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

When Xiao Yan's words, "A true strongman is not bound by formalities," were broadcast to every household via the live stream, and he then turned and left, leaving behind a dashing silhouette, the entire LPL live stream chat went silent for a full three seconds.

That was the calm before the storm.

Three seconds later, the barrage exploded like a nuclear bomb, and the server instantly froze.

[Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant! Who does this kid think he is?]

[Has the Rabbit Team forgotten their own name after beating them?]

[Hey RNG fans upstairs, stop yelling. RNG just got trotted around by C9, forgot?]

Is this SKT's new AD carry? It sounds harsh, but... it seems to be all true.

[Bullshit! Uzi is the world's best ADC! This Xiao Yan is just a sucker!]

……

This night was destined to be a sleepless one for LPL fans.

Xiao Yan's interview video was edited into countless versions and spread wildly on major forums such as Weibo, Tieba, Hupu, and NGA. In particular, his statement "A team that only knows one tactic will not go far" was interpreted by many as the most direct and blatant attack on RNG.

After all, RNG had just suffered a crushing defeat to C9 in the group stage, losing because they were scrambled and killed by Impact's split push. RNG's proud "four-protect-one" strategy also appeared cumbersome and ineffective in that match.

Thus, an unprecedented online war of words erupted.

[Royal Family Fan (Royal Family Supporters) Base]

In RNG's fan forum and online communities, anger erupted like a volcano. For those who idolize Uzi, Xiao Yan's remarks were tantamount to blasphemy.

"This guy named Xiao Yan, who does he think he is? So what if he beat MSF? What kind of trash is MSF? If he's so capable, let's try laning against Xiao Yan. Has he ever won? He gets dominated every single game!"

"When Uzi faces RNG in the second round, he'll teach them a lesson! All that rubbish tactics are useless against absolute strength!"

"This guy has a bad face, he looks cunning. People like that don't go far. Bang is the real god, this kid is just a usurper!"

"Protect the world's best Uzi! Boycott SKT! Boycott Xiao Yan!"

However, just as the royal supporters were unleashing their fury, they were surprised to find that something was amiss on the battlefield today.

In the past, whenever the Royal Never Give Up (RNG) fans went to war, nothing would survive. But today, two other huge forces—EDG's fans and WE's fans—have surprisingly formed a "strategic alliance."

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although the pig-traitors and 60E often trash-talk each other, their interests are highly aligned on the issue of "disgusting royal traitors".

The atmosphere in the "Resilience Forum" and "Taking Blame Forum" suddenly changed:

"Oh my, are the RNG fans getting anxious? Did Xiao Yan say something wrong? Is RNG only good at four-protect-one tactics? Did they just get solo-pushed and killed by C9's DaMu?"

"(EDG fan): Although I also hate Korean teams, Xiao Yan is right. Being bad at esports is a cardinal sin. RNG lost a game, so can't people criticize them? We EDG fans criticize ourselves when we lose, why are RNG fans so precious?"

"(WE fan): LOL, Royal Never Give Up fans are still praising Uzi as the world's best? Xiao Yan played three different heroes and had three different playstyles in three games, what can your Uzi do besides farming three lanes? Do you really think farming three lanes will win the game?"

"Here's a joke: RNG is going to teach SKT a lesson. Wake up! SKT is at their full strength now, with Faker and Xiao Yan (a legendary Chinese hero). How can RNG possibly beat them?"

"Xiao Yan's taunts are practically my online trash talk! I've been fed up with RNG's 'one person eats their fill, the whole family doesn't go hungry' playstyle for a long time, it's a cancerous playstyle!"

Online, the three forces are locked in a fierce battle.

The royal trolls cursed Xiao Yan for being arrogant, cursed Zhu Za 4396, and cursed 60E for being poor and stingy.

Pig and 60E teamed up to mock RNG fans as "bathing dogs," "void champions," and "team-destroying maniacs," and turned screenshots of Xiao Yan's interview into memes, flooding RNG's official Weibo account with them.

[Trending Searches]

#Xiao Yan's Taunt# (Breaking News)

#RNG's Four-Protect-One Team# (Hot)

#SKT's Tactical Reserves# (New)

#LPL Feud# (Hot)

The entire internet is in complete chaos.

……

Meanwhile, inside a five-star hotel near the Wuhan Sports Center.

The atmosphere in RNG's team meeting room was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Outside the window, the city lights shone brightly at night, but inside, all was deathly silent. On the large screen on the wall, a replay of the third game of the SKT vs. MSF match, along with footage of Xiao Yan's post-match interview, was playing on a loop.

"Snapped!"

Uzi slammed the water bottle he was holding onto the table, his round face turning bright red, his chest heaving violently.

"What does he mean? Huh? What does he mean?!" Uzi pointed at the indifferent-looking boy on the screen, his voice trembling with anger. "Only knows one tactic? Can't go far? Who is he targeting? What gives him the right to say that about me?!"

As the face of the LPL, when has Uzi ever been treated like this?

Sitting next to Uzi, Ming quickly patted him on the back and whispered, "Hao-ge, don't be angry, don't pay attention to him. He's just a mind-bender. Last time they just won by luck. Next time we meet them, we'll get our revenge."

Xiao Hu pushed up his glasses, sighed, and didn't say anything. But the worry in his eyes was impossible to hide.

In the corner, Letme stood with his head down, his hands gripping the hem of his shirt tightly. His face was pale, and his eyes flickered.

Because he knew that although Xiao Yan's words were mocking RNG's system, the one who was truly exposed was him, the top laner.

In the C9 match, Impact completely dominated him. And in the SKT match just now, Huni's Fiora made him feel utterly hopeless.

If RNG faces SKT again, what will they use to stop Huni?

……

"Alright, everyone, quiet down."

RNG's head coach, Feng, who had been standing in front of the tactics board, finally spoke.

His voice was weary, and he held that iconic notebook in his hand, but at that moment, the notebook seemed to weigh a ton.

Looking at his angry teammates, Feng felt a chill in his heart.

As a top coach, he understood the significance of Xiao Yan's words better than the fans or the players themselves. It was more than just mockery.

"Zaozi, don't get angry yet." Feng walked up to Uzi and put his hand on his shoulder. "Although it's harsh to say, we have to admit... he hit a nerve."

"Brother Feng, even you're taking his side?" Uzi looked up in disbelief.

"I'm not speaking up for him, I'm doing this to win." Feng turned around and wrote two words heavily on the tactics board—Incense Burner.

"Everyone says this patch is the ADC patch. The Ardent Censer item has brought ADCs' survivability and damage output to their peak. So we, and many other teams, felt that as long as we could protect our ADC, we could win."

Feng's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Letme.

"However, we overlooked a fatal problem."

"The existence of the 'Incense Burner Monster' has indeed raised the floor for ADCs. As long as there's a support with them, even a second-rate ADC can deal tons of damage in team fights. This means..."

Feng took a deep breath and uttered the conclusion that was giving him a splitting headache:

"This means that the gap between ADCs has been narrowed."

Uzi was stunned.

"You're proud that your laning ability is world-class and your teamfight positioning is unparalleled. But in the Ardent Censer meta, if the opponent can just play defensively and get Ardent Censer, their impact in teamfights might only be slightly less than yours."

"But!" Feng Ge suddenly raised his voice, pointing his pen at the top lane, "The gap in the top lane will be magnified infinitely!"

"When both sides are struggling to get kills in the bottom lane and are focused on farming, the balance of the game tilts towards the top lane."

"C9 beat us because Impact crushed Junze. SKT beat MSF because Huni crushed Alphari."

"The reason Xiao Yan dares to be so arrogant and make such sarcastic remarks is not because he thinks he is invincible, but because he has seen through the essence of this version: it's a top lane version disguised as an ADC!"

The meeting room was completely silent.

Everyone was shocked by Feng Ge's remarks.

They've always thought this is Uzi's meta, RNG's best chance to win the championship this year. They believe that as long as they have a four-protect-one strategy and wait for Uzi to get his three core items, they can take over the game.

But now, the harsh reality is before us.

If the enemy bot lane doesn't fight you, pick Ezreal or Varus to clear waves under the tower, then have your top laner pick Fiora, Jayce, or Camille to split push...

What should RNG do?

Letme lowered his head even further, almost as if he were trying to disappear into the ground.

"Junze," Brother Feng called out.

Letme trembled: "Feng... Brother Feng."

"For the next scrim, I want you to practice Jayce, Fiora, and Gnar," Feng said firmly. "We can't just keep playing tanks like Maokai and Cho'Gath. If we face SKT and Huni picks a split-pushing champion, you need to have a counter. Even if you can't get a solo kill, at least you can't let him take down our towers like he's strolling through his own backyard!"

Letme opened his mouth, his face full of bitterness: "But Feng-ge... I... I don't have the confidence to use these heroes against Huni..."

This is RNG's biggest weakness.

Letme is the best blue-collar top laner; he can withstand pressure, initiate team fights, and farm effectively.

