LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

On the second day of relaxation activities, the EDG team arrived in downtown Reykjavik.

They tried some local hot dogs on the street, but Su Mo thought they were just so-so and not very tasty.

Then I browsed the souvenir shops, which were full of Nordic design elements.

In a record store, the EDG team had an unexpected encounter.

They encountered members of the European LEC champions, MAD Lions, who were also out for a stroll.

As the new kings of Europe, the members of MAD are all flamboyant and full of artistic temperament.

Their top laner, Armut, a burly Turkish man with unruly long hair, had his eyes light up the moment he saw Su Mo.

“Oh my God! It’s Mo!” Armut practically rushed over, his face beaming with the excitement of a fan meeting their idol. “Hello! Mo! I’m Armut, your biggest fan!”

He greeted us warmly in broken Chinese.

Su Mo was somewhat surprised, but still politely replied, "Hello."

"I've watched all your matches! Your Irelia, your Fiora, they're simply works of art!" Armut exclaimed excitedly. "Your top lane Veigar is even more mind-blowing! How did you come up with the idea of ​​playing that champion in the top lane?"

Faced with this "fan's" enthusiasm, Su Mo could only smile helplessly.

MAD's mid-laner, Humanoid, a handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed guy, also walked over. He looked Su Mo up and down with great interest: "Hello, Mo, I'm looking forward to playing against you in the main event."

His words carried the confidence and arrogance characteristic of European athletes.

"You're welcome anytime." Su Mo's response remained simple and calm.

This chance encounter lacked the tension of the pre-match event and felt more like an offline meetup between online friends from different countries.

Armut even enthusiastically invited the EDG team to try the Icelandic beer he recommended, but the accompanying Riot staff politely declined, citing the "no alcohol before the match" rule.

As they parted, Armut called out to Su Mo with a touch of reluctance, "Mo! Good luck in the group stage! I hope we can meet in the knockout stage! When that happens, please be sure to lane against me with your Irelia!"

Watching the MAD team members' departing figures, Jiejie couldn't help but complain, "Europeans are really interesting. They haven't even played yet, and they're already pre-ordering skins?"

"That's not funny, that's confidence," Su Mo said calmly. "They believe they can advance from the group stage, and they believe they can compete with us. This mentality is something we should learn from."

After a brief period of relaxation, EDG entered its final closed preparation period before the MSI main event.

The atmosphere in the training room became serious and focused again.

The coaching staff conducted a detailed analysis and review of all the data and training match videos collected from all the teams in the competition area.

“DK remains our biggest rival,” Abu circled DK’s image on the strategy board. “Their mid-jungle synergy is world-class, but their last scrim also exposed a problem – over-reliance on the mid-jungle. As long as we can limit Canyon’s tempo and keep Scout stable in the laning phase, we have a great chance of winning.”

"MAD's playstyle is very aggressive and full of imagination, but their operations are relatively rough and they make more mistakes. To deal with them, we need to stay calm and use our more rigorous operations to wear them down."

"C9 in North America, their core is mid laner Perkz. Perkz has a very strange champion pool and often picks some unexpected champions. Scout, be careful when laning against him, don't get caught up in his 'unconventional techniques' and fall into his rhythm."

The factory manager added from the side, "In this MSI patch, the influence of the top lane has been weakened. But for us, this is not a problem. Because we have Mozi."

His gaze turned to Su Mo.

"Brother Mozi, in the group stage, I hope you play a little more... selfishly." Clearlove's wording was peculiar. "Don't think too much about the team, just play what you want, do whatever makes you comfortable. Your very existence is the biggest deterrent to the opponent. As long as you gain an advantage in the top lane, the other lanes will be much easier for us to play."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo raised an eyebrow: "You mean, you're letting me play around as I please?"

“Yes,” the factory manager nodded emphatically, “Play it easy. Treat the group stage as your personal showcase.”

This tactical arrangement brought knowing smiles to the faces of the other team members.

