Chapter 752
Iron Bucket Formation?
The car door opened, and Su Mo was the first to get out.
He wore a black and red EDG short-sleeved jersey, his signature black baseball cap, and held a thermos in his hand. His eyes remained calm as an abyss, as if he were about to face not the current second-ranked team in the league, but just an ordinary training match.
"Brother Mo, this is quite a spectacle today." Ah Chen followed behind, looking at the dense crowd of fans and flashing lights outside the garage, and swallowed hard.
"Keep a calm mind," Su Mo said calmly, and stepped towards the contestant's passage.
In the lounge, Abu was giving final tactical instructions.
“Remember, JDG’s core today is definitely Ruler in the bot lane. Their draft strategy on both the red and blue sides will revolve around how to get Ruler to take over the game after 30 minutes.” Abu adjusted his glasses. “Therefore, we must put enough pressure on them in the early and mid-game resource contests. Mozi, top lane…”
“I understand.” Su Mo sat in the gaming chair, unscrewed the thermos and took a sip of goji berry water. “I will lock 369 under the tower.”
The competition officially began at 5 p.m.
Amidst deafening cheers and a dazzling light show, the two contestants took to the stage.
The commentary team today consists of Guan Zeyuan, Miller, and special guest Zitai.
"Dear viewers, welcome to the most anticipated match of the 2024 LPL Summer Split regular season! The 'Battle of the Titans' between EDG and JDG!" Guan Zeyuan passionately opened the show. "Both teams are currently on nine-game winning streaks and have yet to lose. Today, one team's undefeated record is destined to be broken!"
“Yes!” Miller chimed in, “There are just too many things to watch in this match. Will Mozi’s top lane split-push strategy prevail, or will JDG’s ‘four-protect-one ironclad formation’ centered around Ruler prove more solid? Let’s wait and see!”
Zita chuckled mischievously from the side: "Hehe, I saw various forums analyzing how to break JDG's ironclad defense before the match. But to be honest, with Mozi's ironclad defense in front of him, I always felt that the ironclad defense would eventually be smashed into pieces."
The large screen switches to the BP interface.
In the first game, JDG had the first choice of side and chose the blue side.
"JDG is on the blue side, EDG is on the red side! First three bans begin!"
JDG's coach Homme didn't hesitate at all and immediately banned Fiora, Camille, and Gwen.
"A classic three-ban top laner! This is the eleventh time we've seen this kind of targeting this season!" Guan Zeyuan shouted. "JDG's meaning is very clear: I'm not going to split push and kite you; I'm going to force you to use standard champions for head-on team fights!"
On EDG's side, Mingkai and Abu discussed it and disabled Vi, Rakan, and Annie, blocking Kanavi's strong engage and Missing's powerful support.
Enter the first round of picking.
JDG made their first pick and locked in Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void, without hesitation!
"Kaisa! Ruler's signature champion! This champion's late-game finishing ability is top-tier in the League!" Miller shouted.
EDG immediately picked Maokai and Aphelios on the first and second floors.
JDG secured Sejuani and Nautilus on the second and third floors.
EDG selected Lulu on the third floor to protect Aphelios.
Enter the second round of banning.
EDG blocked Azir and Taliyah in the mid lane.
JDG, in their fourth and fifth picks, continued their relentless targeting of the top lane, eliminating Aatrox and Renekton.
"My God! Five bans on the top lane! JDG is determined to turn the top lane into a complete mess!" Zz1tai shouted, clutching his head.
Second round of picking.
On the fourth floor of EDG, Xiaoyue locked in Syndra.
JDG's fourth pick, left hand, chose LeBlanc to increase their ability to engage and control the enemy.
At this moment, the fifth-floor top laner position of JDG was lit up.
Amid gasps from the crowd, a heavily armored tank wielding a massive warhammer and radiating a chilling aura was locked onto.
"Crush them!"
Sion, the Undead Warrior!
"Sion! 369 has pulled out the ultimate tanky muck truck!" Guan Zeyuan raised his voice, "This lineup is too solid! Sejuani and Sion as double frontliners, Nautilus for protection, LeBlanc to engage, and Kai'Sa to clean up! JDG's lineup has a perfect margin for error!"
Now, all the pressure and attention are focused on the fifth floor of the red team, on EDG's counter position!
Facing five bans on top laners, and facing the opponent's rock-solid "four-protect-one iron barrel formation".
In this version, which is jokingly referred to as "tank battles".
Everyone is speculating about what the seven-time champion, who used fifteen different heroes in the first nine games of the regular season, will use to break this suffocating deadlock.
