Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 292 Fated Showdown! The Future of RNG
"My God, FNC got reverse swept by SKT, coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2!"

"Ah, our FNC team from our region actually fell in the semifinals! The EU region has fallen. Oh, sorry, I'm a little emotional right now. Our FNC team has fallen!"

At the scene, not only were the LPL commentators shocked, but the Eu commentators were even sobbing uncontrollably, their faces filled with disbelief, yet they still forced themselves to continue commentating.

If FNC's loss to SKT was a loss to the same SKT as in S5 and S6, a loss to Faker, a god-like man, then perhaps they could accept it a little better.

But now, FNC is no worse than SKT in any aspect, and has no disadvantage during the laning phase. Under such circumstances, after gaining match point, why were they able to lose three games in a row to SKT?
At this moment, the FNC members' minds were completely blank, they had no thoughts at all, and they had even forgotten to control their expressions.

A best-of-five (BO5) match is exceptionally long, lasting five or six hours from the very first game to the final fifth. The mental strain of being fully focused is also extremely high.

To be honest, they were all in a state of confusion and bewilderment as to how they had managed to hold on until now, and they even ignored the taste of rust spots coming from the traces of blood in their mouths.

This scene stands in stark contrast to the SKT members who have already begun celebrating and embracing.

The camera panned to FNC's soundproof booth, where Rekkles was already crying his head off, a familiar sight. Caps looked pained, as if he couldn't believe his team's World Championship journey had ended like this.

Unfortunately, the camera couldn't capture the sound, otherwise we could have heard what Ou Cheng kept muttering:
"I should remember what he told me long ago."

Before the match, the most important point in their conversation was that Li Luo repeatedly warned Rekkles not to use a single-core strategy against SKT, putting all his hopes on one person.

However, in the fifth game, everyone, including Rekkles, chose to hand over the reins to Caps. If Caps is targeted by Skt and the others can't step up, FNC will definitely lose.

Meanwhile, the outside world.

From the moment FNC lost, and Skt set the record for the first comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2 in the World Championship, everyone went crazy.

An incredible comeback!

At this moment, seeing FNC truly eliminated and defeated by SKT, viewers worldwide were at a loss for words to describe this match.

An upset? A crushing victory? Underestimating the opponent?

It seems there's no single word that can describe the reason for the victory or defeat in this match. Esports, especially League of Legends, isn't about comparing players' rank scores on paper and then deciding which team has the higher score.

Before the start of S7, all professional players and major media outlets were optimistic that LCK's number one seed, Longzhu, would make it to the semifinals or even the finals. However, they were crushed by Samsung in the knockout stage, even achieving a shutout.

And let's not even talk about the distant past. Just look at how RNG was eliminated by G2 in S8. Was G2 really that much stronger than RNG? Or was RNG that much weaker than G2?
This dramatic outcome, where two teams from the same region faced off, meant that even though 99% of people favored Team A to win, Team B relied on resilience and individual skill to secure the victory.

This is perfectly exemplified by Suning in the S10.

In the quarterfinals, given the prevailing public opinion, how many people believed that Suning could overcome JD Gaming? In the semifinals, how many people thought Top Esports was strong enough to advance to the finals?
Reaching the semifinals of the World Championship already implies a great deal about winning and losing.

Luck, mindset, focus, and countless other factors combined can make even the most difficult comeback from a 0-2 deficit happen.

In S10, Top Esports achieved a reverse sweep against Fnatic, coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2. Coincidentally, in a parallel S8, SKT once again achieved a reverse sweep against Fnatic.

Today's match garnered a lot of attention, partly because the semifinals are the most crucial event, but also largely due to the pre-match taunts and provocations from C9 and FNC against SKT.

It's worth noting that the LCK region has won four championships and currently boasts the most global honors. So today, countless viewers are eager to see whether this veteran region has declined or a true dark horse has risen.

"Fnc has been reverse-swept, losing 3-2!"

"This is disgusting! Is Caps having another episode? Is this his mentality?"

"This best-of-five series was truly amazing. FNC still lacked the resilience of SKT; after being chased down in the first two games, they completely lost their composure in the third."

"SKT came back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 and advance to the finals. This is a fateful showdown with RNG!"

As the match ended, discussions about it filled not only the live stream rooms, but also various other platforms.

