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

Chapter 479 The battle officially begins, the decisive battle at the Bird's Nest!

Dgc then added: Don't play too many ranked games. Just play a few each day to maintain your skills.

After all, ranked games and competitive matches are not the same version now.

The most important thing now is to stay calm and approach the upcoming finals with a peaceful mindset.

After saying that, Dgc turned and left the training room to study SKT's video recordings with the other members of the coaching staff.

Zhou Dian played a few ranked games and found it boring, so he turned around and patted Wei Shen on the shoulder, "Come on, let's solo a few games, this ranked game isn't very exciting!"

"Okay, wait until I finish this game, it'll be quick!" Wei Shen nodded.

A few minutes later, Wei Shen finished his game, created a custom room, and invited Zhou Dian to join.

After half an hour.

"I'm done playing, I'm done playing! You're too strong, I can't keep up!" Wei Shen said with a laugh.

The two soloed in the mid lane for five games, with a score of 5-0, and Wei Shen didn't win a single game.

Wei Shen continued, "You're taking this solo game way too seriously, it's like you're playing a competition."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Dian's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "I'm just helping you get used to the intensity of the finals in advance, bro. The guy you'll be facing in the finals is called Faker!"

"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like I haven't beaten Faker at MSI. Just wait until the finals and I'll solo kill him!"

That being said, one could clearly sense a feigned calmness and apprehension beneath Wei Shen's smile.

At this stage, Faker was at the peak of his career, his title of "Great Demon King" dominating the world, and even "solo killing Faker" became a kind of honor.

Moreover, it doesn't discriminate between single-player and single-player situations.

Even in a regular ranked game, if someone manages to solo kill Faker, they'll often brag about it for a long time.

In the LCK league, there are many people who suffer from "science phobia".

For example, ROX's mid laner Kuro, and Samsung's mid laner Crown.

Even in the LPL, there are mid-laners who suffer from "science phobia," such as Xiaohu.
Cough!

However, at this moment, besides a trace of apprehension, Wei Shen's eyes were filled with even more soaring fighting spirit.

He has a somewhat fearless personality, and sometimes he can even become arrogant.

No matter how good you are, Faker, I'm not someone you can just bully.

Wei Shen's mentality often fluctuates between confidence and blind arrogance, and at such times, he needs someone to guide him properly.

This was a five-game losing streak in solo matches, including one where he lost despite playing a counter-pick hero.

Zhou Dian has dispelled Wei Shen's arrogance; hopefully, he can retain his confidence.

"How about we let Faker have Galio in the finals? That way, you'll have less pressure in lane," Zhou Dian suggested.

If Zhou Dian's opponent in the finals wasn't Faker, Wei Shen would just laugh and scold Zhou Dian for looking down on him!

But upon hearing this, Wei Shen was seriously considering the feasibility of this idea.

Perhaps a few days ago, when RNG and SKT were playing in the semifinals, RNG and Xiaohu thought the same thing.

Giving Faker Galio actually weakens his laning ability to the greatest extent.

However, even against Galio, whose laning strength is not high, Xiaohu did not match Faker's strength in the mid lane in any of the five consecutive games.

"I feel it's feasible!" Wei Shen nodded.

"If I'm facing Galio, I'll pick a mid-laner who can push the lane and be able to hold my own!"

"Xiaohu played too timidly in those games, I don't understand what he was doing, Faker was roaming around without any pressure."

Of course, Wei Shen only said this in private. If it were made public, he would probably be chased and scolded by RNG fans!

Time flies. In the days leading up to the finals, Zhou Dian and his teammates played ranked games every day to maintain their skills, and they also worked with the coaching staff to analyze the SKT players' game habits and see if there were any ways to utilize them.

This year, the top dozen or so teams from all major regions around the world have been playing the same version of the game for over a month, and the version used in the World Championship has been thoroughly researched and optimized.

At this point, it's better to study the competitor than to study the version.

You might exploit an opponent's gaming habit, employ a clever tactic, or set a trap. If it works, it could be the key turning point in the game.

Time flies, and it's already November 4th.

The day when the final battle of the S7 World Championship begins.

