LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

With Rakan's death, T1 lost their most important teamfight strategy.

This made everyone extremely uncomfortable.

"They're going to take Baron!" Faker's voice cracked for the first time. "We have to interfere; we can't let them take it so easily."

However, EDG's decision was more decisive than he had imagined.

"Forget about Baron!" Meiko yelled in the team voice chat, "Turn right to fight! Jiejie, Scout, watch my position!"

Just as the remaining three members of T1 hesitated about whether to go forward and harass, Meiko's Leona flashed and unleashed her ultimate, Solar Flare, which landed precisely on Faker's Twisted Fate!
Almost simultaneously, Scout's Clockwork threw the Puppet next to Twisted Fate and unleashed his ultimate ability, Command: Shockwave!
At the same time, it pulled out the card and the prince next to it.

Perfect chain control!
Faker only needed to throw out one Q, and the health instantly evaporated!

Without its leader, T1 suffered a crushing defeat.

Oner's prince was also killed after offering only token resistance.

Only the AD carry was left, isolated and helpless, and was chased to death by four EDG players.

Coincidentally, Su Mo was also killed by the enemy Jayce while tower diving in front of the bottom lane high ground. After the tower dive, he was left with only a sliver of health.

"ACE!!!"

EDG pulled off a perfect 5-0 team wipe!
"It's over! It's completely over!" Wawa excitedly waved his fist. "EDG completely shattered T1's hopes of a comeback with a perfect vision control and a textbook team fight!"

"This is the dominance of LPL's number one seed!" Caedrel exclaimed sincerely. "From the laning phase to the mid-game strategy, and finally to the team fight decisions, they were impeccable! Mozi's Irelia was especially godlike!"

After wiping out their opponents, the five EDG players didn't even bother to look at Baron Nashor.

Meiko shouted, "Push the bottom lane! Mozi got killed by the enemy! We feel like we can end this in one wave! Brothers, let's finish this!"

They led their minion wave, marching in a mighty force from the bottom lane onto T1's high ground.

They destroyed the bottom lane inhibitor, the crystal, and the inhibitor turrets...

At this point, SKT had only revived one Rakan; the others still had at least five seconds left.

Luo rushed out and activated his ultimate ability to try to stop everyone, but no one paid him any attention and instead focused their fire on SKT's lower-level crystal.

Under the combined attack of five people, T1's base was as fragile as a sheet of paper.

Luo's eyes reddened as she watched this scene.

He felt utterly powerless, with five people standing right in front of him, recklessly attacking his base crystal, and he could do nothing about it.

Finally, the game ended with a crisp and loud explosion from the main crystal.

This highly anticipated opening match of S11 ended with EDG's resounding victory.

【VICTORY】

A huge victory emblem slowly appeared in the center of the screens of the five EDG players.

"Nice!"

Jiejie was the first to take off her headphones, then grabbed Scout, who was still calm beside her, and shook him vigorously.

Meiko and Viper exchanged a smile and gave each other a high five in celebration.

Su Mo's lips also curled up slightly.

Everyone was clearly in a good mood. The game went smoothly from start to finish, and it was a relatively easy win.

But on the other side of the stage, in T1's battle area, things were different.

The atmosphere there was deathly still.

Canna leaned back in her chair, her eyes glazed over as she stared at her dismal record of 0 kills and 3 deaths.

He didn't die many times, but throughout the entire game, he was constantly pressured by the enemy Irelia, and his gold deficit was several thousand.

The image of that Irelia player maneuvering flawlessly under his tower haunted his mind like a nightmare. It was a complete and utter domination, from skill to awareness, leaving him feeling utterly powerless.

He felt that he was the biggest problem in losing this game so decisively.

After all, I chose the counter position on the fifth floor, but I got completely destroyed by the other side.

He glanced furtively at Faker beside him. At that moment, Faker was simply staring silently at the gray screen, expressionless.

His fingers remained on the keyboard, and no one knew what he was thinking, but a sense of resentment could be felt from his tightly pursed lips and deep, ocean-like eyes.

Two seconds later, Faker also sighed slightly.

He didn't lose to Scout, but he lost to the impeccable overall performance of this EDG team.

Then, the five members of EDG came over and shook hands.

The T1 players stood up, forcing themselves to stay alert, their faces betraying their disappointment.

When Su Mo walked up to Faker, Faker looked up and looked intently into Su Mo's eyes. His gaze was devoid of the sharpness he displayed on the field, replaced only by pure recognition.

