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

Chapter 159 Lucian's Alternative - Tristana Top Lane

I wanted to see Yasuo, but I didn't get to see him.

As some disappointed viewers grumbled in the chat, LGD had already locked in Ashe on the first floor of the blue team.

"Oh, LGD first picked Ashe!"

"Actually, Ashe is arguably EDG's Achilles' heel!"

"Zet's Ashe usage rate is very high, and his win rate is also very high!"

"LGD's decision to pick Ashe is somewhat like using a pick as a form of banning!"

Wang Duoduo is absolutely right about this.

LGD picked Ashe on the first floor primarily to prevent EDG from getting her, not because they specifically wanted to play her.

The main reason is EDG's current AD carry, Zet, who used to play mid lane.

He hasn't been in the AD position for long, and his champion pool is a big problem.

If you can't get Ashe, your overall strength will inevitably decline.

Subsequently, EDG selected Karma and Graves on the first and second floors of the red side.

"EDG's Karma pick has the potential to be played in both mid and support positions, so it's a flexible pick!"

Next, LGD selected Spider and Thresh on the second and third floors of the blue side.

"Oh, Ai Luoli picked a Graves jungler who focuses on farming and team fights, and Eimy countered by picking Elise, who has a very strong tempo control, just to go against you!"

Haokai continued, "And this Thresh is also a very aggressive support champion with a strong sense of tempo!"

"LGD's first three hero picks were incredibly strong in terms of control and aggressive play!"

There's one last pick left in the first round.

EDG chose Caitlyn on the third floor of the red team.

"Looking at the first three picks from both sides, I'm more optimistic about LGD's lineup; they have a lot more initiative than EDG!"

"EDG clearly wanted to play a defensive counter-attack strategy in this game. As long as I farm safely, the mid and late game will be easy to win."

"Then let's see how EDG picks their last two heroes to defend against LGD's attack!" Haokai said.

We've moved on to the second round of draft picks.

EDG banned Jayce and Lucian.

LGD banned Zed and Poppy.

"EDG banned Jayce and Lucian in their last two picks, which was probably aimed at Zhou Shen, banning these two long-range top laners!"

"In that case, EDG banned four top lane champions this game!" Wang Duoduo said.

"This...basic operation, I can only say basic operation, okay!" Hao Kai added, "Zhou Shen's current matches often see three or four top lane heroes banned in a single game, that's just the norm!"

"Moreover, EDG's ban of Jayce and Lucian in the second round was not simply because these two champions have long range and strong laning phase."

"Also, because these two heroes are very strong at accelerating the pace of the early and mid-game when playing top lane! This will further speed up the rhythm and aggression of LGD's lineup!"

"Then LGD banned Scout's Zed."

"They also banned Poppy. Poppy has a W skill, which makes her very strong at preventing team fights. LGD banning Poppy clearly means they're going all out on offense this game!"

EDG will pick first in the second round.

With only two seconds left on the champion selection countdown, EDG locked in Gragas on the fourth floor of the red side.

EDG's strategy was clear: since LGD's bans didn't disrupt their intended game strategy, they would simply pick champions according to that strategy.

EDG's system is basically fixed in terms of which heroes each position chooses; there are only one or two options.

"Gragas! That was a great pick!"

"Then we'll see what LGD picks next; their mid and top lane duo hasn't been decided yet!" Haokai continued.

LGD quickly picked LeBlanc on the fourth floor of the blue side.

However, the fifth pick was delayed in revealing a hero.

At this moment, in the LGD players' seat.

Dgc frowned.

After picking their first three champions, LGD was determined to go all out on the offensive.

Looking at EDG's lineup, it seems they're determined to play defensively and farm like turtles in this game.

As long as they can maintain their composure and avoid a significant disadvantage in the early to mid-game, EDG should have a good chance of winning.

Therefore, LGD will definitely continue to improve the offensive capabilities of their lineup in the second round of player selection.

Unfortunately, EDG's two bans in the second round—Jayce and Lucian—were crucial.

The ban was too precise.

The DGC bans are driving people crazy.

In this game, LGD needs to maintain an advantage in at least two lanes in their hero selection.

Dgc felt reassured after getting Ashe in the bot lane.

On the road, Dgc is naturally more at ease with Zhou Dian.

However, Dgc hopes to gain a significant advantage online in this game.

However, to be honest, it's difficult for short-range melee heroes to gain a significant advantage when facing Gragas.

Originally, Dgc planned to give the top laner Jayce or Lucian after seeing that Yasuo, which Zhou Dian wanted to play, was banned.

pick one of two.

We need to pick long-range heroes and completely crush EDG's top lane.

Let's pick up the pace and take off!

As a result, both heroes are gone.

"Damn EDG, they've studied our team so well, they're truly godlike in domestic matches!" Dgc thought angrily.

Next, Dgc quickly went through the hero pool of the weekly peak in his mind.

What other long-range top laners does Xiao Zhou play?

Snake girl?

This champion can pressure Gragas in lane, but it seems like he can't completely crush him!
Furthermore, Cassiopeia is a champion who relies heavily on farming and is not a champion who can accelerate the pace of the game.

On the contrary, it will slow down the pace, because it is easy to catch.

Snake women aren't very good.

What else?
Oh, and Xiao Zhou can also play Kennen!

I played it when we were playing against IG.

Dgc immediately thought of Kennen.

Of course, AP Kennen was useless in this game.

What he needs is AD Kennen, a replacement for Jayce and Lucian.

In terms of effectiveness, it's a bit weaker than Jayce and Lucian, but it's still barely enough.

