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

On the large screen, the BP interface lit up.

In this game, SKT had the first choice of side and chose the blue side. RNG, on the other hand, was on the red side and had the last counter pick.

"Alright, the match begins! SKT gets the first ban and pick." Miller's voice instantly raised the level of anticipation.

SKT's first three bans were very decisive, directly banning Galio, Rakan, and Jarvan IV.

These three bans are highly targeted: Galio is to limit RNG's support system, Rakan is to break up the Xayah-Rakan duo, and Jarvan IV is Mlxg's signature champion and a powerful initiator.

It's RNG's turn to ban players.

The red team had to bear the pressure of banning Kalista, and RNG didn't hesitate to be the first to ban her.

Next up, the second ban.

Draven, Ban!

"Wow! It's banned! RNG banned Draven directly!" Wawa shouted. "This is the greatest respect for Xiao Yan! The executioner who dominated the whole game last time, we're saying goodbye to him this time. It seems Uzi doesn't want to face this mad dog-like champion in the laning phase either."

A stir broke out among the audience, a mix of regret and understanding. After all, Draven's dominance in the previous game had been incredibly strong.

RNG's third ban was for Janna, one of the strongest Ardent Censer champions in the current patch.

The selection process begins.

As the blue team, SKT has the right to pick first.

Almost instantly, SKT locked in Lulu, the Fairy Witch, on the first floor!

"Lulu! No problem. With Janna banned, Lulu is the only T0 support in this patch. She has both a shield and a polymorph, making her extremely strong at protecting the team," Miller analyzed.

The pressure is now on RNG.

Now that Lulu has been released, RNG must respond with their bot lane duo.

RNG immediately locked in Caitlyn and Karma on the first and second floors without any hesitation!

"Head-to-head! Uzi picked Caitlyn!" Wawa exclaimed. "Paired with Karma, this is an ultimate lane-pushing and pressure combination! RNG's message is clear: I'm going to crush you with Caitlyn! This bot lane is going to be incredibly intense!"

SKT players' bench.

SKT locked in Gragas on the second floor as their jungler.

SKT locked down Varus on the third floor!

"Varus? SKT is really going all out with this pick." Miller frowned. "Varus is good in the laning phase, but he's still too short-ranged against Caitlyn and Karma. Plus, he has no mobility. If RNG targets him, his survival will be in jeopardy."

Is Xiao Yan planning to play it safe this time?

The second round of business matching (BP) has begun.

RNG targeted the mid lane, banning Ryze and Syndra to limit Faker's champion pool.

SKT targeted the top lane, banning Cho'Gath and Shen.

Continue selecting people.

RNG locked in Sejuani on the third floor as a front-line control unit for the jungler.

RNG locked down the plane on the fourth floor, and Xiaohu got his signature move, supplementing his mid-to-late game mixed damage.

It was SKT's turn to make their final two choices.

SKT picked Malzahar for Faker on the fourth floor. This was a move to forcefully shut down Uzi's Caitlyn; as long as she had Flash and her ultimate, Caitlyn wouldn't dare to deal damage recklessly.

Finally, the counter space on the fifth floor of SKT.

Huni's profile picture lit up.

The Guardian of the Future—Jayce!

"Jayce! SKT has locked in Jayce!" Wawa shouted. "They're going to focus on the top, mid, and jungle! The bot lane will be Varus and Lulu, focusing on steady farming and counter-engaging with their ultimates, while Huni's Jayce in the top lane is going to dominate! SKT's tactical focus seems to have shifted to the top lane this game!"

RNG's last choice.

Letme doesn't have many options left. Cho'Gath is banned, and Shen is banned. Against Jayce, he needs to pick a champion that can withstand pressure and has the ability to initiate team fights.

RNG's fifth floor finally locked in: Big Tree.

The lineups for both sides have been finalized:

Blue side SKT:

Top Laner: Jayce (Huni) Jungler: Gragas (Peanut) Mid Laner: Malzahar (Faker) ADC: Varus (Xiao Yan) Support: Lulu (Wolf)

RNG (Red Team):

Top Laner: Maokai (Letme) Jungler: Sejuani (Mlxg) Mid Laner: Corki (Xiaohu) ADC: Caitlyn (Uzi) Support: Karma (Ming)

……

Game start.

The wind in Summoner's Rift seemed much gentler than in the last game.

Xiao Yan, controlling Varus, didn't push the minion wave at level one like he did with Draven in the previous game. Instead, he played exceptionally "steadily," even somewhat "timidly."

At level one, Uzi's Caitlyn, taking advantage of her long range, directly crossed the minion wave to gank.

"Bang!"

A headshot hit Varus.

Xiao Yan did not retaliate, but instead pulled back and used his Q skill [Piercing Arrow] to finish off a low-health minion at the furthest distance.

"This... Xiao Yan's style has changed drastically this game," Miller said, looking at the screen. "He was completely helpless after being targeted by Uzi and just retreated. It seems that even without Draven, he knows to avoid the limelight."

The live stream chat instantly went wild:

[You're already backing down? Where did all that arrogance go?]

Without Draven, he's just a second-rate AD carry, assessment complete.

Uzi has stepped up! He's crushing him this game!

[Hilarious! This guy, who's only good with axes, shows his true colors when he gets Varus.]

Looking at the timid Varus on the other side, Uzi finally felt a release of the anger that had been building up inside him.

"That's more like it." Uzi sneered, skillfully controlling the female police officer with auto-attacks, constantly harassing Xiao Yan to last-hit minions while maintaining attack range. "Without that freakish hero, what are you going to fight me with?"

For the first five minutes, the bottom lane was almost completely still.

Uzi's Caitlyn and Ming's Karma relentlessly pushed the lane, keeping the minion wave firmly under SKT's tower. Xiao Yan's Varus was like a submissive wife, only able to farm under the tower and occasionally use his E skill [Rain of Arrows] to clear the minions.

In terms of last hits, Uzi was 8 CS ahead.

In professional competitions, this is already considered a small form of dominance.

"This game is in the bag." RNG fans breathed a sigh of relief. "Uzi has an advantage in the laning phase. As long as he farms smoothly until he gets his three items, Caitlyn's range will make SKT despair."

"This game is in the bag." RNG fans breathed a sigh of relief. "Uzi has an advantage in the laning phase. As long as he farms smoothly until he gets his three items, Caitlyn's range will make SKT despair."

However, they only saw the first layer.

Xiao Yan, caught in the middle of the situation, had an eerily clear gaze. He looked at the few strikes he had missed, his heart completely unmoved.

"Huni, how's the minion wave?" Xiao Yan asked in the voice chat.

"Perfect!" Huni's English, tinged with a Korean accent, was filled with excitement. "Daisha is an idiot, he pushed the lane."

"Peanut, prepare to move," Xiao Yan gave the order.

In this game, his mission wasn't to carry at all, but rather—to act as bait.

He deliberately feigned weakness, deliberately let Uzi push the lane, and deliberately made RNG think that SKT's focus was still on defending the bottom lane, thus forcing Mlxg's Sejuani to linger there looking for an opportunity to tower dive.

The real danger was already brewing on the road thousands of miles away.

The game lasted 6 minutes and 20 seconds.

Letme's Maokai pushed the lane early to secure level two, causing the minion wave to be positioned slightly ahead. Although he had carefully placed wards, he underestimated SKT's determination in this game.

Peanut's Gragas didn't go to the bottom lane or farm the jungle. Instead, he circled around a huge blind spot and emerged from the triangular bush behind the blue team's top tower.

"The barrel is on its way! Letme is in danger!" Doll exclaimed.