LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

“Listen to me,” Deft’s voice was hoarse but firm. “We have no way out. If we give up this Baron, we’re really going home. We have to go for it, even if it’s a blind spot.”

“Beryl, our only chance of winning is your ultimate.” Deft looked at the support. “I will use Varus’s ultimate to initiate the team fight. As long as you can stun one person, whether it’s Sejuani or Alistar, as long as you can get the fight going, you can follow up with your ultimate. Zeka, you need to save your Azir’s ultimate for the Irelia who is going in. You must push her away and not let her dive in.”

“I know this is difficult.” Deft paused, his tone tinged with a sense of tragic determination, “but this is our last chance. Let’s not have any regrets.”

"Understood!" Zeka gritted her teeth. "I'll keep an eye on Irelia."

……

19 minutes 20 seconds.

The five EDG players, like a well-trained army, spread out in a fan shape and advanced towards the river.

Meiko's Alistar activated his scan, and a red beam swept across, eliminating the last ward left by DRX.

The river channel has been completely transformed into a dark realm.

Instead of using the conventional laning maneuver, Su Mo went straight to the front.

He doesn't need to hide.

Right now, the fact that he's just standing there is the biggest deterrent.

Irelia stood beside the bushes in the middle of the river. In this pitch-black vision, it seemed as if every bush was hiding an Irelia for DRX.

“They’re here.” Jiejie marked the F6 intersection.

The five DRX players grouped together and carefully squeezed their way from the red buff jungle towards the river.

Kingen's barrel led the way, scouting ahead, each step fraught with trepidation.

Deft's Varus followed closely behind, his bow constantly drawn, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

"Don't rush to engage," Su Mo calmly instructed over the voice chat. "Let them into the river. If we fight in the jungle pass, Lena's ultimate will block the way too easily. Let them into the open area of ​​the river, and their formation will break apart."

"receive."

The EDG team acted like patient hunters, watching DRX walk into the trap step by step.

19 minutes 50 seconds.

Baron Nash is about to emerge from the ground.

DRX finally made it to the edge of the river, and Beryl placed a blue cosmetic ward at the last possible distance.

The moment the ward lit up, they saw the Irelia standing at the entrance of the dragon pit.

Su Mo didn't move, but instead sent a heart emoji of Ahri making a gesture.

Ridiculous!

"He's too arrogant!" Zeka exclaimed angrily.

“Ignore their expressions,” Beryl said calmly. “That position, if we can get the first move…”

Before Beryl could finish speaking, EDG changed their tactics.

Scout, who was originally standing in front, suddenly disappeared from sight.

On the flank, Jiejie's Sejuani unexpectedly used her Q skill to dash forward. Although the distance wasn't enough to hit anyone, this action startled the DRX players, who instinctively took a step back.

In that instant of contraction, the formation was thrown into disarray.

20 minutes 00 seconds.

"Roar!"

Baron Nash arrived right on time.

EDG didn't immediately attack the dragon; instead, they turned around and adopted a stance as if they were about to kill someone.

“They’re not attacking the dragon! They’re forcing the raid!” Pyosik shouted.

Su Mo chuckled softly in the voice message: "Since you're here, don't even think about leaving."

"Meiko, you can go in now. We don't need any great team fights, just keep people playing."

Meiko understood immediately.

Alistar activates his W, but his target isn't the carry; it's the frontline Gragas!
WQ double combo!

Kingen didn't even have time to react before he was launched into the air.

In the past, it might have been unwise to deploy a tank.

But EDG's damage output is currently excessive!
Viper's Kai'Sa landed a direct W on the knocked-up Gragas, then charged in to deal damage!

Faced with a group of people ganging up on him, Kingen's barrel melted spectacularly.

They didn't even unleash their ultimate move!

"That was... a one-second kill?" Remember's eyes widened. "DG's damage is outrageous!"

Without the front row, the DRX was instantly thrown into panic.

But Beryl still found an opportunity amidst the chaos.

R [Hostile Takeover]!
The golden poisonous mist swirled towards Kai'Sa and Alistar as they entered the arena.

Viper reacted extremely quickly, using his E skill to accelerate and pull away to the side, while simultaneously using Cleanse to instantly remove the control effect that had only a 0.1-second cast time.

Meiko's Minotaur activated its ultimate skill, "Unwavering Will," to break free from the control effects.

"Can't control it! Viper is too agile!"

Just when DRX used all their skills on the front line.

A cold glint flashed in the shadows on the flank.

Su Mo had been waiting for this moment.

Instead of charging head-on, he circled around to the side and used an R attack.

A yellow diamond-shaped sword formation was spread out, blocking the retreat of the DRX team, and also marking the area.

"For Ionia!"

Irelia used her E, and then used the first part of her Q to dash towards the marked Kindred.

Charge right up to Kindred and instantly press the second E button to stun Kindred, then use AQA.

Pyosik was instantly killed by Irelia before he could even use his ultimate ability.

Zeka, in a panic, used his ultimate ability, "Imperial Wall," to try and push Irelia away.