Zhihu: "How would you evaluate the League of Legends World Championship semi-final match between Skt and Fnatic on October 28, 2018?"

How should we view FNC's loss to SKT after being down 0-2?

Skt and RNG: A fateful battle between two teams – which team do you think will win the finals?

On Weibo's trending topics, Skt's comeback from 0-2 down to 3-2 also topped the list, with tens of millions of views, which is incredibly impressive. Countless highlights from the best-of-five series have been edited together, accompanied by energetic background music and Skt's glorious moments in history, and broadcast simultaneously.

The e-sports Louvre forum has countless posts, some supporting and some criticizing.

"I suggest FNC disband immediately. Rekkles' mentality isn't suited for the finals. I reckon Caps will leave once the transfer window opens. FNC has too many problems."

"Royal fans, your SKT grandpa is back again, are you scared?"

"Sending it against the wind is not advisable. Are there really so many filial sons around today?"

The fateful battle between SKT and RNG has drawn not only casual fans, but also fans of other teams, who have now become longtime SKT supporters and are launching attacks.

As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the deeper the hate. Countless RNG haters transformed into RNG fanboys, stirring up trouble everywhere and even pinning accusations on RNG. Within just a few hours of SKT winning the game, it had already ignited all platforms.

FNC, RNG, and SKT's Weibo accounts exploded, their Tieba forums were flooded, and FNC even became a background character on major short video platforms, making their fateful battle the main focus.

Finishing the semi-finals and participating in the finals is a very complicated process, not as easy as the outside audience might think, where you can just focus on preparing.

After the FNC vs. SKT match ended and the final two teams were officially determined, in addition to ranking and participating in scrims, they also had to cooperate with Riot Games to shoot various behind-the-scenes music videos and short films.

Especially when the S-series reaches its final stage, the hype, massive traffic, and enormous profits generated by the finals are something no club or company can resist.

How many people actually watched the S8 World Championship?
The foreign live streaming data website Esports Stats has compiled statistics on the final match between IG and FNC.

According to statistics, the total number of viewers worldwide for the S8 World Championship reached 205 million.

In this lifetime, given its current popularity, it will inevitably surpass that number, which is also the butterfly effect brought about by Li Luo.

RNG not only won the S7 World Championship, revitalizing the entire LPL market, but is now continuing their legendary run, advancing all the way to the S8 finals. The enthusiasm of LPL players and viewers is now countless times stronger than in the past.

In the past, starting from RNG's loss in the quarterfinals, due to the defeat to G2 and the shattering of the dream of the world's number one region to achieve a Grand Slam, even after IG won the championship, the overall trend of LoL development was that more and more people quit the game and uninstalled it.

Even after IG won the championship, the official League of Legends organization seemed to be stunned by the increasing number of people quitting the game, and even forgot to hold a championship celebration for IG.

But now it’s different.

With an invincible winning streak and a massive following of champion fans, RNG advanced to the finals. It's clear to everyone that RNG has a very good chance of winning the finals again. Leaving aside WeGame, nowadays, the first thing you see when you open the League of Legends client is an official webpage dedicated to supporting RNG.

Countless players called on their friends and even their close buddies who didn't watch the games to cheer for RNG.

Even before the competition has started, this surge in viewership, based on big data predictions, will definitely not be less than 3 million people.

Even disregarding any hype, this was a match watched by at least tens of millions of people simultaneously!

This level of popularity has even surpassed the viewership of the NBA Finals, reaching a number that no one in the esports industry dares to imagine.

The potential profits from this figure are enough to drive many people crazy.

Countless capitalists who learned the inside story flocked to the scene like leeches smelling blood.

Bai Xing's phone has been bombarded with calls, both through public and private accounts. Countless bosses have personally contacted him, and even some industry bigwigs several levels above Bai Xing's family have come to inquire, all for the sake of obtaining the traffic benefits behind RNG.

Even a small promotional logo on RNG's jersey is now being sold for an astronomical price. An ordinary person hearing that such a small spot can fetch an eight-figure price tag would probably have a stroke and might not even bother going.
Everyone is betting; they're betting that RNG can win the championship.

If you lose the bet, the eight-figure offer may immediately depreciate to seven or even six figures. But if you win the bet, doubling the eight figures is the least of your worries, and even making three or four times the initial investment is not impossible.

