Chapter 758
Eliminate the Weeds at the Root
LNG maintained an extremely tight formation. Titan and Udyr were at the forefront, Yone protected Gala's Varus on the side, and Nidalee was at the rear, ready to heal at any time.
"Turn on full scanning! Don't get near any walls!" Scout yelled.
Twenty-four minutes and twenty seconds.
LNG's five players finally moved to the crossroads of the blue buff in the lower half of the map. The Titan placed a control ward in the bush.
Safety.
But they still dared not relax in the slightest.
At this moment, in the main river, Achen's Foygo, Xiaoyue's Annie, and the bottom lane duo had already started to attack the dragon.
"Talon hasn't shown himself yet, where is he?!" Gala cautiously stared at the surrounding walls as he approached the river.
The director very considerately cut out a picture-in-picture view from God's perspective.
The moment the audience and commentators saw the footage, they all gasped in shock.
"My God... Brother Mozi, he's outside the LNG high ground wall!!!" Wawa screamed, pointing at the screen.
At this moment, Su Mo was not crouching in any bushes in the jungle.
He stood quietly, pressed against the extremely thick wall outside LNG's bottom lane inhibitor (a shadowy blind spot outside the red team's bottom lane inhibitor). This position perfectly avoided all of LNG's exit routes and warding range.
He is waiting.
Waiting for an opportunity to completely break up the LNG formation.
Twenty-four minutes and thirty seconds.
The five LNG players finally approached the river.
"They're here. Stop pulling and tugging," Su Mo calmly instructed over the voice chat. "Ah Chen, ignore Long and keep an eye on Yong En."
EDG's four players immediately abandoned their half-finished dragon fight and turned to face LNG.
The battle is imminent!
Titan finally saw EDG's formation, but not Talon.
"Talon isn't in the front! He might be flanking!" Titan roared, immediately using his hook [Clear the Way] on Fryegrass, who was positioned too far forward!
A team fight breaks out!
Ah Chen reacted extremely quickly, using his ultimate skill [Pain Through the Heavens] to directly dodge the Titan's hook and counterattacked at the charging Udyr!
Scout's Yone seized the opportunity, initiating with his E skill, and unleashing his ultimate [Sealed Dust Slash] with a howling wind, aiming to cut into EDG's backline!
Just as LNG's front line and mid laner were all focused on the front of the river, their formation inevitably broke down for a moment!
Twenty-four minutes and thirty-five seconds.
Su Mo moved.
"Live by the blade, die by the blade!"
He activated the active effect of [Dream Spirit] outside the high ground wall!
His figure transformed into a streak of crimson lightning, heading straight for the ruins of the bottom lane's second tower!
The distance is sufficient!
Su Mo pressed his E skill, "Assassin's Way"!
Talon made an incredible long-distance vault, jumping directly from the thick wall of the bottom lane's second turret into the jungle. His landing point was perfect, right on the flank of Varus and Nidalee, who were at the back of the lane dealing damage!
"He fell from the sky!!!" Miller roared at the top of his lungs.
Gala's pupils dilated instantly as he saw the dark red figure shielded by the Night's Edge spell!
But Su Mo's speed had already surpassed the limits of human reaction.
The ultimate skill, [Shadow Strike], was activated in mid-air!
Invisibility! Speed up!
The moment he landed, he unleashed a powerful melee Q [Noxian Diplomacy], triggering a critical hit!
W [Cut the Weeds and Eliminate the Roots] is unleashed! Basic Attack!
Combined with the terrifying armor-piercing damage of [Serilda's Resentment].
Gala's Varus had just received a green healing glow when his health bar instantly dropped to zero, like water vapor evaporating!
"EDG.Mo has killed LNG.Gala!"
"Rampage!"
"Instant kill!!! Gala got instantly killed again!! Under the heavy protection of four people, Mozi jumped over the wall from eight hundred miles away and instantly killed the AD!!!" Ning was banging his fist on the table at the commentary booth, "Edge of Night! The Edge of Night on Talon blocked the damage from Nidalee's instinctive pounce! Invincible entry!"
After killing Gala, the blades of the ultimate skill rapidly closed in.
Tarzan (the Nidalee) next to him was already as fragile as paper. Under the devastating AOE damage from Talon, her health bar was immediately reduced to almost nothing, and Talon countered with a basic attack that had the bleed passive applied, taking her down instantly.
