I just turned eighteen, and you want me to make a comeback?

The hero Jayce’s snowballing ability in the early stage can be imagined.

Duke's Poppy gripped the round shield tightly. The "First Blood" message that had been flashing on the screen had long since faded, but it felt like a thorn stuck in his back teeth.

With 17 seconds left on the countdown for the river crab's respawn, he caught a glimpse of Bengi's Lee Sin placing a ward in the mid-lane bush on the minimap—a spot he was most familiar with for counter-ganking.

"SKT's response was remarkably calm."

Commentator Miller's voice mingled with the hum of the stadium's air conditioning, and the economic curves of the red and blue teams lit up on the tactical board: "After Duke was solo killed, Faker's Viktor actually controlled the minion wave in the mid-lane river, and Xiaohu's Vladimir even had to farm experience in the experience zone to last hit."

The camera cuts to the SKT coaching bench, where kkOma pushes up his glasses. The words "abandon top lane, apply pressure to mid and bot lanes" on the tactics book are circled three times in red.

Suddenly, a round of applause erupted in the arena—Bengi's Lee Sin burst out from the tri-bush, his Sonic Wave hitting Uzi's Jhin precisely. But Uzi reacted faster, flashing and then using Heal to create distance, while Thresh's lantern lit up just in time. "Beautiful self-preservation!" Wawa's roar was tinged with regret, "However, SKT's harassment successfully forced out both summoner spells, so Xiangguo's Rek'Sai has to rush to the bottom lane."

Looper's Jayce stood at the top lane river mouth, the cannon barrel reflecting the midday sun.

He watched the red figure's movements on the minimap, a cold smile creeping onto his lips. The Phage and Incinerate Gem he had just recalled to base gleamed coldly in his inventory. When Poppy missed her third minion attempt while hiding under the tower, he decisively activated the Speed ​​Scroll and surged past the minion wave to exert pressure.

Duke's index finger hovered over the Flash button, but he could only watch helplessly as Jayce's electric surge took down the ranged minions, and his basic attack in cannon form grazed the shield, taking away the last bit of health.

"Duke's composure is frightening."

Miller pulled up the data panel, and Poppy's CS was only 12 behind. "A normal top laner would have been crushed if he got solo killed, but he'd rather miss CS than be reckless. However, SKT's laissez-faire strategy is risky—Looper's Jayce has already controlled three layers of turret plating."

The stadium lights suddenly turned indigo blue, and Bengi's Lee Sin appeared in the bottom lane river once again.

This time, he didn't rush to attack. Instead, he coordinated with Viktor's E skill to block movement, and Karma's speed aura allowed the SKT players to move like ghosts. Just as Uzi's Jhin was about to step forward to attack, Ezreal's Arcane Shift precisely created distance, and the chat was flooded with comments like "That kiting was amazing."

A low growl came through Xiangguo's headphones: "Forget about the bot lane, go help Xiaohu! Faker's about to roam!"

Rek'Sai's drill plunged into the ground, but halfway there, she heard the explosion of the top lane turret—Looper's Jayce, in cannon form, blasted away the last layer of plating with a precise barrage. Gasps erupted in the arena; the gold difference had been forcibly leveled by RNG at the 12-minute mark.

"SKT has suffered a huge loss this time!"

The doll patted the tactical table, "Bengi wasted too much time in the bottom lane, and Looper directly took two layers of plating and Rift Herald."

Jayce is now eight minutes ahead of Poppy in terms of three-item completion speed! The camera cuts to the SKT bench, where Wolf takes off his headphones and whispers to Bang, both of them with solemn expressions.

Duke's palms were sweaty, and crumbs of breakfast rice were stuck in the gaps between the keyboard keys.

He watched as Jayce pushed the lane into the tower for the third time, when suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Poppy's shield shattered Jayce's cannon form, and the lightning effect of the Holy Hammer slammed into his face.

But Looper reacted faster, instantly triggering the super charge in melee form, and three basic attacks combined with Ignite brought Poppy to near death.

"Duke's offensive strategy is a form of defense!"

Miller's voice cracked, "Although they lost health, they successfully slowed down Jayce's push! Watch Bengi's movements—Lee Sin abandoned the dragon and headed to the top lane river!" Cheers erupted from the SKT fans in the arena, and the red icon moved rapidly across the minimap.

Just as Xiangguo's Rek'Sai was about to ambush in the mid lane, Heart's tactical instructions rang out again: "Go back to defend the top lane! Bengi is going to gank Looper!" The excavator's drill darted back and forth in the jungle, only to run into Viktor lying in ambush at the red buff pit.

