: 4-protect-1 mid lane, Faker picks Kassadin.

EDG locker room.

Although they won the third game, there was no celebratory atmosphere in the lounge.

Abu paced back and forth in the corridor, his leather shoes clicking rapidly on the floor.

He knew very well that the hardest part of coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 wasn't the first step, but how to remain calm in a game where all the cards had been played and mental energy had been exhausted.

Meanwhile, WE's roar could be faintly heard even through the thick soundproof door.

Coach Hongmi's usually steady hands were trembling slightly.

As a coach, he had a complete view of the entire match from the studio.

He knew that the path to victory he had built for WE in this game had collapsed at the very first step.

Lineup!

For coaches

This is the simplest thing to handle, but also the most difficult.

His simple point is that most players can't create a significant gap in lane through laning; everyone here is a skilled player.

So if you can't beat a hero with a 50/50 chance, just give him a hero that can hold out and shine in the late game.

Losing you a few hundred gold is just a matter of skill accuracy in the late game.

But his problem is that you have no solution.

If you get a good lane matchup and still can't win...

If you can't beat them, then you really can't beat them.

If you give Little Cream a rabbit, he can get spun around by Faker's Galio.

What can the coach do?

Redmi picked Karma for Xiye because Karma is such a versatile champion. Even if she can't win an all-in fight, her wave clear and survivability are top-notch.

In the end, they were still pushed back to a chasm in the laning phase.

How can we avoid being at a disadvantage?

If you can't think of anything, then just keep banning!

......

"Next game, they'll definitely ban Zed, then Camille and Galio, hahaha, all the heroes will be banned."

Lin Xiu leaned against the door frame, toying with an unopened can of cola in his hand, but his eyes were unusually calm as he stared at the tactics board.

Abu stopped and turned to look at Lin Xiu: "Lin, what do you mean...?"

"Since they think we're going to keep killing, then let's do something even more extreme."

Lin Xiu turned to look at Zet, who had been silent all along, and spoke in a relaxed tone as if they were discussing what to eat for breakfast the next morning.

"Bro, I'm sorry to trouble you next game, don't worry about dealing damage. Just be a support character, okay?"

Zet paused for a moment, then pointed at himself with a somewhat bewildered expression:

"Me? Not deal damage? Then who will? This patch doesn't protect the AD carry, how are we going to compete with WE in the late game?"

"What are you thinking about?" Lin Xiu chuckled, pointing to Faker beside him, whose eyes exuded a cold aura.

"This time, we're going to do something different. Since WE thinks the four-protect-one strategy is invincible, then we'll use their logic and play a reverse four-protect-one strategy."

"However, this time we're protecting the middle lane."

"Protect mid-lane bet?" Abu was stunned, his voice rising eight octaves.

"Protecting the mid laner in this patch? That's something from Season 3! Protecting the mid lane now without taking down Kog'Maw is just slow suicide!"

Lin Xiu straightened his earphone cord and revealed a smug smile:

"With Brother Li in this state, it would be a complete waste not to let him play the lead role."

"Believe me, let's not even talk about whether the other side dares to pick Kog'Maw again. Even if they do, as long as Faker doesn't die, Brother-in-law won't have a chance to breathe fire."

Faker, who was standing to the side, slightly raised his head and adjusted his glasses.

"I can do C."

……

In the fourth round, both players sat down again.

The noise inside the venue reached a wonderful balance at this moment.

The originally unified cheers from WE fans became somewhat less confident after the crushing defeat in the third game.

On the other hand, the fans, who had been frustrated by the two matches and were even ready to leave early, seemed to have grasped at a lifeline.

WE's ban pick was unwavering, their first choice was Zed! There was no room for negotiation.

For the last two bans, the Redmi coach hesitated for a long time before finally giving them to Galio and Camille, the champions Faker had impressed with in the semifinals.

"Three bans on mid and jungle! That's incredibly respectful! You play one, I ban the next!"

The voice I remember was full of anticipation.

"They were clearly traumatized by Zed in the previous game."

"However, looking at WE's draft picks—Kog'Maw, Lulu, and Nautilus—it's still their rock-solid four-protect-one strategy!"

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with that. I won the entire playoffs, so I can't just stop using it because I lost one game!"

"Coach Redmi is ruthless! He's telling EDG that even if they steal a game, in this version, my ironclad defense is still invincible!"

Guan Zeyuan nodded and said, "That's right. As long as Kog'Maw isn't killed instantly, WE's late game is invincible."

"However, in the last game, EDG seemed to have found the key to victory: crushing your mid laner in the laning phase and making it impossible for your four-man carry to protect your one-man carry."

"Let's see what champions EDG picks for their mid and jungle this game... wait, EDG's first pick..."

With a flash of light, EDG's first pick was Ashe, a champion that was very common in the S7 version but no one would pick against WE.

"Ice?" Guan Zeyuan frowned.

"In this meta dominated by Kog'Maw and Caitlyn, is Ashe's damage output really sufficient as an AD carry? Is EDG planning to play a strategy that relies on Ashe's ultimate to create opportunities again?"

The live stream chat instantly erupted with intense sarcastic remarks and sarcasm:

[Hilarious! It's Hanbing again. Has Zet backed down? Or has he been beaten senseless by his brother-in-law?]

[Ashes against Kog'Maw? She can't apply pressure early game, and later she'll probably get riddled with Kog'Maw's attacks.]

Why does EDG's draft pick seem so timid again? Have they gone silent?

[Don't rush, let's see what Nakano picks in the end. What if he pulls off some unexpected moves?]

However, the subsequent selection process plunged the entire room into a deathly silence.

EDG's second round of champion selection: Top lane Shen, Support Taric, Jungle Jarvan IV!

"Am I seeing things?" Remember's voice rose an octave. "Shen, Jewel, Prince? What is this? Is everyone protecting someone?"

"What about the center position?" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed.

"Only the mid laner hasn't been picked yet, could it be this game?"

Lin Xiu sat in front of the computer, a confident smile on his lips. He glanced sideways at Faker:

"Brother Li, four people will give you shields, invincibility, and taunts."

"If you can't break through, you'll have to treat everyone to Haidilao hot pot for a year when you get back."

Faker didn't speak, only nodded silently, his refined demeanor completely replaced by the coldness of an assassin.

He quickly scrolled through the character selection screen, finally fixing his gaze on a portrait that instilled a sense of physical dread in all mages.

Kassadin, the Voidwalker!

"Kassadin? Kassadin is invincible in the late game!"

I remember almost roaring.

"EDG is also using a four-protect-one strategy, but it's not a four-protect-one AD carry, it's a four-protect-one mid laner!"

"Every position—the top laner's shield, the jungler's crowd control, the support's invulnerability, the AD carry's crowd control—is all designed to create an environment for Kassadin to engage and secure kills!"

The loading screen appears.

Lin Xiu reiterated the objective in the voice message:

"Zet, use your Q and W freely, but I need your E skill. As soon as it's off cooldown, shoot it into WE's jungle. I need to know Condi's location every second."

"No problem." Zet nodded solemnly.