Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 209 The Decisive BP! Stacked Pray!

RNG first picks Titan.

Subsequently, Skt secured Olaf, currently the top jungler, and a support champion who can also synergize well with Kai'Sa.

Japanese girl!

As soon as the two sides made contact, three candidates emerged, but none of them revealed their system ideas, and they were all unsure of what the other side was going to do.

"Continue with the meta picks? Or should we play it safe?"

Chris hesitated for a moment, his words tinged with confusion.

The advantage of the blue team lies in their ability to secure strong heroes in the current meta.

However, in the S8 MSI version, there are too many heroes to play. Whether it's a utility hero for the top and mid lanes or a standout ADC for the bot lane, you won't have a bad choice.

With ban slots being so scarce, the blue side's advantage is effectively minimized, making them far less flexible than the red side's counter picks.

In a sense, Leona is even a good counter to the Kai'Sa and Nautilus combination.

RNG had no choice but to help Letme lock down Maokai again in the top lane, allowing Mlxg to secure Jarvan IV.

"Oh? Chris's draft here is pretty good. Although Letme's Ornn is gone from the top lane, Maokai can still fulfill the same role of initiating team fights and tanking damage as Ornn. As for Mlxg's Jarvan IV and Nautilus, both of them can initiate team fights and provide protection."

"Previous matches have proven that Jarvan IV can indeed counter Olaf in games. In the following matches, other teams have also used Jarvan IV against Olaf with good results."

"That's right, and once RNG's lineup gains an advantage, they are virtually invincible in localized team fights."

Wawa and Miller, working in perfect harmony, made an otherwise ordinary business plan sound absolutely brilliant.

The commentators praised RNG's draft picks, but so far, RNG's picks have been exactly what SKT expected.

"Go ahead and show them; their lineup is already set."

Kkoma smiled confidently and gave instructions to Brother Li, who was in the third position.

Skt finally brought out their carefully prepared strategy in the third game.

Rek'Sai, the Void Burrower! The Demacian Prince's only natural enemy!

"Here it comes, is this Skt's trump card for MSI?"

The doll said solemnly:
"SKT's flex picks are unpredictable; they've swung Olaf to the top lane to counter Maokai. Oh no, just look at these three picks; SKT has completely shut down RNG's champions!"

Kkoma has brought his professional skills to the extreme, and this counter-position was executed flawlessly.

RNG's first three picks: Titan, Jarvan IV, Maokai
SKT's top three picks: Olaf, Leona, Rek'Sai
For each of Skt's champions, in matchups, except for Leona and Nautilus which are 60/40, Jarvan IV and Rek'Sai, and Maokai and Olaf are 30/70.

This is a huge disadvantage even before the game has started!
"RNG is about to make their move here. You know, SKT's signature picks from S8, Karma and Zilean, are both out there. If RNG doesn't counter them with their bans and Faker gets them, it's like RNG's initiation is completely useless. On the other hand, SKT's lineup has a very strong impact and their team fight positioning is very flexible."

"Yes, this system is arguably SKT's most trump card that they showcased in the Spring Split."

Miller nodded in agreement with his partner.

The seriousness in their expressions revealed just how significant RNG's disadvantage was in the draft phase.

"RNG is now completely on the defensive on the blue side, while SKT can effectively limit Uzi's champion pool. RNG has indeed banned Karma and Zilean. Let's see if SKT can ban Kai'Sa as well."

"That draft pick was fantastic!"

As Changmao finished speaking, Skt surprisingly showed no intention of targeting Uzi. Instead, they further restricted Xiaohu's champion pool.

"Should we pick Kai'Sa? The enemy team has great kiting ability, and it's hard for Kai'Sa to find the right moment to engage in team fights."

Watching helplessly as the red team once again picked the dominant AD Miss Fortune from S8 for Bang as their fourth pick, leaving the last counter pick for Faker, the three commentators were at a loss for words.

Kkoma's draft pick was so perfect that even if you knew it was a trap, you would still walk right into it.

RNG is also caught in a dilemma.

The blue side's draft was too passive this game. No matter what they picked, SKT on the red side had the potential to turn the game around.

There aren't many options left for Xiaohu and Li Luo in the bottom lane.

With Syndra, Malzahar, Karma, Zilean, Vladimir, and Zoe all unavailable, Xiaohu has very few champion options left.

unless!

"Gario?"

