Chapter 755
: The Summer Tournament Begins!
Su Mo glanced at Yu Shuang through the rearview mirror. Their eyes met in the mirror, and without a word, a tacit understanding spread through the car.
The next two weeks saw the LPL Summer Split regular season enter its most intense phase.
EDG continued their winning streak with an overwhelming advantage.
On July 28th, EDG faced off against LNG, a formidable opponent boasting Korean mid-jungle duo Scout and Tarzan.
Before the match, various forums were making wild predictions about whether LNG's veteran mid-jungle duo could break through EDG's defenses in the early game.
"LNG's strategy is very clear: to protect Tarzan's jungle development and then cooperate with Scout to expand to the side lanes," Abu analyzed at the pre-match meeting.
"They want to play a jungle carry?" Su Mo sat in his chair, unscrewed his thermos, and took a sip.
"Yes. And after the version update, the experience gain for junglers has been adjusted, and the jungle carry system is indeed showing a resurgence." Mingkai frowned.
"Then let them have no jungle camps to farm." Su Mo put down his thermos, his tone still calm, as if he were talking about something extremely simple.
The competition officially began at 5 p.m.
Amidst dazzling lights and deafening cheers from fans, another highly anticipated match of the LPL Summer Split regular season kicked off. The commentary team consisted of the Haier Brothers (Wawa and Miller) and special guest – former professional jungler Ning.
"Welcome to the 2024 LPL Summer Split Regular Season, EDG vs LNG match!" Wawa's signature voice resounded throughout the arena. "Today's match is highly anticipated. After this patch update, Tarzan of LNG is in red-hot form, playing the jungle carry system flawlessly. On the EDG side, Mozi just gave us a tutorial on mage carries with Vladimir in the last match."
“Yes,” Miller continued. “Before the match, everyone was discussing whether LNG’s top-tier Korean mid-jungle duo could break through EDG’s defenses in the early game. Look at today’s draft: LNG was on the blue side, and EDG was on the red side. In the first three picks, LNG directly banned Fiora, Camille, and Renekton! They were very accommodating, picking all of Mozi’s signature lane bullies and split-pushing champions!”
Ning leaned back in his chair and chuckled, "LNG's intentions are quite clear. Zika (Purple Card) needs to withstand pressure in the top lane; they absolutely cannot let Mozi get a champion that can tower dive and kill, otherwise Tarzan's jungle will be endlessly invaded. EDG, on the other hand, has banned Maokai, Sejuani, and Vi, forcing Tarzan to pick a jungle carry!"
Enter the first round of picking.
LNG immediately secured the [Wild Huntress - Nidalee] (Leopard Woman) without hesitation!
"Nidalee! Tarzan's signature move!" Wawa shouted, "LNG is definitely going to play a jungle carry!"
EDG countered by securing the Blade of the Ruined King - Fryegor and the Frost Archer - Ashe on the first and second floors.
LNG added a strong bottom lane combination of Varus, the Arrow of Retribution, and Nautilus, the Deep Sea Titan, to the second and third floors.
EDG's third pick was the support champion, Braum, the Heart of Freljord, as a counter-attack.
The second round of banning players begins.
LNG's coach U shifted his focus to the mid lane, banning Xiaoyue's signature champions, Taliyah and Syndra, to prevent EDG's mid and jungle from synergizing too quickly in the early game.
EDG banned Gnar and Quesant in the fourth and fifth picks, further limiting Zika's options for tanking.
Second round of picking.
On the fourth floor of EDG, Xiaoyue locked in [Annie, the Dark Child] to provide stable point control.
On the fourth floor of LNG, Scout selected [Demon-Sealing Sword Soul - Yone].
Then, LNG's fifth-floor top laner position lit up. With his champion pool severely limited, Zika gritted his teeth and locked in a tanky fighter with wave clear and a shield—[Spirit Walker—Udyr].
"Udyr top lane! This champion is incredibly annoying in lane this patch. Not only does he have the shield regeneration from his W, but his R skill also clears waves extremely quickly, making him a perfect fit for LNG's strategy of protecting their jungler's development," Miller analyzed.
Now, all eyes are on the fifth floor of the red team, EDG's counter position!
"Mozi, there aren't many lightly armored warriors left who can fight Udyr. Should we use Olaf to fight him head-on?" Mingkai asked, standing behind Su Mo and looking at the lineup panel.
Su Mo picked up his thermos and took a sip of water, his eyes deep and calm.
He glanced at the smug Nidalee's portrait across from him.
