Zhang Hongyi from Team Beijing wasnât cheering with the other people in the Tianhe Stadium. He reclined back in his chair and laughed. âThatâs right,â he said. âThatâs the useless kind of play that Zeng Rui is known for!â He turned his head to look at Yu Pin and asked, âDid you see that gank? You really want to worry about this team with a player like him? Heâs so far up his own ass that he canât even tell heâs smelling shit anymore!â
Team Beijingâs Jungler leaned forward, smiling schadenfreude, and chimed in, âThatâs karma for you! Theyâre going to lose because that moron thought he could just Jungle, like it doesnât require any skill⌠News flash, it does! Jungling isnât easy! It takes practice and skill and talent! That dude has none of it!â
Yu Ping nodded, slowly. He looked down from the large LCD screen at Team Shanghaiâs soundproof booth. Through the glass panels he could see five heads full of hair popping up above the monitors. They arenât reacting like Team Guangzhou⌠Are they really not tilting? They should have tilted from that top gank. Mid failed at preventing Twisted Fate from using his ultimate and the Jungler made a horrendous gankâŚÂ He glanced at his teammates and said, âI donât know whatâs gotten into them, but itâs pretty obvious they arenât playing their main roles. Dangerous game theyâre playingâŚâ
The cheers and applause for Goalieâs gank in the top lane quieted down enough in the stadium where the players in the player seating area could hear the members from Team Beijing discussing the game. Most nodded in agreement, then started chatting with their own teammates about how it did indeed look like Team Shanghai was throwing this game by playing a suboptimal team composition. But there were a couple of teams, specifically those who played against Team Shanghai before, who knew the sheer raw talent that Lin Feng possessed.
Qiu Yijie from Fudan University looked around at the people making fun of Team Shanghai and muttered, âLin Feng got a penta last game and these guys are already making fun of him. Guess I shouldnât be surprised. They hate it that he got a penta and theyâre just hoping it was a fluke. But writing him off this game, thatâs just dumb. Heâs playing ad-carry. Give him until late game, when he can start carrying.â
âHeâs shown his skills already too,â Sun Ruinian added. âThe teamfights are going to be really interesting. I can see him carrying them hard, kind of like how he carried from the mid lane⌠with a penta.â
Zuo Cheng clenched his fists and said, âThat Morgana, the girl? Sheâs playing quite well too to be honest. Sheâs better than I am, I think⌠But I mean, sheâs going even with Goalie! How many Midlaners can do that? Two! Her and Lin Feng!â He wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards the stage, âGO BUNBUN! KICK ASS!â
âš
Zephyr repositioned in his chair and watched the monitor. For the first time in three games, there was a real lull in the game. Team Guangzhou knows they canât fight Team Shanghai right now because of the Morgana and Rumble ultimate combo, but Team Shanghai doesnât have the Champions to force a-- Wait, I need to say this, not think it. He grabbed his microphone and turned his head enough where he could see both Su Xue and the monitor. He said, âThe second Dragon is spawning in a couple of seconds, but itâs already obvious Team Guangzhou isnât going to contest it. How about you run us through why, EveningSnowfall?â
âOkay, okay!â Su Xue replied, cheerful. She looked at the monitor and nodded at herself. I know why! Itâs because Team Shanghai has Morgana and Rumble-- Talk! I need to cast! She coughed, then smiled and analyzed, âThatâs because Team Shanghai has Morgana and Rumble! These two Champions have skills that are especially hard to deal with in the early mid game, which is around now, the 15th minute of the game! Team Guangzhou is probably going to wait this out for another 5 to 10 minutes, so that they can get enough gold and buy some magic resist.â
The Dragon spawned and Team Shanghai moved towards the Dragon pit as a unit. They warded and searched looking for potential places where the teamfight might start, but Team Guangzhou completely ignored the Dragon. They stayed in their lanes and continued to farm minions, allowing Team Shanghai to take the Dragon uncontested.