The final match will start at 2 PM.

Before the competition officially begins, there is of course a grand opening ceremony for the finals.

The players from both LGD and SKT arrived at the venue, the Bird's Nest Stadium, very early.

The starting players from both teams participated briefly in the rehearsal for the final.

It mainly involves the arrangement of their appearance order and positions, since they also have a role in the opening ceremony of the finals.

The decisive battle is about to begin!
The Bird's Nest Stadium was packed to capacity on the afternoon of November 4th.

Many spectators even bought expensive scalped tickets to watch the game live.

All I wanted was to witness the LPL team lift the Summoner's Cup in person.

At this moment, almost all League of Legends players in China are supporting LGD.

Because the LPL region has been longing for this S-series championship for far too long.

In the center of the Bird's Nest Stadium, the large lawn that was originally used as a football field has been transformed into a stage for the final match and a stage for the opening ceremony performance.

Amidst great anticipation, the opening ceremony of the finals naturally took place first.

On the large screen at the venue, a video interview was shown to mark the start of the opening ceremony.

The theme is "League of Legends changed their lives".

Among them are professional players, commentators, and game industry professionals.

Of course, there are also ordinary people from all over the world.

League of Legends players around the world are connected by their love for the game.

Zhou Dian, after seeing this video backstage, became even more determined to stay true to his original aspirations.

When you're playing League of Legends, what's your most basic need?
We won!

In this respect, there is no difference between an ordinary ranked game and the S-series finals.

Zhou Dian told himself this in his heart, and also said it aloud to his teammates.

The purpose, of course, was to ease the tension among the teammates.

Treat this final match like any other game, and rediscover the passion you had when you first embarked on your professional career.

At this moment, among the entire LGD team, apart from Zhou Dian, the calmest person was imp.

imp has experienced this kind of situation before and has won the S-series championship.

The calm demeanor of Zhou Dian and Imp, the two "big brothers" of the team, also influenced the other teammates to some extent.

Eimy, who had seemed the most nervous earlier, had calmed down considerably.

The video on the big screen was coming to an end, with faces flashing across the stage before finally settling on one face.

This face belongs to—Jay Chou. Jay Chou raised the microphone to his mouth: "No matter what language we speak, we will leave our legend in League of Legends!"

A huge cheer suddenly erupted at the scene, proving Jay Chou's undeniable popularity.

It was great that Jay Chou was a guest performer at the opening ceremony, but the song he chose was just... well, let's just say it wasn't a good choice.
The opening song was "Heroes," a song Jay Chou had previously written for League of Legends.

This song is truly awful; even though it was written by Jay Chou, it doesn't change the fact that it's terrible.

The tens of thousands of audience members at the Bird's Nest were genuinely cringing to the point of feeling morbidly awkward. Fortunately, the song ended quickly, and the main event of the opening ceremony began.

As Jay Chou played the piano, the intro to the theme song of this year's global finals, "Legends Never Die," began.

Many people believe that this theme song is perhaps the best-sounding theme song in the history of the S-series.

As the theme song reached its second half, a colossal ancient dragon flew over the Bird's Nest stadium, circled once, and landed on the stage.

Of course, this is a special effect that only appears on the large screen at the venue and in the live broadcast.

However, it is still impressive enough!

The massive Bird's Nest stadium, the colossal ancient dragon—the final of this global championship has reached its zenith, and the atmosphere for the spectators has reached its peak.

As the theme song drew to a close, the ten starting players from both LGD and SKT teams walked to the very back of the stage.

"This is Beijing, China (Z country). Welcome to the League of Legends World Championship!"

"Summoners in the audience, show your enthusiasm and let's welcome the team to the stage!"

As soon as the music ended, the voice of Ren Dong, the host of the final opening ceremony, rang out on the stage.

The players from both teams followed the order in the game: top laner first, support last, then substitutes and head coach. They walked from the back of the stage to the center and stood in two separate channels.

"The two teams that have made it to the finals are SKT and LGD. Let's cheer them on!"

When Ren Dong shouted "LGD," the crowd erupted in cheers.

