LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Six minutes later, Jiejie's Xin Zhao went directly to the bottom lane after confirming Oner's Lee Sin's location.

"Jiejie is coming down! T1's bot lane duo is positioned deep, they have a chance!" Miller's eyes were instantly drawn to them.

Meiko's Leona understood perfectly. He seized the moment when Keria's Thresh went to last-hit a minion and used his E skill, Zenith Blade, to target him!

Immediately afterwards, the Q skill [Dawnbreaker Shield] was used, stunning Keria in place!

Viper's Jhin activated W from behind to stun again, perfectly connecting the control chain!
Jiejie's Xin Zhao burst out of the bushes, unleashing a fluid combo that, combined with Viper's damage, instantly emptied Keria's health bar!
"First Blood!"

First Blood, secured by Viper's Jhin!

“Oh my god,” Keria said in the team voice chat, frustrated. “I should have been more careful with my positioning. I thought they couldn’t kill me this wave, damn it…”

"It's alright," Faker's voice remained calm. "Stay calm, Oner. Prepare to control the river crab in the bottom half of the map and protect the bottom lane's development."

However, EDG's offensive was like a tidal wave, one wave subsiding only for another to rise.

In the mid lane, while Faker was recalling to base to replenish supplies, Su Mo used Syndra's powerful wave-pushing ability to send a large wave of minions under T1's tower.

"Mozi's lane dominance is too strong," Wawa exclaimed. "Although Faker's mechanics are already at their peak, he still suffers in terms of champion counters and wave clear speed. Look, he has already missed several minions."

Faker watched the minions being devoured one by one by the turret, feeling heartbroken.

He hadn't experienced this feeling of being overwhelmed during the laning phase in a long time.

The opponent's Syndra was like a precision instrument; every skill and movement seemed to have been calculated countless times, always making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

“Sang-hyuk hyung, I’m here to help you.” Oner’s voice came through the earpiece.

He knew that the mid lane absolutely could not be allowed to collapse.

However, just as his Lee Sin reached the bushes in the mid-lane river, Jiejie's Xin Zhao emerged from the bushes on the other side like a ghost.

"A clash in the jungle! Jiejie and Oner! Who will win?"

The two junglers clashed instantly, but Jiejie's Xin Zhao had a slight advantage in equipment. After several rounds of trading blows, Oner's Lee Sin was clearly at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Faker had no choice but to abandon his support and watch helplessly as Oner was forced to retreat.

"EDG's rhythm is too good!" Guan Zeyuan analyzed. "Jiejie seems to have grasped Oner's route, and he has completely restricted T1's jungle rhythm engine! And the huge pressure that Mozi Ge put on in the mid lane also prevented Faker from effectively supporting the jungle. At this moment, T1's mid-jungle synergy was completely dismantled by EDG!"

From this moment on, EDG began to gradually take control of the game's pace.

They constantly nibbled away at T1's jungle resources and controlled the river vision.

Ten minutes later, EDG easily secured the first dragon.

Twelve minutes later, EDG moved to the Rift Herald, and T1, naturally unwilling to give up, came to engage.

"Both sides are engaged in a skirmish near the Herald Pit! This is the first crucial moment of the game!" Miller's voice was filled with tension. "If T1 loses this team fight, their situation will be extremely dangerous!"

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Faker seized an opportunity when Meiko moved forward!

He decisively stepped forward and used EW to trap him, and the Lee Sin behind him also immediately took action.

Faker's skill combo was fluid and seamless, and combined with Lee Sin's damage, he instantly brought Meiko to low health!

However, at that moment, a golden light descended from the sky!

Saint Gun's Jayce teleported directly to the bush behind Ryze and Lee Sin.

Jayce landed and switched to hammer form, unleashing a powerful Q skill, Sky Leap, at Faker!

Faker reacted extremely quickly, dodging the attack with a Flash.

But behind him, an even more deadly figure had already silently descended.

It's Su Mo's Syndra!
Su Mo seized the opportunity and immediately used Flash to perform a QE combo.

He originally intended to stun Ryze, who had already used Flash, but unexpectedly stunned Aphelios behind him as well.

