Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 382 Battle of Wits! The Final Showdown of Spring!
Li Luo is like a butterfly flapping its wings, causing many changes in the professional world.

Originally, it should have been a match between TES and JDG, but they unfortunately lost 2-3, allowing the top team JDG to win the Spring Split championship and become the new champions.

However, now an even more formidable obstacle than Top Esports stands before JD.com, waiting for them to overcome it.

In the first match, the two sides chose sides by flipping a coin.

JD.com got the blue team, while Edg got the red team.

In this match, Edg's starting mid laner was Xiye, while JD Gaming fielded their usual starting lineup.

At the start, everyone thought it was going to be a fierce battle, but five minutes into the game, everyone was surprised to find that the situation was not close at all!

Edg's five players are in such great form!

Or perhaps they were just too strong!

Especially the jungler Clearlove, who led Xiye in an inhuman jungle invasion in the first game. Although Kanavi was not bad either, he also lost his own jungle rhythm under such a crazy counter-jungling.

Without the jungler's support, JD Gaming's offensive power has been significantly reduced. As soon as Greenmao in the bottom lane dares to make a move, Uzi and Meiko will instantly be ready to kill Loken.

Without a rhythm, JDG had no choice but to fight individually, resulting in a fierce back-and-forth battle with 40 kills in just 22 minutes. After taking down Baron Nashor at 24 minutes, Edg pushed down JDG's base and secured a winning start to the finals.

Edg secured the victory with a decisive 1-0 score, a clear display of superior strength.

At this moment, JD.com's fans fell silent. Even the frenzied online discussions could only play a supporting role in Edg's rise. Any normal person would feel fear in the face of such an Edg!

In the second game of the Bo5 finals, Edg once again selected a strong and aggressive lineup, and replaced the mid lane with Scout, who has stronger laning ability, to directly confront JDG.

Faced with the choice of whether or not to let Kanavi do things his own way, Li Luo chose to let him do as he pleased, and the result naturally showed outsiders what a luxurious four-man protection system looked like.

RNG's "four protect one" strategy sacrifices the potential and value of other lanes to help the bot lane open up the game, while Edg's "four protect one" strategy relies on the bot lane to create a breakthrough, allowing everyone to thrive.

At this moment, the pressure on all JD.com employees is beyond description. Even though the second game is not over yet, everyone feels weak in the knees and their clothes are soaked with sweat.

Besides the pressure from the finals, there's even more pressure from the laning phase on every lane.

If the bottom lane collapses, it means that the top, mid, and jungle lanes will have to step up.

Toothpaste in the mid lane couldn't beat Scout in lane, and became increasingly frustrated, even getting a solo kill by Scout.

Kanavi was frantically ganking for Zoom in the top lane, but Flandre played extremely slickly.

Why should I, a tank, compete with you for development? I'll eat what I can, and if I can't, I'll just watch and get the experience.

JD Gaming has lost a game against Edg's approach.

With a 2-0 lead, Edg has reached match point and is just one step away from being crowned the S9 Spring Split champion.

If Edg wins the next match, JDG will say goodbye to the Spring Split championship for the second time!
This year's Spring Finals were as brutal as last year's IG's decisive 3-0 sweep.

With the same script and the same approach, JD.com is once again standing on the edge of a precipice.

With just one game left, JD Gaming will set an unprecedented record of reaching the Spring Finals twice and being swept 3-0 twice.

Under such intense attention, time seemed to slow down dramatically, with countless people eagerly awaiting the moment.

"Welcome back! This is the live broadcast of the 2020 LPL Spring Split Finals (Best of 5). Hello everyone, I'm Wawa."

"I am Miller, I am Remember!"

When the break was over, the camera switched from the frontcourt to the backcourt as the players from both sides began to take the field.

As soon as the three commentators appeared, the audience went wild with shouts.

"EDG!! EDG!!"

"Edg!! Victory is certain!!"

"!!"

"Wow!" At this moment, no explanation is needed to create an atmosphere. Under the Edg light boards covering the entire mountainside, the Rubik's Cube venue seems to have become Edg's home ground.

"This feels like the last game of a best-of-five series!" Wawa swallowed hard, sweat pouring down his face.

The atmosphere at the scene was completely ignited!
At the end of April, the Rubik's Cube venue felt like a hot summer day.