"Double Kill!"
The backline dual cores of LNG melted instantly. Without pausing, Su Mo used the super-high movement speed of Phase Rush to gracefully widen the distance between Talon and the retreating Udyr, like a butterfly flitting among flowers.
On the main battlefield at this point, LNG, having lost its core damage dealer, had been completely defeated.
Scout's Yone entered the fray only to find his backline gone. In despair, he tried to use his second E to return, but Xiaoyue's Annie flashed and used her ultimate to stun him in place.
Achen's Fryegor picks up Varus's soul and unleashes a barrage of attacks.
The army was defeated like a mountain.
Udyr was captured and beaten to death, and Titan was powerless to save him, collapsing in the river.
"Ace! Team wipe!!!"
The embarrassment and delay caused by the loss of the dragon at the 20-minute mark were completely wiped away by Su Mo's textbook-perfect assassin backline gank.
"This is too cruel, really too cruel." Wawa looked at the corpses scattered on the screen. "Let me tell you, even if you steal the dragon, even if you hide in your shell, as long as you dare to come out and take a look at the scenery, the price is a team wipe!"
Twenty-five minutes.
EDG has even stopped fighting the dragons.
With a large wave of super minions in the bottom lane (the mid lane inhibitor crystal that had been destroyed earlier had respawned, but the bottom lane minion wave was in excellent condition), EDG's five players drove straight in and directly stepped onto LNG's high ground.
They dismantled the front teeth tower and headed straight for the blue team's crystal nexus.
One second before the crystal exploded.
Su Mo controlled Talon, standing at the edge of LNG's fountain, neither spawn-camping nor revealing his mark.
He simply stood there quietly, like an assassin who had completed his mission and sheathed his sword.
He picked up his thermos and slowly finished the last sip of warm goji berry water.
"boom!"
The crystal shattered, turning into a shower of blue light.
The first game ended at 25 minutes and 30 seconds.
"Congratulations to EDG! They secured a clean and decisive victory in the first game!" Wawa exclaimed from the commentary booth. "Mozi's Talon top lane play was simply divine! He completely nipped LNG's jungle carry strategy in the bud!"
Miller nodded repeatedly, still immersed in the devastating assassination: "Yes! Especially the perfect ambush outside the high ground wall in the last wave, the awareness and distance control were simply art! Taking the lead, EDG is currently leading 1-0!"
Ning chuckled and added, "I bet Tarzan's got a phobia of walls now. After this game, LNG's coaching staff's heads are about to explode. What are they going to do with the draft for the next game?"
The lights came back on in the stadium.
Su Mo took off his noise-canceling headphones and calmly rubbed his wrist.
He glanced at the screen, noting the 42% damage share and perfect KDA with zero deaths, but his smile remained impassive. He expertly picked up the black thermos from the table and headed towards the backstage lounge.
Ah Chen and Xiao Yue were so excited behind them that they were waving their arms and legs around, pushing and shoving each other like two monkeys.
"Brother Mo is awesome! That time you jumped over the wall and instantly killed the AD carry, I didn't even see how you got there!" Ah Chen said with admiration.
Xiao Yue exaggeratedly said, "I was just facing pressure head-on when I heard the system notification that the enemy AD was dead. I thought he had run into a wall and died!"
Su Mo walked ahead and replied calmly, "Basic operation, don't get too excited, save your feel for the next game."
Halftime break room.
Abu was waiting at the door early. When he saw the team members come in, his smile was like a blooming chrysanthemum: "Well played! This Talon pick was perfect! LNG probably never expected that we would pick an assassin for top lane."
Mingkai also praised, "Now it's Coach U's turn to have a headache. They're on the red side next game, and they'll definitely reserve the counter-position for Zika. We need to be wary of their counterattack."
Su Mo walked to his own leather sofa and sat down, unscrewing the thermos and filling it with hot water. "They can't fight back." He blew on the steam rising from the rim of the thermos, his voice low and resolute. "Tarzan's mentality is already messed up. A jungler who doesn't dare to enter his own jungle has lost half the soul of this team."
Just then, the door to the lounge was gently pushed open.
hope Ran poked her head in, carrying several cups of chilled lemon tea. She was wearing a fitted light blue dress today, which made her look exceptionally fresh.