Xiangguo suggested that Xiaohu's Galio was very impressive during the Spring Split, especially in the mid-to-late game when playing a 4-1 formation. With Galio, even the most difficult games were very comfortable.

"Still homeless outside"

Letme, who was on the road, also gave a reminder.

Xiao Hu stared at the opponent's lineup, thought for a while, and seeing that the countdown had already begun, finally said:

"Galio!"

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

"Sure!"

Okay, take it.

Chris didn't waste any time, giving the players ample room to perform, and continued:

"The enemy's engage is too strong, and Olaf is immune to crowd control. Our crowd control abilities are all ineffective. Uzi, how about we pick an ADC with mobility?"

The lineup has finally reached its most awkward point.

Top lane Maokai, jungle Jarvan IV, mid lane Galio, support Nautilus – four tanks, brimming with crowd control, but to no avail against SKT's lineup.

In contrast, SKT's current four picks—Olaf for top lane, Rek'Sai for jungle, Miss Fortune for AD carry, and Leona for support—are a complete counter to RNG's lineup.

"Nakasha!"

"take?"

"take!"

This pick of Kai'Sa was such a brainless choice. The three commentators on the commentary desk were still trying to help RNG, but when they saw the final pick was confirmed, their endless chatter suddenly stopped, like a radio with no signal.
Kai'Sa? That's too stubborn!

It's important to know that Kai'Sa's only natural counter is Miss Fortune. The burst damage from Miss Fortune combined with Leona is something Kai'Sa's small frame simply can't withstand. Once Leona gets her under control, she's basically guaranteed to lose a kill.

On the contrary, even if RNG's Nautilus initiates on Miss Fortune, Leona, who follows up, can still keep Kai'Sa from coming up to deal damage during the duration of her W.

Skt's final move was truly unexpected.

They added a control and support champion, and picked Morgana?!

With the lineups confirmed for both sides, viewers familiar with the MSI schedule widened their eyes in surprise!
The memory of Edg's Morgana countering LeBlanc back then is still vivid in my mind. I never expected that after so many years, it would be resurrected and happen between RNG and SKT.

To be fair, this draft pick/ban was definitely one of the most exciting in League of Legends history.

Kkoma used almost all his skills to create this near-perfect counter lineup, leaving even the coaches watching in astonishment!
Is this...is this still the Kkoma we know?
The lineups for both sides have been finalized. RNG (blue side) vs. Skt (red side)

Top Lane: Twisted Treant vs. Berserker

Jungle: Demacian Prince vs. Void Burrower

Mid-lane: Colossus of Justice vs. Fallen Angel
ADC: Daughter of the Void vs. Bounty Hunter
Support: Deepsea Titan vs. Leona
Skt made the most of Red's second-move advantage.

"By the way, is Galio a good matchup against Morgana?"

Chris is not a professional player after all. He is certainly very familiar with the regular hero matchups, but Morgana in the mid lane is something that is almost never seen in professional matches.

Xiaohu shook his head, and just as he was about to speak, Letme, the owner of the Galio championship skin in the top lane, spoke first and answered for him.

Galio is too easy to beat Morgana.

Letme said:

"You could say that any champion can easily counter Morgana. Galio's W skill provides a magic shield, and he has strong early-game wave clear, or he can simply charge in and trade blows with Morgana. Morgana can't win in the early game no matter what. Morgana's lifesteal ability is negligible until her W skill is maxed out or she gets her items."

"Furthermore, even if Morgana levels up, Galio's W is very effective against Morgana's shield in small-scale team fights, since it's an area-of-effect control skill, and Morgana's shield can only be applied to one person."

Heroes whose passive ability can clear minion waves are mostly strong lane bullies in the early game.

Galio was no exception.

Galio's passive ability, Colossus Strike, grants him bonus magic damage in a small area every few seconds on his next basic attack.

Galio's Q skill fires two gusts of wind, dealing magic damage. His E skill propels him forward with a powerful charge, dealing magic damage to the first enemy champion hit and knocking them up. Enemies along the way will also take magic damage.

What does it mean to have three skills that can clear minions?
Can Morgana's W skill wipe out the backline minions in the early game?

Obviously not.

In addition, since her Q skill is a single-target damage skill, Morgana can never push Galio's lane, and being pushed under the tower is a common occurrence for her.

But the reason Skt chose to pick such a hero on the fifth floor is undoubtedly because they valued...
"In team fights, Morgana's ultimate is very effective at countering our engage. Even if Li Yuanhao's Galio is stunned and focused down, there's nothing we can do. Moreover, with Miss Fortune's shield, our AP damage output is very low, so we basically can't break through Miss Fortune's shield!"