"The most important thing for a jungle carry is not to gain an advantage in lane, but to make sure that the enemy has no jungle monsters to farm in this game."
Su Mo put down the cup and lightly swiped his finger across the mouse.
An assassin's head, wielding a sharp blade and hidden under a shadowy hood, suddenly lit up on the fifth floor of the red team's building!
"Live by the blade, die by the blade!"
Talon, the Blademaster!
locking!
"Male swordsman?!"
In the commentary booth, Wawa's voice suddenly split, "My God! Mozi locked in Talon on the fifth floor! And in the top lane! Isn't this champion supposed to be in the mid lane? What kind of strategy is top lane Talon?"
Ning was stunned for a moment when he saw the champion pick, then slapped his thigh and burst out laughing: "Absolutely brilliant! This pick is brilliant! Think about it, LNG was supposed to protect Tarzan's Nidalee's farm, right? Mozi picked Talon, and that champion's E skill, vaulting over walls, is an unstoppable map-running skill. This isn't picking a top laner, it's clearly picking an assassin who lives in the enemy jungle!"
Miller gasped: "But Talon doesn't have an easy time against Udyr in the early game! Udyr has a shield and sustain, and if Talon can't burst him down with his burst, he'll easily be whittled down."
"Laning?" Ning shook his head. "What Mozi means is that he never intended to play against Udyr in lane this game."
Game loading.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
Su Mo's Talon bought a Longsword and a Refillable Potion, and his Summoner Spells were Flash and Ignite. He was extremely aggressive, his killing intent at its peak.
"Chen, just start with the red buff and farm downwards normally. You don't need to worry about the top half of the map," Su Mo calmly instructed over the voice chat.
"Got it, Mo! I'm staying in the bottom lane this game, I promise I won't let Gala get ahead!" Achen's Fryegger walked briskly toward his own red buff.
At one minute and thirty seconds, the entire army launched an attack.
The director's camera was fixed on the road.
Zika's Udyr learned the ultimate skill, "Storm Awakening," and immediately activated Ice Storm to push the lane upon entering the lane. He knew very well that as long as he pushed the wave to the tower, the assassin wouldn't have time to roam.
But how could Su Mo let him have his way?
Talon learned his W skill, "Eliminate the Weeds," at level one. The instant Udyr moved to last-hit a minion, two flying knives were unleashed in a fan shape, precisely striking three melee minions and Udyr simultaneously!
Because he was wearing the Conqueror rune, Su Mo didn't retreat. Instead, he pressed forward, positioned himself at the edge of Udyr's Ice Storm, and landed a basic attack on Udyr.
Zika frowned, retaliated with a basic attack, and activated his awakened R skill to unleash a burst of damage.
But Su Mo's positioning was extremely precise; he timed his move perfectly to coincide with the moment the melee soldier died.
At 2 minutes and 5 seconds, the first melee soldier of the second wave of soldiers was killed.
A golden light flashed around Talon! He reached level two ahead of everyone else!
Learn the Q skill instantly: Noxian Diplomacy!
"what!"
Without any hesitation, Su Mo landed a critical hit with his melee Q, followed by a basic attack, triggering the bleed effect of his passive [Blade's Edge]! He then applied Ignite immediately!
A smooth combo was unleashed in less than a second!
Zika was shocked. Her health bar, which was originally quite healthy, dropped to less than a third due to the sudden burst of damage and the burning effect of true damage!
He was so frightened that he quickly used Flash and fled back to the tower in a sorry state, where he used the only health potion he had.
"What a brutal level 2 burst!!" Wawa exclaimed loudly, "Brother Mozi's proficiency is outrageous, his combos are so fast that you can't even see the afterimages! Zika was forced to use Flash at level 2, this top lane matchup is already over!"
After severely damaging and forcing Udyr back, Su Mo did not control the lane. Instead, he continued to use his W skill to quickly push the minion wave into LNG's top lane tower.
The time has reached three minutes and fifteen seconds.
The broadcast then showed the routes taken by both junglers.
Tarzan's Nidalee indeed started with blue buff. After clearing the Gromp and Wolves, she was happily farming her own red buff, preparing to go top lane to help Udyr clear the wave.
"Zika, hold on, I'll be there after I get the red buff. Talon is pushing so deep, he can't escape without Flash," Tarzan said confidently in Korean over the voice chat.
But what he didn't know was that the route to the top was now completely deserted.
After pushing the third wave of cannon minions to the tower, Su Mo's Talon immediately disappeared into the bushes in the top lane river.