Su Mo's eyes lit up, and he immediately used W to pull the ball towards Aphelios, simultaneously applying Ignite to Aphelios's body, and then pressed his ultimate skill - [Energy Surge]!
Six dark orbs containing world-destroying energy were hurled at Gumayusi, who was positioned at the front, like homing missiles!

"boom--!!!"

Even though Gumayusi's Aphelios used his healing ability, his health bar was still evaporated!

Su Mo's ignition greatly reduced the effectiveness of his treatment.

He originally wanted to use Ignite to find an opportunity to solo kill Faker, but the opponent kept not giving him the chance, and now he has killed the opponent's AD instead.

"He's dead!! Mozi's combo instantly killed Gumayusi!!!" Guan Zeyuan shouted excitedly, "T1's core damage dealer is dead in an instant! The team fight is about to collapse!"

Without their ADC, T1's remaining players lacked fighting power.

Although Faker did his best to trade kills with the low-health Meiko, he was also stuck by Jiejie's Xin Zhao and was eventually killed by Viper's Jhin with a long-range W.

The blind monk next to him also couldn't escape and died along with him.

Ultimately, EDG achieved a perfect 3-for-1 team fight at the cost of their support's death, eliminating the enemy's two carries and jungler!
The atmosphere in EDG's team voice chat was incredibly relaxed.

"Nice!" Jiejie shouted excitedly, "We've got this one!"

"Stay calm, don't rush," Su Mo's calm voice rang out. "Take the Vanguard, go back to base to resupply, then regroup in the mid lane. Don't give them any chance to breathe."

"understand!"

After winning the team fight, EDG calmly secured the Rift Herald and then collectively recalled to base.

On the screen, everyone's gold coins are growing rapidly, and then they are transformed into key pieces of equipment.

Su Mo's Syndra immediately pulled out the Lost Chapter and a pair of Sorcerer's Shoes, further increasing her lane dominance.

Viper's Jhin also completed his first major item - Gale Force.

In contrast, the atmosphere at T1's booth was as heavy as the ancient glaciers of Iceland.

“My problem,” Gumayusi’s voice trembled slightly, “I should have used Flash. I didn’t expect him to target me… I thought he was going to hit you, Sanghyeok.”

“It’s not your fault,” Faker interrupted him. “It was my mistake in commanding. I shouldn’t have initiated a fight when Scout had Teleport. We… were too hasty. We didn’t notice there was a ward behind us.”

He looked at his own pathetic equipment on his screen, then at Syndra's impressive stats on the other side, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him. His opponent's pace was so fast it was suffocating him.

In the commentary booth, Wawa looked at the economic panels of both sides and kept shaking his head: "After this team fight, the economic gap has reached four thousand gold! This is a huge number for a final fifteen minutes. T1 is in a very difficult position now."

Guan Zeyuan adjusted his glasses and began his "scientific" analysis: "The most crucial thing is not the economy, but the rhythm. EDG has secured the Rift Herald, and their next target will inevitably be T1's mid-lane tower. Once the mid-lane tower falls, T1's jungle will be in great danger, and their vision will be completely suppressed. Next, T1 will face EDG's most adept suffocating macro-management."

The course of the match perfectly validated Guan Zeyuan's analysis.

After EDG's five players replenished their supplies, they immediately regrouped in the mid lane.

Without hesitation, Jiejie summoned the Rift Herald the moment the minion wave reached the tower!

"Roar!!!"

The massive Rift Herald roared, lowered its head, and charged towards T1's mid-lane tower!

"T1 is choosing to give up the tower!" Miller spoke rapidly. "They dare not defend! EDG's five players are grouped together, and Leona and Xin Zhao's crowd control chain is too strong. Once they get engaged, T1 currently has no ability to fight back!"

Faker and Oner could only watch helplessly as the Herald crashed into the tower from a distance, losing nearly half its health.

With the combined damage from all five EDG players, T1's mid-lane tower collapsed!

"The mid tower has fallen!" Wawa's voice suddenly rose. "EDG has successfully turned the tide! Now, the entire map is a smooth road for EDG!"

After taking down the mid tower, EDG didn't linger in the fight. Instead, they quickly spread out, with Meiko's Leona and Jiejie's Xin Zhao invading T1's upper jungle from the left and right respectively.