To be honest, such a large-scale operation is unbelievable to many people.

Some investors who missed the boat are only now realizing this, and esports has already begun to grow!

The commercial value implied by League of Legends has undergone a qualitative change compared to last year, now that RNG is about to win its second championship.

Inside the RNG club, the atmosphere was also incredibly lively.

"Wow, the competition hasn't even started yet, and netizens have already planned out the champion skins for us!"

"Where's Yan Junze? Yan Junze, your fans want you to get the Ornn championship skin. Hey, where is he?"

"Shut up, I'm playing ranked!"

Xiao Ming sat on the sofa, scrolling through Weibo and Tieba. He would occasionally see good news and shout it out to the training room.

"Jian Zihao, do your fans want you to vote for Kai'Sa? Come check it out, over 8,000 people have already voted!"

"That's true, why not choose Kai'Sa?"

"Yasuo is definitely the one to choose! It's such a hot topic. Netizens are really awesome!"

Xiao Ming's shout immediately attracted three people who hadn't yet entered the ranked queue. They all curiously gathered around and started chattering.

"Seriously? These guys are afraid that Dog Bro will get Kai'Sa and won't want to work hard in the game. They won't have the motivation to win the championship next year. This is too much of a mental hurdle." After reading this, Fang Toufang said he was speechless.

"I suspect our fans and Jian Zihao's fans are two different breeds. Why are so many people trying to get me to choose Xia Luo and that scumbag couple?"

"Please get married right here!!"

"I'll give you a wedding gift whenever you get your marriage certificate!"

After finishing his ranked game and taking off his headphones, Li Luo listened to these people joking around without any restraint. If this were an RPG game, a big question mark would definitely appear above his head.

"Hey, my sexual orientation is perfectly normal, but if Shi Senming wants to go to Thailand, then I'm not."

"First of all, my name isn't Hey, it's Chu Yuxun!" Seeing Li Luo's sarcastic remarks, Xiao Ming retorted without hesitation.

"Secondly, I've decided on my championship skin, I'm going to choose Morgana!"

"Then I'll choose Sejuani. I've been thinking about it for a long time. If it weren't for wanting to meet the official requirements last year, I would have chosen her already," Xiangguo joined in the fun.

Champion skins are not just a way to reward fans, but more often a way to motivate players.

After getting their first skin, everyone wanted to get the second one even more.

Seeing everyone's enthusiastic chatter, Li Luo tried his best to crack jokes to ease everyone's tension and anxiety before the finals.

Seeing the obvious weariness on the faces of the group, Li Luo was also thinking.

明年
This year's RNG team is undoubtedly in top form and has the best performance in their careers, including Xiaohu, Letme, Mlxg, and Ming. It's the kind of peak they've achieved, the kind where they can win a Grand Slam and be flawless.

However, the reason why it is so difficult to win a third championship in esports is not only because Riot Games targeted the second champion, but also because the players are already exhausted.

The extra schedule compared to other teams means more training and less rest.

Form can wear off. Once a player loses their competitive edge, their performance will decline rapidly. By next year, let's not even talk about others; Letme alone will have enough problems.

Lost in thought, Li Luo sat on the sofa by the balcony, staring blankly outside, unaware of Bai Xing's approach.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

Bai Xing waved her hand, seemingly a little surprised by Li Luo's performance.

"You've arrived." Adjusting his overly relaxed facial expression from daydreaming, Li Luo turned to look at him.

RNG's scale is now many times larger than in its previous life, and correspondingly, Shirahoshi has shed the naivety she had when they first met and become more experienced.

An expensive watch, a luxurious-looking suit, an impeccably upright posture, and a pile of gifts on the table and floor.
"I'm thinking about our plans for next year."

Compared to other club owners, Shirahoshi is probably the one with the fewest worries.

"Everyone's contracts are almost up. I wonder if Xiangguo and Junze will continue playing together."

Bai Xing lowered her voice, seemingly not wanting to ruin the pleasant atmosphere.

Many teams sign contracts with their players before major tournaments, especially those that determine a player's career, not only because they can get a good price, but also to give the players a strong boost of confidence.

If you don't play well, I'll still want you next year!
(End of this chapter)