"Mozi, there are basically no lightly armored warriors outside who can fight Sion. Should we just use Ornn to farm against him?" Mingkai frowned, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
Su Mo held the thermos cup, blew on the steam rising from the rim, and his eyes remained as calm as an abyss.
He glanced at the opposing team's lineup.
Four tanks and one diver protected Kai'Sa very well.
"Spinning?"
Su Mo put down the cup and tapped the mouse lightly with his finger.
"I told you, I'm going to teach them how to fight in team battles."
An extremely unpopular mage hero icon, even considered "bottom tier" in this version, lit up on the fifth floor of the red team.
Embrace the darkness!
The Crimson Reaper - Vladimir!
locking!
"vampire?!"
In the commentary booth, Guan Zeyuan's eyes widened suddenly, and his voice cracked, "Brother Mozi, on the fifth floor of the red team, facing JDG's super ironclad defense, picked a Vladimir top laner!"
Miller was also incredulous, shaking his head repeatedly: "This hero was practically the worst of the worst in patch 14.10! His base stats were nerfed, and his early laning phase was ridiculously weak. Forget about crushing Sion; if Kanavi's Sejuani came to gank, he'd even have trouble farming under the tower. What kind of abstract understanding of drafting is Mozi?"
Zizai exclaimed from the side, "Wow, that's too crazy! Mozi means that since you guys want to drag the game into the late game and team fight, then I'll pick the strongest late-game team fight carry to play with you! But the problem is, Vladimir is a champion that relies too much on farming, and JDG won't let him get through the early game comfortably!"
The audience inside the bronze box hall also murmured amongst themselves. In this version that mainly features tank duels and occasional appearances by warriors, the appearance of Vladimir top lane was tantamount to kicking everyone's tactical understanding hard.
JDG's battle zone.
369 stared at the blood-red portrait, his brows furrowed, but a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.
"He dares to pick Vladimir? I'll push his lane with my eyes closed in the early game with Sion," 369 said in the voice chat.
Kanavi's eyes turned cold as he quickly marked the top lane: "369, you push the lane. I'll clear the bottom half of the map and head straight to top. This Vladimir is doomed without Flash. I'm going to turn him into an ATM."
Knight nodded slightly: "I can pressure Syndra with LeBlanc in the mid lane and coordinate with Kanavi to invade the top side of the map. Don't let him farm until the 30-minute mark."
JDG's tactical intention became clear instantly: to completely shut down this vampire who requires an extremely long development period by taking advantage of the team's early-game strength.
Game loading.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
The director very considerately locked the camera on the road.
Su Mo's vampire bought a Doran's Ring and two health potions, but did not choose the more resilient Doran's Shield.
"Chen, you farm in the bottom half of the map this game, protect Leave's Aphelios at all costs. Don't worry about the top lane." Su Mo instructed in an extremely calm tone over the voice chat as he walked towards the top lane tower.
"Brother Mo, the enemy Sejuani is definitely going to target you. Vladimir is too easy to gank in the early game," Ah Chen said with some concern.
“I know.” Su Mo stopped in the bushes behind the tower. “Let him come.”
At one minute and thirty seconds, the entire army launched an attack.
The minion waves converge at the top lane.
369's Sion learned the Q skill Brutal Strike at level 1. Relying on his thick skin, he directly bypassed the melee minions and tried to use the charged Q to suppress the Vladimir's position.
Su Mo's vampire had learned the Q skill, Blood Conversion, at level one. He didn't back down, but instead positioned himself at the very edge of Sion's charged Q.
Just as Sion's axe was about to fall, Su Mo clicked the mouse and made a small sidestep, narrowly avoiding the knock-up range, and then used his Q skill to hit Sion.
A crimson stream of energy was drawn from Sion's body and entered the vampire's body.
A flat attack, then another flat attack.
Thanks to the Phase Rush rune, although the early game damage wasn't high, the three attacks triggered the speed boost. Using this increased movement speed, Su Mo not only managed to chip away at Sion's health but also created distance, avoiding minion aggro.
"Such precise distance control!" Zz1tai exclaimed in admiration on the commentary stage. "Mozi perfectly dodged 369's charged Q. This trade of health not only didn't result in a loss for Vladimir, but he actually gained by using the healing from Q!"
But this was just a minor skirmish in the early stages. Sion's wave clear speed was much faster than Vladimir's, and soon the minion wave was pushed into EDG's top lane tower.
Two and a half minutes.
The director switched to the jungle route.
Kanavi's Sejuani started with the red buff, cleared the F6 and Krugs, reached level three, abandoned the bottom jungle camps, and headed straight to the top lane with her Chain Mace.
