LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

The brief halftime break is a fleeting moment of heated discussion and cheering for the audience, but for the two teams on stage, it is a race against time for tactical discussions and psychological rebuilding.

As the stage lights focused again and the countdown to the second round started on the giant electronic screen, the atmosphere at the Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center reached another peak.

"Welcome back to the 2021 League of Legends Pro League Summer Playoffs Semifinals!" Miller's voice was still passionate as he spoke from the commentary booth. "In the first game, EDG showed us their strong operational capabilities and Mo's unparalleled individual skill! They cleanly and decisively took the first point!"

Wawa remarked, "Yes! LNG's tactics in the first game were actually quite targeted, but unfortunately, EDG's response was more perfect, leading in almost every aspect, from jungle skirmishes to lane dominance. Now, LNG is on the brink of elimination. What tactics will they use in the second game? We'll have to wait and see!"

Rita's beautiful eyes sparkled: "Now it's not just about mechanics and tactics, but also the players' willpower and mental fortitude! I'm very curious to see how LNG's top laner, Ale, will adjust his mentality after being almost completely dominated in the first game!"

In the stands, the black and gold waves of cheering grew ever stronger as EDG fans waved their support sticks and chanted in unison, "EDG! Go for it!"

On the other side, the light green flags, though somewhat sparse, were still waving tenaciously, offering their home team a final encouragement.

The camera panned to the players' seats.

On EDG's side, the players looked relaxed, and Jiejie was even gesturing to Meiko, seemingly reviewing a move they had just made.

Meanwhile, on the LNG side, everyone's face was filled with solemnity, their eyes fixed intently on the screen, as if they were about to rush into a war with no way out.

"Alright! Both players are ready! Game 2 of the BO5, the ban/pick phase, is about to begin!" Miller's voice rang out, opening the second act of this ultimate game.

After the halftime break, in the second game, LNG moved to the blue side, which had the first pick.

First round of bans:
EDG's first pick was to ban Olaf, the Berserker.

LNG made the first move by banning Jayce, the Future Guardian.

EDG's second pick was to ban Jarvan IV, the Demacian prince.

LNG's second move was to disable Fiora.

EDG's third pick was to ban Lee Sin.

LNG third-party service disabled Gwent.

"The atmosphere is thick with tension!" Miller's voice immediately picked up speed. "EDG is still relentlessly targeting Tarzan's jungle carry champion pool, while LNG, after being thoroughly outplayed by Jayce in the previous game, completely shut down Mo's Jayce, along with his other two signature champions, Fiora and Gwen! They've made it clear that they won't let you have such a comfortable time in lane today!"

Wawa followed up with her analysis: "Yes, LNG's ban strategy is very clear: to force Mo to choose some utility or scaling heroes, thereby reducing his early-game laning pressure. It's a very clever tactic!"

First round of selection:

As the blue side, LNG immediately locked in Aphelios for Light in the bottom lane!
"Aphelios!" Rita's eyes lit up. "LNG picked one of the strongest late-game marksmen in this patch right away! It seems they're determined to play a 'four-protect-one' strategy in the second game! They've staked everything on Light!"

EDG decisively locked in Ezreal and Evelynn on the first and second floors!
"EDG's response was incredibly fast!" Miller exclaimed. "Ezreal was used to counter Aphelios, ensuring the bot lane's survivability. And in the jungle, Jiejie once again picked Evelynn! It seems the successful jungle maneuver in the last game has given him immense confidence; he's going to use this unstoppable late-game assassin to counter LNG's four-protect-one strategy!"

On the second and third floors of LNG, we chose Bloom and Morton!

"NOC jungle!" Wawa's voice suddenly rose. "Tarzan picked Nocturne! Turn off the lights! They're going for a global support strategy! With Braum's passive, if they get the first pick, EDG's backline will be in serious danger! LNG's tactical intentions are crystal clear!"

EDG, positioned on the third floor, selected Syndra, the Dark Sovereign, for Scout.

Second round of bans:
EDG banned Galio as their fourth pick.

LNG's fourth move was to disable Victor.

EDG banned Twisted Fate as their fifth pick.

LNG's fifth transaction involved the disabling of Planck.

"The second round of bans between the two sides was still full of strategic maneuvering!" Rita analyzed. "EDG banned Galio and Twisted Fate, completely eliminating the possibility of LNG's mid-lane support. On the other hand, LNG banned Viktor and Gangplank, limiting the late-game output capabilities of EDG's mid and top laners."

Second round of selection:

LNG locked in Sion and Clockwerk almost without hesitation!
"Sion!" Wawa exclaimed, "Ale has once again picked a pure tank! The epitome of the 'suicide' playstyle! His mission this game is to mindlessly push lanes and split push, using his own deaths to create space for his teammates! And Orianna in the mid lane provides Aphelios with a perfect teamfight protection and damage output environment!"

Now, all eyes are focused on EDG's final fifth floor.

In the upper half of the map, there is only one lonely avatar frame left.

With LNG clearly indicating their intention to abandon the top lane and have Ale play a tank to withstand pressure, what kind of hero will Su Mo choose to deal with this situation?

