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

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Deft's voice was a little hoarse, but his words were clear: "Just ban Caitlyn. Last game... I was careless; I didn't expect him to be so aggressive. With a champion like Tristana, as long as I keep my distance, he has no chance."

He paused, clenched his fist, and his nails dug deeply into his palm:

"Save the bans for mid lane. Limit Faker, and the rest... leave it to me."

"Next time, we won't lose."

The brief break passed quickly, and both teams returned to the stage.

Although it was only the second match, the atmosphere at the scene was already extremely tense.

KT fans held their breath, praying that their team could adjust their form; while SKT fans waved their support sticks, eagerly anticipating Faker and Xiao Yan's performances.

"Alright, welcome back to the match! We're now in the second game of SKT vs. KT," Jeon Yong-jun, the "Roaring Emperor," shouted passionately from the commentary booth.

The BP interface unfolds quickly.

Just as Deft requested in the lounge, KT's ban strategy was very clear and decisive.

The first ban was given to the policewoman without hesitation.

Just when everyone thought it would be like last game, with three AD carries banned in a row...

KT didn't continue targeting the AD carry; instead, they changed tactics and banned Syndra and Orianna.

"Oh? KT has changed their strategy!" the commentator exclaimed in surprise. "They've released all AD champions except Caitlyn, and are now targeting Faker's mid-lane champion pool like crazy! Are they trying to force Faker to pick utility champions, and then make the bot lane fight it out head-to-head?"

SKT countered each move with a strategy: "Since you're targeting the mid lane, then I'll shut down your top and jungle rhythm."

SKT countered by banning Jayce, Kennen, and Elise, all champions that Smeb is known for.

Banning players ends, player selection begins.

As expected, the lineup selection in this game was full of tension, yet also carried a touch of retro gravitas.

In order to create the perfect output environment for the two carries, both sides' top and jungle players unanimously chose an extremely solid "tank" combination.

SKT immediately picked Galio as their first pick. Since you banned my AP carry, Faker will take Galio to protect Xiao Yan!

Immediately afterwards, SKT's top and jungle laners locked in Cho'Gath and Gragas. These two massive tanks, standing in front of them, were like two walls.

KT was not to be outdone.

Smeb picked Maokai, while Score locked in Sejuani.

Both are heavily armored tanks with excellent control chains.

"Both sides have tanks in the top and jungle! Are they going to play a retro four-protect-one strategy?" the commentator exclaimed. "The pressure is now all on the bottom lane! In this game, whoever's AD survives will win!"

It was KT's turn to pick their bot laner.

Deft took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the screen, and instantly locked onto the hero who had humiliated him in the previous game but also filled him with immense confidence—the Arrow of Retribution, Varus.

"It's Varus again! Deft didn't back down! He'll get back up wherever he falls!"

To complement Deft, Mata picked Tahm Kench, a champion with extremely strong protective capabilities.

The pressure has reached SKT's final pick.

All eyes were focused on the portrait on the fifth floor.

What will Xiao Yan use to deal with Deft's flames of revenge?

On the screen, the hero list scrolled rapidly, finally settling on a Vengeful Spirit wielding a ghostly green spear.

Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance!

"It's locked! Xiao Yan has picked up the Skateboard Shoes!" The commentators instantly erupted in excitement. "My god! Is he going to jump around in the bottom lane? Varus vs. Kalista, this is a pure skill duel! There's no turning back!"

SKT's support Wolf built Alistar as a strong initiation tool.

The lineups for both sides have been finalized:

SKT (Blue Side):

Top Lane: Huni

Jungle: Peanut

Mid laner: Galio (Faker)

ADC: Kalista (Xiao Yan)

Support: Wolf

KT (Red):

Top Lane: Maokai (Smeb)

Jungle: Sejuani (Score)

Mid Lane: Taliyah (Pawn)

ADC: Varus (Deft)

Support: Tahm Kench (Mata)

Staring at Kalista's sharp gaze on the loading screen, Deft's fingers gripping the mouse turned slightly white, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit. "This time, I won't give you a chance."

Meanwhile, in SKT's voice chat, Xiao Yan looked at the opposing team's lineup, a slight smile playing on his lips, revealing the arrogant smile befitting "Emperor Yan".

"A tank-versus-tank battle? Perfect."

He flexed his wrists and said softly:

"Then let's see if your shields are stronger, or my spear is sharper."

The match has begun! Welcome to Summoner's Rift!

The start of this match was completely unexpected.

There was no radical overhaul, and even trash talk seemed to be censored.

Summoner's Rift fell into a suffocating silence.

The bottom lane, which was originally considered a powder keg, has now become a silent art exhibition of last-hitting.

Deft has changed.

