Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 374 IG? Let's do it!
After the first three rounds were completed, both sides moved on to the second round of banning.

Ig banned the jungler Jarvan IV and Irelia, while Edg banned Lucian and ADC Vayne.

This ban surprised everyone.

IG almost exclusively targeted Edg's mid and jungle, but Edg could only target TheShy's champion pool.

This is the optimal solution for any team facing IG right now. If TheShy plays a short-range champion, they can at least put up a fight. If TheShy plays a long-range champion, even if the jungler doesn't care, their own top lane will likely collapse 90% of the time.

This is a situation no team wants to encounter, and it's also the pinnacle a top laner can achieve.

"Ah, it seems EDG still doesn't have a good way to deal with IG's top lane," Wawa chuckled, then continued, "To be honest, what was the meaning behind banning Irelia?"

"Maybe they have their own understanding, but we'll have to see which champions IG picks next," Miller said, trying to smooth things over.

From this ban, they could sense that the two sides started battling it out as soon as they entered the game, and the intensity of the battle was several levels higher than that of the Demacia Cup.

"Besides these, I didn't expect IG to not ban any top laners," Miller said, shaking his head. "TheShy's laning ability is very strong, but I feel that since JackeyLove left, IG's focus has changed. They should be focusing on top-jungle synergy."

The doll nodded, unable to contain her anticipation, and said, "I hope both sides can pick some more aggressive heroes today, so we can clearly see the tactical styles for this season."

"So, let's see if EdgG will pick mid or top lane champions for their fourth pick, or leave the counter pick for Clearlove."

In the draft phase, after some hesitation, Edg finally locked in their fourth champion, flexing Akali to the top lane for Flandre, and giving Scout the mid lane Rumble, a very popular champion in the Spring Split ranked meta.

On IG's side, the opposing team seemed to be hesitating about something, and only revealed their two heroes near the end of the time limit—heroes that astonished the entire audience.
Aatrox, the Darkin Blademaster.

Swift Swordsman, Yasuo.

Wow!
As soon as these two familiar heroes were revealed, the IG fans in the audience immediately started cheering, with the cheers no less enthusiastic than when Uzi got Vayne.

"It seems like IG is going all out. All five picks are the strongest early-to-mid-game AD champions. It looks like IG knows that in this version, as long as they can gain an advantage in the early game, the impact later on will be significant. Because of Varus, they can completely end the game between 20 and 28 minutes."

"TheShy's Aatrox, Rookie's Yasuo... I have to say, I'm already curious before this game even starts."

Back in the day, TheShy's godlike performance of taking down four Sword Demons with a single blow goes without saying, and Rookie's Yasuo was also a signature skill.

"Hey guys," Zaozi said, getting a little angry: "My temper is flaring up. It looks like IG is going to go all out against us this game. All five of their heroes are eager to fight in the early game. Are we just going to let them get away with this?"

"How about I play the tank jungler?" Li Luo laughed, "Using softness to overcome hardness?"

"No, no, no, we lost to IG when you picked a tank. This team can't dominate in the early game, and we can't beat them in the mid-game at all!" Scout said nervously, not realizing the teasing in Li Luo's voice, which made everyone burst into laughter.

As Abu announced the jungle picks for the game one after another, everyone looked at Li Luo expectantly.

Choose the praying mantis.

Seeing Li Luo's suggestion, Abu didn't hesitate and nodded directly: "Okay, let's pick Kha'Zix. This game is actually quite easy; the enemy doesn't have a single frontline."

After saying that, Meiko directly selected an avatar that was already completely unfamiliar in this competition from the fifth floor:

"Change is a good thing."

"Mantis?"

"It's a praying mantis!"

Upon seeing this hero, the previously suppressed fans immediately began to cheer and shout.

Edg immediately locked onto the Kha'Zix.

Applause immediately erupted.

"Kha'Sai! Locked in! It's Kha'Sai!" the doll exclaimed in astonishment. "Wow, this is Clearlove getting angry! Ning's Lee Sin, all five of the opposing team are strong AD carries in the early game, but if Kha'Sai gets an advantage, they'll just feed. It's starting to get messy!"

"We can look forward to this. If Kha'Zix can't gain an advantage against this kind of lineup, it will be a different story. I think this game might be a bit bloody!"

It was more than just bloody; looking at the lineups on both sides of this match, it was clear that only those who survived could farm and develop.

What? You're talking to IG about operations?
Given all this, what's the point of continuing operations?