They knew this was a testament to the coaching staff's absolute trust in Su Mo.

At the same time, they also eagerly anticipate what a world-shattering scene it will be when that "god," freed from all constraints, unleashes his talent on the world stage.

On the last night before the start of the MSI tournament, it snowed lightly in Reykjavik.

The team members finished training early and were required to rest.

Su Mo did not stay in the room; he went alone to the rooftop terrace of the hotel.

Snowflakes fell silently, and the city lights in the distance appeared somewhat hazy in the wind and snow.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Qin Lan, who was far away in China:
"Is Iceland cold? Don't forget, the world's eyes are on you. Go and win that trophy, lay the first cornerstone for your future empire."

Su Mo looked at the message and felt somewhat helpless. Why was this woman still thinking about him...?

He put away his phone and looked up at the night sky shrouded in aurora and snow.

Empire? Cornerstone?
All he's thinking about right now is the match that starts tomorrow.

ShowMaker, Perkz, Armut... faces filled with fighting spirit flashed through his mind.

Challengers from all over the world have gathered here.

And he, as the one on the throne, has been waiting for a long time.

"Come on," he murmured to himself, exhaling a puff of white breath at the swirling snow.

"Let me see just how much you... want to win."

The 2021 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) officially kicked off at a futuristic indoor arena in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

The stadium was packed, with countless eyes focused on this clash between world-class teams that was a year overdue.

This year's MSI tournament is divided into three stages:

Group Stage: 11 champion teams from major regions around the world are divided into three groups and will compete in a double round-robin BO1 format. The top two teams from each group will advance.

The six teams that advanced from the group stage will compete in a double round-robin BO1 points tournament.

Elimination rounds: The top four teams from the preliminary rounds advance to a best-of-five single-elimination tournament to determine the final champion.

The participating teams are all incredibly talented:
LPL representative: EDG - S10 World Champions, LPL Spring Split New Kings, the reigning champions with unparalleled dominance.

LCK (Korea) representative: DK (DWG KIA) - S10 World Championship runner-up, the absolute champion of the LCK Spring Split, and known as the "strongest challenger".

LEC (European Region) Representative: MAD Lions - the new kings of Europe, with an unconventional playstyle full of passion and imagination.

LCS (North American Region) Representative: Cloud9 - The North American god, with the legendary mid laner Perkz joining, his strength is unfathomable.

PCS (Southeast Asia Region) Representative: PSG Talon - Southeast Asian champion, a dark horse whose strength should not be underestimated.

And champions from the CIS (UOL), Latin America (INF), Turkey (IW), Brazil (PNG), Japan (DFM), and Oceania (PGG).

Before the match, commentators and analysts from all over the world gave EDG and DK the highest praise.

They are considered to be in a class of their own, and EDG, with Su Mo, a "god" whose abilities cannot be measured by data, has a slight advantage over DK in the odds of winning the championship, making them the nominal world number one.

On the first day of the group stage, EDG's first match was against Pentanet.GG (PGG), the champion of the Oceania LCO region.

Facing a relatively weak "wildcard" team, everyone thought EDG would easily win in the most conventional and stable way. However, when the draft screen appeared, the world's audience was stunned.

In EDG's fifth counter pick, after banning three standard top laners, Su Mo revealed a champion that left Miller and Wawa in the commentary booth speechless for a long time.

The Devilish Clown, Sako!
"Did I...did I see wrong?" Miller rubbed his eyes. "Is...is it a top lane AP Shaco?!"

"Is Brother Mozi... insane?!" Wawa exclaimed in shock. "Playing like this in the first match of the group stage? He's completely disregarding his opponents! This isn't just messing around, it's rubbing salt into their wounds!"

The barrage in the live broadcast room exploded instantly.

【? ? ? ? ? ? 】

[I'm reporting someone here playing against bots!]

[My heart aches for PGG's top laner; his mentality has already collapsed before the game even starts.]

Is this godlike? Playing the World Championship like a casual game, I love it!

In PGG's match booth, their top laner BioPanther, a seemingly honest-looking young Australian, looked at the clown opposite him with a strange smile, his face full of confusion.

Game start.

During the laning phase, Su Mo became BioPanther's nightmare.

The Joker is all about one word – despicable. He uses his Q skill to become invisible, appearing right in front of you every now and then, throwing his E skill [Double-Edged Sword] to slow you down, and then walking away without looking back.

You're furious and want to chase after them, but a box has already been placed in the bushes, waiting for you.

You might think he's playing defensively under the tower, but he's actually already lurking invisibly and harassing the mid lane.

After level six, it gets even worse.

The real and the fake clones are impossible to guard against.

PGG's jungler came to gank, but he used all his ultimate abilities on the fake body, and Su Mo, with the help of the turret, easily counter-killed him.

Throughout the match, the other four members of EDG barely exerted any effort, and all they could do was watch as Su Mo single-handedly outmaneuvered their opponents in the top lane.

The entire PGG team's morale was completely shattered by Su Mo's unpredictable harassment and his unpredictable magic box tactics.

Twenty minutes later, the game ended in a comical team fight.

PGG chased after EDG's low-health opponents, only to run headlong into Su Mo's pre-arranged "magic box formation," where they were repeatedly feared to death, resulting in a "Hulu Brothers saving their grandfather" style team wipe.

EDG easily secured their first victory.

After the match, Su Mo's Joker won the MVP award without any suspense, boasting a perfect KDA of 5-0-11.

When his avatar appeared on the MVP screen, commentators all over the world were speechless, caught between laughter and tears.

The LEC commentator spread his hands in the studio and laughed helplessly: "Okay, I think we now understand what Mo meant by what he said at the send-off ceremony. He's not back to compete; he's back to inspect his territory. And today, he's telling PGG that their territory isn't clean enough."

This "clown act" completely kicked off EDG's "performance" in the MSI group stage.

Against Japan's DFM, Su Mo picked Teemo for the top lane, tormenting the opposing top laner to only 30 CS in 12 minutes.

Against the CIS UOL, he again picked Pyke for top lane, roaming the entire game and finishing the match in just 15 minutes with the help of his teammates.

EDG won all six matches in a way that was almost a joke, and advanced to the competition as the top team in their group without any suspense.

Su Mo's antics made viewers around the world both love and hate him, and EDG's matches became the highest-rated matches of this year's MSI.

People are no longer looking forward to how EDG will win, but rather to what strange and unusual champion that man will bring out today to crush his opponents.

After EDG easily advanced from the group stage with a perfect record, the battle for supremacy quickly followed.

The six teams that advanced are EDG, DK, MAD, C9, PSG, and UOL.

Each team is the champion of its respective region; the real competition has only just begun.

On the first day of the competition, the highlight match was the highly anticipated "China vs. Korea showdown" – EDG vs DK.

This match was regarded by all media and players around the world as a "prelude to the MSI finals".

One is the reigning champion, the other is the strongest challenger.

ShowMaker's declaration, "Let's see if God bleeds," added even more tension to the duel.

Before the match began, the director's camera panned across the faces of the players from both teams.

On DK's side, the team members looked solemn, their eyes sharp as knives. ShowMaker, in particular, pursed his lips, his face filled with a desire for challenge.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed for EDG.

Jiejie even made a funny face at the camera, while Su Mo leaned back in his gaming chair, closing his eyes to rest, as if what was about to begin was not an epic battle, but an ordinary ranked match.

This stark contrast prompted LPL commentator Miller to exclaim, "This is EDG! This is the confidence that Mo brings to the team! Even if the sky falls, he'll hold it up; all we need to do is believe!"

BP starts.

DK is on the blue side. This time, their coach Kkoma didn't target SuMo's hero pool like RNG did.

They banned Lillia, Thresh, and Aphelios, all of which are signature champions of the other EDG players.