The Deft who was eager to prove himself and played aggressively in the previous game is gone.

Instead, it became a cool-headed, almost ruthless finishing machine.

He no longer easily drew his bow and shot arrows to wear down Kalista, because he knew very well that against Xiao Yan's script-like movement, the hit rate of non-targeting skills was pitifully low, and the stiffness of the casting animation would give the opponent a chance to counterattack.

He only does one thing: last-hit minions and control the lane.

Whenever Xiao Yan's Kalista attempts to use her passive slide to trade blows, Mata's Tahm Kench will immediately step in front, using his thick tongue and gray shield to deter Xiao Yan. And if Xiao Yan becomes too aggressive, Mata will unhesitatingly swallow Varus and retreat.

"This...this is too solid!" In the commentary booth, Jeon Yong-jun was somewhat stunned. "Deft's last-hitting fundamentals are too solid. Although Xiao Yan's last-hitting is also flawless, you could even say he didn't miss a single one, against this 'ironclad defense,' Kalista's early-game pressure is completely nonexistent!"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the Varus on the screen, who was developing in a cowardly manner.

Although he has the last-hitting stat, and the health of each minion is clearly visible to him, Deft is still a top AD carry, and his fundamentals are equally unfathomable.

Ten minutes later, the two players were neck and neck in terms of last hits, with Xiao Yan only leading by 3 hits, which was almost negligible in a professional match.

"Interesting." Xiao Yan chuckled softly in the voice chat. "The alpaca's gotten smarter, trying to compete with me in post-production?"

Meanwhile, the situation on other routes also reached a stalemate.

On the top lane, Huni's Cho'Gath, despite its thick skin and tough armor, still appeared somewhat clumsy in front of Smeb's Maokai.

Smeb used Maokai's skill mechanics to frequently harass and firmly suppress the minion wave.

Although Huni was at a disadvantage, having lost more than ten CS, he was very clear about his role. As long as he didn't die, his success lay in taking down the enemy carry in a team fight. Therefore, he preferred to miss some CS rather than give Smeb a chance to solo kill him.

In the mid lane, Faker's Galio, although a mage tank, is intimidating in itself because of his "Great Demon King" ID.

He used Galio's wave-pushing advantage to frequently disappear into the fog of war, causing panic in both KT's top and bottom lanes. Pawn's Taliyah tried to roam, but was constantly held back in the mid lane by Faker and could only focus on clearing waves.

In the jungle, Peanut's Gragas cleared the jungle and then tried to find opportunities in the top and bottom lanes.

However, KT's vision control was impeccable, and they played very cautiously in lane, so no kills were achieved.

Score's Sejuani also tried to gank the bottom lane once, but Xiao Yan's sense of smell was extremely keen. Before Sejuani could even show her face, he had already slid back to the tower.

Time passed by, second by second.

5 minutes... 8 minutes... 10 minutes.

The head-to-head ratio at the top of the screen remains a glaring 0:0.

The audience at the scene and the chat room exploded with excitement.

Is this still the SKT I know? Is this still the incredibly arrogant Xiao Yan?

[I fell asleep, this was so hypnotic.]

[Don't spout nonsense if you don't understand; this is a top-level strategic game! Both sides are waiting for the other to make a mistake; whoever loses their composure first will lose!]

Deft was incredibly solid this game, giving his opponent absolutely no chance.

[This is just the calm before the storm; the first dragon is about to spawn, and a fight is definitely in the works!]

As the comments on the screen said, this eerie peace is destined to be short-lived.

The game lasted 10 minutes and 30 seconds.

The first elemental dragon—the fire dragon—has spawned.

In this version, the percentage attack damage and ability power bonus provided by the Fire Dragon is an irresistible temptation for any team. Especially in situations where both carries are well-developed, a single Fire Dragon can often determine the course of the mid-game.

"The dragon has spawned," Faker commanded briefly. "Get ready to engage."

SKT quickly regrouped at the Dragon Pit. Huni's Cho'Gath, although without a Teleport, recalled to base to replenish supplies and then marched towards the front.

KT, of course, was not to be outdone. Smeb's Maokai immediately used Teleport to place a ward in the river, and Deft and Mata also finished clearing the minion wave and moved over.

The once empty riverbed was instantly filled with ten heroes.

The smell of gunpowder in the air reached its peak at that moment.

In the commentary booth, Jeon Yong-jun's voice suddenly rose: "It's here! After ten minutes of silence, the two sides are finally about to clash in the Dragon Pit! There's no turning back this time! Whoever gets the Fire Dragon will seize the initiative in the game!"

Xiao Yan controlled Kalista, constantly using attacks on monsters to make small movements along the edge of the river, the spear in his hand emitting a faint green light.