But Su Mo had predicted it!

During his sprint, he used Flash to the side!
Q flash!
Not only did he dodge the Tsar's push, but he also instantly rushed into Deft's face!
"Deft! Watch out!"

Deft used his ultimate ability, Chains of Corruption, to try and immobilize Irelia.

However, Su Mo's resilience is extremely high now, and the control time is negligible. Coupled with the damage reduction from W, he is completely unharmed.

Once the control effect ended, he immediately used Q on Varus. At this moment, Varus's passive effect had not yet disappeared.

As Su Mo charged forward, the rest of EDG pounced on him like hungry tigers.

Deft soon collapsed.

Zeka also collapsed.

Pyosik was also killed by AOE attacks amidst the chaos of battle.

Triple Kill!

Su Mo successfully got a triple kill.

After this team fight ended, DRX's only remaining support, Lena, still had Flash available, but facing EDG's five players, he didn't dare to step into the river.

Without any suspense, Baron Nashor was instantly melted by the combined fire of EDG's five players.

With a mournful cry, the purple Baron buff was applied to the entire EDG team.

At this moment, everyone knew that DRX's death sentence had been handed down, and all that remained was a protracted existence.

Return to the city for repairs.

Su Mo went home and immediately took out his resurrection armor.

The game time is currently 22 minutes.

“A 12,000 gold difference.” Guan Zeyuan glanced at the data panel, his tone tinged with pity. “12,000 gold in 21 minutes. This is a gap that can’t be bridged by skill. This is pure numerical dominance.”

Remember nodded: "Yes, and the most desperate thing is that DRX's wave clear ability is actually not very good. Although Azir can clear waves, Zeka doesn't dare to stand too far forward when facing minions empowered by the Baron buff, because Irelia could Q in at any time."

"Proceed."

Su Mo gave the final instructions via voice message.

EDG adopted the safest yet most ruthless 1-3-1 split push strategy.

Su Mo split pushes the bottom lane, Scout goes to the top lane, and the three of them push the mid lane together.

The three lanes advanced simultaneously, like a purple tide, gradually swallowing up DRX's last remaining space to survive.

The atmosphere beneath the DRX's high ground tower was as tragic as a doomsday fortress.

Deft's Varus, standing behind the mid-lane inhibitor turret, struggled to clear waves even with his passive attack speed buff.

He glanced at the minimap in the bottom lane every now and then; the red Irelia icon looked like a countdown to death.

“We can’t hold on…” Pyosik’s voice trembled. “The bottom lane minions have come in, and no one can stop them.”

Kingen's Gragas stood under the bottom lane inhibitor turret, his face filled with despair.

He tried to clear the minions with his Q skill, but the empowered cannon minions were too tough.

Su Mo controlled the Irelia, leading the minion wave into the tower's attack range.

He didn't rush to make a move, but just stood in front of the tower, looking at Kingen.

Once, twice.

Irelia starts attacking the tower.

Ignoring the barrels. "He's at the A tower! He's destroying the tower right in front of Kingen!" Guan Zeyuan said. "Does Kingen dare to move? Kingen doesn't dare! If he dares to use his E, Irelia can probably kill him in a second!"

Kingen really didn't dare to move.

He could only watch helplessly as the turret's health steadily decreased.

At this moment, Zeka in the mid lane couldn't hold back any longer.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die! We have to make a gamble!" Zeka shouted. "Their positioning is a bit spread out, we can try to kill Irelia! If we kill her, we'll break their Baron rhythm and we can still stall for time!"

This is an extremely crazy decision.

Give up the mid and top lane inhibitors, and have everyone gank the lone bot lane Irelia.

This is a last-ditch effort in despair, and also the only hope.

"go!"

Deft did not hesitate.

The five DRX players instantly reached a consensus, abandoning the defense of the middle and top lanes, and all moved towards the bottom lane high ground.

At this moment, Su Mo was repeatedly attacking the defensive turret in front of the crystal.

Suddenly, a chain flew out from the shadows!
Deft's Varus R [Chains of Corruption]!
At the same time, Kingen's Gragas decisively used E-Flash!
Zeka, the Tsar, enters the arena with a quicksand drift, followed by R [Imperial Guard Wall]!
Beryl's Q skill is available for a chance to win!
Pyosik Kindred uses Q to apply E!
In an instant, all of DRX's control skills and burst damage poured down on Su Mo like a flood bursting its banks!

"It's on! DRX, focus fire on Mozi!" Guan Zeyuan shouted hoarsely. "This is our last stand! We've used all our skills! Mozi's pinned under the tower! Can we finish him off with this burst of damage?!"

The DRX fans at the scene suddenly stood up, their eyes gleaming with a last glimmer of hope.

Can I kill him?
If we can kill this great demon king, perhaps a miracle will happen!
However, the reality is cruel.

Just 0.1 seconds before it was controlled.

Su Mo pressed the W key.

The Irelia raised her blade and entered a defensive stance, instantly transforming her originally slender body into an indestructible one.

“Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!”

The barrage of skills struck the Irelia, producing a crisp sound.

However, with W's high damage reduction, the damage mitigation mechanism of Death's Dance, and the dual resistance bonus brought by level advantage, Su Mo's health bar...

Only two-thirds were lost.

It hasn't even triggered the resurrection item yet!
"She's not dead!!" Remember shouted in horror, "That Irelia is too tanky! Once she activates her W, she's impervious to all magic!"

The moment the control chain ends.

Su Mo released the W key.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

R-zone release!

Countless sharp blades exploded in the midst of the DRX five-man group, all of them marked!
Q!

The Irelia has moved.

This time, it wasn't an escape, it was a massacre.

Q-Keg!

Q-Soldier.

Q Varus!
Q, Tsar!

Q-Q-Q-Q!

Su Mo's figure transformed into a silver storm, weaving back and forth among the five DRX players.

Each use of the Q skill is accompanied by a large amount of healing and the disappearance of the opponent's health bar.

"He's lifestealing! He's taking on five opponents at once!" Guan Zeyuan was stunned. "DRX is in despair! They used all their skills and ended up becoming Irelia's mobile blood bank!"

Deft watched his health plummet to almost zero and considered using Flash to create distance.

But Su Mo's Q skill refreshes too quickly.

Q, follow up!

Flat A!

Deft falls.

Next up were Zeka, Kingen...

Meanwhile, the other four members of EDG had already destroyed the mid and top lane high ground and came to support.

But actually, no support is needed anymore.

When Viper and his team arrived, they found only corpses scattered on the ground and a female swordswoman wiping her blade.

And then there's Beryl, who's standing there dumbfounded.

Su Mo did not kill Liena.

He controlled Irelia, standing in front of the fountain, quietly watching Beryl run into the fountain.

Beryl gave a wry smile, gave up resisting, and started dancing on the spot.

"Push it."

With Su Mo's command.

EDG's five players rushed forward.

The two dental towers were reduced to ruins within seconds.

25 minutes 15 seconds.

The DRX's base crystal exploded with a deafening roar.

The picture freezes.

3:0.

A resounding and exhilarating sweep.

“Congratulations to EDG!!!”

Guan Zeyuan's voice resounded throughout the studio, filled with uncontrollable excitement: "They swept DRX 3-0 with an absolutely invincible force! They've advanced to the semifinals of the S12 World Championship! This was a match without any suspense! Mozi, with three different styles of top lane, showed the world who the true meta answer is!"

Remember: "They're too strong, really too strong. I originally thought DRX, as a dark horse, could cause some trouble for EDG, but I didn't expect the gap in strength between the two sides to be like a chasm. Especially in the top lane, Mozi has made Kingen question his life in these three games."

The camera cuts back to the scene.

The atmosphere at the scene had reached its climax.

Su Mo took off his headphones, his expression remaining calm and composed.

He stood up, and his teammates rushed over to hug him.

"We won! We're in the semifinals!" Jiejie shouted excitedly.

Su Mo smiled and said, "Alright, let's go shake hands first."

The five players lined up and headed towards DRX's player bench.

There, it was a desolate, lifeless wasteland.

Kingen was still slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the word "failure" on the screen, seemingly still reeling from that nightmare.

Pyosik was secretly wiping away tears.

And Deft...

The veteran was struggling to stand up from his chair.

He clutched his waist, his face pale and his eyes red-rimmed.

Seeing Meiko and Su Mo walking over, Deft managed a bitter smile.

"Congratulations," Deft said softly in Korean.

Meiko's eyes instantly welled up with tears. He opened his arms and gave his former partner a big hug.

Su Mo stood aside, watching this scene without urging anyone to hurry.

After the two separated, Deft looked at Su Mo.

There was no resentment in his eyes, only a pure awe of the strong and a deep sense of powerlessness.

"You're very strong." Deft extended his hand, his voice a little hoarse. "Losing to you isn't shameful."

Su Mo grasped the trembling hand and said, "Although your ending wasn't perfect, the process was exciting enough."

Deft paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"Thank you."

The handshake ends.

Su Mo led the EDG team to the center of the stage and bowed deeply.

The light shone on Su Mo, casting a long shadow on him.

……

Post-match interview.

This time, the interview was conducted by Ji-seon, a beautiful host from LCK.

Su Mo stood at the interview table, with a large screen behind him replaying the scene of him tanking damage while playing Irelia against five opponents.

Zhixuan looked at Su Mo, his eyes sparkling: "First of all, congratulations to EDG on advancing to the semifinals! These three matches were won very decisively. Especially in the third game, when all five DRX players were focusing fire on you, what were you thinking at that moment?"

Su Mo took the microphone, thought for a moment, and then, facing the camera, spoke in an extremely calm yet pretentious tone:

"At that time? At that time I was thinking..."

"If that's all the damage they can do, then taking on five of them shouldn't be a problem. At the same time, I'm wondering if the other teams can put more pressure on us." (End of Chapter)