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

Chapter 362 Change your strategy and just go all out against TheShy!

"Little Cannon's Flash failed to land an auto-attack, and LGD lost another player. This is too much of a blow!" Guan Zeyuan said.

"Including Luo, who was the first to be eliminated, this wave was essentially a zero-for-three exchange for LGD by IG."

Is it debatable whether Zhou Shen's Gnar can teleport down to half health?

Hallucinogenic speech, on the other hand, is much more direct.

"Gnar's TP down wasn't a problem. At that point, only Cho'Gath had TP but hadn't respawned. Although Rakan was instantly killed, neither Gragas nor Kennen had their ultimates, and Kennen was still low on health!"

"The main problem is that LGD's teamwork was terrible. There was practically no coordination at all, and they were killed one after another by IG."

"LGD's bot lane is completely destroyed, and IG's rhythm is fully in control."

Although this wave was a big disaster.

However, the atmosphere in LGD's team voice chat quickly returned to calm.

It was only the first game of a best-of-five series, and the LGD players were all seasoned veterans, so they adjusted their mentality very quickly.

However, adjusting one's mindset cannot change the situation on the field.

The facts were just as Zhou Dian had initially thought.

LGD has practically already lost this game!

After suffering a 3-for-0 exchange in the bottom lane, IG took the opportunity to push down LGD's bottom lane tower and secure the first tower kill.

Meanwhile, the lower jungle was swept up by the barrels again.

After the three-headed skateboarder returned to base, he immediately pulled out Blade of the Ruined King and Boots of Attack Speed, plus two short swords with attack speed, making him incredibly fed.

Then IG immediately switched to Rift Herald.

Looking at the equipment on the skateboard shoes, and then at the scattered parts on the cannon and the plane, LGD going to take on this vanguard team is tantamount to suicide.

Although the LGD players have calmly accepted that they are likely to lose this game.

But this does not mean that you should commit suicide and hasten your own demise.

IG seemed eager for LGD to die quickly, so after securing the Rift Herald, they released it directly in the mid lane.

Then the five players gathered together and forcefully pushed down LGD's mid-lane tower.

LGD knew they couldn't defend the middle tower, so they gave up trying.

While the bot laner was farming and developing, Zhou Dian's Gnar took the opportunity to take down IG's low-health top lane tower.

It looks like they're trading towers to cut their losses, but it's actually pretty useless; IG's momentum has completely taken off.

IG's two incredibly strong marksman heroes in the early to mid-game, along with two bodyguards, Gragas and Cho'Gath, who both had the [Stoneborn Pact] rune, roamed freely everywhere.

When they see someone from LGD, they charge in, the kind that dives under the tower.

At this point in time, for LGD, IG's players have high damage output, ample crowd control, good sustain, and Teemo is incredibly tanky.

There's absolutely no way to fight.

LGD held out until nearly 30 minutes into the game, but IG still managed to push down their base in one fell swoop.

"LGD really had no way to deal with this, IG destroyed LGD's base crystal."

"So, congratulations to IG for taking the first game in this BO5 semifinal of the Summer Split, and temporarily leading LGD with a score of 1-0."

Guan Zeyuan continued, "Actually, after that 3-for-0 exchange in the bottom lane, LGD's fate was sealed."

"However, this game only lasted less than thirty minutes, which is considered relatively fast."

The game ended quickly, largely because of TheShy.

When he plays with a big bug, he just charges in mindlessly.

Even though they're both in the front row, they often end up pulling at each other.

But the giant bug wouldn't give up until it was killed.

Despite having a significant advantage, TheShy's Cho'Gath score was surprisingly 0-3-5.

Of course, despite the poor results, their impact was undeniable.

"Let's take a look at the MVP of the first game!" Rita finally had a chance to say a few words.

"The MVP of this game goes to Ning's Gragas, with a score of 0-0-8."

Guan Zeyuan chimed in, "I think it's perfectly reasonable to give the MVP to West's Kalista in this game, since she dealt the highest damage in the entire match."

"Giving Ning the item was probably because of those two ganks on LGD's bot lane, where Gragas used two E-flashes to directly break through LGD's bot lane."

"In this BO5, LGD was caught off guard by IG right from the start, which probably surprised many viewers!"

"Now, take a short break, everyone. We'll bring you the second game of the BO5 series shortly."

As soon as he returned to the lounge, Imp said to Dgc, "Coach, we can't give you any more skateboard shoes!"

“Yes, yes,” Dgc said repeatedly. “The main reason we lost the first game was because of my draft picks. The heroes I picked for your mid and bot lanes were too difficult to lane against.”

