Chapter 645
Asian Games Final
"Alright! Ladies and gentlemen in the audience, Summoners watching on your screens! Welcome to the finals of the League of Legends esports event at the Hangzhou Asian Games!"
Guan Zeyuan's voice trembled slightly with excitement, resonating throughout the venue through the speakers: "We've waited too long for this moment! China's CHN team versus South Korea's KOR team! Two teams representing the highest level in the world will decide the champion of Asia tonight!"
"Yes!" Miller pushed up his glasses, his eyes shining. "The Chinese team, led by Mozi, is facing off against the Korean team, led by Faker. This is not only a contest of skills, but also a battle of wills. Let's turn the camera to the players' bench!"
In the players' seat, Su Mo had just put on his noise-canceling headphones when the deafening shouts of "Go China!" from the outside world were instantly shut out, replaced by the familiar static and the breathing of his teammates.
"Can you hear me?" Su Mo confirmed in the voice message, his voice as calm as still water.
“I can hear you, Brother Mo.” JackeyLove chewed his gum and spoke quickly, “Ruler on the other side looks like he’s going to eat someone alive, tsk tsk, looks like he’s really desperate.”
"Stop joking." Meiko was quickly checking the runes. "Kanavi must have started red and farmed down the map. Jack, you're too cocky at level one."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." JackeyLove chuckled. "Tianye, you're underestimating me. When I'm calm, even I'm afraid of myself."
BP begins.
Team China (blue side) has the right to choose sides first.
Coach Zhu Kai stood behind Su Mo with his notebook in hand, patting him on the shoulder: "Mo Zi, KkOma on the other side will definitely target you. The first three picks will most likely be a ban on the top laner."
As expected, the Korean team made no hesitation in their first three bans: Fiora, Jayce, and Camille.
It's highly targeted.
"Looks like Zeus really doesn't want to compete with you in terms of mechanics." Knight smiled as he looked at the bans. "Banning these three every game must be tiring for him too."
“Then we won’t stand on ceremony.” Su Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Let’s eliminate Big Tree, Rui’er, and Xia.”
Limit Kanavi's tempo and Ruler's late-game carry potential.
China's first pick: Rexway excavator.
"Is Jiejie going to play aggressively this game?" Guan Zeyuan asked, somewhat surprised. "Although the Excavator has been buffed in this version, it's still a relatively unpopular pick in matches."
"Trust Jiejie," Su Mo said. "We need to control the map."
The Korean team countered with: Sejuani + Aphelios.
Kanavi picked Sejuani to protect Zeus, while Ruler picked Aphelios to ensure late-game damage output.
In their second and third picks, the Chinese team locked in Kai'Sa and Nautilus.
The classic "charge formation" system, JackeyLove and Meiko's most confident combination.
South Korea's third floor: Luo.
Keria's name, Luo, is also his trademark.
The second round of bans.
The Korean team continued to target the mid lane, eliminating Syndra and Ahri.
The Chinese team banned Tsar and Ornn.
“Zeus is out of Ornn, and Quesanti is still outside.” Su Mo looked at the screen. “Get me Jax (the Weapon Master).
"Locked up! Weapon Master!!" Miller shouted, "This is Mozi's response! You target my ban picks, I'll pick the 1v1 king! This game is going to be a head-to-head battle with Zeus!"
The South Korean team's last counter position on the fifth floor.
Zeus stared at the image of the weapon master, took a deep breath, and hovered his finger over the image of the burly black man for a long time before finally locking it.
Quesanti.
The final lineup is confirmed:
Team China (Blue Side): Top lane Jax, Jungle Rek'Sai, Mid lane Neeko, ADC Kai'Sa, Support Nautilus.
South Korea (Red Side): Top laner Quesant, Jungler Sejuani, Mid laner Orianna, ADC Aphelios, Support Rakan.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
1 minute and 30 seconds into the game.
Both sides formed a long, straight line formation and did not engage in a level 1 team fight.