But sending him to fight hand-to-hand with mechanical geniuses like Huni and Khan? That's like forcing a duck onto a shelf.

Furthermore, RNG is accustomed to allocating resources primarily to the bottom lane. The jungler is always stationed in the bottom lane, and the mid laner is always ready to support the bottom lane.

On the road?

That was an orphanage.

If Letme is suddenly given a carry-type top laner, will the jungler help him?

What if you help the top laner, but Uzi gets caught in the bottom lane?

If we don't help the top lane, what if Letme gets ganked and crushed while playing Jayce?

This is an endless loop.

Feng rubbed his temples in pain.

He looked at the SKT name on the tactics board; it was terrifying.

This team is not only flawless in terms of operation, but also ahead of the entire version in terms of tactical understanding.

They were the first to reap the benefits of the "incense burner" strategy, and at the same time, they developed a strategy to counter the "four-one split push".

"We can't give up on the four-protect-one strategy!" Uzi stood up impatiently. "This is what we do best! Suddenly changing our playstyle will only lead to a quicker defeat! As long as I can carry, I can win!"

He cannot tolerate the fact that tactical resources are no longer concentrated on him, but instead are tilted towards the top laner. In his view, that would be an attack on his status in the team, and he cannot tolerate it.

"But what if the enemy team doesn't engage in team fights?" Xiaohu couldn't help but retort. "If the enemy team is like SKT in the second game against MSF, or C9 against us, constantly pushing lanes and kiting, how are we supposed to initiate team fights?"

"Then force your way in! I refuse to believe they can keep running forever!"

"Force an engagement? SKT has Faker and Wolf; you know how strong their counter-engage is..."

The room was filled with the sounds of arguing.

Seeing this scene, Feng felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Previously, they firmly believed that a four-protect-one strategy was invincible.

Now, they are starting to waver.

Once faith begins to waver, operations will become distorted, and cooperation will crack.

"Let's get ready." Feng sighed one last time, closing his laptop. "No matter what, let's figure out how to get out of the group stage first. As for SKT... that's something to think about later."

But he knew in his heart that the shadow was something he could never shake off.

…………

SGG's training room.

Master An sat in front of his computer, the screen repeatedly playing the SKT vs. MSF match video, as well as Xiao Yan's post-match interview about "4-1 split push".

"Bro, how many times have you watched this?" CuVee leaned over, holding a can of Coke. "Those guys from RNG must be furious."

Ambition didn't turn around, his eyes terrifyingly deep: "Furious? If I were RNG's coach, I should be feeling terrified right now."

"Fear?" CuVee asked, puzzled.

"If C9 was the first to discover and try it, then Xiao Yan is the one who broke through the window paper." Ambition pointed to Huni on the screen, "Look at Huni's handling of these split pushes, and the entire SKT team's kiting."

"You mean...top lane?" CuVee asked thoughtfully.

"That's right." Ambition turned around, his gaze fixed intently on CuVee. "In this patch, everyone's focused on the bot lane, on the Ardent Censer. They think that as long as they protect their ADC, they can win. But in reality, while the Ardent Censer raises the floor, it also limits the ceiling. Two fully-equipped ADCs going head-to-head, as long as the support provides a shield, neither of them will die. In that situation, where does the deciding factor lie?"

CuVee instinctively straightened his back: "On the road."

"Yes! Top lane! If the bottom lane is locked in a stalemate, then the top lane should pick a split-push champion, such as Gnar, Camille, or even Kennen. As long as they can gain an advantage in lane, they can make the opponent suffer terribly. The opponent will have to send someone to defend, and once they do, they will be outnumbered on the front line, and they will be caught out in team fights or lose Baron."

"And you, CuVee," Ambition's voice turned serious, "your split-pushing ability, your champion pool, are absolutely no less than Huni's, and perhaps even more consistent!"

CuVee's eyes lit up. As a top-tier top laner, he had always longed to prove himself. In this ADC-dominated meta, although he could also play tanky champions like Maokai and Cho'Gath, deep down, he wanted to play champions who could carry the game.

"Brother, you mean...?"

"Practice!" Ambition declared decisively. "Starting today, our tactical focus will shift. Crown will stabilize the mid lane, Ruler and CoreJJ will farm and withstand pressure in the bot lane, and I'll focus on protecting the top lane! We need to maximize your split-pushing advantage! If SKT tries to play a 4-protect-1 or 4-1 split-pushing strategy, we'll crush them with an even stronger 4-1 split-pushing strategy!"

Not only SGG, but all teams with top-tier top laners were overjoyed, even seeing hope of defeating SKT.