As the players entered the field, the director switched the camera angles one by one, and the difference in the expressions and condition of the two teams became immediately apparent.

The five players from JD Gaming looked ashen-faced, as if they had already lost the best-of-five series. Their pre-match boasts now felt like slaps to the face.

In contrast, although the five Edg players were quite serious at this moment, their expressions and actions revealed a sense of composure and ease.

"We see that both teams' players have entered the arena. Compared to them, the JD Gaming players seem to be having some mental issues, which is not good. I think the JD Gaming coach should take this opportunity to adjust the players' mental state as soon as possible."

"This kind of best-of-five series is not only a drain on the players' energy and tactics, but also a severe test of their mentality."

Wawa also sighed, "That's right. The more intense the competition, the more important the players' mentality becomes. Physical strength is one thing, but mentality can completely determine how much strength you can unleash in such a competition. We can see that all five members of Edg are in very stable condition right now. Their experience in major competitions means that they can't panic in this situation!"

"Yes, after this match, a new champion will be born. Similarly, I think this is the best consolation for the team that has fought throughout the entire Spring Split!"

After the words were spoken, the contestants from both sides entered the arena, and a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.

Miller instantly got goosebumps and shouted, "This is the closest Edg has ever been to the Spring Finals championship, but it is also the closest JD Gaming has ever been to the championship. As the runner-up of last year's Spring Finals, whether they can withstand the pressure from Edg and win the game to keep their lives alive depends on the performance of both sides in this match!"

"Edg's battle anthem has begun! Let's move on to the third game of today's best-of-five series, Edg's match point!" Teacher Ji shouted, and the screen rotated.

Wow!
Applause erupted from the audience.

With the Spring Finals championship within reach, the Edg team members were not as calm as they appeared on camera.

How many spring finals does one have in a lifetime?
This is a question that every player sitting here has to think about! "Brothers, after this match, our team will take off. We must stay calm, don't panic, and don't rush," Meiko said calmly, but her flushed face betrayed everything.

"Don't panic, I'll still carry this game. If the top and mid lanes hold steady, we'll win. Their bot lane is terrible, they'll crumble at the slightest touch." Compared to him, Zaozi seemed much more relaxed.

In two consecutive matches, he completely crushed Loken head-on, fulfilling what he had said before the match!

Physical recovery brings a tangible improvement in operational skills, as well as a stronger mindset!
"Stay calm. I want to teach JD.com an unforgettable lesson this time, and show them what humility really means!"

Li Luo's words immediately boosted the team's morale.

"come on!"

On the other side, the JD.com staff unconsciously massaged their necks and wrists, sitting numbly in front of the screen.

"Coach, what should we play this game? I want to lane against them. I don't want to play teamfight heroes like Azir anymore. We're so frustrated," Toothpaste said, looking at Coach Redmi with a wronged expression.

In two consecutive games, Azir was carried by Xiye in the first game, and he could only suffer in silence in the jungle due to the characteristics of the Azir hero.

In the second game, Scout, playing Akali, completely outplayed him, solo-killing him under the tower – a truly humiliating moment.

At the start of this round, seeing that Redmi was still sticking to its choice, Toothpaste was furious. At the same time, saying this was tantamount to putting the pressure and blame on the coach.

After losing the game, they simply blamed Redmi for not giving them strong laning heroes.

"If I give you a lane champion, can you beat Scout?" Redmi asked the crucial question.

Ginger is indeed old and spicy!
Redmi's statement shifted the pressure and blame back onto them.

Okay, you want to pick a mid-lane champion? Fine, but can you guarantee you can beat me? If you can't, what will you say?

The toothpaste pouted its little mouth in grievance, and coupled with its hefty size, it made the viewers in the live stream feel nauseous.

"Let's give Kanavi a strong jungler and coordinate with him to invade. It's been Clearlove's rhythm for the past two games. If we don't find a way to limit Clearlove in the jungle, or simply overwhelm him, Edg will never panic and will inexplicably gain an advantage."

Zoom, sitting to the side, bypassed Captain Green Hair and Toothpaste, and gave instructions directly to Redmi.

Edg, regardless of which lane they play, seems a bit too strong in this version.

Especially the jungler and bot lane; if they aren't targeted, JD Gaming won't even last 20 minutes before both lanes collapse, which is incredibly damaging.