Su Mo, controlling the Weapon Master, went directly to the top lane river bush. He didn't rush to lane, but instead held the line of sight.
"Jiejie, you start with red buff, check bot lane at level 3." Su Mo quickly gave instructions in the voice chat. "Kanavi will most likely start with blue buff and farm bot lane, trying to protect the bot lane and push the wave. Zeus is taking Grasp of the Undying this game, he'll definitely want to stay in lane early."
"Received." Jiejie's excavator was already in position with the red buff.
At 1 minute and 50 seconds, the minions on the top lane meet.
Zeus's Quesanti played very cautiously, leveling up Q at level one and trying to whittle down the enemy using his range advantage.
Su Mo's Weapon Master level 1 skill is E [Counterattack Storm].
"There's a detail here!" Remember to keep an eye on the screen, "Mozi didn't go straight up to attack the minions, but instead positioned himself next to the melee minions. Zeus tried to use his Q on the minions, but Mozi took a step forward!"
This step is a psychological battle.
Zeus instinctively took a step back, missing a melee minion's finisher.
"Want to finish me off? Did you ask the streetlight in my hand first?" Su Mo's lips curled up slightly.
2 minutes 45 seconds.
Both sides reached level three.
The pressure on the top laner increased dramatically. Zeus, relying on the short cooldown of Quesant's Q skill and the sustain from Grasp of the Undying, frequently looked for opportunities to trade blows.
"boom!"
Zeus knocked Su Mo into the air with a Q3, followed by a basic attack that triggered Undying.
Su Mo immediately activated his E skill to block the subsequent basic attack, then used Q [Leap Slash] to smash in, and W [Charged Strike] to reset the basic attack!
"Boom!"
It was a solid blow to Quesanti's forehead.
Zeus activated W [Block the Forest] to knock off the Weapon Master's stun and pulled back.
"It's a 50/50 chance in terms of blood exchange," Guan Zeyuan analyzed. "Zeus is in good form this game, not as fragile as he was at MSI. Looks like he's been practicing a lot lately."
River crab respawns at 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
This is the jungler's first key moment.
Jiejie's excavator finished clearing the lower half of the map and went straight to the lower river. And sure enough, Kanavi's Sejuani was there too.
In the mid lane, Knight's Neeko has lane priority.
"I can get through!" Knight shouted. "Faker can't get through, I have the lane!"
Neeko's E [Entangled Barrage] forced Faker's Orianna to retreat, allowing her to be the first to support the river.
Seeing this, Kanavi had no choice but to abandon the lower river crab and turn to control the upper river crab.
“Jiejie took the river crab, so Kanavi is in the upper half of the map.” Su Mo glanced at the minimap. “Zeus might bait me by making a mistake, so I’ll play it safe.”
Su Mo controlled the Weapon Master to place a ward in the river bush, and sure enough, he saw Kanavi's Sejuani taking the river crab and intentionally or unintentionally moving towards the top lane.
4 minutes 00 seconds.
A fierce battle erupts in the bottom lane!
Ruler's Aphelios is currently wielding the red and white blades (Soul Breaker + Mirror Reversal), making him extremely powerful. Keria's Rakan suddenly uses his W [Grand Entrance] to lift JackeyLove's Kai'Sa.
JackeyLove reacted extremely quickly, using E [Extreme Overload] to accelerate his waist twist and barely dodge the lift.
Meiko's Titan landed a Q hook on Rakan, followed by a basic attack to root him!
"Fight! We can fight!" JackeyLove shouted, turning around as a torrential downpour poured down on Icathia.
Ruler was not to be outdone, and they clashed face-to-face with the red blade.
Both sides assist each other in igniting.
Ultimately, JackeyLove was forced to use Flash and escape with low health; Keria's Rakan was also reduced to a sliver of health and used Flash to escape back to the tower.
"This is a clash between the top bot laners from China and South Korea!" Miller exclaimed. "It's all about the details, not just the initial clash. Although no kills were secured, this exchange of summoner spells means the bot lane will be a powder keg for the next five minutes." 5 minutes and 10 seconds.