They were like two sharp knives, plunging into T1's jungle and clearing out all the jungle monsters along the way.

In T1's team voice chat, Oner's voice was filled with anxiety: "My red buff area and F6 area are completely dark, I dare not go in."

Faker stared at the completely black minimap, his brow furrowed: "Canna, be careful in the top lane, they might gank you. Gumayusi, Keria, you guys control the bot lane too, don't give them any opportunities." At this moment, the entire T1 team was forced into a full-scale strategic defense.

They were like trapped in an invisible cage, forced to passively wait for EDG's next attack.

Meanwhile, EDG began to slowly and methodically plunder resources.

After clearing his own jungle, Jiejie's Xin Zhao swaggered into T1's jungle and took all the newly spawned Raptors and Krugs from Oner.

"They've invaded the enemy jungle! Jiejie is invading right in front of T1!" Miller commented. "Oner's Lee Sin is nearby, but he doesn't dare to come over! This is the price of losing lane control and vision; their own jungle has become the enemy's backyard!"

At the 18-minute mark, EDG's economic lead had expanded to 6,000.

Su Mo's Syndra is currently at her strongest, dealing outrageously high damage.

He began to frequently utilize the mid-lane advantage, roaming to the side lanes with Jiejie to put pressure on T1.

T1's defenses were teetering on the brink of collapse under EDG's relentless attacks.

“T1 is having a really tough time right now,” Wawa lamented. “They can only passively take the beatings without any chance to fight back. Their supposedly superior macro-management is completely ineffective against EDG’s extreme pressure.”

The suspense of the match was completely ended when the third dragon spawned.

EDG secured the dragon pit position early and started the fight easily.

T1 knew this was a team fight they were destined to lose, but they had no choice but to come.

This is their last chance. If they let this dragon go, EDG will get a dragon soul and the game will be very difficult.

"T1 is going to fight to the death!" Miller's voice became tense again.

Just as the T1 players cautiously peeked out from the jungle entrance, trying to find an opportunity, Meiko's Leona flashed and used her Q ultimate from a blind spot!

Q stunned the enemy Lee Sin, followed by his ultimate.

A golden beam of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping the center of the T1 formation, stunning Oner and Keria, who were at the forefront, in place!

"Meiko got it! A perfect ultimate! Stunned two people!"

Viper's Jhin sets up his ultimate [Perfect Curtain Call] in the back, Jiejie's Xin Zhao uses EQ to engage, and Scout's Jayce fires a powerful long-range cannon shot!

The team fight erupted in an instant, and before Lee Sin could react, he was instantly melted.

But just then, Kennen charged in with his ultimate ability.

This also meant that the other T1 players had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow up with their damage output, since EDG had used up most of their skills and there was still a chance.

Unfortunately, just as Kennen used his ultimate and flash to enter the fray, ready to shock four people, Syndra, hiding in the bushes behind him, used her Q and R combo to fly over.

Kennen's R attack only lasted a moment before disappearing instantly...

Most importantly, Syndra used her E to push a bunch of balls, stunning Ryze and Aphelios behind her...

Then, the EDG team swarmed forward.

In the end, EDG once again achieved a perfect team wipe, with a 1-for-5 exchange!
The only one who got hurt was Meiko, who initiated the team fight herself.

After winning the team fight, EDG secured the third dragon, putting them one dragon away from the Dragon Soul. The five players then returned to base to replenish their supplies.

At this point, the economic gap had widened to a terrifying six thousand yuan.

The game seems to be heading towards a one-sided victory.

After replenishing their supplies, EDG did not stop for a moment and immediately began to carry out a carpet-bombing campaign of vision control and resource plundering in T1's jungle.

Jiejie's Xin Zhao swaggered into Oner's jungle and took the newly spawned red buff, while Oner's Lee Sin didn't even dare to look at him.

However, just when everyone thought EDG was going to win the game easily and prepare for the next Baron fight, an unexpected event occurred.

At the 21-minute mark, after clearing T1's lower jungle vision, EDG began to gather in the mid lane, making a move to approach T1's high ground.

