LPL didn't want me? I joined SKT instead!

Chapter 221 Changes Inside SKT

Head coach kkOma frowned as he looked at the version data analysis on the big screen.

He turned to look at Xiao Yan, who was sitting in front of the computer, slowly drinking warm water, and a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

"Xiao Yan, this version... is very unfriendly to you." kkOma carefully chose his words. "The official intention is very clear: they don't want to see you end the game early on. In the upcoming World Championship, we may have to prepare for a long battle."

Faker sat next to Xiao Yan, adjusted his glasses, and said in a deep voice, "It's not just a change in tactics. Last night, I tested the new version in high-elo Korean servers, with an average game time of over forty-two minutes. In the last two games, I could clearly feel my reaction speed decreasing, and my wrists started to ache. This version is just torture."

Wolf, Peanut, and TheShy all nodded, finding the long development phase incredibly tedious and exhausting.

However, Xiao Yan, who was at the center of the storm, simply put down his water glass and smiled faintly.

"Coach, Xianghe, you don't need to worry too much." Xiao Yan's voice was clear and steady, carrying a reassuring power. "The mechanics have been weakened, but my skills haven't. They can extend the respawn time of jungle monsters and increase the damage of turrets, but they can't weaken my understanding of minion waves or my intuition for seizing opportunities. As long as the opponents are still human, as long as they can still make mistakes, I can find opportunities to kill them. It's just that before it was one kill every three minutes, now it might take five minutes. As for farming... since there's no more jungle to farm, let's farm more enemy kills."

If these words had come from anyone else, they would have been considered arrogant and conceited, but when they came from Xiao Yan, they seemed perfectly natural.

Because he is Xiao Yan.

However, Xiao Yan changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over each of his teammates in the training room, his expression turning serious.

"However, Sang-hyeok is right. This version is really tough. We can adapt to tactics and operations through practice matches, but our weakness in physical fitness will become our biggest fatal flaw if we don't make up for it before the World Championship."

Xiao Yan stood up, walked to the tactical whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote the two large characters "Physical Fitness" on it.

"Over the past few months, we've gotten used to quick wins. But on the world stage, facing the world's top teams, and with the official version deliberately slowing down the pace, we inevitably find ourselves in tough battles. In the fifth game of a best-of-five series, when both sides have exhausted their tactical options and are mentally exhausted, what matters most? It comes down to whose muscle memory is stronger and whose stamina can still support the brain to make the most accurate judgments!"

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened as he looked at kkOma and said, "Coach, I propose that, starting today, we drastically adjust our schedule. In addition to our regular tactical reviews and ranked training, we must mandate at least two more hours of physical training each day. This includes not only aerobic exercises like running and swimming, but also specific strength training targeting the wrists, cervical spine, and core."

Upon hearing this, a chorus of groans erupted in the training room.

"Seriously? Xiao Yan, we're e-sports players, not weightlifting athletes at the Olympics!" Wolf patted his round belly, looking utterly dejected.

"Two hours of physical training? That would take up a lot of Rank time." Peanut hesitated.

But kkOma's eyes lit up. He gave Xiao Yan a deep look and nodded vigorously: "I agree with Xiao Yan's suggestion. Actually, I've had this idea for a while, but I've been worried that you guys would object. Since Xiao Yan brought it up, it's settled then. I'll immediately contact the best sports rehabilitation therapists and strength and conditioning coaches in Seoul to tailor training plans for each of you. Starting tomorrow, the entire SKT team will enter a grueling physical training period!"

Thus, during the most intense preparation phase before the World Championship, a peculiar scene appeared at SKT's base.

While players from other teams were spending countless hours playing ranked games in front of their computers, trying to adapt to the new version through a massive number of matches, the SKT players were sweating it out in the gym.

On the treadmill, Faker gritted his teeth, his T-shirt soaked with sweat; on the yoga mat, Wolf, under the guidance of the strength and conditioning coach, painfully did core strength training, letting out screams like a pig being slaughtered; while Xiao Yan, on the other hand, calmly performed high-intensity weighted squats and pull-ups in the weight room.

He made this suggestion not only to deal with the new version, but also to elevate the team's cohesion and resilience to a new level.

He knew that in the high-pressure environment of the World Championship, only a team with strong physique and iron will could go all the way.

During breaks in physical training, Xiao Yan demonstrated an amazing ability to adapt to the changes made by the official Riot Games.

As usual, he played high-ranking matches on the Korean server every day, following the established routine.

On the first day of the new version's release, countless eyes were on his record. Professional players who had been crushed by him were even secretly looking forward to seeing him suffer a losing streak.

However, they were disappointed.

Xiao Yan did not change his highly aggressive fighting style despite the version's nerfs; he simply made that aggression more refined and lethal.

With his stats weakened, he used his terrifying control over the minion wave to pin his opponent firmly in front of the tower, preventing them from gaining any minion experience.

During the fraction of a second of stun time when the opponent finishes off the siege minion, he will precisely unleash a combo to harass, and then use positioning to avoid the turret's aggro.

He's like a patient, top-tier hunter, no longer pursuing a brutal, one-hit kill, but rather gradually eroding his opponent's health and mental defenses through repeated small trades of strength.

When the opponent's health is reduced to an extremely dangerous level, and when the opponent becomes mentally disoriented due to prolonged pressure, Xiao Yan will unleash a fatal blow like a viper striking.

Without the overwhelming advantage of equipment or the lead in levels, Xiao Yan still dominated the Korean server's top-tier matches purely by relying on his superhuman reaction speed, perfect control of distance, and extreme understanding of hero mechanics.

His win rate not only did not decrease, but the extended game time gave him more opportunities to demonstrate his overall strategic awareness and late-game team fight control.

His record remains a glaring green, and his Korean server ranking remains firmly in first place, looking down on everyone else.