Do it! That's it!
"Both teams' lineups were incredibly brutal, but I personally think IG's lineup is actually a bit better."

"Regardless, the competition has already begun. Ning and Clearlove were bound to have this battle sooner or later. Since IG won the championship in S8, Clearlove and Ning chose to retire for half a year after their first confrontation in S9."

"This time, Clearlove is back with a vengeance! This opening match of the LPL this year, a top-level feast representing the pinnacle of LPL's current level, is officially starting! Let's enter Summoner's Rift together!"

The moment those words were spoken, the scene erupted in chaos.

The fans of both teams, who had been waiting in the wings, erupted in a frenzy of cheers.

"IG!! IG is awesome!!"

"Go IG, little IG!!!"

"Edg!! Edg!!!"

"Edg, kill them all!!!"

“.!!!!!”

The scene was incredibly exciting. Everyone had been eagerly anticipating this "New Year's Battle" between Uzi and Edg, who had just transferred to Edg to form the "Pig and Dog" duo, and against IG!
At the same time, countless League of Legends fans flooded into the live stream, and the momentum had already reached its peak before the battle even started.

On the field, both Edg and IG bought their equipment and left the fountain at the same time. Both sides seemed to know each other well and had no intention of engaging in a level 1 team fight. They positioned themselves evenly and defended at the start.

Seeing this, Miller immediately said, "Both Edg and IG's lineups in this match are very dependent on gold and time. If one side gains an advantage in the level 1 team fight, the other side will have a very difficult time, and could even lose the game because of the level 1 team fight. Therefore, both sides are being very cautious."

"Yes, in other words, this situation is crucial for testing a jungler. Due to the characteristics of the heroes, there will be some fighting and friction in the early game on all three lanes. At this time, the jungler's rhythm determines how the team will open up a direction, which is also the key to the outcome of the game! Whichever side can feed up a boss first will have enough initiative and thus win the game!"

In fact, what the commentators said is exactly why Edg is avoiding level 1 team fights now.

In previous scrimmages, whenever either Rookie or TheShy gained an advantage in the level 1 team fight, Edg's laning phase was extremely difficult for at least the first ten minutes. Without Li Luo's support, they would be completely overwhelmed.

Therefore, weighing the pros and cons, the more aggressive and less forgiving a lineup is, the less you should make unnecessary small mistakes in the early game.

At the start of the game, the blue team's Lee Sin chose to start with red buff, and the red team's Kha'Zix also chose to start with red buff.

"Both junglers started with their own red buff. Does this mean Clearlove has his sights set on the bot lane, or is he just wary of Ning ganking bot lane early?"

Seeing the harmonious junglers on both sides, especially the IDs of Clearlove and Ning, which currently represent reckless players, Wawa felt a strong sense of incongruity.

"Then we'll have to see what happens after both sides finish their first buffs. Will they go for the second level and make plays, or will they farm the jungle?" As the commentator spoke, everyone stared intently at the movements of the two players on the big screen.

As a result, it did not disappoint everyone.

"My god, after clearing his red buff, Kha'Zix immediately chose to learn his E skill and jump into the Baron pit, heading straight for Ning's upper jungle, not worried at all about running into Lee Sin in the jungle!"

"Oh dear! Ning made a mistake this time. Lee Sin can easily take down a Kha'Zix with his E skill in the early game. Ning went straight to the red side's bottom jungle, trying to catch Clearlove who might start with red buff!" Miller shouted.

"These two are now thinking the same thing; they're incredibly audacious."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning arrived at the blue buff. Seeing the blue buff alive, he raised an eyebrow and walked into the bush where the blue buff was, waiting for the Kha'Zix to arrive.

However, at this moment, in the upper jungle of the blue side, Li Luo had already started attacking IG's blue buff, not worried at all that Ning would come over.

Upon seeing this, Edg fans in the arena cheered.

Miller was amazed: "Clearlove's awareness is so sharp! Even after learning the E skill, he dared to go for the blue buff so decisively, not afraid that Ning might gank him. On the other hand, Ning didn't realize that Kha'Zix hadn't gone to his lower jungle and was still waiting. With this back and forth, the two junglers had a time difference. Clearlove is so aware!"

in the game.

It wasn't until the blue team's blue buff was reduced to only a third of its health by the Kha'Zix that the Lee Sin realized what was happening. He rushed over to check on the three wolves and his face immediately darkened.