Instead of attacking the river crab, he walked along the edge of the river straight to LNG's red buff jungle!
"Brother Mozi has entered the jungle! He's not even farming the lane anymore, he's going straight to find Tarzan!" Miller stared nervously at the screen.
Three minutes and twenty seconds.
Tarzan's Nidalee transformed into human form, piercing the red buff with a javelin before preparing to pounce and tear it apart. At this point, Nidalee's health was only around two-thirds due to farming jungle camps.
Just as the red buff had only 500 health left, and Tarzan was about to use Smite!
A dark red figure suddenly flipped over the thick wall behind the Red Buff pit!
Talon's E skill, "Way of the Assassin"!
There was no visual warning, and no mental preparation whatsoever.
Su Mo was like a death god descending from the sky, landing directly on the leopard woman's face!
"What?!" Tarzan's pupils constricted sharply. But Su Mo didn't give him any time to react.
W [Eliminate the Weeds] is unleashed instantly, slowing down Nidalee! Basic attack!
Startled, Tarzan immediately used Flash to try and create distance.
But Su Mo had already anticipated his Flash!
In the same frame as Nidalee flashed, Talon's Q skill, Noxian Diplomacy, had already locked onto her and followed up, dashing towards Nidalee after she flashed away like a persistent leech!
A basic attack lands, triggering the passive bleeding effect!
"呲-"
With the sound of a blade slicing through flesh, the leopard woman's health bar was instantly emptied!
"EDG.Mo has killed LNG.Tarzan!"
First Blood!
"First Blood!!! Solo Kill!!! Talon solo killed Nidalee in the jungle!!!" Guan Zeyuan shouted hoarsely on the commentary stage.
Ning laughed from ear to ear: "Hahahaha! I knew it! Tarzan got completely wiped out this time! Mozi jumped over the wall at the perfect moment when Nidalee was farming red buff, and Tarzan died before he could even use Smite. That red buff is Mozi's now!"
On the screen, Su Mo, who secured the first blood, remained calm. He then used Smite (although he didn't bring Smite, he still managed to take the low-health red buff with a basic attack and a Q), stepped on both buffs, and swaggered back to the top lane from LNG's jungle, vaulting over the wall.
At this moment, Zika's Udyr had just finished clearing that wave of cannon minions under the tower.
Staring at the cold kill notification on the screen, Tarzan sat in his chair, his hands trembling slightly, his mind blank.
His jungle carry rhythm suffered a devastating blow just three and a half minutes into the game.
“My jungle has been completely exposed… How did he know I just happened to have red buff?” Tarzan gritted his teeth, his voice revealing a rare hint of panic.
"Stay calm, I have lane priority in mid, I can help you defend the jungle later." Scout's Yone was currently pressuring Xiaoyue's Annie, trying to use the mid lane advantage to make up for the gaps in the jungle.
But for this man who has won every world championship since S7...
The hunt has only just begun.
Four minutes and fifty seconds.
The top lane minions were once again pushed across the river by Su Mo in an extremely domineering manner.
Because of Talon's unpredictable wall-jumping ability, Zika's Udyr doesn't dare to step outside the turret's range. He can only watch helplessly as the assassin, standing on the red buff, disappears into the fog of war once again.
"Watch out in mid lane! Talon's gone again!" Zika shouted anxiously in the voice chat.
Scout's heart tightened, and he immediately pulled back, while placing a ward in the bushes near the top half of the map.
However, Talon did not go to the mid lane.
Five minutes exactly.
With a low growl, three Voidbrood spawned precisely in the upper half of the dragon pit.
This is one of the most important map resources in the early stages of version 14.10.
"Chen, come and get the bugs." Su Mo's voice rang out calmly in the voice chat.
"Brother Mo's here!" Achen's Foygo abandoned farming his own F6 camp and happily ran towards the river. With a top laner like this who treats the enemy jungler like an ATM, this game couldn't be more comfortable for him.
At this moment, Tarzan had just respawned and was struggling to farm the Gromp in his own upper jungle. He was only a pitiful level three, while Su Mo's Talon had already reached level five!
"They're killing nest bugs, can we take them?" Zika looked at the gloomy riverbed and swallowed hard.
"Can't handle it, let it go." Tarzan took a deep breath, suppressing the frustration in his heart. A level 3 Nidalee trying to compete for resources with a level 5 Talon and a level 4 Fryegor was like throwing an egg against a rock.
At 5 minutes and 30 seconds, EDG effortlessly secured the first three Voidlings.