To put it bluntly, Dgc underestimated IG's ADC, West.

West has consistently underperformed, often being the one dragging IG down.

Therefore, even though West Emperor has been in superb form recently, carrying the team in game after game.

Dgc still believes that West Emperor is made of paper and will definitely be defeated by imp.

But I don't know if this version of the skateboard shoes is just too overpowered, or if Westerney has really evolved.

In this first game, it was actually imp who was broken through by Xihuang.

This made Imp very unhappy.

In practice matches, LGD was able to address the issue of the skateboarder.

But in the main competition, the Skateboard Shoes hero was still too overpowered!
The red team should just ban it honestly; there's no need to take any risks.

The LGD players gathered together to discuss the draft and ban phase for the second game, which was about to begin.

"I think we need to adjust our strategy a bit," Zhou Dian said directly.

"Hmm! How so?" Dgc turned his head and asked.

"Brother Xu, you should have noticed it too. TheShy's tank play is problematic, and quite problematic at that."

After a pause, Zhou Dian continued, "So, my suggestion is... just take him down!"

Having personally played the first game and combined it with some of TheShy's past matches that he had watched, Zhou Dian also figured out some things.

TheShy is indeed a highly talented and gifted top laner.

However, he has only been a professional player for a short time, and he has quite a few shortcomings.

A typical example is having an overly strong sense of rank, such as being stubborn.

Playing a tank in lane is just like playing a warrior.

Problems like greed for lane dominance and a refusal to accept defeat are often seen in TheShy.

Clearly, TheShy's understanding of tank champions is not deep enough yet, and he just charges in mindlessly in team fights.

In recent patches where bot lanes are more likely to carry games, between IG's two top laners, TheShy might not necessarily be as good as Duke.

However, there is a champion that can accommodate these shortcomings when TheShy plays tanks.

That's a big bug.

When Cho'Gath is picked, no one in the current meta can suppress him in lane, especially among some of the most popular top laners.

In addition, due to his ultimate ability, Cho'Gath can become tanky much earlier than other heroes.

When TheShy plays Cho'Gath and charges in recklessly, the enemy carry often hasn't even gotten their items yet. After a round of focused fire, they barely manage to kill Cho'Gath.

Therefore, the IG coach will definitely prioritize giving TheShy this champion.

If LGD is on the red side in the second game, they have too many heroes to ban, and there won't be any ban slots for Cho'Gath. Besides, now that Zhou Dian has changed his strategy, he feels there's no need to ban Cho'Gath at all.

Although since the start of the Summer Split, Riot Games has made some targeted changes to the patch, resulting in top laners having a weaker carry potential.

But that doesn't mean you can't carry in the lane.

Zhou Dian decided that in the remaining matches of this BO5 series, he would simply go all out against TheShy.

"Alright, everyone, welcome back to the 2017 LPL Summer Playoffs."

"Now we continue with the best-of-five series between LGD and IG in the playoff semifinals. IG is currently leading LGD 1-0."

At this moment, the live broadcast switched from the commentators' booth to the players' booth.

"Both teams have their players in position. There have been no personnel changes for either team in the second game, and they have continued with the starting lineups from the first game."

Guan Zeyuan continued, "In the second game of the BO5, IG had the right to choose sides, and as expected, IG took the initiative to choose the blue side, while LGD was on the red side."

"After losing the first game, will LGD come up with anything new for the second game?"

Let's take a look at the draft picks and bans for the second game!

As soon as he finished speaking, the BP interface appeared on the large screen at the scene.

The draft phase of the second game has officially begun.

First round of BP.

IG banned Kog'Maw, Jayce, and Taliyah.

LGD banned Rumble, Kalista, and Elise.

“IG’s first three bans were the same as in the first game. IG’s strategy is obviously to continue using the same methods they used to win.”

Zhihuan continued, "And sure enough, LGD banned Kalista!"

"West's Kalista played exceptionally well in the first game, completely dominating LGD's bot lane, which was clearly the opposite of what most people expected before the match!"

Guan Zeyuan added, "Well, I think it's Kalista who's too overpowered in this version!"

"Following the meta is fine! Besides, Spider is a hero with a very high ban rate on the red side."

"Let's look at the champion picks. Is IG going to first pick Gragas? Or will they pick Tristana?"

"Oh! The first floor picked Prince, that's a good choice too, he can be used in top lane or jungle."

IG locked in Jarvan IV on the first floor of the blue side.

In the LGD player seat.

Zhou Dian narrowed his eyes, staring at the computer screen in front of him.

Most commentators and viewers probably think the prince will have to decide based on the situation.