The real danger lies in the top lane.
Su Mo positioned the minion wave slightly in front of his own tower. This was a very difficult position for Zeus—he had to move forward to gain experience, but moving forward risked being caught.
However, Kanavi just showed up in the top half of the map, so he has most likely already recalled to base or gone to the bottom lane.
"Jiejie, let's go for it," Su Mo said. "He doesn't have Flash, but I have E."
"coming."
Jiejie's excavator used the tunnel to quietly circle around to the triangular bushes behind the red team's first tower.
This is the classic "starvation" gank; Jiejie abandoned a group of Golems just to kill Zeus.
The minion wave pushes towards the tower.
Zeus seemed to sense the danger, and Quesanti tried to retreat.
"late."
Su Mo, the Weapon Master, immediately used Q to dash to a minion and activated his E skill, Counterattack Storm!
Zeus reacted quickly, using E (likely referring to a skill or ability) to pull down on the tower.
But Jiejie's excavator had already emerged from behind!
Flash! W [Emerge from the Ground]!
Jiejie acted decisively, using Flash to knock Quesanti away!
Su Mo followed up, and the second stage of the E-stun was connected to the control chain!
"It's under control! The two controls are perfectly coordinated!" Guan Zeyuan roared. "Zeus can't escape!!"
Zeus was holding W in his hand, but under the chain of control effects, he couldn't press it at all.
The two of them started beating each other up.
Finally, Jiejie gave up the kill, and Su Mo finished it off with a basic attack.
First Blood!
CHN.Mo has killed KOR.Zeus!
"Beautiful!! First Blood!! Top lane again!" Miller excitedly pumped his fist. "This is what they mean by 'you can always trust Mozi and Jiejie's top-jungle synergy!' At 5 minutes and 30 seconds, they've torn open a gap!"
Having secured the first kill, Su Mo didn't rush back to the city.
"Help me push the lane," he said to Jiejie.
The two worked together to push a large wave of minions towards the tower.
Zeus respawned and teleported back to lane, but the experience and gold loss from this wave of minions had completely deprived him of the initiative in the subsequent laning phase.
Back at the spring, Su Mo immediately pulled out the [Radiant Light] and the [Longsword].
“We’ve got this one.” Su Mo took a sip of water, his tone relaxed. “Knight, you be careful too. Kanavi didn’t show himself just now; he’s probably going to cause you trouble.”
"Don't worry, Brother Mo." Knight was currently battling Faker in the mid lane, his eyes focused. "Faker trying to distract me won't be that easy."
The game time has now reached 6 minutes.
Taking advantage of his position in the top lane, Jiejie secured the first dragon (Alchemist Dragon).
The Chinese team had a smooth start, leading by 1000 yuan in economy.
But Su Mo knew that the opposing team was the Korean team, the team with Faker and Ruler.
The real contest has only just begun.
"Everyone, hold on." Su Mo bought a True Sight and stepped out of the spring. "We need to snowball this and not give them a chance to catch their breath."
6 minutes 40 seconds.
The game entered a brief period of calm and development, but this was the calm before the storm. Everyone knew that the Rift Herald, which spawns every 8 minutes, would be the first strategic high ground that both sides had to contest.
On the top lane, Su Mo, having secured the first blood, played extremely aggressively.
After returning home and acquiring [Radiant Light], [Ruby Crystal], and [Longsword], his damage output saw a significant leap. In contrast, Zeus's Quesanti, to withstand the pressure, had to first build a small cloth boot.
"Brother Mo, I've finished clearing the top half of the map, there's still one minute left for the Rift Herald." Jiejie's Rek'Sai cleared a Korean team's ward in the river. "Knight, do you have lane priority?"
In the mid lane, Knight played Neeko with exceptional skill.
"Yes, Faker is in a lot of pain."
