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

Chapter 223 World Championship Opening

Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, the ginkgo leaves on the streets of Seoul have turned from golden yellow to dark brown, fluttering down onto the clean streets with gusts of chilly autumn wind.

The S8 World Championship, the esports extravaganza representing the highest honor and competitive level in League of Legends, has finally kicked off in South Korea amidst much anticipation.

For South Korean esports fans, this year's World Championship holds extraordinary significance.

As the host country, they longed to see LCK teams lift the Summoner's Cup, a symbol of supreme glory, on their home turf. For viewers in other regions around the world, this year's World Championship was also full of breathtaking suspense, because of that man, because of Xiao Yan, the "bottom lane reaper" who was targeted by Riot Games with an entire major version update.

During this long preparation period, teams from all major regions around the world were frantically adapting to the new version known as the "Xiao Yan Shackles." The forced slowdown of the game pace, the impenetrable turret plating, and the epic increase in the difficulty of solo kills caused all tactical systems to undergo a painful overhaul.

Countless eyes were focused on SKT, and on Xiao Yan.

People are wondering whether this ferocious beast will still be as terrifying as before, now that the claws that could tear opponents to shreds in the early stages have been forcibly shackled by the authorities.

The answer will begin to emerge at the group stage draw ceremony.

Seoul, LoL Park eSports Arena.

The venue was transformed into the S8 World Championship draw ceremony. Brilliant lights intertwined to form a dazzling network, a giant holographic projection screen floated in the center of the stage, and the slowly rotating Summoner's Cup emitted a mesmerizing glow.

The audience was filled with esports media, team representatives, and enthusiastic fans who had won tickets from all over the world.

Although it was just a draw ceremony, the atmosphere was as heavy as the final game of the grand final.

In the backstage lounge, the entire SKT team was sitting on the sofa, staring at the large screen on the wall.

Coach kkOma held a cup of now-cold coffee, his brow slightly furrowed. Faker maintained his calm expression, his arms habitually crossed over his chest. Wolf and Peanut, on the other hand, seemed somewhat nervous, their legs occasionally shaking and them whispering to each other.

Xiao Yan, however, was leaning back in the corner of the sofa, fiddling with a hand gripper issued by the team.

"Click, click..."

The hand gripper was easily pressed down and bounced up by his long, strong fingers, emitting a rhythmic mechanical sound. His face was calm as still water, and there was not a ripple in his deep eyes, as if the lottery ceremony that was about to decide their fate was just a boring soap opera.

"Brother Xiao Yan, aren't you nervous?" Peanut swallowed hard, turned to look at Xiao Yan, "This is the group stage for the World Championship. The new version is so unfriendly to us. If we get drawn into a 'group of death,' our early game will be slowed down, and we might have a very difficult time."

Xiao Yan stopped what he was doing, glanced at Little Peanut indifferently, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"The group of death?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling confidence. "For other teams, being in the same group as us is the real group of death. As for the meta... I've said it before, rules are meant to be broken. If they think they can win by stalling, then let them try. Besides, even if I'm restricted, we still have you on the team, Faker, TheShe, you can both step up and carry."

Faker turned his head and glanced at Xiao Yan, then nodded slightly.

At this moment, the lottery ceremony on stage officially began.

Two legendary retired players who left an indelible mark on the history of League of Legends—Watch from South Korea and Doublelift from North America—came on stage as special guests.

After the host's enthusiastic opening remarks, the exciting lottery drawing finally began.

The teams drawn first are from Pool 1, which consists of the number one seed from each major region.

As the LCK Summer Split champions, SKT is naturally among them.

Watch reached into the transparent glass sphere, stirred it around for a while, and then took out a black sphere. He slowly twisted the sphere open, pulled out a card, and showed it to the camera.

"SK Telecom T1!"

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, especially in their home stadium in South Korea, where SKT's popularity was undeniable.

On the big screen, the SKT team logo was placed in the first position in Group B.

Next up are the other teams in Pool 1. The LPL's first seed, the LEC's first seed, and the LCS's first seed have been placed in Groups A, C, and D, respectively.

The real highlight was the draw for Pool 2. Because hidden in Pool 2 was a team that all teams feared – RNG, the second seed from the LPL region.

Previously, RNG was not favored by anyone except RNG fans. Now, the changes in the new version have greatly limited early laning kills and forced the game into late-game team fights. This is simply tailor-made for RNG's traditional "four-protect-one" late-game takeover tactics.

RNG has been moved to the forefront again.

Doublelift stepped forward and reached his hand into the glass sphere in pool number two.

With his signature confident smile on his face, he fumbled around for a moment and then took out a round ball.

The entire audience held their breath; you could hear a pin drop.

Doublelift unscrewed the ball, glanced at the name on the card, and his smile instantly widened; he even couldn't help but whistle.

He flipped the card over and aimed it at the camera.

"Royal Never Give Up!"

"Whoosh—!!!"

"Oh my god! RNG! RNG has been drawn into Group B again! They will once again face SKT directly in the group stage!" LPL commentator Wawa shouted hoarsely on the commentary stage. "This time, after the official release of the patch that weakens early-game tempo, will RNG have a chance?"

Miller, standing next to him, was also flushed with excitement: "I think there's a chance. The new version is like a fish in water for RNG, but it's a huge shackle for Xiao Yan. In such an extreme version environment, can Xiao Yan still show his 'Grim Reaper'-like dominance? Can Uzi prove who the true king of the bot lane is in late-game team fights? All of this will be revealed in Group B!"

As the draw progressed, Vitality, a strong team from the European LEC region, and Cloud9, a veteran powerhouse from the North American LCS region, were both drawn into Group B.

Thus, Group B, widely regarded as the "group of death" in the S8 World Championship, was officially formed.

SKT, RNG, VIT, C9.

The clash between these four teams is bound to be a bloody battle.

Announcement: Update coming soon, please stay tuned!