Between the two teams, there is a small square pillar with the Summoner's Cup, the highest honor in League of Legends professional esports, on it.

Next to the Summoner's Cup are the top laners from two different teams, Zhou Dian and Huni.

Zhou Dian could see clearly that when Huni stood next to the Summoner's Trophy, he couldn't help but reach out his right hand and touch it.

"First, we'd like to introduce the number one seed from the LPL region—LGD team!" Ren Dong's voice was full of energy.

Welcome LGD!!

Another cheer erupted from the crowd.

Then, a photo of Zhou Dian appeared on the large screen, and Ren Dong's voice rang out at the right moment.

"Zhou, the winner of the LPL Spring Split, MSI, and LPL Summer Split FMVP awards this year, and the solo kill king of this year's World Championship!!!"

An even louder cheer resounded throughout the venue and lasted for a long time, demonstrating Zhou Dian's popularity.

Next, Ren Dong introduced LGD's other starting players one by one, followed by the introduction of substitute player FaWang and head coach Dgc.

The home crowd at the Bird's Nest also cheered for them.

However, the volume was slightly lower than when Zhou Dian was introduced.

"Summoners here, let's welcome LGD team once again!"

"Next, we'd like to introduce the three-time World Championship winner, the defending champion SKT!!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Judging from the volume of the cheers, they weren't all just polite, perfunctory cheers; many were genuine cheers.

This is the influence of the three-time world champion SKT!

Even on someone else's home turf, they still have a lot of supporters.

This is relatively few in the LPL region; in the European and American regions, SKT would have even more supporters.

"Huni, making his debut on the finals stage, is determined to chase the championship!"

"."

Next came the introduction of the SKT players. Neither Huni nor Peanut elicited much cheering, after all, this was the LPL region's home ground.

The cheers from the audience were mostly polite, perfunctory responses.

We can't let others say that our home stadium library isn't good enough.

but
"Faker, the mid-laner who has won the World Championship three times!"

When Ren Dong introduced Faker, a huge cheer erupted from the audience.

The volume of voices erupting from the audience was no less than when Zhou Dian was introduced.

On someone else's turf, their popularity is no less than that of the other person's star player.

One has to admire Faker's popularity and influence.

Of course, Faker's unparalleled popularity and influence among esports players is the result of countless highlight moments on the field over the past few years.

"."

"Let's welcome SKT t1 once again!"

"Heroes forge legends, the final battle of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship begins now!"

With Ren Dong's words, the players and coaches from both teams on stage turned around and walked off the stage to begin their final preparations for the BO5 final.

On the large screen at the venue and in the live broadcast, a pre-match promotional video featuring both LGD and SKT players began to play.

First, we reviewed the journey of both teams as they advanced to the finals.

Then came the players' reflections on the final match.

Of course, all the players on both sides expressed their desire for the championship.

Which side is more eager for it will depend on their performance on the field later in the game.

However, Zhou Dian's words at the end of the promotional video resonated strongly with many LPL supporters.

"Humans cannot predict the future; I can only seize the present!"

"Although this is only my first time participating in the World Championship, if I only get the runner-up, it will be the biggest regret of my career!"

"The LPL region has the most League of Legends players in the world. I think the LPL region should win the World Championship, both now and in the future!"

"As professional players in the LPL region, it is our duty to forge the glory of the LPL!"

All LPL viewers who watched the pre-match promotional video online felt Zhou Dian's overflowing determination, belief, and desire to win when they saw and heard his last words.

This statement quickly spread across all Chinese-language internet platforms and in discussions related to League of Legends esports.

Even the final line, "To forge the glory of LPL is our inescapable duty," quickly rose to the top of the trending lists on many social media platforms shortly before the BO5 finals officially began.

"Alright, everyone, welcome back. What we're about to bring you is the ultimate showdown between LGD and SKT!"

Guan Zeyuan's voice came from the commentary booth.

The camera panned across the soundproof glass enclosure on stage, showing that all ten starting players from both sides were already in position, making final adjustments and confirmations.

Next, the camera switched to the glass room, panning across the two players sitting in chairs.

(End of this chapter)