Zephyr said into his microphone, âEveningSnowfall is absolutely right! A little extra bit of analysis also shows us that Team Shanghai doesnât really have a Champion to engage. Sure theyâve got Jarvan IV, but then what? He can towerdive and no one can follow up. What they really need is something like a Leona or a Lee Sin. Or something else like that. Too bad they donât. The balance of this game is starting to tip towards Team Guangzhou.â
âYeahâŚâ Su Xue mumbled, frowning. She continued, âIt looks like Team Shanghai is going to try and push mid lane now though! And the mid outer tower is almost down! It is down! They just tore through that! Oh my god that came out of nowhere!â
âThose last two hits it needed,â Zephyr replied, laughing. He then pointed at the monitor and added, âBut see there? Now theyâre at the inner tower and Team Guangzhou has put up their defenses. Thereâs nothing Team Shanghai can do here but waste their time. Theyâll recall back to base in a bit without having gained anything.â
âš
Zeng Ruiâs Jarvan IV couldnât do anything but look menacing in front of Team Guangzhouâs inner tower. He stared at his monitor and watched Lin Fengâs Kalista hurl spears and An Xinâs Morgana conjure some dark magic, but neither did much damage. He sighed and said over the teamâs voice chat, âBunBunâs Flash is on cooldown, so her flash-ult combo isnât going to work, and I donât think we can towerdive thisâŚâ
Zhang Hao glanced at his minimap and replied, âI would really like to get that wave in top laneâŚâ
âYouâre right. Youâre right,â Zeng Rui mumbled. He shook his head and ordered, âLetâs fall back. Zhang Hao go get the wave in top, Lin Feng get bot.â He had his Jarvan IV run into his own Jungle and started clearing Camps, starting with the Wolf Camp and then going up to the top side Jungle to take on the Wraith Camp. All the while he kept his eyes locked on his minimap, searching. Thinking. This is a tough game⌠Iâm not a Jungler and Tang Tang isnât playing great as Support either. Well, she isnât a Support to begin with and her pinky probably hurts a lot right now. BunBunâs a great Midlaner and all⌠but sheâs not like the thundering dumbass and weâre really missing his flair right now. We need him to do somethingâŚ
Zeng Rui panned his camera towards the bot lane, where Lin Feng was farming minions a couple of steps in front of his inner tower. Why are those two Botlaners from Team Guangzhou letting him push a bitâŚ? He panned his camera towards the mid lane, a sensation he couldnât yet place swirling in his stomach. Twisted Fate is still mid. His ultimate is up soon, but heâs stillâ His eyes grew round and wide. âGANK! BOT! GANK! GANK!â he shouted over the teamâs voice chat.
A large red, yellow eye appeared above each of Team Shanghaiâs Champions, the telltale sign of Twisted Fateâs ultimate skill--Destiny! Zeng Rui clicked on the bot lane inner tower, frantic. Run you stupid Jarvan! Get down there! He ordered over the teamâs voice chat, âZhang Hao! Get down there! Help Lin Feng! BunBun, you too! Tang Tang! Where is Tang Tang? Why is she in base? Get to Lin Feng! HELP LIN FENG!â
Lin Feng let his hand go off his keyboard and scratched the back of his head. He said over the teamâs voice chat, âGuess Iâm fucked, eh?â He chuckled and placed his hand back on his keyboard. Twisted Fate teleported in behind him and Team Guangzhouâs Irelia was teleporting on a Blue minion. And nowâŚÂ He glanced at his skills. Most were off cooldown, but none were going to save him from a four man dive. His teammates werenât close enough to save him either. Crap.
Team Guangzhouâs Thresh flashed forward and Flayed Lin Fengâs Kalista backwards, then threw a Death Sentence that connected. From behind him, Tristana Rocket Jumped into the fight and on the far side Goalieâs Twisted Fate was running in with a Gold Card in his hand. They combined their crowd control skills well enough that Lin Feng couldnât move at all, and he chose not to use Cleanse. He didnât believe he could escape even if he did. The damage stacked up and before Team Guangzhouâs Irelia finished teleporting to the bot lane, Lin Fengâs Kalista died to Seoâs Tristana.
ăăYou have been slain.ă
âWHAT A GANK!â Zephyr exclaimed into his microphone. He briefly paused, his full focus on the game, then added, âAnd itâs not over yet! Braum has arrived! He hits Twisted Fate with Winterâs Bite! Twisted Fate is slowed! Rumble finished his teleport! Heâs using his Flamespitter! Are they going to get the return kill?â
Su Xue sat on the edge of her seat, nervous. She clutched her microphone with both hands and screamed, âMorgana is also coming down! Team Shanghai can turn this around! Twisted Fate took a couple of hits, they might kill him! The others know! Look, there! Tristana Rocket Jumped away and Thresh is running! Irelia is with them too! Itâs just Twisted Fate in the back and heâs slowed by the Winterâs Bite from Braum!â
âAah. But theyâve got Thresh,â Zephyr said. He clicked his tongue and continued, âHe just has to throwâ Yep, there, see? He just throws his lantern, Twisted Fate clicks it, and theyâre gone. They got the kill and they got out. Beautiful gank. Like I said, beautiful.â
âWOOOO! GOALIE!â
âAAAAND HE SCORES!â
âTeam Guangzhou looks like a different team⌠They look strong!â
âGoalie and Seo going to carry hard now!â
âCanât believe how stupid Team Shanghai was to change their lineupâŚâ
âWho even picks Morgana mid? Such a troll pick, lawl.â
The cheering for Team Guangzhou didnât last long, especially not in the player seating area. Team Shanghaiâs changes between the second and the third game were too significant. The other competing teams started arguing again that theyâd never seen such an arrogant group of kids and that they were getting what they deserved; an assbeating.