Amidst the anticipation of everyone, on the fifth floor of EDG's map, the hero icons began to flash rapidly.

Finally, the picture freezes.

A female hero with wings on her back, wielding a flaming sword, and exuding sacred inviolability, appeared on the big screen.

Angel of Justice—Kyle!
"Om-"

The moment the hero was locked on, the entire stadium fell into an eerie silence, followed by a violent uproar!
"My God! It's an angel!" Miller practically jumped out of his chair, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "In the top lane! Facing a Sion who's destined to be under pressure! Mo pulled out the ultimate scaling carry—Kayle! Is he telling you, you dare to let me farm? Then I'll farm peacefully until level sixteen, and then I'll judge you all by myself!"

Wawa excitedly exclaimed, "What kind of strategy is this?! LNG's tactic is 'avoid their strength, attack where they must defend,' they want to abandon the top lane and let Ale face Mo alone. And Mo picking Kayle is exactly what they wanted! He's telling LNG, 'Thank you, but then I'll stop being human!' LNG is now in a dilemma! They have to end the game before Kayle is fully formed, otherwise, they'll be facing a true god!"

The final lineup is confirmed:
Blue Square LNG:

Top Lane: Sion (Ale), the Undead Warrior

Jungler: Nocturne (Tarzan)

Mid Lane: Orianna (Icon)

Archer: Aphelios, the Bearder of the Crescent Moon (Light)

Support: Braum, the Heart of Freljord (Crisp)

Red team EDG:

Top Lane: Kayle, the Righteous Angel

Jungle: Evelynn, the Embrace of Pain
Mid Lane: Syndra, the Dark Sovereign
Marksman: Ezreal, the Explorer

Support: Tahm Kench, the River King

"The lineups for both sides are now finalized!" Miller concluded. "It's an ultimate showdown between offense and defense! LNG has chosen a lineup with maximum support and initiation capabilities, and two late-game cores. Their goal is to use Nightmare's engage in the early to mid-game to help Aphelios establish an absolute advantage!"

"EDG, on the other hand, has drafted a lineup with maximum protection and two unstoppable late-game carries! Evelynn and Kayle! Their only goal is to stall! If they can drag the game out past thirty minutes, the scales of victory will tip infinitely in their favor! This is a race against time! The decisive game has officially begun!"

The online viewers' comments have gone completely crazy.

[Top lane Kayle vs. Sion! Mozi is setting up a peaceful farming zone in the top lane!]

[LNG: We're abandoning you. Mo: Thanks, I need to develop my character anyway.]

[I can almost picture it: thirty minutes from now, a Seraph descends upon the crowd with her ultimate attack, taking down everyone with a single sword strike!]

The pressure is on LNG! They're racing against time! They must break through the bottom lane before the sixteen-minute mark!

[This game hinges on Tarzan's rhythm! How well Nightmare flies will determine LNG's fate!]

[EDG's lineup is too solid! Tahm Kench and Ezreal, how are those two going to die in the bot lane?]

[I think LNG still needs to focus on the top lane, otherwise, if Mozi gets fed, you know what will happen.] Amidst the expectant gazes of the audience, ten heroes loaded into the game.

As the system message "Welcome to Summoner's Rift" sounded, the highly anticipated second game of the semifinals officially began!

As the match began, the situation on the field presented a bizarre scenario, just as all the commentators and viewers had predicted.

The lower half of the map is LNG's main offensive target, where they are focusing all their efforts.

Tarzan's Nightmare started with the Blue Buff and plunged into his lower jungle, with only one goal—to reach level six as quickly as possible.

In the bottom lane, Light's Aphelios and Crisp's Braum duo played aggressively from level one, constantly using their range advantage to whittle down the health of EDG's bottom lane duo, trying to create conditions for the upcoming "lights out" kill.

The upper half of the map, on the other hand, became Su Mo's peaceful development demonstration zone.

"The camera pans to the top lane," Miller said with a hint of amusement. "This might be the most harmonious top lane matchup we've seen this season. Mo's Kayle started with Corrupting Potion and took Fleet Footwork as his rune, emphasizing a steady farm. Ale's Sion, on the other hand, took Grasp of the Undying and started with Doran's Shield, clearly intending to be a proper punching bag."

As the commentator said, Su Mo's Kyle did not suppress Sion as people expected.

He simply stood behind the minion wave, finishing off every low-health minion.

His lane control skills have reached a state of perfection. He firmly controls the minion wave near his own turret, creating a slow pushback trend.

Ale's Sion was happy to have some free time; he didn't go forward to trade blows, but instead focused on last-hitting minions.

Since Sion has already been picked, this game doesn't really concern him anymore.

Occasionally, when the minion wave is pushed to the tower, he will activate his ultimate to clear the wave, or simply use his body to tank the damage.

The two players in the top lane seemed to have signed a non-aggression pact, and their CS (creep score) remained strangely even.

Meanwhile, Scout's Syndra in the mid lane used her long range advantage to push Icon's Orianna under the tower, firmly controlling the lane.

Jiejie's Evelynn comfortably took over the upper jungle that Tarzan had abandoned, taking all of the opponent's Raptors and Krugs.