But he was certain that IG would definitely pick Jarvan IV as a jungler.

When it was LGD's turn to pick, Zhou Dian picked Gragas on the first floor of the red side, and Eimy picked Rakan on the second floor of the red side.

"Gragas? Gragas is basically used for jungling now. The cost-effectiveness of using him in the top lane is too low. If Rakan is chosen, then Tristana will definitely have to be given to IG," Zhihuan said.

Just as Zhihuan said, IG did not hesitate at all and directly picked Tristana on the second floor of the blue side.

Next, IG picked Lulu as support on the third floor of the blue side, paired with Tristana.

At this moment, Guan Zeyuan suddenly said, "LGD picked Rakan and Tristana, I think they might be going to pick Xayah."

When it was LGD's turn to pick, without much delay, LGD immediately locked in Xayah on the third floor of the red side.

"As expected, it's Xayah. Imp and PYL are definitely one of the best bot lane duos in the LPL when it comes to playing the Phoenix Legend combination," Zhihuan said.

"Actually, Xayah is a champion that requires a high level of proficiency. Many AD players play Xayah for a while and then find that they don't know how to play other ADCs."

Guan Zeyuan continued, "And the key point is that you can't play Xayah with the same mindset as other ADCs; she's somewhat different from other ADCs."

When it comes to these unique ADCs, Guan Zeyuan gets excited and starts talking at length, showing off his Diamond-level understanding!

The first round of ban/pick has ended, and we've moved on to the second round.

LGD banned Cassiopeia and Syndra.

IG banned Shen and Camille.

"It's still targeting IG's mid laner Rookie, as he's exceptionally good at both of these champions."

Seeing that IG chose to ban Shen, Zhihuan said, "Shen's defensive ability is still too strong. I think IG still hopes to expand their advantage in the early and mid-game."

"IG is a team that always snowballs its advantage; they are extremely strong when they have a lead!"

"We haven't seen IG play against the odds much lately, but they haven't really turned the tide."

"Yes." Guan Zeyuan nodded. "IG banned Camille in the last pick, which is exactly the same as the last game, banning heroes in the fifth pick, just like in the first game."

"If that's the case, it feels like the mid lanes on both sides are going to mirror the last game!"

"Yeah, both mid laners basically had Lucian on the plane this game." Rita finally had a chance to say something.

"LGD will prioritize taking the plane on the fourth floor, leaving the counter pick for Zhou Shen in the top lane."

"IG's last two picks were Lucian and Cho'Gath!"

"IG simply continued with the same strategy as in the first game. Since I won, there was no need for me to make any changes."

Zhou Dian saw that IG had indeed chosen Cho'Gath, just as he had predicted.

His eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly opened wide.

Standing behind Zhou Dian, Dgc had no idea what Zhihuan in the commentary booth had just said.

But Zhihuan has a view that coincides with his thoughts.

That's the current IG team, especially when TheShy plays. They rely entirely on snowballing their advantage in the early and mid-game, and they are completely unable to handle losing situations.

Their handling of the unfavorable situation was particularly chaotic.

This is a conclusion that Dgc reached after watching all of IG's regular season matches in the Summer Split.

Therefore, Dgc decided to give Zhou Dian the complete choice.

LGD's last move was the top laner's champion selection, and he didn't interfere.

When playing against IG, you don't need to think too much about team strategy. The counter-pick role is just for gaining an advantage in lane!
In any case, in Dgc's eyes, there is no top laner that Zhou Dian cannot counter.

This scope is not limited to LPL.

"Xiao Zhou, you decide the top lane champion!" Dgc said. "What champion do you want to pick to counter Cho'Gath?"

Dgc asked a question through the earpiece, and Zhou Dian immediately gave his answer.

Zhou Dian had already decided on this answer long ago.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of careful consideration.

After figuring out that TheShy would definitely pick Cho'Gath in the second game, Zhou Dian started to consider the question Dgc had just asked.

Upon hearing Zhou Dian's words, PYL, who was on the fifth floor of the red team, locked in the hero that Zhou Dian wanted.

The lines spoken when locking onto a hero played in LGD's headsets:
Let us hunt down those who have fallen into darkness!

Meanwhile, in the commentary booth.

What will Zhou Shen pick as his last counter to Cho'Gath?

"Although LGD lost the last game, their pick of Gnar was actually not bad. In fact, Zhou Shen's Gnar almost tower-dived and solo-killed TheShy's Cho'Gath in the last game."

Suddenly, Guan Zeyuan let out a strange cry.

"Huh? Instantly picked Vayne?"

(End of this chapter)