.

This familiar lineup made every spectator feel a sense of familiarity.

Is the "four protect one" strategy, which is both loved and hated, back again?
The lineups for both sides are about to be finalized.

Skt (blue side) vs Rng (red side)

Top Lane: Illaoi vs Ornn
Jungle: Olaf vs Jarvan IV
Mid-lane: Rogue vs. Karma

ADC: Xayah vs Ezreal
Support: Braum vs. Janna
Please, readers who are able to support the official version, support it instead of reading pirated copies! (crying emoji)

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(End of this chapter)