The entire EDG team seemed to be calmly dealing with the impending storm from LNG in a "boiling frog" manner.

The live stream chat was also filled with various jokes and banter.

[Hilarious! Are these two in the top lane competing to see who can farm more?]

[Ale: As long as I don't move, you can't kill me. Mo: Coincidentally, I don't want to move either, I just want to farm.]

[The calm before the storm! I bet five cents that the bot lane will be in trouble the moment Tarzan reaches level six!]

The time has reached six minutes and eight seconds.

After Tarzan's Nightmare finished clearing the last group of Swamp Frogs, his level jumped from 5 to 6!

In LNG's team voice chat, Tarzan's voice was brief and cold: "Ready."

In the bottom lane, Light and Crisp had already understood each other and began to press forward and position themselves aggressively.

It's now!

"Turn off the lights!" Tarzan immediately pressed his ultimate ability, [Ghostly Appearance]!
"what--"

A piercing scream echoed throughout the Rift! The entire Summoner's Rift was instantly plunged into complete darkness! The screens of all EDG players went completely black, their vision cut off, and they couldn't see the positions of any teammates or enemies on the minimap!
"Nightmare has unleashed his ultimate!" Miller's voice suddenly rose. "LNG's counterattack has begun! Their target is Viper in the bottom lane!"

The moment their vision was taken away, Crisp's Braum made a move in the bottom lane!
Without hesitation, he flashed forward and used his Q skill, Winter's Bite, on Viper's Ezreal, triggering his passive!
Tarzan's nightmare, like the Grim Reaper in the darkness, carrying chains of fear, flew to Viper's side!
"Viper's stuck!" the doll's voice was filled with tension.

However, EDG's response was equally swift!
Meiko's Tahm Kench, without the slightest panic as darkness descended, immediately used his W skill [Devour] to swallow Viper whole, while simultaneously activating his E skill [Thick Skin], instantly enveloping him in a gray shield!
"Meiko survived!" Rita exclaimed. "Tahm Kench's protective abilities are incredible! Nightmare's first burst of damage was completely avoided!"

Viper landed safely inside Tahm Kench's belly and immediately used his E skill [Arcane Shift] followed by Flash to pull away behind the tower.

LNG's long-planned first fatal offensive, under Tahm Kench's perfect protection, only forced Viper to use one Flash!

"My God! They managed to save this?!" Light exclaimed incredulously in LNG's team voice chat.

"It's okay, stay calm," Tarzan was still trying to reassure the team. "He's out of E, the next wave will be even easier to kill!"

Although the first gank failed, this "lights-out" still allowed LNG to secure the first dragon, recovering some of their early disadvantage.

The pace of the game entered an extremely tense stalemate due to LNG's "lights out" tactics.

LNG is waiting for their next big move, while EDG is using this time to farm and level up aggressively.

Ten minutes later, Jiejie's Evelynn secured the first Rift Herald without any interference.

Instead of placing the vanguard in the mid lane, he went directly to the top lane.

"Jiejie has placed the Herald in the top lane!" Miller saw through EDG's intention. "They want to help Mo push the tower faster! Once the top lane tower falls, Kayle's farming space will be expanded infinitely!"

Ale's Sion could only watch helplessly as the Rift Herald crashed into his own turret, taking away two layers of plating.

Meanwhile, Su Mo's Kayle took the opportunity to farm another wave of minions.

His last-hitting has quietly given him a lead of more than ten CS over Sion.

However, because Widowmaker appeared in the top lane, Tarzan's Nocturne's ultimate ability, Darkness, descended once again!
This time, their target is still the bottom lane!

The four of them regrouped at EDG's bottom lane turret!

Nightmare turns off the lights, Orianna gives the ball, Sion activates his ultimate, and like a runaway train, he rushes straight down from the top lane!

"Four against two! LNG has launched an even fiercer offensive!"

However, EDG's response was already written into the script.

The moment darkness descended, Meiko's Tahm Kench activated his ultimate ability, creating a massive vortex beneath his feet and teleporting Viper directly to the front of the second tower!
"They escaped again!!" Wawa was at a loss for words. "LNG's four-man gank didn't even manage to touch Viper's clothes! Tahm Kench is a perfect counter to Nocturne's engage on a tactical level!"

LNG's four players missed their target and could only helplessly push down one of the bottom lane outer turrets.

Meanwhile, Su Mo in the top lane, with the help of the second wave of Rift Herald, pushed down LNG's top lane tower and also knocked down the second top lane tower, taking away half of its health.

Furthermore, his level has reached level eleven!
The angel has gained a permanent attack speed bonus, and her basic attacks now include a fire wave!

A monster is quietly taking shape with unstoppable force.

EDG completely controlled the pace of the game due to Su Mo's unstoppable development on the side lane.

LNG is in a dilemma.

They wanted to find an opportunity to initiate a team fight, but Su Mo's Kayle always managed to push down a lane of minions in advance, forcing them to send players back to defend.

They wanted to gank Kayle, but Sion couldn't handle it alone, and even with two people, they couldn't beat EDG's four in a head-on team fight.

Caught in a dilemma. (End of Chapter)