"Pig Girl is here! Kanavi's pace is incredibly fast!" Guan Zeyuan shouted.
At this moment, Su Mo's Vladimir was only level two and was being pressured under the tower by Sion to farm minions. "I'll tank the tower, you provide crowd control," 369 communicated in voice chat, controlling Sion to approach the tower.
Sejuani emerged from the bushes behind her, and her Q skill, Arctic Assault, accompanied by a biting gust of cold wind, crashed directly into the vampire!
Faced with this sudden encirclement, Su Mo's eyes remained as still as a stagnant pool, completely unmoved.
He didn't use Flash to escape.
In the 0.01 second that Sejuani charged at him, Su Mo pressed his W skill, Blood Pool!
The vampire transformed into a pool of viscous blood, burrowed underground, and entered a state where it could not be targeted.
Pig Girl's charge missed completely!
Sion had no choice but to cancel his Q skill, which he had been charging up to follow up with a control effect.
"Blood Pool hid! Brother Mozi's reaction was too extreme!" Miller exclaimed.
But the crisis was not over. The time spent in the blood pool was short, and once the vampire got up, he was still within the two's encirclement.
Two seconds later, the vampire emerged from the ground.
Kanavi's eyes hardened, and he landed a basic attack on the vampire, applying the passive Frost Mark, preparing to coordinate with Sion for a kill.
Just then, Su Mo activated his E skill, Blood Tide, and simultaneously used Flash!
A flash of golden light.
The vampire not only dodged Sion's E skill slow, but also flashed to an extremely tricky spot, actually getting right next to Sion who was tanking the tower!
The E skill explodes, slowing down two opponents.
At the same time, a red-rage Q blood conversion hit Sion hard!
The high amount of healing and damage caused Sion's health to plummet to the danger zone instantly.
The turret's laser relentlessly bombarded Sion.
369 was shocked. The vampire's damage, combined with the turret's attack, was unexpected. He quickly used Flash to escape from the turret.
Seeing that Sion, who was tanking the tower, had escaped, and knowing he was also fragile, Kanavi had no choice but to use his Q skill to create distance and slink back to the jungle.
"It's done!! Mozi used Blood Pool and Flash to perfectly thwart JDG's sure-kill tower dive! Not only did he survive, but he also forced 369 to use Flash!" Guan Zeyuan shouted excitedly.
"His health calculation is too precise. He knows Sejuani doesn't have Flash, so as long as he forces Sion, who's tanking the tower, away, this tower dive will fall apart on its own." Zz1tai shook his head repeatedly.
In the T1 backstage lounge, watching this series of actions on the screen, Zeus swallowed hard. He found that his fear of this man seemed to have deepened even further.
Three minutes and thirty seconds.
River crabs in both the upper and lower river channels spawn simultaneously.
Because Kanavi wasted a lot of time in the top lane, Chen's Maokai comfortably secured the bottom river crab and took the opportunity to steal JDG's blue buff.
Although Knight in the mid lane suppressed Syndra's health with LeBlanc, Xiao Yue played very cautiously, only using skills to last-hit minions and never giving LeBlanc a chance to get a solo kill.
In the bottom lane, Ruler's Kai'Sa, in combination with Nautilus, pressured Aphelios, but JDG dared not make any rash moves due to Maokai protecting the bottom half of the map.
Four minutes.
Although Su Mo's vampire was a few minions behind Sion's, his health remained healthy.
He stood under the tower, watching Sion constantly pushing the lane with his skills, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
"You really think you can crush me by picking a tank?"
Five minutes later, the first dragon, the Wind Dragon, and the Void Larva spawned simultaneously.
Because Kanavi's Sejuani had to control the Wind Dragon in the lower half of the map, a brief vision vacuum appeared in the upper half.
Su Mo seized the opportunity, pushed down the minion wave, and headed straight for the Baron pit, where he began to fight the Void Larva alone.
Vampires are extremely slow at clearing jungle monsters, but fortunately they have the Q skill that allows them to heal without taking damage.
By the time he finished killing the three Void Larvae, six minutes had passed.
Six minutes and ten seconds.
Su Mo returned to his lane, but because he went to kill the larvae, the minion wave had already been pushed under the tower by Sion.
Sion, with a score of 369, had already reached level six. Su Mo, on the other hand, was only level five and a half.
"He went to fight the larvae and lost lane. We can pressure him this wave," 369 said in the voice chat.
Sion activated his W shield and swaggered into the turret, attempting to use his E skill to harass the vampire.
Just as Sion kicked the minion.
