Jinx, who was almost at full HP, was instantly deleted by Syndra's ultimate.
The visual impact was so overwhelming that it took everyone a moment to process.
Especially Puff—his mind went completely blank.
Before the fight, he had already seen how outrageous Syndra's items were, but he never expected to be one-shot by a single ultimate, without even getting the chance to use Heal.
Just blown up on the spot.
"Go, go, go! We win the 4v4!" Southwind shouted loudly in team comms.
With Ornn down, this was the perfect angle for Rumble to deal massive damage, and the enemy had lost their only real frontline.
"This is our chance."
"Focus the Syndra that flashed out—she has no Flash."
Ucal hadn't entered the fight immediately. The moment he saw Syndra flash forward, he didn't hesitate—he ulted straight in.
As long as he could get his full burst combo off, even with terrible items, he could still deal massive damage.
Syndra was fed, but she was still a squishy mage.
But just as all of TT charged toward Syndra—
Lucian, hiding deep inside the pit, dashed out with Nami's E buff and fired two shots, instantly chunking Rumble.
Top Esports didn't rely on Syndra alone for damage.
Lucian's development was just as explosive.
At this stage, he had two completed items, and with Nami, it was practically a third.
Instantly deleting Rumble was effortless—especially with Viego nearby to add follow-up damage.
One ultimate slash—reset secured.
Viego transformed into Rumble, activated W, and charged straight at Zed and Diana.
At the same time, Syndra let out a sharp chime and turned golden.
Stopwatch.
TL:
Activating Stopwatch makes your champion invulnerable and untargetable for 2.5 seconds You're frozen in place (can't move, attack, or cast spells) during this time.
She could stall long enough for her teammates to arrive.
That was Lin Fan's confidence in flashing forward to unleash his ultimate.
"We can wipe them—don't let a single one escape!" JackeyLove was completely fired up.
This was the most comfortable game he'd played in a long time.
He was fully in the zone.
And in the current situation, there was no one left who could threaten Lucian.
Diana and Zed had both committed their ultimates to Syndra.
As for Leona—she was just there.
JackeyLove was free to output damage at will.
When the stasis ended, Lin Fan immediately resumed the chase with Syndra.
"So you two wanted to burst me? Where are you running now?"
Both carries pushed their damage to the limit.
This fight had turned completely.
Viego kept picking up resets—one slash, one soul, another slash.
Tian secured a triple kill.
A picture-perfect teamfight at 20 minutes.
TT were wiped.
Baron was taken immediately afterward.
This completely sealed the game.
Miller's casting nearly fell apart from excitement.
TL: Casting, like, commentating.
That fight had been unbelievable.
TT had instantly burned everything to kill the half-HP Ornn, throwing the situation into extreme danger.
Rumble had perfect terrain for devastating AOE damage.
Jinx looked like she was about to run wild.
But the flashing Syndra forcefully pinned the runaway girl in place.
They were just a hair away—TT almost pulled off a miraculous comeback.
But that's how pro play is.
A tiny margin decides everything.
And those margins are built from everything that came before.
If Lin Fan hadn't gained an advantage in lane, he never could've one-shot Jinx with a single ultimate.
Zed wouldn't have been waiting on the sidelines for an entry angle.
Everything was a chain reaction.
It looked dangerous—but it was all calculated.
With Baron secured, Top Esports' gold lead exploded past 8,000.
This game was essentially over.
"As long as Top Esports play it safe, their win probability is already above 90%."
"That's way too conservative," Miller immediately countered. "How is this only 9–1? It's just a matter of when they decide to end."
"Exactly. With Baron buff, Top Esports are clearly looking to end in one push."
This comp had no real 4–1 split push angle.
Ornn excelled in teamfights.
And Top Esports had planned from the start to end with Baron.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have forced Baron at 20 minutes.
Two words—aggressive.
"You can tell that even after a long losing streak, Top Esports are still playing with confidence."
"They're not hesitant at all."
"Waves are set, they're grouping to push—TT can't stop this."
"This Syndra's damage is insane!"
Leona stood at the front, trying to protect Jinx while clearing the wave.
Lin Fan found the angle.
QE.
Leona was shoved straight into a stun in front of the turret.
Her HP instantly dropped below half.
"This damage is absurd!"
"Go, go, go!" Mark shouted in comms.
Zoom reacted instantly and pressed R.
This was the moment.
Catch Leona, delete her, then charge forward.
Lin Fan followed with a second Q and a throw.
Leona's HP vanished.
In pro play, a behind-support Leona is even weaker than in solo queue.
She has to give all her XP to the ADC.
Syndra was level 14—the highest in the game.
Leona was only level 8.
A six-level gap made the outcome inevitable.
TT scattered in retreat.
But against Top Esports' relentless charge, Jinx—with no mobility—was the second to fall.
Seeing this, countless Top Esports fans erupted.
They knew—it was over.
This game was won.
With bot lane evaporated, TT collapsed like a landslide.
They couldn't stop the five-man push.
Mid tier two.
Inhibitor turret.
Nexus.
Everything fell.
"Dine's Syndra is incredible. It feels like he's everywhere—he truly connected the entire game," Tongxi said as Top Esports broke into the base.
"With Baron buff, TT only have three players left. There's no way they can defend."
They could prepare for the final push.
"And this Syndra completely changed my understanding of the champion. So this is how you can play her.
Now we understand why the coach made the substitution—this was the secret mid-lane weapon."
TT's Nexus exploded.
"Let us congratulate Top Esports! With dine's top-tier Syndra performance, they pull one game back and bring the series to 1–1."
"After a short break, we'll head into Game 3. Which side will have the last laugh and take this match?"
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup