LPL didn't want me? I joined SKT instead!

As the SSG main base crystal exploded, the entire Bird's Nest Stadium seemed to have experienced a magnitude 10 earthquake, with cheers so loud they nearly blew the roof off the stadium.

"SKT! SKT! SKT!"

The atmosphere in SGG's lounge was not heavy at this moment.

"Sit down, guys." Edgar clapped his hands, gesturing for the team to sit down, then turned to CuVee, who was quietly peeling a banana in the corner. "Eat more, replenish your energy. Today's match is going to be long."

Upon hearing the coach's words, the SSG players exchanged glances, their previously tense nerves relaxing slightly.

"If you want to beat SKT, you have to fight a long battle! There's only one way: wear them down!"

A glint of light flashed in Ambition's eyes as he picked up where the coach left off, "SKT's core right now is their bot lane; all their tactics revolve around that Xiao Yan. But esports is never a one-man game. No matter how strong he is, his energy is limited. What we need to do is drag the game into a quagmire, using our best strategy—strategic maneuvering—to slowly wear down their patience and crush their spirit!"

"That's right!" Edgar gave Ambition an approving look and slammed his hand on the tactics board. "We were already prepared to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2!"

The SSG team members, whose eyes had been somewhat gloomy due to the crushing defeat, now shone with the light of hungry wolves.

Yes, they are SSG, a resilient team that has come this far by stepping over the corpses of countless powerful enemies. What they fear least is playing from behind and fighting a protracted war!

"In the second game, we're on the blue side," Edgar quickly moved on to the draft phase. "Having the first pick is a huge advantage for us. SKT is on the red side, so they have to take on a fixed ban—Kalista. This means they naturally have one less advantage than us in the draft."

"Top lane, CuVee, we need you to step up this game." Edgar looked at the fat guy who was eating his second banana.

CuVee swallowed the food in his mouth, smiled憨厚ly, but his eyes became incredibly sharp: "Don't worry, coach, as long as I get a split-push hero, I guarantee I'll smash Huni's head in."

"Very good." Edgar nodded in satisfaction. "Our bans will still be all for the bottom lane! Xiao Yan must be contained."

The brief rest period passed in the blink of an eye.

When both teams walked through the long tunnel back to the center of the stage, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers once again.

"Welcome back to the finals of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship! This is the second game between SKT and SSG!" Haihai's voice was still full of passion in the commentary booth. "In the first game, SKT easily took the lead thanks to Xiao Yan's incredible performance. Now, the pressure is on SSG."

"That's right, but judging from the expressions of the SSG players, they don't seem to be affected by the loss in the first game. They are still very calm." Miller observed the close-up of the players on the screen. "The resilience of this team is really terrifying. You can never underestimate them because of the loss in one game."

"Alright, both sides have entered the ban/pick phase! In this game, SSG is on the blue side, while SKT is on the red side." Changmao quickly commented, "Let's see their ban strategies... Oh! SKT's first pick is no surprise, they directly banned Kalista! This is a price the red side has to pay, there's no other way."

"And SSG... banned Xayah first! Wow, that's very targeted! They directly banned a Tier 0 AD carry in the current version!"

"SKT's second ban is Camille! It seems that SKT is determined to continue with the strategy from the previous game, to limit CuVee's split-pushing champion pool and not give SSG the opportunity to play a 4-1 split push."

"SSG's second pick... banned Kog'Maw! My god, another AD carry! SSG is continuing their strategy from last game!"

As the ban/pick phase progressed, the audience and commentators alike keenly sensed the tense atmosphere that was building up on the field.

SKT's third ban was Fiora, continuing their strategy of relentlessly suppressing the top lane split push.

SSG's third ban pick, amidst gasps from the audience, was Twitch!

In SKT's soundproofed competition room, Coach Kkoma didn't even frown.

"What should we pick this time?"

"Let's see what the opponent picks first." Faker pushed up his glasses, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"when!"

With a dull thud, a burly figure holding a street lamp instantly lit up on the first floor of SSG, and without the slightest hesitation, locked onto the target!

"The Weapon Master - Jax!"

In the commentary booth, all three commentators simultaneously exclaimed in surprise.

"My God! SSG picked Jax! CuVee's signature champion!" Haihai shouted excitedly. "With Camille and Fiora both banned, Jax is the king of split pushing!"

"Now it's SKT's turn to have a headache," Miller analyzed. "Once Jax gets safely farmed into the mid-game, he's unstoppable when he split pushes. SKT needs to pick a champion in the top lane who can withstand pressure or play a bigger role in team fights to counter him."

Kkoma's mind raced. He glanced at Huni and asked, "Xiao Yan, what do you think we should use to fight weapons?"

"Let's take the big bug," Xiao Yan said calmly. "The big bug has sustain, strong resilience, and provides stable control and tankiness. As long as the top lane doesn't collapse, I'll take care of that guy taking the lamppost in the late-game team fights."

Kkoma's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement: "The Big Bug is a good choice. Huni, take the Big Bug. Your task now is to hold them off and stall the Weapon Master!"

Huni nodded.

SKT quickly locked onto Cho'Gath and the jungler Gragas on the first and second floors.

The trade negotiations continued, with both sides responding to each other's moves.

Ultimately, the lineups for both sides were finalized.

SSG (Blue Side): Top lane Jax, Jungle Sejuani, Mid lane Taliyah, ADC Tristana, Support Stormfury.

Red side SKT: Top lane Cho'Gath, Jungle Gragas, Mid lane Galio, ADC Lucian, Support Luna.

"Lucian?!"

When SKT revealed Lucian as their last counter pick and locked him in, the entire arena erupted once again.

"Xiao Yan, in a desperate situation, actually pulled out Lucian for the bot lane!" Long-haired exclaimed. "In this current meta where Ardent Censer champions are rampant and AD carries dominate the late game, picking a champion like Lucian, who desperately needs to gain an advantage early on, is practically walking a tightrope!"

"Too confident! Is this the arrogance of a prodigy?" Miller exclaimed. "You ban three of my core champions, so I'll just pick early-game heroes and crush you in lane! And with Lulu, Lucian's early-game burst damage will be terrifying. SSG's Tristana and Janna combo will have a really tough time in lane!"

"However, SKT's lineup has too low a margin for error!" Haihai astutely pointed out the problem. "Cho'Sai, Gragas, Galio—SKT has picked three tanky champions to act as the front line in positional warfare, putting all the damage output pressure on Lucian alone! If Lucian can't gain a huge advantage in the early game, once the game drags on past thirty minutes, facing SSG's fully-formed Tristana and Jax, SKT will face a severe lack of damage output!"

"This is a double-edged sword!" Miller concluded. "Let's see if Xiao Yan's sharp sword will first sever SSG's throat, or break against SSG's sturdy shield! The match begins, let's enter Summoner's Rift!"

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