Faker's Death Ray swept across precisely, forcing Xiangguo to use Flash. "Double Kill" popped up in the upper right corner of the screen—Bengi's Lee Sin, in coordination with Poppy, successfully counter-ganked in the top lane.

"This is how SKT operates!"

The doll's voice was full of admiration as SKT's resource exchange route lit up on the tactical board: "They traded two kills in the top lane for the dragon and control of the mid lane minion wave. Now Faker's Viktor is a level ahead of Xiaohu, and the equipment difference has widened the gap in Catalyst Stones."

The atmosphere inside the venue suddenly became tense, with spectators clutching their support banners and even their breathing becoming heavy.

Looper took off his headphones and rubbed his temples. Bengi's Smite timer on the tactical screen had 47 seconds left.

He glanced at the fans holding up "Looper MVP" signs below the stage, his eyes sharpening as he put his headphones back on. When Poppy ducked under the tower for the fifth time, he suddenly switched back to cannon mode—this time, the surge of energy didn't aim at the minions, but grazed Poppy's shield and landed on the tower.

"Looper's taking down the tower!" Miller's roar mingled with the sound of the tower exploding. "He figured out Bengi was controlling the Rift Herald! If Duke dares to come out to last-hit minions, he'll get killed; if he doesn't come out, the tower will fall!"

The stadium was filled with a cacophony of shouts, as the anxious cries of SKT fans clashed with the cheers of RNG supporters, even causing the microphones on the commentary booth to vibrate.

As the wreckage of the turret transformed into experience points and floated towards Jayce, Duke finally took off his headphones. He looked at the "Defeat Tower" notification on the screen, a bitter smile playing on his lips—

Poppy, who had been left to fend for herself for 18 minutes, successfully delayed Jayce's tower-pushing pace until after the dragon spawned by using three precise flash trades.

"This is the art of pressure management for top-tier top laners."

Miller's voice was filled with respect, "Duke risked his life to defend the top lane tower, buying SKT crucial time to trade resources. Now both sides are waiting for key items—RNG is waiting for Uzi's Stormrazor, and SKT is waiting for Faker's Luden's Echo."

Every team fight that follows could be the deciding factor!

The light of the Crystal Nexus flickered in the distance as Bengi's Lee Sin charged toward the mid lane with the Rift Herald.

Faker's Viktor stood in the center of the team, the sound of the mechanical arm charging mixed with the shouts of the audience, like a death prelude about to begin.

Looper's Jayce stood silently in the front row of RNG, his cannon not aimed at Poppy, but at the Lee Sin who was poised to strike in the shadows—the aftershocks of the solo kill were still lingering, and the real storm had only just begun.

Although SKT's response is already good enough, RNG is also well prepared for this game.

With the opposing jungler consistently maintaining a "8-2-0" split in the bottom, mid, and bottom lanes, Xiangguo consistently responded well, giving the opponent no chance. At the ten-minute mark, RNG grouped up with all five members, capitalizing on the opponent's Poppy and Lee Sin's isolated mistakes, resulting in a 2-for-0 team fight that further extended their advantage.

This performance greatly excited all the CPL viewers, and the two commentators on site were also extremely excited.

At the beginning of the bp stage, Miller and Wawa did not have much chance of RNG winning this game.

Although RNG gained the advantage in the upper and lower lanes, Faker in the middle lane has not been well targeted.

His performance at the World Championship was absolutely world-class; he could exert terrifying pressure against any mid laner. Therefore, choosing a strong laner to counter Faker is still very necessary.

But this time, RNG doesn't seem to have made that choice.

However, judging from the current situation, it proves that RNG's judgment was not wrong.

This kind of situation is definitely what all CPL viewers want to see.

In the following games, both sides exchanged blows, but RNG always firmly grasped the initiative.

Jayce has become a point that can never be solved. Whether it is a solo laning or a team battle, RNG has the absolute initiative.

At 32 minutes into the game, the remains of the mid-lane defensive tower were still smoking.

Faker's Viktor had just cleared the minion wave with his E skill when Jayce's speed boost gate suddenly appeared in his vision. Commentator Miller's voice instantly rose: "Xiaohu was waiting for this opportunity! Vladimir flashed over the wall—hit his R skill Blood Tide!"

A deafening roar erupted from inside the stadium.

Looper's Jayce switched to melee form, and Thunder Clap precisely stunned Viktor. Xiaohu's Vladimir followed closely, using Crimson Dash to finish off the low-health target. Faker frantically cast Zhonya's Hourglass, but the golden shield quickly crumbled under the corrosive effects of the blood pool. "Viktor used Flash too early!"

The doll's screams mingled with the sound of keyboard typing, "SKT's formation is completely disorganized this time!"