“DK’s draft has changed!” Miller immediately noticed the change. “They’re letting Mo’s heroes through. They know Mo has a deep hero pool, so they’re targeting other heroes.”

EDG, on the other hand, remained cautious, banning Udyr, Riven, and Jinx.

DK secured the jungler Rumble!
"It's Canyon's signature Rambo!" the doll exclaimed. "DK unleashed their killer move right from the start!"

EDG, in their first and second picks, secured Kai'Sa and Alistar, creating a versatile bot lane duo for Viper and Meiko that could both attack and defend.

DK's second and third picks were Viktor for mid and Rakan for support.

EDG's third pick was also for the top lane.

"What will they choose? DK released Jayce, released Gnar..." Miller spoke rapidly.

Su Mo's avatar lit up, and a hero was marked by him.

Akali, the Fist of Shadow!

"It's Akali!" Miller's voice suddenly rose. "Faced with DK's mid-game explosive lineup, Mo chose Akali! An assassin with infinite possibilities, capable of creating miracles!"

Finally, when DK's fifth pick locked in Gragas for top lane to counter Akali, the team compositions were finalized.

This is a battle of spear and shield, a contest of rhythm and development!
Game start!
Everyone thought the focus of this match would be the mid-lane duel between ShowMaker and Scout, or the jungle battle between Canyon and Jiejie.

However, Su Mo showed the world through his actions that as long as he was on the field, he was the sole focus.

At level three, Su Mo's Akali seized the opportunity when Khan's Gragas missed his E skill, precisely landing an E skill on Gragas, then using her second E to leap up and execute a smooth QAQA combo, instantly reducing Gragas's health by half and forcing him to use Flash.

At level six, Canyon's Rumble came to the top lane, attempting to coordinate with Khan to tower dive and kill Akali.

However, the moment Su Mo saw Rambo appear, he advanced instead of retreating!

He immediately activated his ultimate skill, using the first dash to dodge the center area of ​​Rumble's ultimate skill [Constant Temperature Burn], and then used his W skill [My Style: Twilight Array] to engage in an extreme tug-of-war with the two in the smoke screen!
Ultimately, he used his E skill and the second part of his ultimate to finish off Khan's Gragas under the tower and escaped unscathed.

Su Mo's actions had already sent a chill down the spines of the entire DK team.

This person's reaction and decision-making are completely illogical!

The turning point of the game occurred at the Rift Herald team fight at the fourteen-minute mark.

The two sides clashed in the river, with DK gaining an advantageous position thanks to the AOE advantage of Viktor and Rumble.

Just when everyone thought EDG would retreat, Su Mo's Akali entered the battlefield from an unexpected angle!

Instead of targeting DK's backline, he used smoke grenades as cover to silently flank DK's formation.

His target is ShowMaker, who has always been looking for opportunities!

ShowMaker's Viktor was extremely careful with his positioning, always maintaining a safe distance from his teammates.

However, just as he was about to use his Q skill to consume the opponent's resources, Su Mo made a move!
R Flash!
Akali's figure, as if teleporting, carrying a deadly killing intent, instantly crossed half the screen and appeared on Viktor's face!
Apply E skill [Falcon Dance]!
A second R followed by a QA!

The ShowMaker screen instantly turned gray!

"Solo kill!!!" Miller stood up from his seat. "Mo's Akali, in a five-man team fight, precisely found the person who challenged God, and then... personally slew him! This is the response! This is a warning from God!"

ShowMaker was instantly killed, and DK's formation collapsed immediately.

EDG executed a perfect 3-0 exchange, securing the Rift Herald and pushing down DK's mid-lane tower.

The rhythm of the game was completely reversed by this stunning assassination!

In DK's battle booth, ShowMaker stared at his gray screen, clenching his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

For the first time, he experienced the helplessness that is called "despair".

All his actions and predictions seemed utterly laughable in the face of that ghostly figure.

God does not only bleed.

Even gods can kill.

Ultimately, this highly anticipated preview of the finals ended in victory for EDG in the 28th minute. (End of Chapter)