Faker didn't speak, but after shaking hands with Su Mo, he slowly gave him a thumbs up.

This simple action contains a thousand words.

This is a acknowledgment of one legend by another, a tribute from the king of the old era to the ruler of the new era.

Su Mo understood this respect and nodded solemnly in response.

This scene was captured precisely by the cameras on site, causing the audience to scream for a moment.

After the handshake session ended, the T1 members left the stage dejectedly.

The MVP of this match was undoubtedly awarded to Su Mo.

In the post-match interview, Su Mo's answer to the host Sjokz's question remained concise and to the point.

"What were you thinking during that 1v4 comeback?"

"I'm thinking...how can I make the controls look cooler?"

"When Faker shook hands with you, he gave you a thumbs up. Does this signify a passing of the torch?"

“It’s not a matter of passing on the torch,” Su Mo smiled. “I just did what I was supposed to do. But I’m glad to have his approval.”

After the interview, the EDG team returned to their rest area.

"Well played!" Abu and Clearlove greeted them at the entrance, their faces beaming with pride. "A great start! Perfect! This is how we show everyone that we, the LPL, are here to defend our title!"

The lounge was filled with jubilation, but Abu quickly calmed everyone down.

"It's okay to be happy for a bit," he coughed. "This is just the first match of the group stage. Our goal is the final championship trophy. Go back and get some rest today, and continue reviewing tomorrow to prepare for the next match against 100T!"

"understand!"

Meanwhile, the news of EDG's crushing victory over T1 in the opening match swept through the global League of Legends community like a storm.

LPL forums and social media were in an uproar.

Phrases like "Mo God" and "World's Best" flooded every comment section.

Meanwhile, the LCK forums were filled with lamentations. While expressing their disappointment, fans also had to acknowledge the terrifying strength displayed by EDG. Many rational viewers even began to worry about DK's upcoming match against EDG.

That night, Su Mo returned to his hotel room but didn't rest immediately. He opened the sculpture ShowMaker had given him and placed it on his bedside table.

Under the lights, Jayce and Syndra gazed at each other from afar, and surprisingly, there was a certain feeling between them.

Su Mo was thinking, since the other person had given him a gift, should he consider giving one back?
But wouldn't two grown men exchanging gifts give others the wrong impression...?

After thinking it over carefully, Su Mo decided to let it go for now and deal with it later.

……

The victory in the opening match gave EDG a perfect start to their World Championship journey.

The next day, the EDG players, who had no matches to play, did not let their guard down.

After breakfast, everyone gathered on time in the tactical analysis room that the hotel had prepared especially for them.

There are electronic screens here that can broadcast the game live.

Abu stood in front of the screen and looked around at his energetic teammates: "Let's watch the other teams' matches today, FPX vs. DK, and see who wins."

On the screen, the match has entered the draft phase.

The match between FPX and DK, dubbed the "Group A Finals," was intense from the very beginning.

"DK has banned Doinb's Kled and Ryze. It's obvious they're trying to limit FPX's mid-jungle rhythm," Clearlove said, stroking his chin.

Abu nodded: "FPX retaliated by banning ShowMaker's Syndra and Canyon's Lee Sin."

Ultimately, the lineups for both sides were finalized.

FPX drafted a lineup consisting of Jayce in the top lane, Jarvan IV in the jungle, Galio in the mid lane, and Aphelios and Thresh in the bot lane, focusing on roaming and initiating fights.

DK, on ​​the other hand, chose a lineup of Graves in the top lane, Xin Zhao in the jungle, LeBlanc in the mid lane, and Ziggs and Lulu in the bottom lane, emphasizing lane dominance and late-game skirmishes.

Game start.

FPX's mid-jungle synergy was incredibly sharp. Just three minutes into the game, they forced ShowMaker's LeBlanc to use Flash, gaining control of the mid lane.

For the next ten minutes, the game entered a breathtaking pace.

FPX kept looking for opportunities to fight, with Doinb's Galio using his ultimate to support the side lanes several times, trying to drag the game into the chaotic battles they were best at.

But DK always manages to anticipate FPX's intentions.

Canyon's Xin Zhao appeared like a ghost in every corner of the map, repeatedly thwarting FPX's offensives through vision control and counter-ganking.

The economic gap between the two sides remained narrow, and no kills were recorded, but all the EDG players watching the game could feel the invisible pressure.

“DK’s operations are too strong,” Scout said, his brow furrowing slightly. “They don’t give you any chance to make mistakes; it’s like a big net that’s slowly tightening.”