"Xiao Zhou, is AD Kennen viable?" Dgc walked up behind Zhou Dian and asked. Zhou Dian, of course, knew Dgc's thinking and why he wanted to pick AD Kennen.

"Why play AD Kennen? I have a better one, even better than Jayce and Lucian!" Zhou Dian immediately said.

While Dgc was still wondering what heroes were better to use in this game than Jayce and Lucian, who had already been banned.

Zhou Dian turned to PYL and said, "Ping, get me the cannon!"

"Huh? Tristana? Can this thing be played in the top lane?" PYL's mind hadn't quite processed it yet.

"Just pick the tie team!"

Dgc had the same question as PYL.

But after careful consideration, he put aside the prejudice that Tristana cannot play top lane.

LGD's goal in this game is to gain an advantage in the top lane and speed up the pace of the game.

Wow, that little cannon is really good!
"This is it, this is great, just push the tower and we're done!" Dgc exclaimed repeatedly.

"Brother Xu, you've figured it out too, right!" Zhou Dian said with a smile, "I will definitely take down EDG's top lane tower within ten minutes of this game!"

When the countdown to the election reached its final second, LGD revealed their Tristana on the fifth floor of the blue side.

Then it was locked.

"Huh? Little Cannon?"

"Trin top lane?"

The two commentators were stunned.

The audience was in an uproar, not quite understanding what LGD meant by this.

"This Tristana can't possibly be an ADC, so let Ashe go top lane, right?" Wang Duoduo said.

"Impossible, Tristana should be a top laner!" Hao Kai shook his head. "Tristana has mobility, so she's definitely more suitable for the top lane than Ashe!"

That's what they say, but Haokai didn't quite understand LGD's intention in picking Tristana as their top laner for the time being.

Subsequently, EDG selected Braum on the fifth floor of the red side.

"EDG's last pick was Braum!"

“In that case, we’ll move Karma to the mid lane!” Wang Duoduo said.

"Yes!" Hao Kai nodded. "Regarding the role of Karma in the mid lane, I believe everyone has already experienced it in the BO5 between WE and RNG. WE's mid lane Karma is incredibly effective in the mid-to-late game!"

"If Karma plays mid, the main focus will be on controlling and kiting in mid-to-late game team fights. If this game drags into the late game, EDG's lineup will be very strong!"

After mentioning the term "delaying the process" several times.

Haokai suddenly understood LGD's strategy for their top lane Tristana.

"However, it might not be so easy for EDG to drag this game into the late game!" Hao Kai changed the subject.

"LGD's choice of Tristana for the top lane is essentially a replacement for Jayce and Lucian, purely for the purpose of pushing towers quickly!"

"Lucian can play top lane, and so can Tristana!"

After Hao Kai said that, Wang Duoduo understood.

"In that case, LGD could use any ADC in the top lane for this game!"

After a pause, Wang Duoduo continued, "Considering the possibility of jungle ganks, let's add another restriction: LGD can use any marksman hero with mobility to go to the top lane this game!"

“Theoretically speaking, that’s true!” Hao Kai nodded. “However, Zhou Shen is a top laner after all, so we can’t expect him to play a lot of ADCs.”

"After Lucian was banned, being able to pick Tristana as a replacement is already very strong."

"Besides Zhou Shen, I can't think of any other player who would dare to pick up the small cannon!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Duoduo laughed and said, "It's hard to say. You can't judge Zhou Shen by ordinary standards. He might be able to pull out a whole bunch of ADCs!"

Wang Duoduo's words were, of course, just a casual joke.

As for the content, he himself didn't believe it.

However, what he didn't know was that his joke had somehow revealed the truth of the matter.

Zhou Dian really knows how to play all ADCs.

The selection process is complete.

The heroes chosen by both sides are quickly exchanged within the team.

As expected, Xiao Pao was moved to the first floor, to the position where the ID LGDZhou was located.

The commentator's analysis was correct; it was indeed a top lane Tristana.

On the large screen at the venue, the BP interface entered a one-minute countdown before the game loads.

This minute is allotted for the players to adjust their runes and masteries.

In the middle of the BP interface, the camera constantly switches between real-time shots of the various players on the field.

When you switch to Mouse, you can clearly see it.

Mouse didn't look too good.

Damn it, I thought they banned Jayce and Lucian.

While not foolproof, it's basically safe.

Unexpectedly, this funeral procession has produced a top lane Tristana.

Holy crap, is this even human?!

You just have to torture people in lane, don't you!

At this moment, EDG's head coach Nofe patted Mouse on the shoulder from behind and comforted him:

"Little Cannon, that's just to scare you. He doesn't know how to play, don't worry!"

Nofe's Chinese was quite awkward in these few games, but Mouse still understood.

After the coach said that, Mouse also felt that it made a lot of sense.

As a proper top laner, being able to play Lucian among ADCs is already incredibly impressive.

I refuse to believe that your proficiency with Tristana is as high as your proficiency with Lucian.

However, Mouse clearly didn't understand one thing.

In some matchups, once the heroes are picked, it's destined that one side will have a problem.

This has nothing to do with skill level, it only depends on hero selection.

The matchup between Tristana and Gragas in the top lane is clearly this kind of matchup.

After Nofe gave Mouse a good talking-to, the countdown on the BP screen reached its end in one minute.

The referee on the field started urging the coach to leave the stage.

Nofe closed his notebook and walked towards the center of the stage.

After the two coaches shook hands, they each turned and walked into the players' tunnel.

The first game of the BO5 semifinals between LGD and EDG is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)