Su Mo devoured a melee soldier, and a golden light flashed around him.
Level 6!
Without any hesitation, Su Mo activated his ultimate move, Blood Plague!
A crimson cloud of poison instantly enveloped Sion beneath the tower!
"They've made a move?! A level six vampire has taken the initiative to attack Sion?!" Doll exclaimed in surprise.
369 was taken aback, clearly not expecting the vampire to dare to counterattack at this moment. But he was not afraid at all; with Sion's physique, a full set of vampire skills wouldn't even scratch his skin.
Sion immediately charged up his Q skill, Brutal Strike, in place, preparing to trade blows with Vladimir under the tower.
But Su Mo's movements were like flowing, artistic movements.
He didn't use the Blood Pool to dodge Q.
Just as Sion's axe was about to fall, Vladimir activated his E skill to charge up, while simultaneously sliding to the side and forward, barely avoiding the center of the knock-up and only taking the slow effect from the edge.
Immediately afterwards, the red-rage Q hit Sion, and the E skill exploded, applying a slow!
Phase Rush triggered!
With his high movement speed, the vampire circled around Sion under the turret, relentlessly auto-attacking him.
Sion's health isn't dropping quickly, but the four-second countdown for his ultimate, Blood Plague, is about to end.
369 sensed something was wrong. With the vampire's combo combined with the turret's damage, his health was dropping at a visible rate.
He wanted to use his ultimate ability to recklessly charge and escape from under the tower.
"late."
Su Mo uttered two words softly.
Just as Sion pressed his ultimate, Vampire's ultimate, Blood Plague, exploded!
The terrifying damage from the burst blood, combined with the damage from the red-rage Q, instantly wiped out Sion's last sliver of health!
"EDG.Mo has killed JDG.369!"
Solo kill!!
"Holy crap!! Solo kill!! Vladimir solo kills Sion at level 6!!" Guan Zeyuan jumped up. "Brother Mozi used the turret's damage to calculate Sion's health until he was dead! The damage from his ultimate's burst was terrifying!"
Sion's passive, Death's Glory, is triggered, and his corpse rises up, attempting to trade kills with the low-health vampire.
But Su Mo simply pressed W, Blood Pool, and turned into a pool of blood, swimming around Sion's corpse. He easily avoided all damage and even used the slow effect of the Blood Pool to let the turret kill Sion's corpse completely.
Seven minutes.
After securing the first kill, Su Mo returned to base and opened the shop.
Instead of choosing the conventional Hextech generator, he pulled out a useless stick and a pair of magic penetration shoes!
Extremely aggressive item build!
"This build... Mozi is trying to play Vampire like an assassin!" Rita gasped.
Eight minutes later, the Rift Herald spawned in the river.
JDG knew they absolutely couldn't let the Vladimir who got First Blood continue to snowball. They had to use their lineup's early-game strength to force EDG to engage in this skirmish.
"Let's go for the vanguard. Our lineup is invincible in team fights right now." Knight's LeBlanc had already completed some Mythic items and was full of confidence.
Kanavi's Sejuani and 369's Sion also positioned themselves early. The bot lane duo, due to a minion wave disadvantage, were a step behind in heading towards the river.
"Chen, go get Xiaolong. Let them have the Vanguard." Su Mo made an extremely calm decision over the voice chat.
At this point, although the vampire has burst damage, his cooldown is too long. If he tries to engage in this vanguard team fight, he can easily be killed by LeBlanc if he gets controlled by Sejuani or Sion.
EDG decisively abandoned the top half of the map, and Maokai, together with the bot lane duo, steadily secured the second dragon, the Wind Dragon.
Nine minutes.
JDG secured the Rift Herald, but due to EDG's avoidance of engagements, they did not manage to secure any kills.
"Although JDG secured the Herald, it felt like EDG was slowing down their pace," Miller analyzed. "Vladimir is having such a comfortable time farming right now. As long as there are no fights, Mozi's dominance on the sidelines will become increasingly terrifying."
Nine minutes and forty seconds.
Su Mo's vampire pushed the minion wave across the river, heading straight for JDG's top lane tower.
At this moment, 369 felt a chill run down his spine looking at the ridiculously well-equipped Vladimir on the opposing team. He didn't even have the courage to glance at the creeps with his Sion.
"I'm going to gank, otherwise he'll grind down this tower." Kanavi's Sejuani, carrying a scanner, quietly circled around from the jungle to the top lane Krugs' location.
Knight's LeBlanc also finished clearing the mid lane and came from the river to flank.
"Three-man gank! JDG is here again!" Wawa shouted. (End of Chapter)