Zuo Cheng looked around him at his fellow competitors and grimaced. He said to his teammates, âI want to tell them wrong! I know how good Lin Feng is and how good BunBun is and how goodâŚâ He shook his head and sighed. âTeam Guangzhou is completely dictating the pace of the game at this point. Theyâre picking off players from Team Shanghai where they can and beyond that theyâre just waiting for their Tristana to scale. This is going to become a very ugly game for Team Shanghai if things keep goingâŚâ
âLooks like it,â Sun Ruinian agreed. He took a long, deep breath and said, âTeam Shanghai needs to be ready to counter Twisted Fateâs ultimate. They canât just let him move around and do what he wants. If they still want to win, thatâs what they need to do.â
âš
âWe canât drag this, guys. We canât!â Zeng Rui said over the teamâs voice chat, worried. He glanced at An Xin from the corners of his eyes, hiding the skepticism. She isnât the thundering dumbass. She isnât fucking Maple! And I donât even think Maple can force a play here! How can he? Itâs Morgana! She is the most passive thing ever! Thatâs why sheâs a Support! Sheâs a Support! He breathed in and forced himself to calm down. BunBun said itâd be fine. She doesnât look worried now, so why should I worry? Why am I worried? When have they ever let me down? Never! Right. But what do we do? What should I do? Iâm the shot caller and Iâm all out of ideas⌠I just donât know. I donât know⌠Shit I hate this feeling! I need to be in control! This isnât control! This is⌠Dammit!
âThe third Dragon is spawning in a minute,â Lin Feng said. He then scratched the back of his head and complained, âThey keep focusing on me, so damn annoying. Thatâs why I donât like playing ad-carry. Itâs just too squishy and I canât peel like I can with my Midlaners! But I should be good after the next fight. I just need a few more items. Just a little bit more, and then Iâll carry this game for you guys!â
Zeng Rui felt his eyelids twitch. Where does he always get his confidence from? Complaining one minute and then casually talking about carrying in the next! What is this ridiculousness? Itâs stupid and itâs⌠itâs⌠He did get a penta last game. He looked across the long desk at his teammates. Lin Feng looked a more serious version of his usual cheerful self, Tang Bingyao was nodding and Zhang Hao was visibly trying to look happy. BunBun⌠Whatâs going on with you? He looked at her, searched her expression and posture for a tell, but came up empty. She looked like a blank slate. There was no frown or smile on her face, nor any tension in her shoulders. She looked calm, yet not relaxed. Whatâs going on in her head?
âOkay,â Zeng Rui said. âDragon. Move. Ward. Letâs do our thing and fight for it.â
Zeng Rui didnât need to say the words. Everyone was already moving, working together without needing him to tell them how to exactly move. Heâd told them often enough; they knew what he wanted. He smiled when he saw it, then focused. He panned his camera and searched for Team Guangzhouâs players, and then he looked for openings they might abuse and how to counter them.
The Tianhe Stadium buzzed to life. The last few minutes of gameplay, aside from a gank on Lin Fengâs Kalista, had been rather dull. Nothing really happened because Team Guangzhou played it so defensively that it was impossible for anything to happen. But on the large LCD screen, all the fans and other competing teams could see the movements from both teams around the Dragon pit. Team Shanghai was throwing around their weight, getting in the wards they wanted. But Team Guangzhou was there too, searching for a way in.
Zhang Hongyi from Team Beijing grinned, laughed. Cried from joy. He said to his teammates, âTeam Guangzhouâs already won this one! Thatâs what Team Shanghai gets for exploring the depths of their ass cavity to such an extent! Goalieâs fed, Seoâs getting there and that Morgana is more useless than my two year old cousin on Zed!â
âš
Goalie said over the teamâs voice chat in broken Chinese, âWait. Near Dragon.â He then turned to look at Seo and continued in Korean, âWeâll let them set up their vision. Weâve got my ult for our vision. And if theyâre stupid enough to actually start Dragon, weâll pile on them and win.â
Seo chuckled and replied, âSounds good. Lee and Irelia can jump the backline and we can crush their frontline and then weâll crush their hopes of making it to the next round and then weâll crush their faces!â
âGood. Throw a Scrying Orb on the Dragon pit for me,â Goalie said over the teamâs voice chat.
âSure, sure,â Seo replied. He glanced down and placed a Scrying Orb on the Dragon pit, revealing the powerful monster and Braum and Jarvan IV from Team Shanghai. He shrugged and continued attacking the minions in the mid lane, saying, âLooks like they havenât started yet.â
âBe ready. Soon now,â Goalie said.
Seo nodded and had his Tristana kill the last Red minion in the mid lane. He then clicked towards the Dragon pit. His Tristana walked through the brush below the mid lane into the river. He knew there were Champions from Team Shanghai near the Dragon pit, but he couldnât see them right now. He scrunched his eyebrows. Shouldnât one of them be in front of me? I donâtâ His eyes shot open. SHIT! I need to ward the bruâ His stomach dropped. A Dark Binding appeared from the brush to the left in front of him. SHIT-FUCK!Sponsored Content