"What a sneaky BP!" Xiaoming pouted, looking unhappy.

It's understandable to feel frustrated when you're being manipulated by others.

Since the start of this season, RNG hasn't suffered such a significant loss in the draft phase for a long time.

The domestic coaches are all familiar faces, so it's practically impossible to steal a win from them.

But foreign coaches often have a surprising tactic that can catch you off guard.

Even though RNG is currently on the blue side, there are very few teams with rosters and player champion pools that can be used to outmaneuver RNG.

A situation like Skt's, where they held an advantage in the draft phase throughout the game, is something that hasn't happened even once this year.

"This one's going to be tough."

Even the usually confident Xiangguo frowned, his mind racing as he tried to find a way to break the deadlock.

The ban/pick phase is inherently a battlefield without gunpowder.

Many players even feel that the coach position is not very useful, and that they can't do much to counter the lineup; everything depends on the players' own abilities.

But only now do many players realize just how terrifying a good coach can be to a team.

As soon as this draft was revealed, many RNG fans felt their hopes were dashed and lost all hope of winning the game.

However, the man in RNG's core ADC position, as seen in the camera footage, remained silent throughout.

His expression was blank, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Li Luo is actually quite conflicted right now.

In previous versions, Kai'Sa's item build for this version should have been: Guinsoo's Rageblade as the first item, Infinity Edge as the second, and Runaan's Hurricane as the third.

With these three items, you can basically dominate the game in most matches.

If Da Shunfeng can make these three items within 21 minutes, the game can be ended immediately.

However, this build has a huge inherent drawback!

It has weak early-game combat ability, weak mid-game team fight ability, and zero self-protection ability. Without the evolution of its E skill, it has only one fate once it gets caught.

dead!
The situation can only be changed if the splitting arrow can be extracted.

If you build the second item, you'll face the awkward situation of not being able to evolve your Q skill, resulting in a significant loss of damage.

However, it wouldn't be suitable to use the same equipment setup from Season 9, the Manamune build.

The attack damage bonus for the Demon Slayer hasn't been changed yet; it's still 25 points, meaning you're still 10 points short of unlocking the evolved form of your Q skill.

Don't underestimate the difference of ten points. Kai'Sa who builds Manamune is actually an AP build. Without those 10 points, she will inevitably have to build an AD item.

For Kai'Sa, being too balanced isn't a good thing.

unless!

System, please add the S6pray card to my stack!

As the words fell, a phantom card jumped out of Li Luo's unseen card holder and entered a void, where it began to spin.

When the card spun to a certain point, it shattered and turned into specks of blue light that merged into Li Luo's body.

Since AD ​​Kai'Sa is too limiting, I might as well abandon AD altogether and go for pure AP.

With the addition of Pray, the creator of Ashe's R skill with a 100% hit rate in history, Li Luo was confident that no one could escape Kai'Sa's Void Target in this game!

"SKT's lineup relies on Leona and Rek'Sai's dual engage to initiate team fights, and Morgana and Olaf to counter-attack. Their team fight positioning and backline protection capabilities are top-notch."

"With Olaf and Miss Fortune/Leona in the bot lane holding the line in the early game, and the Rek'Sai and Morgana composition in the mid-game, their fighting strength is not weak. The later the game goes, the more terrifying Skt's team fight ability becomes."

Can Xiaohu's Galio solo kill Faker's Morgana in the mid lane?

In the commentary booth, the three commentators also clearly felt the passivity and disadvantage in the draft phase, and they discussed it one after another.

The fact that Skt countered their bot lane, which often gives them an advantage, is particularly worrying.

What makes Kai'Sa strong?
Once the mid-game three-item set is complete, it unleashes terrifying AoE damage and disruptive team fight capabilities.

Any crowd control from teammates can provide plasma stacks, and a full stack triggers high damage. RNG's lineup means that almost everyone can create opportunities to deal damage.

What are the weaknesses?
She was too weak in the early game and could basically not beat anyone in lane, just like in the later S9 season. In the early game, Kai'Sa could not beat anyone, and in the late game, Kai'Sa could not beat anyone either. It was extremely extreme.

Thank you to all the brothers who voted for recommendations and monthly tickets. Seeing your votes in the background every day warms my heart. Thank you so much!

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(End of this chapter)