Upon hearing Zoom's words, Redmi nodded and began flipping through his notebook to plan his business plan.

After the first two matches, both sides have basically figured out each other's tactics, and this will be even more true in this final match.

JD.com has returned to its blue side, while Edg is now on the red side.

In terms of bans, JD Gaming chose to ban the first three champions: Elise, Jarvan IV, and Syndra, while EdgG banned LeBlanc, Ornn, and Kalista.

Both sides had very clear strategies for banning players, and the targets were also very obvious.

"A banner with absolutely no flaws!"

"JD mainly targeted the jungle pressure and mid-lane pushing pressure that they couldn't handle in the first two games, while Edg chose to ban heroes that are flexible and can withstand pressure in all three lanes. It seems they are going to play a strong laning phase again," Miller commented.

"Yes, and he's got a real knack for it. This year's Uzi is even better than last year's S9. That's just too outrageous. Last year, Uzi could carry RNG to the World Championship by himself. It's hard to imagine how terrifying it would be if this year's Uzi, who's even stronger than last year, were paired with a Clearlove whose fighting power is already off the charts!"

I remember he finished speaking with a wry smile, and the dog and pig fans at the scene immediately cheered.

"If Kalista is banned here, JD Gaming will probably have to first pick Trundle."

"Right now, the red side has a problem: they don't have enough bans. Okay, JDG has picked Trundle," Miller said. "Now let's see how EdgG picks. Without Ornn, other top laners are actually not good at dealing with Trundle's ganks."

"Let's see what they say. Should we give Uzi Aphelios? Uzi hasn't played this champion much this season. I wonder if we'll see him show off in the third game of the finals."

"Oh? Edg actually gave Clearlove the jungle role directly. Who's the jungler for this game?"

"Maverick!"

After saying those two words, Edg's first pick seemed to be truly committed, and it didn't waver anymore.

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized a problem: JD Gaming had actually let Graves out of the first three ban slots!

"JD banned Graves in the first two games, but they let him go this time? Was it intentional or a mistake? Edg doesn't need to be polite, they'll just pick Graves directly." Wawa's comments at this point were completely on the side of the fans, and he said excitedly.

Remember also said, "Actually, if other teams were to pick Graves, they wouldn't immediately pick him as their first pick. Although this champion is very strong in the current version and clears jungle camps very quickly, he also has a problem: his early game strength is actually not enough. Compared to the other junglers in the current version, is JD Gaming going to focus on the jungle?"

"Oh my! He really took it!"

In the final seconds, Edg decisively locked in their first choice, voluntarily walking into what appeared to be a trap set by JD.com.

Upon seeing this, the scene erupted in commotion. The starch fans then began clapping, while the pig fans shouted wildly, "Factory manager! Awesome!"

"Edg! After JDG chose to release Graves, they took the initiative to pick him. This is Edgg's style of play. Open and aboveboard, no matter what the wind blows, we will break through all obstacles with our own strength. This is Clearlove's confidence in himself, and it is also the biggest reason why Edgg has not lost a single game so far this spring!"

Miller watched with great excitement. Normally, teams would never pick Graves in this situation, but EdgG was incredibly audacious!
"The factory manager is very confident! He's already smiling! It seems like the entire Edg team has complete faith in the factory manager's Graves. In this match point game, the factory manager is finally going to play a jungle carry and go all out!"

The director then focused the camera on Edg's soundproof room, where everyone could see the genuine smiles on the faces of the Edg players after they locked in Graves.

Is this a sure win?
"Clearlove has picked up Graves, whose win rate is still 100% this season. He is also the undisputed number one Graves player in the Korean server. The audience is in for a treat this time. Will this Graves be able to smash JDG's defense?"

"Let's see what changes JD.com makes next!"

JD Gaming clearly released Graves, and based on their understanding of Edg, they knew that Edg would definitely acquire him after he was released.

This reflects Edg's confidence, the factory manager's dignity, and what JD.com sees as a "drawback"!
Seeing the locked profile picture in the ban list, Redmi clapped lightly, a hint of relief in his eyes.

Since JD.com wants to focus on besieging Clearlove's jungle, they must make Clearlove set the trap himself.

Graves is a really good trap!
(End of this chapter)