Bengi's Lee Sin attempted to save the day with a Dragon's Rage, but Thresh's lantern pulled Uzi's Jhin away.

Four perfectly executed shots echoed through the Rift, instantly evaporating EZ's health. SKT retreated haphazardly towards their high ground, but Lulu's Polymorph precisely controlled Alistar. "Team wipe! RNG pushes!"

Miller's roar pierced the microphone as Uzi's Jhin charged towards the Nexus, stepping over Viktor's wreckage. Amidst the explosion and sparks, the SKT base collapsed with a deafening roar.

The dome of the Mercedes-Benz Arena was lit up with red support signs.

The entire RNG bench jumped up and knocked over the tactical chair. The moment Uzi took off his headphones, the camera captured his reddened eyes. The director switched to the SKT coaching staff. kkOma's tactical notebook slipped to the ground, and Faker stared at the black screen, the afterimage of the Mechanic still flashing on his glasses.

"Who says SKT is invincible?!"

The baby's voice was choked with sobs, "RNG used textbook-level pick-offs to completely shatter SKT's operational system! Looper's solo kill, Xiaohu's Vladimir's entry, Uzi's Jhin's cleanup - every point was shining!" Miller brought up the data panel, showing that RNG's team fight damage share was as high as 73%, and the barrage was frantically filled with the scarlet characters "RNG is awesome".

In the post-match interview area, Heart's hand holding the microphone was still trembling: "We studied SKT's seventeen games of replay and found that they always bring Ghost to Viktor. Today was a gamble on the vacuum period after Faker used Flash."

The camera panned across the stands, where a boy in an SKT jersey clutched a faded support banner, while a girl next to him wearing goggles held up a homemade light stick that read: "CPL Rise!"

This victory was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.

Esports forums were instantly flooded with posts about "RNG cracking SKT's code," and tactical analysts worked overnight to dissect the Vladimir + Jayce dual-carry system. SKT, once considered a "super team," exposed a vulnerability that could be exploited on the international stage for the first time.

For CPL viewers, the shadow of "fear of Korea" is dissipating in Shanghai on a spring night, with the sound of the Crystal Nexus exploding.

RNG's unique BP strategy today definitely played a big role.

The best way to deal with Feaker is not to target him.

Because his individual ability is so outstanding, he can deliver a perfect performance no matter the situation. If too much energy is invested in Feaker, the final return will be very low.

Faced with this situation, RNG devised an excellent countermeasure, which proved highly effective. This demonstrates that RNG truly made thorough preparations for this match.

This RNG victory gave people a satisfying feeling from beginning to end.

The current situation makes people look forward to this game even more. Perhaps if RNG works harder, it may really be possible to create a miracle for CPL.

If the seemingly invincible SKT ultimately falls to RNG, it will surely cause a sensation.

The legend of the CPL isn't just about Flash Wolves. LCK teams have never abandoned their rebellious spirit, still displaying an arrogant attitude when competing against other regions. Although last year's championship ultimately went to Flash Wolves.

But in their eyes...

This doesn't prove anything. Even if the championship belongs to Flash Wolves, so far, Flash Wolves is the only team that can be considered competitive. Other teams have no chance against LCK teams.

This group stage has further confirmed this situation. Other teams are indeed helpless against this situation. However, the current situation has given people unprecedented hope. RNG is really strong today.

After winning the first game, the RNG players were visibly excited, clearly thrilled to have secured the victory. Their previous scrimmages with Flash Wolves also yielded positive results.

At this point, RNG hoped to capitalize on their momentum and win the next two games, sending SKT packing. However, having only won the first game, their chances were still somewhat precarious. (SKT's Shi Jing excels in best-of-five series. In such decisive battles, the outcome of a single game doesn't necessarily indicate anything.)
Now it is more about the adjustment and sustained confrontation of both sides. From this aspect, the LCK region is indeed doing the best.

Even though they lost the first game, they still didn't feel nervous at all and looked completely relaxed.

In the second match, SKT gradually adjusted themselves and got a familiar lineup.

They won the game without giving RNG any chance, and the two sides are once again on equal footing. What started as a best-of-five series has now become a best-of-three series.

4t
The upcoming match is extremely important for both sides; whoever wins this pivotal game will have a greater chance of winning the entire series.
But unfortunately, RNG still failed to seize the opportunity and lost again.

After this game, everyone had a foresight about the outcome of the game.

In its current state, RNG has no chance at all.

Unexpectedly, after the initial surprise, it turned out to be just a dream. Now that the dream is over, we are once again reminded of the gap between us and WK.

RNG's performance today wasn't exactly bad; it just shows that we still have many shortcomings in terms of true strength. (End of Chapter)