Meanwhile, in the bottom lane, a wave of minions is slowly pushing towards T1's second tower.

“Viper went to deal with the bottom lane minions,” Miller said, looking at the minimap. “He’s trying to stretch the minion wave and not give T1 any breathing room.”

Viper's Jhin is now fully equipped, wielding the power of the wind and the Collector, dealing massive damage.

Perhaps his huge advantage made him a little relaxed. After clearing the minion wave under the tower, he did not retreat immediately, but instead greedily took a river crab.

Just as Viper took down the river crab, a ghostly green scythe flew out from the fog of war like a venomous snake, hitting Jhin with perfect accuracy!
It's Keria's Thresh!
Keria didn't hesitate and followed up with a second Q!

Oner's Lee Sin used W to ward-hop and came up to help, then used R-flash to kick Viper directly into the T1 crowd!
Faker's Ryze had been waiting on the flank for a long time, and unleashed a burst of skills in an instant!
Meiko had no chance to save him; after watching Jhin get instantly killed, he could only run away.

"Viper got instantly killed!!" Miller exclaimed. "With a nearly 7,000 gold lead, EDG's ADC was caught out and instantly killed by T1! This is a huge mistake!"

Viper stared at his screen, which had suddenly turned gray, and said with a look of regret, "Oh no, I was reckless. I shouldn't have been greedy for that censorship."

"It's alright," Su Mo said nonchalantly. "With us here, they won't dare to touch Da Long."

Although EDG retreated in time and avoided greater losses, Viper's death was like a bucket of cold water poured on the passionate hearts of all LPL viewers.

The situation, which had been one-sided, suddenly took a turn for the worse.

"T1 has grasped a lifeline!" Guan Zeyuan analyzed. "Viper's death not only ended EDG's push rhythm but also bought T1 valuable breathing room. Most importantly, the huge bounty on Viper was taken by Faker's Ryze, which will greatly accelerate Ryze's development!"

The chat in the live stream also began to express concern:

[No! Viper, don't get cocky! Hold on, we've won!]

This mistake was absolutely unacceptable. T1's late-game composition is terrifying; if this drags on, things could get very difficult!

[Oh no, my heart is in my throat again! Please, please don't give them a chance!]

It would be ridiculous to be reverse swept after being down 0-2.

【…】

As expected, T1 seized this opportunity and demonstrated their amazing resilience as a top team.

Knowing they still couldn't win in a head-on team fight, they began to implement the most resolute "turtle" defensive tactic.

Faker's Ryze and Canna's Kennen used their long range advantage to relentlessly clear minion waves under the tower.

Oner's Lee Sin and Keria's Thresh set up layers of vision at key intersections in the jungle, giving EDG no chance to pick off any opponents or push high ground.

The pace of the game suddenly slowed down.

Although EDG still holds a huge economic advantage and map control, they couldn't find a good breakthrough against T1's impenetrable defense.

Forcing a tower dive is too risky. T1's lineup has a strong counter-attack capability under the tower. Kennen's ultimate, Ryze's AOE, and Aphelios's combo can easily lead to a perfect team fight by T1 if not handled carefully, squandering all advantages.

After all, SKT once set a record of winning a team fight despite being 10,000 gold behind.

Time ticked by, and the situation on the field reached a strange stalemate.

EDG constantly used minion waves to try and disrupt T1's defensive formation, looking for weaknesses.

T1, on the other hand, is like a stubborn rock, unmoved by wind and rain.

Although the economic gap has not narrowed, the passage of time is itself T1's most advantageous weapon. Their three-core carry system is slowly developing, waiting for the equipment to be fully formed.

“The situation has become tense,” Miller said, his brow furrowing slightly. “EDG is now in a bit of a bind. They have a huge advantage, but they can’t convert it into a victory. T1’s defense is excellent, and their discipline is on full display at this moment.”

Wawa nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, the pressure is now on EDG. They have to find a way to break this deadlock. Should they force a team fight at Baron Nashor, or continue to patiently look for opportunities? This will be a huge test of their decision-making ability."

The audience's hearts were in their throats as the suffocating stalemate unfolded.

Although EDG has won many championships, their opponent was SKT, a team inherently prone to miracles. (End of Chapter)