Meanwhile, with LNG abandoning the top half of the map, Leave's Aphelios and Vamp's Braum exerted immense pressure in the bottom lane, keeping Gala's Varus pinned under the tower.
With both the top and bottom lanes falling into a disadvantage at the same time, LNG's coach U watched from backstage with a furrowed brow.
Six minutes and twenty seconds.
After pushing the lane, Su Mo's Talon recalled to base. Utilizing the bounty from First Blood and perfect last-hitting, he immediately purchased a Serrated Dagger and a pair of Boots.
For an assassin, a six-minute serrated dagger means he already possesses a terrifying burst of damage that ignores the base armor of squishy targets.
Back online, Su Mo glanced at his experience bar, which was about to reach level six.
"Zika, go up and bait him. I have to kill him this wave, otherwise the top half of the map will be completely ruined." Tarzan's Nidalee finally reached level five. He activated his scanner and carefully circled around to the top lane tri-bush.
Scout's Yone also finished clearing the wave: "I'm coming over too, this wave can be a 3v1!"
LNG truly lives up to their reputation as a top-tier team, demonstrating exceptional tactical execution even when facing a significant disadvantage. They knew that if they allowed Talon to roam freely any longer, the game would end within twenty minutes.
"LNG has made their move! The mid and jungle are teaming up to gank top! They've mobilized the entire team to target Mozi!" Wawa shouted nervously.
Six minutes and forty seconds.
Zika's Udyr deliberately stepped forward and activated his E skill [Bear Awakening] in an attempt to stun Talon.
From the bushes, a precise long javelin flew out from the shadows, heading straight for Su Mo's face!
Meanwhile, in the river, Scout's Yone activated his E skill [Spirit Breaker] and charged in with Wind Blade!
A decisive victory!
"Three guys are surrounding him! Mozi is positioned too deep!" Miller gasped.
But Su Mo's eyes remained as still as a stagnant pool, showing no panic, no retreat, only a coldness that led his prey into a trap.
At the very last tenth of a second before the Nidalee's javelin was about to hit!
Su Mo pressed the E skill [Assassin's Way], and Talon's body rolled to the side with an extremely light movement, directly leaping over a small section of wall terrain!
The javelin whizzed past him, missing its target!
The moment he landed after vaulting over the wall, a golden light flashed across the Talon's body.
Level 6!
"Shadow is my cloak."
The ultimate skill, [Shadow Strike], is activated!
Countless sharp blades exploded in a ring from the male swordsman's body, and Su Mo's figure instantly disappeared into the darkness, entering an invisible state that made him untargetable!
"They've gone invisible! Talon's ultimate has been activated, and LNG has lost sight of their target!"
Scout's Yone charged halfway, lost his target, and could only awkwardly swing his sword in the air.
Tarzan knew something was wrong: "Retreat! He might try to escape!"
"run?"
While in stealth mode, Su Mo, taking advantage of the massive movement speed boost provided by his ultimate, did not flee towards his own turret. Instead, he made an incredible flanking maneuver and landed right on the face of Nidalee, who had just emerged from the bushes!
Seven minutes exactly.
Just as his invisibility was about to end, Su Mo made his move!
Flat A breaks the hidden!
The scattered blades from the ultimate skill instantly converged towards Nidalee!
At the same time, the melee Q skill is used to violently stab, followed by a W [Eliminate the Weeds], triggering the passive bleeding!
"呲-"
It all happened so fast. A full burst of damage with the Serrated Dagger, plus the finishing blow from the ultimate.
The level 5 Nidalee had no chance to recover her health bar; it instantly went from full to zero and evaporated on the spot!
"EDG.Mo has killed LNG.Tarzan!"
"Instant kill!!! A full-health Nidalee was instantly killed!!!" Guan Zeyuan frantically pounded the table on the commentary stage. "Brother Mozi faced a three-on-one situation, not only did he not run away, but he also used his ultimate's invisibility to directly kill the enemy jungler!! What terrifying damage and courage!!!"
Tarzan stared at the gray screen, completely frozen. This was the worst and most humiliating defeat he had ever suffered while playing a jungle carry in his professional career.
After killing Nidalee, Talon's health was still almost full.
Su Mo didn't linger in the fight. Taking advantage of the Phase Rush triggered after the kill (or the movement speed boost from Conqueror), he activated his E skill again, and like an elegant cat, he vaulted over the river wall and sped away.
Udyr and Yone were left standing there, bewildered, their hair disheveled in the wind. (End of Chapter)