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

The arena was packed, with red and white support signs creating a sea of ​​excitement. As the most prestigious match in LCK history, the "Telecom Wars" never lacked hype. Moreover, this time it was KT, the so-called "Galactic Battleship," facing off against the terrifying SKT team that transformed into an "all-powerful" squad in the latter half of the regular season.

In the commentary booth, Jeon Yong-jun and his partner Kim Dong-jun were already in place, both of them showing undisguised excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the second round of the 2018 LCK Spring Playoffs! Today, we will witness a clash of titans!" Jeon Yongjun's signature roar echoed throughout the arena. "On one side is KT Rolster, a team renowned for its perfect strategy and deep experience, boasting top veterans in every position! On the other side is SKT T1, who tore through the entire regular season with their unparalleled individual skill, like a demon king descending to earth!"

Kim Dong-jun picked up the thread, his tone grave: "Yes, KT displayed exceptional tactical awareness in the last round. Mata's command remains top-tier in the league. But today they face a completely unreasonable team. SKT's 'zero-strategy, pure fighting' approach at the end of the regular season instilled fear in all teams. Today, can KT's 'shield' withstand SKT's 'spear'?"

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, both contestants took to the stage.

The five KT players looked grim, especially Mata and Score, whose brows were tightly furrowed. They had done countless simulations before the match and came to only one conclusion: they absolutely could not engage in a direct laning phase with SKT; they had to drag the game into the vision control and kiting battles that KT excelled at.

On the other hand, SKT's approach is completely different.

Xiao Yan walked at the head of the group, a nonchalant smirk playing on his lips. His gaze swept over the KT players' bench as if he were examining specimens about to be dissected. TheShy maintained his usual gentle demeanor, but those who knew him well knew what a bloodthirsty beast lurked behind those gold-rimmed glasses. Faker expressionlessly adjusted his peripherals, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding noise.

"Game 1, let's begin the ban/pick phase!"

With the referee's whistle, the big screen switched to the BP interface.

KT, on the blue side, had a very clear draft strategy: they banned Xiao Yan's Draven and Kalista, as well as TheShy's Lucian, in their first three picks. These three champions had left a deep psychological scar on the LCK during the regular season.

KT then picked Sejuani, the most stable jungler in the current version, and then locked in Maokai for top lane and Tahm Kench for support.

"KT's intentions are obvious!" Kim Dong-jun exclaimed, "They're going for an extreme defensive counter-attack strategy! Maokai is tanking, Tahm Kench is protecting, and Sejuani is controlling the map. They've completely abandoned early lane control, putting all their eggs in one basket for mid-to-late game team fights and Mata's macro play!"

In SKT's voice chat, kkOma looked at KT's lineup and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"They want to play the operations game with us." kkOma chuckled. "Xiang He, Xiao Yan, let's teach them a lesson."

"Just pick whatever you like, it'll be over in fifteen minutes anyway." Xiao Yan leaned back in his gaming chair, his tone languid.

Ultimately, SKT's lineup was finalized: top lane Camille (TheShy), jungle Lee Sin (Peanut), mid lane Orianna (Faker), and bot lane Xayah (Xiao Yan) and Rakan (Wolf).

A formation system that demands exceptional timing of entry and skillful individual execution.

The competition has officially begun.

Five minutes ago, a chapter update notification appeared: Chapter 197, "The All-Round God Class," available to read at [link/address]. The situation took all the spectators by surprise.

There was no bloody, frenzied battle at the start as I had imagined. KT's defense was watertight. Smeb's Maokai would rather miss a minion than leave the protection range of the turret; Deft's Varus and Mata's Tahm Kench even kept the minion wave in front of their own turrets, not even glancing at Xiao Yan.

Score's Sejuani was even more amazing. He completely abandoned the bottom jungle and plunged into the top jungle, just to ensure that Smeb wouldn't be tower-dived.

"KT has stabilized!" Jeon Yongjun exclaimed in surprise. "Eight minutes into the game, the kill score is still 0-0! SKT's offensive pace has been slowed down! If they continue to develop like this, by the 20-minute mark, KT's lineup will have a much higher margin for error than SKT!"

In KT's voice message, Mata also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Good, keep it up like this." Mata calmly directed, "Score, prepare to secure the first dragon. They're pushing too far down the bottom lane. We can use Tahm Kench's ultimate to create a time advantage."

However, as soon as Mata finished speaking, an extremely eerie sense of suffocation suddenly enveloped the five members of KT.

Game time: 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

Xiao Yan, who had been pushing the lane relentlessly, suddenly stopped. He only managed to land one last hit, effectively blocking the minion wave in the middle of the river.

Meanwhile, Faker's Orianna made the same move in the mid lane. He used his Q skill's precise control to force Pawn's Azir out of the experience range, and then began to control the lane.

TheShy in the top lane was even more amazing. His Camille crossed the minion wave and stood in the bush between KT's top tier 1 and tier 2 towers. If Smeb's Maokai dared to go forward to soak up experience, he would face the risk of being solo killed.

"Wait... what are SKT doing?" Kim Dong-jun keenly sensed something was wrong. "They're not fighting, they're... controlling the lane?!"

This is supposed to be the most basic part of operations, but in the hands of SKT's "mechanical monsters," it has become a form of torture that inspires despair.

Because their individual abilities are too strong.

Xiao Yan's Xayah always positioned herself precisely outside the maximum range of Deft Varus's auto-attack. If Deft dared to move forward to last-hit, he would be met with Xayah's Q plus auto-attack, as well as Rakan's W which could be raised at any time.

In just three minutes, Deft's CS was down by a full twenty CS!

"Score, come to the bottom lane and clear the wave, I'm not getting any experience." Deft's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

Score immediately controlled Sejuani to rush to the bottom lane.

But just as he stepped into the lower jungle, a sonic wave accurately struck him from a blind spot.

It's Peanut's Lee Sin!

"How did Peanut end up here?! KT's jungle vision control is perfect!" Jeon Yongjun exclaimed.

On the big screen, the director showed the replay.

It turns out that while Xiao Yan and Faker were controlling the lane, they used their minion wave advantage to quietly invade KT's jungle with Peanut's help. Instead of clearing wards, they used their perfect understanding of vision mechanics to push KT's wards to the very edge of their range, forcefully creating a gap in KT's jungle!

Peanut used his second Q to kick Score's Sejuani, unleashing a fluid combo that brought her to low health. Score was forced to use Flash to escape back to the second tower.

With the jungler retreating, KT's bot lane completely fell into enemy hands.