"You've all worked hard! I brought you some drinks to soothe your throats." hope Ran walked in with a smile and distributed lemon tea to the other team members.
Finally, she took a glass of room-temperature honey water, walked to Su Mo's side, and placed it on his coffee table very naturally, saying in a very soft voice, "I know you don't drink iced water, so this is warm. My heart almost stopped when I saw you jump over the wall and cut to C in the audience just now."
Su Mo looked up at her, a gentle smile flashing in his deep eyes: "Thank you."
He picked up his phone casually, and a WeChat message popped up on the screen.
It was sent by Lin Xuan.
[Lin Xuan: Teacher Su, you played really well in the first game! But you played the assassin way too ruthlessly, showing no mercy to the ladies at all. Get off work early tonight, the filming's wrapped up, I'm bringing back some good wine to celebrate.]
Su Mo's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as she quickly replied: [Finished within an hour. Drink less.]
Seeing the smile on Su Mo's lips, hope Ran leaned closer out of curiosity, wanting to peek at the screen, but Su Mo very naturally turned the phone face down on the table.
"What? Aren't you going to prepare the questions for the next interview?" Su Mo raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing.
Caught red-handed, hope Ran blushed slightly and gave him a playful glare: "You're so stingy. I'm going to work now. Good luck in the next round!"
Watching hope Ran run out of the rest room like a frightened little rabbit, Ah Chen clicked his tongue in amazement: "Brother Mo, I'm really impressed. You're not only an assassin on the field, but your romantic skills are also at a master level."
"Enough with the nonsense, let's review the game." Su Mo gave him a cold glance, and Ah Chen immediately shut his mouth and sat up obediently.
The short 15-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go, it's the second game. Let's try to get off work early." Abu clapped his hands and led the team back onto the court.
On the other side, in the LNG lounge, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed like water could drip from it.
Tarzan kept his head down, his hands gripping his thighs tightly, saying nothing. The humiliation of being treated like an ATM in the first round was gnawing at his pride like a venomous snake.
Coach U took a deep breath and patted him on the shoulder: "Last game was my draft problem; I didn't expect him to pick Talon. This game we're on the red side, Zika, you'll pick the counter pick last. Tarzan, this time pick a jungler who can make plays and create opportunities; don't play carry junglers. We have to set the pace early on!"
Zika nodded emphatically: "Coach, don't worry, as long as you don't let me pick a clunky hero this game, I'll definitely be able to hold my own!"
The second game has officially begun!
Accompanied by rousing background music, the large screen switched to the BP interface.
"Welcome back! EDG currently holds match point, leading 1-0!" Wawa shouted. "In the second game, EDG is on the blue side, and LNG is on the red side!"
Miller continued his commentary: "Let's take a look at LNG's draft picks for this game. In the first three picks, they didn't hesitate to ban Talon! They're really scared of being beaten. Then they banned Fiora and Camille. They still have extreme respect for Mozi's champion pool."
Ning chuckled: "This draft is too difficult. You ban assassins, and they pick warriors; you ban warriors, and they pick vampires. Mozi's hero pool is like a bottomless pit."
EDG's first three bans remained consistent, banning Maokai, Vi, and Sejuani, further limiting Tarzan's jungle options and indirectly protecting Xiaoyue's mid lane matchup.
Enter the first round of picking.
EDG immediately locked in the Lee Sin (Lee Sin)!
"Ah Chen's Lee Sin! EDG is about to get a head start in the early game!"
LNG secured Xin Zhao and Ashe on the first and second floors respectively. Tarzan picked Xin Zhao, a jungler known for his strong early-game fighting ability and survivability with his ultimate.
EDG's second and third picks added a bot lane duo of Varus and Lena. This provides exceptional laning and counter-engage capabilities.
On the third floor of LNG, Scout picked his signature hero, Azir, to ensure he would be the core damage dealer in the late game.
The second round of bans.
In their fourth and fifth picks, LNG continued their relentless targeting of the top lane, banning Renekton and Darius.
"Five bans on top laners! That's the prestige of a seven-time champion!" Wawa exclaimed.
EDG banned Titan and Braum in the fourth and fifth picks, further limiting LNG's support's initiation options.
Second round of picking.