"Kha'Zix might be in my jungle, Aatrox! Be careful!"

Ning used a Q skill on the blue buff and quickly warned TheShy in the top lane to be careful of Kha'Zix's gank.

In the early game, Lee Sin's jungle clearing speed is actually a bit faster than Kha'Zix's.

However, because Ning Wang's awareness was a bit lacking, there was a time difference of about 9 seconds between the two.

It may seem insignificant in ranked games, but in competitive matches, it can be fatal.

At the crucial moment when a jungler reaches level 3, Kha'Zix can have a full five seconds more time than Lee Sin.

For professional players who often use the strategy of guessing the jungler's gank timing, this time difference is enough to disrupt their rhythm.

Wow!
A flash of light, and the mantis that had just killed the toad instantly leveled up to level three.

This is currently the most comfortable and fastest way to reach level 3, thanks to the increased experience gained from the Toad. If you open the Three Wolves area, you'll need to attack two more F6 camps.

"Damn it, Kha'Zix reached level 3 too fast this time, and his target was IG's mid lane. Rookie's Yasuo has no idea that Kha'Zix will come out from his own blue buff area!"

In the game, the mid lane for both IG and Edg is close to Edg's tower, so naturally, Yasuo's position is also across the river.

This shouldn't have been dangerous, since Yasuo was still at four-fifths health, but Kha'Zix's position was really strange, blocking Rookie's escape route.

"Prince Ning, can you come over? I'm running here to see you."

The Kha'Zix's position has blocked Yasuo's path backward or to the left, leaving him with no choice but to try running towards the river and then taking a long detour back home.

This is too much for a Yasuo.

"Come this way, I'll reach level three soon, let's play 2v2."

Seeing this, Ning stopped holding back his Smite and decisively finished off the frog. He let out a roar in the team voice chat, then used W to sneak out along the wall and stood next to Yasuo.

"It looks like both junglers are here, should we still fight?"

The commentators were also amazed. Although the Kha'Zix had the upper hand, Rookie's handling of the situation was outstanding, and he didn't panic at all.

Inside the arena, both Kha'Zix and Rumble were visibly stunned when they saw Ning appear, but they remained determined to continue fighting.

Yasuo is not in good form right now, while the other two are at full strength, so there's no need to be afraid.

In the early game, Lee Sin's damage was much higher than Kha'Zix's. Also, because Kha'Zix's passive "Isolation" cannot be triggered when there are two people, IG surprisingly made the first move, and Lee Sin directly Q'd Rumble and flew up.

Scout's Rumble was also very decisive. Seeing Lee Sin fly up, he used his E skill while simultaneously pressing Q and W skills, instantly reaching red temperature and unleashing a barrage of damage on Lee Sin.

"This is bad. Yasuo and Lee Sin's damage is so high. I feel like Rumble can't handle it alone, and Kha'Zix doesn't have his passive, so his damage is too low."

"Ning Wang is indeed ruthless, daring to charge in like this right at the start!"

As Rumble was brought to near-death by the two players' attacks, the IG fans in the arena went wild.

No one expected such a fierce 2v2 battle right from the start. Despite Kha'Zix taking the initiative, IG managed to turn the tide and seize the first advantage.

"I can't go on, I need to kill the blind man first, otherwise this wave will be too much of a loss."

With a heavy heart, Scout talked while trying his best to deal all his damage to the blind man.

At this point, both the blind man and Rumble had reached near-death.

The next moment, four orange-yellow flashes lit up.

The Mantis chased after the low-health Blind Man, and Yasuo chased after the low-health Rumble. Almost instantly, two kills were taken!
Whose blood was it?

First blood!

Doll and Miller stared nervously at the screen, their hearts pounding in their chests.

Edg made the first move, and they still managed to get a one-for-one trade. If they hadn't gotten the first blood, it would have been a huge loss!
next moment.

Edg.clearlove7 killed ig Ning.
First blood!

"Wow!!!"

Upon seeing this, all the fans at the scene immediately stood up and cheered.

"First blood! Edg got first blood! This is a good trade, and IG didn't get both buffs. Kha'Zix got his buff! What a win!"

"what?"

"Neither Rookie nor Clearlove wants to leave. Are they going to keep playing?" Wawa shouted excitedly from the commentary booth.

"We have to fight! Yasuo has more health than Kha'Zix here, and Yasuo has also built up a Whirlwind. What do you say about this!"

(End of this chapter)