On the screen, Knight's Neeko transformed into a melee minion, blending into the minion wave. When Faker's Orianna positioned herself slightly forward to clear the wave with QW, the "minion" suddenly unleashed its E [Entangle]!
Imprisonment!
Immediately afterwards, Q [Blooming Seed] exploded!
Faker reacted extremely quickly, shielding himself (E) and pulling back, but he still lost a third of his health.
"Wow! That Neeko on the left is too cunning!" Guan Zeyuan couldn't help but laugh. "Faker got harassed a bit this time. Orianna is at half health. It'll be hard for him to position himself in the Vanguard team fight later."
7 minutes 20 seconds.
A signal came from the lower lane.
“Miss,” Meiko said succinctly, “Keria is missing, and she’s most likely moved up there. Jack, be careful.”
"Don't worry, I'll be under the tower listening for experience, Ruler won't be able to push in." JackeyLove was playing very cautiously at this moment, with Kai'Sa hiding behind the tower, not giving the opponent a chance to dive.
At this moment, the situation on the minimap suddenly changed.
Meiko's Titan had roamed to the left side of the mid lane bush, while Keria's Rakan appeared in the river. The two supports initiated a vision control battle in the river.
7 minutes 45 seconds.
"We have to take this wave," Su Mo commanded in the voice chat. "I have Flash and Ignite, and I'm ahead in items. Zeus doesn't have Flash, but he has Teleport. If we force Zeus back to base first, we can take the Herald for free."
Su Mo, controlling the Weapon Master, suddenly launched an attack!
The moment he finished off Zeus, he used his Q [Leap Slash] to directly charge at his face!
Activate W [Charged Strike] to reset your basic attack and strike hard!
Zeus countered with Q3 to knock the opponent into the air, then followed up with W [Block the Path] to push the Weapon Master against the wall.
Su Mo instantly activated his E [Counterattack Storm], avoiding subsequent damage, and simultaneously pulled towards the river. Although both sides lost a significant amount of health in this exchange, Su Mo achieved his goal—he pushed Zeus under the tower, gaining the right to be the first to support the river.
8 minutes 00 seconds.
A roar echoed throughout the canyon.
Void Vanguard, arrive!
"Here it comes! The first Rift Herald!" Miller's voice rose instantly. "This team fight is crucial! Apart from the AD carry still farming in the bottom lane, the other eight players from both sides have all gathered in the upper river! This is a 4v4!"
The atmosphere on the river was tense at this moment.
Team China (blue) has secured the entrance below the river, with Jiejie's excavator at the forefront and Meiko's Titan lurking nearby, looking for an opportunity to hook.
The Korean team (red side) is positioned above the river, with Kanavi's Sejuani poised to attack, and Faker's Orianna, despite being at half health, is positioned in a very threatening way.
"Shall we start first?" Jiejie asked.
"Open fire! Force them to come over!" Su Mo decisively gave the order.
Jiejie immediately took the lead.
The South Korean team clearly doesn't want to let them go.
Keria's Rakan activated W [Grand Entrance], tentatively raising his head to bait out Meiko's Nautilus's Q.
Zeus's Quesanti also arrived from the triangular bushes, but he didn't use Flash and could only cautiously hold the front line.
The Vanguard's HP has dropped to 4000.
"Watch out for Orianna's ultimate!" Knight warned. "Faker has been hiding the ball!"
Just then, Kanavi moved!
Sejuani uses her Q [Arctic Assault] to lunge forward, but instead of hitting anyone, she instantly unleashes her ultimate R [Arctic Prison]!
Their target is Knight's Neeko!
"Kanavi initiated the team fight! He threw his ultimate at Zuo Shou!" Ji De exclaimed.
Knight reacted quickly, using his W [Two Shadows], and his real body took a small step back. Sejuani's ultimate grazed the clone and flew past, only slowing down the Titan at the edge.
"It didn't freeze! It's hollow!!"
Su Mo's eyes narrowed: "Counterattack! Slaughter the pig!" (End of this chapter)