On the fourth floor of LNG, support Hang picked Leona (the Radiant Dawn) to provide strong initiation and hard crowd control.
On the fourth floor of EDG, Xiaoyue decisively locked in Syndra to counter Azir.
Now, all eyes are on EDG's fifth floor!
"Almost all the lightly armored warriors available outside have been banned. In this game, LNG didn't even leave Mozi a few easy heavy warriors to fight," Miller analyzed with a frown.
At this moment, LNG's coach U sneered in the voice chat: "He has nothing to choose from. Even if he picks a tank, we can still teach him a lesson by picking a Trundle or Ornn in the counter position."
EDG's match lineup.
Mingkai looked at the empty champion pool and had a headache: "Mozi, what do you want to pick this game? How about we play it safe and pick Sion or Ornn?"
Su Mo held the thermos cup, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"They think banning those standard top laners will limit me?"
He put down his cup and quickly typed a few letters in the search bar with his left hand.
A profile picture that made the entire audience, commentators, and even teammates gasp in shock lit up on the fifth floor of EDG's booth.
It was a harmless-looking little Yordle with a big, fluffy tail and a blowgun in its hand.
"Captain, we're on standby!"
[Swift Scout - Teemo]!!!
locking!
The entire room fell silent for a second.
Then, a commotion erupted throughout the Hongqiao Performing Arts Center, with sounds of roofs being blown off!
"Holy crap!!!"
In the commentary booth, Wawa jumped up, his voice booming: "Teemo!!! Mozi locked in Teemo for top lane in the second game, the match point game!!!"
Miller clutched his head in disbelief: "This champion can be used in competitive play?! In the LPL, the last time Teemo appeared was several years ago in a gimmick game! This champion has no mobility, is extremely squishy, and is practically invisible in team fights. Is Mozi trying to conduct scientific research in professional play?!"
Ning burst into laughter, slapping the table as he laughed: "Hahahaha! This is hilarious! Coach U is probably green with envy right now. You banned top laners five times, huh? You forced me to pick a tank, huh? I'll just pick Teemo! This champion may not be good at anything else, but it's absolutely amazing at annoying short-range fighters and tanks!"
In the LNG battle zone, Zika stared at the smiling Teemo icon and her brain completely shut down.
"He...he picked Teemo?" Zika stammered.
Coach U's face turned pale and then red. He never expected that such an unreasonable "monster" would emerge in the extremely rigorous drafting and banning game of professional matches.
"Don't panic!" Coach U forced himself to calm down. "Teemo is too squishy! Tarzan, you stay in the top lane this game, Xin Zhao will kill him after two shots! Zika, you pick a champion that can withstand pressure and has high burst damage!"
The fifth-floor checkpoint of the LNG terminal is lit up.
After hesitating and struggling for more than ten seconds, Zika gritted her teeth.
"For Freljord!"
【Berserker Olaf】!
locking!
"Olaf! Zika picked the mad dog Olaf to counter Teemo!" Miller exclaimed in the commentary. "Olaf's Q skill slows Teemo, and if he hits Teemo, he can activate his ultimate to become immune to blind and slow, and then just hack and slash at him at point-blank range! This counter pick is extremely effective!"
Ning's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Indeed. Teemo has an easy time against Olaf before level six, but after level six, if Olaf gets on his heels, Teemo won't even have a chance to use Flash. This game depends on Mozi's laning details in the early game and whether Tarzan can completely crush Teemo!"
Game loading screen.
All eyes were on the two heroes in the top lane whose styles were extremely incongruous.
One is a wild and bloodthirsty berserker wielding two axes.
One is Teemo, an adorable creature carrying a small bamboo basket and holding a blowgun.
Game loading.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
All eyes were fixed on the top lane.
Su Mo's Teemo bought the extremely reliable Doran's Ring and two health potions, and took Flash and Ignite as his summoner spells. For runes, he didn't choose the conventional Teemo-favored Summoner's Ring or Grasp of the Undying, but instead opted for the extremely rare Fleet Footwork!
"Fleet Footwork Teemo?!" Miller was stunned for a moment in the commentary booth. "This rune does provide decent sustain and movement speed for kiting, but the damage output will be greatly reduced. It seems Mozi is going to stick to the 'kiting' strategy this game." (End of Chapter)