You promised a top lane tutorial, but you're just using Worlds as material for your videos?

Chapter 147 What is Xiao Zhou trying to do by choosing Kennen?

LGD was laughing and joking in the rest room, not taking the upcoming second game too seriously.

The atmosphere in the rest room next door, where the RNG team was located, was rather somber.

RNG's five starting players sat in their chairs, each staring in a different direction.

There was no eye contact or communication between them.

Letme's gaze, in particular, seemed somewhat evasive.

He always felt that Uzi was staring at him, as if his gaze had become a tangible weight pressing down on him.

But actually, Uzi wasn't looking at him.

At this moment, Uzi's face was flushed, he was pouting and didn't say a word, occasionally biting his fingernails.

If Uzi didn't speak, the other team members dared not speak either.

Finally, head coach Feng broke the silence.

He outlined some plans for the second game.

When Feng Ge mentioned that the second game reverted to a four-protect-one strategy, completely revolving around Uzi,

Uzi's expression visibly softened.

That's right, that's how it should be!

Facing LGD, if you ask Letme to carry the team, can he actually do it?
I don't have that ability, you know that?
Feng Ge also realized this at this moment.

Letme is a player we really can't count on.

No matter how much pre-match planning is done, it's unrealistic to expect Letme to be able to compete with Zhou in the top lane.

The gap between these two top laners is simply too large.

Therefore, to beat LGD, RNG still needs to leverage their strongest point – the bottom lane.

Even if Uzi didn't show any emotion, Feng had already planned to change his game strategy for the second game.

We still need to give it our all in this regular season game.

The top spot in Group A is crucial, as it guarantees a direct entry into the semifinals of the playoffs.

After discussing the competition details for a while,

Staff members entered the lounge to let the RNG players prepare to go on stage for the second game.

Feng shouted two slogans at the end to encourage the team members.

Then he led the five team members out of the rest room.

"Alright, everyone, welcome back!"

Guan Zeyuan continued, "As you can see, on the main stage, both teams have taken their seats back in the stands. The second game of the BO3 between RNG and LGD is about to begin."

"LGD is currently leading RNG 1-0 in the overall score!"

“Yes!” Su Xiaoyan chimed in.

"Judging from the content of the first game, RNG's game strategy in the first game can be said to have been a complete failure. Presumably, RNG will make some adjustments in the next game!"

After the two commentators chatted for a few more minutes,

The drafting and banning (BP) interface for the match appeared on the large screen at the venue.

"Alright, the draft phase for the second game has begun!"

"Blue side RNG, red side LGD, same as the last game!"

Guan Zeyuan continued, "However, the difference is that in the last game, RNG took the initiative to choose the blue side."

"In this game, LGD, who had the right to choose sides, deliberately chose the red side!"

"LGD actively chose the red side, I feel like Zhou Shen is about to launch a powerful attack?"

Guan Zeyuan's tone was full of anticipation.

Many past competitions have demonstrated this.

Generally, when LGD actively chooses the red side.

Zhou Dian often pulls out some unexpected or rather strange heroes in the top lane.

Anyway, it can produce very good results.

The first round of bans was completed quickly.

Both sides began selecting heroes.

RNG immediately picked Maokai for Letme on the first floor of the blue side.

"Oh, a big tree!"

"This hero is arguably the strongest tanky top laner right now!" Guan Zeyuan said.

"It seems RNG has changed their strategy from the last game. After all, their strategy of focusing on the top lane in the last game wasn't very effective!" Su Xiaoyan added.

Su Xiaoyan's words were relatively tactful.

Letme's performance in the last game was not just less than ideal, he was completely outplayed by Zhou Dian.

Both sides selected their representatives in turn.

RNG gave Uzi the Caitlyn pick.

"It seems RNG also wants to give LGD a fast push! To get revenge for being fast pushed by LGD in the last game!" Guan Zeyuan said.

The hero, the female police officer, was selected.

In addition to the player needing to have excellent skills in playing Caitlyn to leverage her advantages in the laning phase.

And you definitely need teammates around you.

Otherwise, there's no point in picking this hero.

The female police officer tower-pushing system, since it's called a system, must involve the entire team for it to function well.

It is very difficult for one person to support a system.

The selection process continues.

When only the red side had one last pick left on the fifth floor, LGD still had a top lane champion left to choose from.

"As expected, LGD reserved their last counter pick for Zhou Shen!"

“However, when it comes to hitting a big tree, as long as the tree is determined to withstand the pressure, it doesn’t really matter what you choose!” Guan Zeyuan said.

“Yes!” Su Xiaoyan nodded. “Jayce has already been banned. If LGD still wants to dominate the top lane in this game, I feel that Lucian is still the best choice!”

"If Zhou Shen still picks Lucian, as long as Maokai doesn't collapse too badly, he'll still be useful in team fights, unlike the Renekton in the last game!" Guan Zeyuan continued.

"Lucian might not even be as useful as Maokai in the end!"

"It all depends on what Zhou Shen thinks!"

When the countdown for the elected candidate reached its final two seconds.

LGD revealed Kennen on the fifth floor of the red side.

Then it was locked.

"Top lane Kennen!" "Faced with Letme's Maokai-focused tanking strategy, Zhou Shen's choice is both lane dominance and teamfight impact!"

“It is indeed a very good choice, but I have never seen Zhou Shen play Kennen in a game before, so I don’t know if he can make a difference!” Guan Zeyuan said.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoyan said, "I think there's nothing to worry about regarding Zhou Shen's hero pool!"

"Every time he picks a new top lane champion, he always achieves good results!"

"That's true!" Guan Zeyuan nodded. "Then let's see if Zhou Shen's new Kennen pick can achieve enough results!"

At this point, the draft phase is complete, and the game enters its final one-minute countdown before loading.

The two head coaches gave their final instructions and then went to the center of the stage.

After shaking hands, the two turned and walked into the players' tunnel.

Walking through the player tunnel, Dgc thought of the Kennen that Zhou Dian had picked as his last pick.

Although Zhou Dian had never picked Kennen in previous matches.

However, Dgc has seen Zhou Dian playing Kennen quite a lot in ranked games in the LGD training room.

Therefore, he was not worried about Zhou Dian's proficiency with Kennen.

Moreover, even if it's a hero that Zhou Dian has never played before, he chooses it to practice in matches.

Dgc will always agree as long as Zhou Dian says he wants to choose.

This stemmed from his absolute trust in Zhou Dian.

But after stepping down, he began to think deeply.

He felt that Zhou Dian's Kennen pick was a bit off.

Looking at the lineup alone, picking Kennen to counter Maokai is a good choice.

Online methods can effectively suppress large trees.

In the mid-to-late game, once Kennen gets farmed up, his impact in team fights is no less than that of Maokai.

Against a champion like Maokai who can withstand pressure, Kennen is highly likely to be able to farm up.

It's like having double insurance!
However, this Kennen pick doesn't quite fit Zhou Dian's game logic!
Previously, when I encountered opponents who picked heroes like Maokai (a champion that's good for leeching off other players) and wanted to put him in the top lane to just coast along, I would sometimes encounter situations where the opponent would pick Maokai and try to leech off other players.

Zhou Dian always picks a hero with exceptional laning ability, making it impossible for the opposing top laner to play.

Kennen, although he is a long-range champion.

However, AP Kennen can only gain an advantage in lane, and doesn't have that kind of ultimate laning effect.

AD Kennen does have the ability to dominate the lane and push through the top lane.

But if you're going to play AD Kennen top lane, you might as well stick with Lucian top lane.

At least Lucian has a mobility skill, so he's not so easy to catch.

Dgc is certain that Zhou Dian will definitely play AP Kennen in this game.

Back in the lounge, Dgc glanced at the TV screen on the wall and saw Zhou Dian's Kennen with the keystone rune - Thunderlord's Decree.

It really was AP Kennen.

"What was Xiao Zhou thinking when he picked Kennen this game?"

Dgc doesn't quite understand.

But he always felt that Kennen's selection was not entirely based on considerations of the game content.

As the game progressed, the situation on the top lane unfolded exactly as Dgc had predicted.

It can't be penetrated!
Treant Protector is definitely a top-tier champion for withstanding pressure.

Furthermore, AP Kennen's laning pressure is indeed insufficient.

If no jungler helps with tower diving, Kennen can only out-farm Maokai a bit more.

As early as when the game started, Zhou Dian told Eimy not to worry about the top lane and to go to the bottom lane to stand guard.

After Uzi picked up Caitlyn, he began to relentlessly suppress LGD's bot lane duo during the laning phase.

Uzi's female police officer is indeed top-tier in lane.

However, Imp and PYL are not people who can be easily bullied.

Uzi's Caitlyn can gain an advantage in the laning phase.

However, it's unrealistic to expect to completely dominate LGD's bot lane in a pure lane matchup.

Just like Kennen hitting Maokai in the top lane.

Therefore, Mlxg kept coming to the bottom lane, trying to help Uzi's Caitlyn open up a gap in LGD's bottom lane.

However, almost every time Mlxg ganks the bottom lane, he runs into Eimy.

Because Eimy was frequently stationed in the bottom lane, Uzi's Caitlyn was able to expand her advantage relatively slowly.

When the game was more than 8 minutes in, LGD's bottom lane tower still had nearly half its health left.

imp and PYL did a very good job of withstanding the pressure in this game.

It was at this point in time that LGD's bot lane finally ran into trouble.

Half a minute later, when the game was approaching the 9-minute mark.

Mlxg found an opportunity and appeared after LGD took down a tower.

Together with their bot lane duo, they cornered imp and PYL under their tower.

At this point, LGD's top, mid, and jungle players were not in the bottom half of the map, so they couldn't get to the bottom lane immediately.

Both imp and PYL are experienced players. During the laning phase, they avoided trading blows and didn't last-hit many minions in order to maintain their condition.

At this time, both of them were in very good condition.

RNG definitely can't beat the second-best team in three rounds.

However, Mlxg warded directly behind LGD's first tower.

Then, the beam of light from the teleportation system lit up on the fake eye.

It was a message from Xiaohu.

Xiaohu had already retreated to a spot near his own mid-lane second tower, just in case his teleport was interrupted by the opposing laner, Wei Shen.

Meanwhile, in the top lane, after Mlxg appeared behind LGD's bottom tower.

Letme stared intently at Kennen.

Kennan took a step back, and the giant tree immediately took a step forward.

As soon as Zhou Dian presses the teleport button, Letme will definitely control Maokai to come up and cut off Kennen's TP.

Because Wei Shen didn't bring teleport in this game.

With Xiaohu's TP, it was inevitable that LGD's bot lane duo would be ganked and tower-dived by RNG with four players on each side.

It's clear that RNG had planned this four-man gank on LGD's bot lane for a long time.

It seems like LGD's bot lane duo is doomed.

(End of this chapter)