Inside the river, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

The dragon's health steadily decreased under the focused fire of KT, but KT played very slowly. Score's Sejuani kept holding onto Smite, and Smeb's Maokai was at the front, blocking the entrance to the dragon pit with his massive body, trying to block SKT's entry route.

"Watch your position, don't get shot."

On SKT's side, Wolf's Alistar took the lead, roaming the flanks looking for opportunities.

Huni's Cho'Gath activated Righteous Glory, accelerating towards the river in an attempt to disrupt KT's formation.

Just as the Fire Dragon's health dropped to around 2000, a team fight broke out without warning.

"Let's do it!"

With Score's command, Sejuani swung her Frost Lasso out!

The R skill, "Frostbite," sliced ​​through the air and precisely struck Peanut (the barrel), who was positioned slightly ahead.

Peanut reacted extremely quickly, attempting to use his E skill to reposition, but he was still a fraction of a second too slow and was instantly frozen in place!

"Gragas's been controlled!! KT needs to eliminate the jungler first!" the commentator roared.

Almost simultaneously, Pawn's Taliyah cast Stone Smash, using her W ability Rock Smash to bring Peanut back.

Deft's Varus had already drawn his bowstring taut, and a charged Q [Piercing Arrow], with its Corruption and Wither effect, pierced right through the belly of the barrel.

Peanut's health bar instantly dropped to zero!

At the critical moment, a huge magic circle lit up at the feet of the barrel.

"The hero has arrived!"

Faker's Galio soared into the air, his massive body crashing down like a meteor, providing Peanut with a crucial damage reduction shield and knocking away Sejuani and Maokai who were trying to follow up with damage.

boom!

Galio landed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

With those fractions of a second that Faker bought, the low-health Peanut woke up from his control.

Instead of running away, he made a top-tier jungler's decision.

E [Human Bomb Impact]!

But he didn't crash into a person, but into the fire dragon that only had 1000 HP left!

At the same time, Score's Sejuani used her Q skill to charge towards the Fire Dragon.

Two beams of punitive light descended almost simultaneously.

Swish!

In the commentary booth, Jeon Yong-jun's eyes widened: "It's the blue team! It's Peanut! Peanut stole the fire dragon amidst the chaos! But he can't escape now!"

The moment Peanut secured the Fire Dragon, Deft finished off Peanut's Gragas with a single auto-attack.

First Blood!

The first blood was spilled, but this was just the beginning.

"kill!"

Huni's Cho'Gath finally entered the fray. He flashed over Smeb's tree and used Q [Rupture] to predict Deft's movement.

Deft was highly focused, and with a small step, he dodged the knock-up. But Huni immediately activated W [Wild Scream], and the fan-shaped sonic wave silenced Varus. Then, he opened his bloodthirsty maw and used R [Feast] to rush straight at Deft!

If that bite lands properly, Varus, at half health, will surely die.

At this critical moment, Mata's Tahm Kench demonstrated top-tier protective abilities.

He was practically right next to Deft's face when he swallowed Varus whole with a single W [Delicious], narrowly avoiding the fatal true damage for Deft.

Huni's ultimate attack missed, leaving him in an awkward situation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's Kalista was also in action.

He ignored Varus, who was being protected by Tahm Kench, because that location was too deep inside; going in would be suicide.

His goal was very clear—Smeb's big tree.

"Take care of the front row!" Xiao Yan shouted in the voice chat.

Kalista unleashed a torrent of spears.

Basic attack, slide step, basic attack, slide step.

Xiao Yan's movements were fluid and graceful, each jump precisely hitting the edge of Smeb's attack range.

Smeb attempted to use W [Twisted Thrust] to bind Kalista, but Xiao Yan used a slide step to pull him away.

Wolf's Alistar charged into the crowd, knocking up the unskilled Sejuani twice, and together with Faker's Galio, unleashed a chain of crowd control.

The battlefield was divided into two parts.

In the back row, Huni's giant Cho'Gath, having ventured deep behind enemy lines, was attacked by Deft and Taliyah, who unleashed a barrage of attacks, causing its massive body to crash to the ground.

In the front row, Smeb's Maokai and Score's Sejuani are losing health rapidly under the combined fire of Xiao Yan and Faker.

"Draw your spear!"

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and he frantically tapped the E key.

Tear!

The countless spears embedded in Smeb and Score were instantly pulled out, unleashing terrifying damage.

Smeb's big tree fell to the ground with a crash!

Immediately afterwards, Score, with low health, tried to escape back to the top of the dragon pit, but was killed by Faker's precise Q skill.

At this point, SKT paid the price of losing both their top and jungle players, replacing KT's top and jungle.

The game became 3 against 3.