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

FPX seized the opportunity when DK's jungler recalled to base to replenish supplies and decisively attacked the Rift Herald.

Just as the Rift Herald was about to die, ShowMaker's LeBlanc used her W skill [Distortion] from a blind spot to enter the fray and used a precise Q skill to steal the Rift Herald!
The entire EDG team was stunned.

"You can do that?" The factory manager's lips twitched. "Is this punishment a bit premature?"

After securing the first wave of attacks, DK launched a counter-attack. Canyon's Xin Zhao broke in from the flank, using his ultimate to divide the battlefield, and FPX's formation instantly collapsed.

In the end, DK pulled off a perfect 3-for-0 team fight, completely seizing control of the game.

"It's probably over." Su Moping sighed. "FPX's rhythm has been disrupted, and now it's DK's favorite suffocating period."

As expected, DK, having gained the advantage, gave FPX no chance.

They used the Rift Herald to push down the mid tower, constantly eroding jungle resources and filling half of FPX's map with vision.

FPX players were pinned down on their high ground and unable to leave, causing the economic gap to snowball.

At 27 minutes, DK secured Baron Nashor without any pressure, pushed forward, and ended the game.

“DK… is still as strong as ever,” Jiejie said.

"Their discipline and mastery of map resources are truly world-class," Abu concluded. "The mid-jungle duo of ShowMaker and Canyon remains one of the strongest on the planet."

After watching this key match, the EDG team then watched several other matches from other groups.

In Group C, LPL's third seed RNG will face off against LEC powerhouse Fnatic.

RNG showcased their classic four-protect-one strategy, with Gala's Aphelios in the bottom lane becoming unstoppable under the protection of his teammates, dealing tons of damage in team fights, and ultimately winning the game without any major incident.

In Group D, LEC's first seed MAD will face LCK's second seed GEN.G.

MAD drafted a surprising top lane Pyke pick, catching GEN.G off guard in the early game. However, GEN.G, with their incredibly resilient macro play, managed to drag the game into the late game, where Ruler's Ezreal ultimately took over and completed the comeback.

After watching a day of matches, the EDG players had a clearer understanding of the overall landscape of this World Championship.

"It seems like this year will still be a battle between LPL and LCK," Jiejie remarked. "The other regions are still just average."

“We can’t let our guard down,” Meiko cautioned. “Teams like MAD and C9 have a very high ceiling, and it’s easy for them to pull off an upset in a BO1.”

After the discussion, Abu looked at his team members' tense nerves and smiled, "Alright, that's all for today. If you're free, you can go out for a walk, relax, and don't be so stressed. The other teams should be the ones worrying, after all, we're also in the top tier."

The proposal was immediately agreed upon by everyone.

So, the EDG team traveled light and, with the help of the official guide, went to a nearby hot spring resort.

After changing into their swimming trunks, everyone stepped into the warm lake water, instantly feeling the fatigue of the journey and the pressure of the competition swept away.

"Wow! This feels so good!" Jiejie was the first to plunge into the water, shouting with delight.

The team members frolicked and played in the hot spring, completely letting loose.

Just as everyone was having a great time, a familiar yet exaggerated English accent came from not far away.

"Oh my god! Look who I found! Isn't that Mo, the one who beat Faker so badly he gave me a thumbs up?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Perkz and Armut standing not far away, waving at them with big smiles on their faces.

"What a coincidence!" Jiejie swam over with a smile and greeted the two of them with his broken English and expressive body language.

Perkz, acting like a natural friend, swam right up to Su Mo and said, "Mo, your Irelia game yesterday was so cool! I watched the replay three times! Seriously, you're the best top laner I've ever seen, bar none!"

"You're very strong too," Su Mo replied politely.

"Hehe, of course!" Perkz puffed out his chest without any modesty, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "But seriously, Mo, you guys have to do your best in the group stage and try to beat T1, so that our C9 will have a chance to advance as the second-place team in the group!"

His words drew laughter from everyone.

In this tranquil blue lake, far from the hustle and bustle, there are no distinctions between competition zones, no differences between opponents.

These esports teenagers from all over the world, just like ordinary tourists, enjoyed this rare tranquility and relaxation.

They chatted about interesting stories from their respective regions, complained about Iceland's expensive prices and terrible food, and shared their love for the game.

Unfortunately, some people couldn't understand English, which made things a bit awkward.

After soaking in the hot springs, the EDG team returned to their hotel.

After a brief respite, they will face the second round of group stage matches. (End of Chapter)