vrcanaries Chapter 40: Explosive Start
Chapter 40: Explosive Start
Before the Miller brothers could even catch their breath, the match officially began.
"Alright, the match has begun."
"The blue side is IG, and the red side is EDG."
"IG first banned Meiko's strong lane-lane Yuumi, as well as a mid-jungle duo of Irelia and Sejuani."
"EDG banned Draven directly, it seems they were prepared, and they think IG might focus on the bot lane today."
"Then they banned two more of TheShy's champions, Jayce and Aatrox."
As veteran commentators, although they may not have a wealth of hardcore knowledge, their ability to control the flow of the game is absolutely top-notch.
"Securing Sylas first shouldn't be a problem."
"Let's pick Olaf first, a champion that Jiejie is very confident in, and then Sivir next. This combination is going to be a charge."
"IG got Xayah and Rakan. We can see that JackeyLove had a very happy smile on his face when they got this lineup."
The business process between the two sides then proceeded.
EDG picked Lux as their third pick, a champion that Mark had been finding very difficult to deal with at the time.
On the screen, the EDG players were exchanging ideas frantically.
In comparison, things were much calmer on the IG side.
Only Chen Song stood behind, muttering something.
"Should I play the crocodile first?"
Chen Song chuckled: "I heard EDG's top laner is pretty good at Riven. TheShy, why don't you pick a Riven and go take down this Renekton?"
"Forget it, give me Kennen."
TheShy shook his head.
IG picked Jarvan IV and Kennen in their last two picks.
Actually, Chen Song wasn't very willing to let TheShy pick Kennen.
The enemy mid-laner hasn't come out yet.
With the added speed boost from Sivir's ultimate, Kennen's room for maneuver is extremely limited.
If the mid laner is paired with Karma, this lineup becomes a very troublesome point in terms of team fight coordination and team shielding.
This could very well result in Kennen's damage being blocked by the shield upon entering the fray.
"Their Sivir and Olaf make them a tough opponent in team fights. If they play it safe and pick a utility mid laner like Karma, our composition will be at a significant disadvantage."
Chen Song analyzed his own insights.
His mouth seemed to be blessed; as soon as he finished speaking, EDG picked Karma.
"Did they install surveillance cameras on our side?"
Ning turned to look at Chen Song and teased him.
"I feel like we're going to lose this round."
Chen Song shook his head: "Let's just treat this as a practice match for the first time."
"Wow! EDG's lineup is incredibly resilient!"
"Twin turbochargers, EDG is basically saying they're not afraid of you driving it."
"EDG's lineup has too much shield."
"Both sides have finalized their lineups."
"IG's lineup (blue side): Kennen (top), Jarvan IV (jungle), Sylas (mid), Xayah and Rakan (bot)."
"EDG's lineup (Red side): Top lane Renekton, Jungle Olaf, Mid lane Karma, Bot lane Sivir + Lux."
......
"Coach, don't boost the opponent's morale and diminish our own before the game even starts."
JackeyLove rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"Remember the tasks I gave you during training, and just relax and play."
After Chen Song finished speaking, he took turns giving fist bumps to the players, starting with TheShy. Then he walked to the center of the stage and shook hands with Heart with a smile.
Officially enter the game.
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers from both teams.
"Colonel KI still thinks IG's lineup will be stronger in the later stages."
Both sides opted for a safe approach at the start, choosing normal positions and showing no intention of invading.
Both sides chose to start with the blue buff. In the mid lane, Forge used his tricky E skill to pull Scout in and harass him.
However, Karma countered with a combo at the same time.
IG's bot lane, with a series of skillful maneuvers and poke, successfully reduced iboy's health by more than half at level 2.
This match against EDG's bot lane is not like the last time they played against DMO.
Xayah and Rakan put a lot of pressure on EDG online.
After Chen Song gave TheShy and Ning the task, Ning immediately told TheShy that the opposing team should be using Blue Open to farm online.
He repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining one's own condition and not being worn down by the crocodile, as he was starting with blue buff and farming downwards, and wouldn't be able to provide immediate support.
"Olaf will clear the jungle a little faster than me, and he'll probably be ganking you soon."
Ning gave TheShy another tip.
He originally wanted to become famous and then climb the ranks.
However, since the main commander is JackeyLove, his initial strategy is to start with the blue buff, farm the bottom lane, and then coordinate with the mid laner to gank the bottom lane 4-on-2.
Ning also agreed with his line of thinking.
Just as Ning expected, Olaf flanked the enemy and, with the help of Renekton, successfully killed TheShy.
"Mine, mine."
"I'm sorry, Ning."
TheShy looked apologetic.
In the previous exchange of blows, he underestimated the small burst of power from the crocodile's red fury, which led to his health being reduced and him being flanked and killed.
Fortunately, TheShy had Teleport, so he didn't completely collapse in lane.
While TheShy was being caught and killed, Ning, carrying a scanner, quietly circled around EDG's bottom jungle and approached the bottom lane duo from behind.
"They're going to try and force their way through this! Something bad could happen."
Sitting in the lounge, Chen Song looked at Ning's actions with some concern.
The bot lane duo is not in good form right now, and TheShy has already used his Teleport, so this forced tower dive could very well result in a 3v4 situation.
On the other side, JackeyLove and Baolan had already started pushing the lane quickly.
"iBoy, let's see how to operate this."
"Healed first, then Lux gave him a shield and used Exhaust."
"Both sides have sent TP support."
"But the crocodile's Q skill hit four people this time."
"Baolan got hit by Lux's Q, and JackeyLove also got hit by it."
"IG's forced tower dive backfired."
Meiko's performance earned praise from both Wawa and Miller.
Not only did she use Q to stun the prince the moment he dove the tower, but she also used Q to accurately stun JackeyLove and Baolan during the subsequent chase.
It can be said that Meiko played a key role in this small team fight where the enemy tower was dove.
"IG's decision to tower dive was a bit risky, considering their bot lane duo had really low health."
Wawa expressed regret over IG's decision to tower dive in this wave.
IG lounge.
"Is it a bit too much to ask JackeyLove to lead?"
Mafa sat down next to Chen Song and said, "You know, JackeyLove is notoriously reckless."
"This round of decision-making is actually not bad."
Chen Song stared at the screen and said, "Given Xayah and Rakan's laning advantage, Ning's decision to flank wasn't a problem. However, they were a bit too hasty and didn't manage their health well, which led to a somewhat difficult situation."
"Regardless of the outcome of this exchange, just looking at Ning's decision to gank the bottom lane, can we see a shift in IG's strategy?"
"The crocodile's teleport was also very powerful, coupled with Lux's perfect performance, it would be even stranger to win this wave."
"However, this mid laner is indeed quite a bit inferior to Rookie."