TT, on blue side, wanted to secure this win. Even though they couldn't quite understand what kind of nonsense Top Esports was pulling with that sudden substitution, caution was still necessary.
Their very first ban was Vladimir.
Luo Sheng's face immediately turned pale. Vladimir, the safest possible pick, was gone. That meant mid lane probably wouldn't be able to farm safely anymore.
So damn annoying!
Annoying as it was, he still chose to ban Ucal's LeBlanc. No matter what, after such an outstanding performance last game, his hands were definitely hot.
There was no need to be stubborn. In League of Legends, you have to respect superstition—being headstrong never leads to a good ending.
The broadcast very considerately cut the camera to Ucal.
Ucal showed a smug smile. For any pro player, having a highlight performance and then being respected by the opponent was an enjoyable feeling.
He felt itchy all over now, itching to operate, itching to clatter away on the keyboard.
Especially since the enemy mid lane was actually a support.
Of course, he knew that even though LeBlanc had shined in the first game, asking to pick Zed or Yasuo this game would definitely be rejected.
Next, Top Esports banned Lee Sin and Jarvan IV.
TT then banned JackeyLove's Zeri and Aphelios.
They knew that Top Esports' lineup only had one carry point left. If they wanted to win, it had to be through the bot lane. Just target bot lane directly.
And these two champions both had the ability to decide the outcome of a game.
Even though TT's current record was eye‑searingly bad, they still had dreams.
Look at Top Esports—a traditional powerhouse—and now they were at the bottom. Anything was possible.
At the very least, they had to fight for a playoff spot. Are kings and generals born noble?
"Blue side TT first-picks Jinx. First-picking an ADC is pretty rare, but after banning two ADCs in a row, the intention is very clear—lock down JackeyLove."
"The decision is pretty solid. JackeyLove is carrying a lot of responsibility right now, so the pressure on him this game is definitely going to be huge."
"From the ban–pick phase, we can also see they banned two junglers. The goal is to protect bot lane development, since Jarvan and Lee Sin pose huge threats in lane…"
As he said this, Miller couldn't help but sigh. The Top Esports squad that everyone had been so optimistic about had completely collapsed in the Spring Split. It was hard to accept.
After all, the dominance they showed in the Demacia Cup earlier was beyond imagination.
Countless people thought the most promising year had truly arrived.
Premium JackeyLove. An all‑Chinese roster winning the championship.
But now it had become an all‑slip roster.
The biggest joke in the league right now. Even if their total roster value wasn't the highest in the league, it was easily top three. Yet their results were dead last. Only Top Esports could pull something like this off.
"Top Esports lock in Lucian and Nami with their first two picks. The Lucian–Nami duo is all about lane dominance. Picking bot lane in the first rotation is probably because they're afraid of getting banned out—but that also makes them easier to target."
Lucian–Nami hadn't been nerfed yet, and they were still extremely strong in lane.
Miller smoothly picked up where Wawa left off.
"TT answer with Leona, and the jungler even pulls out Diana. These two picks create a very strong engage, dive‑in composition."
"Southwind's Leona is very good at finding engages. Even though Lucian–Nami have lane advantage, under Diana's pressure, it feels like they won't dare to push too deep. And in teamfights they'll hesitate as well—Top Esports are being watched very closely."
"That's right. After her rework, Diana's follow‑up is very strong, and her jungle clear is fast. As long as there's CC to cooperate with the lanes, it's easy to make plays. This game, if there's a chance, they'll gank bot to free up the lane. If not, they'll make plays elsewhere. TT's setup is very stable."
…
At this moment, Luo Sheng looked at the enemy jungle–support duo, his brows tightly furrowed.
Nami actually wasn't too afraid of hard‑engage supports.
As long as your ADC's burst was higher than the opponent's ADC, it was fine. This game, TT had picked Jinx, whose burst wasn't higher than Lucian's, so Top Esports could still gain lane advantage.
But once Diana was picked, the situation changed completely.
There were simply too many ways to limit an ADC. It was impossible not to be targeted.
"Lin Fan, since TT banned your Vladimir, they definitely know about your Syndra too. I'm afraid they'll ban Syndra in the second phase. You should just pick it now…"
Watching Lin Fan switch from the desktop back to the client, Luo Sheng felt his head start to spin.
The stage PCs had nothing installed other than League of Legends.
Yet in these few minutes of champion select, you still had to go slack off once?
He was starting to wonder whether calling Lin Fan up to play was actually a mistake.
"Oh… okay."
As long as it was any champion within his pool, it didn't matter.
He skillfully found Syndra and locked her in. After all, this was a champion with black stockings and ball‑playing—naturally very familiar.
Then he immediately switched the client back to the desktop. Slacking off was his real profession. Playing on stage was just a side job. If he could steal one second, he would.
That was his top‑tier professional mindset.
"We still need to end the game quickly. I'm not planning to take Luoyang tonight—if I go, I'll definitely make the rankings…"
In Rise of Kingdoms, since Lin Fan had been playing every day recently, everyone was already used to it.
JackeyLove seriously suspected that Lin Fan's main reason for going pro was to recharge and play other games.
League of Legends was just how he made a living. Other games were his true passion.
"It really is Syndra… what do you think is a good pick?"
"If there were LeBlanc, then obviously LeBlanc. Without her, other picks like Fizz or Zed aren't really suitable."
In theory, Zed could dodge all of Syndra's skills.
But picking him in this version… it didn't feel very impactful. Using him mid felt like a waste of the position—he'd just go in for a one‑for‑one.
TT's coach had originally thought that if nothing else worked, they could just take Viktor and farm it out.
Viktor naturally dealt ridiculous damage in the late game.
Given the opponent's relatively weak individual skill, picking a lane bully to stabilize lane wouldn't be a problem.
But after hearing Ucal's words, he had new ideas.
Picking a high‑mechanics champion like that would definitely crush an enemy support‑turned‑mid.
"Hmm… in teamfights, we just need to deal with Lucian. Both Fizz and Zed are viable, but Zed seems a bit better. His ultimate can directly lock onto Lucian. Top lane could even pick Rumble."
Rumble had always been known as an AD killer.
Because his ultimate burned your feet.
Against squishy champions, one Equalizer—even if you walked out immediately—you'd still lose half your health.
Since TT already had their plan, the second phase of bans went extremely quickly.
All to create a favorable lane environment for Rumble.
They banned out all the counter top laners.
In the end, both team compositions were locked in.
Blue side TT: Top Rumble, Jungle Diana, Mid Zed, Bot Jinx + Leona.
Red side TES: Top Ornn, Jungle Viego, Mid Syndra, Bot Lucian + Nami.
"Looking at their lineup… they really love you. Their eyes are only on you."
"Get lost. How can they draft such a deranged composition? Zed is out? This is Season 12! Though mid lane probably won't be easy for you either, right?"
"He's done for today."
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup