prynovel Chapter 244 Changing the Battle Strategy
Chapter 244 Changing the Battle Strategy
Chapter 244 Changing the Battle Strategy
The fifteen-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.
The lights in the venue came on again, and the big screen switched to the draft and banning (BP) interface for the second game.
SKT is on the blue side, and WB is on the red side.
The three commentators returned to the camera.
"Welcome back to the quarterfinals of the 2018 S8 World Championship!" Wawa's voice was full of enthusiasm. "In the first game, SKT pulled off an incredible comeback from an extremely unfavorable situation! Xiao Yan's performance was nothing short of perfect!"
Miller continued, "That's right, especially that fight where he used his E skill to block Bin's empowered W during the Fire Dragon fight; it was definitely a highlight of the year. But the first game also raised a question for us—WB's early game aggression was so fierce, SKT..."
Can they hold on for the second game?
Guan Zeyuan adjusted his glasses: "I think the key point is in the draft phase. In the first game, WB allowed Xiao Yan to pick Xayah and Sivir, and they were punished by Sivir. They definitely won't dare to let them pick again in the second game. Let's see what the first round of bans will be like!"
SKT's first three bans: Akali, Aatrox, and Xin Zhao.
"SKT banned SofM's Xin Zhao directly!" Miller's eyes widened. "This is the champion SofM used to get three kills in the first six minutes of the last game! SKT's ban shows great respect!"
WB's first three bans: Xayah, Sivir, Galio.
"WB banned two heroes of Xiao Yan in a row!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed. "They're going to completely shut down Xiao Yan's early and mid-game heroes! WB was really scared of Sivir in the last game!"
During the champion selection phase, SKT instantly locked in Lee Sin, a jungler that the blue side must pick in the current version!
"Lee Sin!" Wawa slammed his hand on the table. "Peanut's Lee Sin! That's his signature champion! SKT picked it with absolute confidence right from the start!"
Urgot and Lissandra were locked on the first and second floors of WB.
"Urgot for Bin, Lissandra for Angel," Miller quickly analyzed. "Is WB trying to replicate SKT's strategy from the last game? Using Lissandra for counter-attacks and support?"
But SKT's response was more decisive. They locked in Alistar on the second floor and Ryze on the third floor.
"Alitop and Ryze!" Guan Zeyuan's eyes lit up. "SKT's picks were absolutely brilliant! Alitop is Wolf's..."
Faker's Ryze is a signature champion, boasting exceptional counter-attack capabilities and effectively countering WB's aggressive, push-and-fight strategy! His late-game spell machine gun, coupled with his global map support after level six, completely disrupts WB's early game tempo!
WB hesitated for a long time on the third floor before finally locking in Kai'Sa.
"Kai'Sa for Light!" Wawa nodded. "In the last game, Lucian was completely shut down by Lissandra in the mid-game and had no room to maneuver. This game, WB chose an ADC with stronger late-game capabilities. But the problem is, Kai'Sa is very weak in the early laning phase..."
What should we do about the early offensive rhythm?
WB's subsequent bans specifically targeted TheShy's Fiora and Irelia, clearly indicating their concern that TheShy might create an opening in the top lane if he picked a carry-type top laner. SKT, in turn, banned SofM's Olaf and Crisp's Thresh, continuing to suppress WB's jungle-support synergy.
Camille was locked on the fourth floor of SKT.
"Camille!" Miller gasped. "TheShy's Camille! This champion's late-game split-pushing and threat to the backline are something WB's lineup simply can't defend against! And Camille's ultimate can lock Urgot inside the circle, rendering Urgot's ultimate almost half useless!"
After a long period of hesitation, WB's fourth and fifth floors locked in Nightmare the jungler and Leona the support.
"Nightmare and Sun Maiden!" Guan Zeyuan's tone turned serious. "WB is going to launch an ultimate early-game offensive!"
Nightmare turns off the lights, Leona uses her ultimate, Crystal Maiden enters the fray, and they all focus on killing one person! This is a completely unreasonable lineup!
Faced with WB's extreme aggressive formation, SKT's fifth pick revealed a hero that made the entire arena erupt in excitement.
Vayne, the Night Hunter!
"Vain?!" The doll jumped up from her chair. "SKT has locked up Vayne on the fifth floor! Xiao Yan wants to play with Vayne!"
This is his signature champion! And facing three strong engage champions—Nightmare, Leona, and Lissandra—he dared to pick Vayne, a champion with extremely poor survivability and no mobility. How much confidence does that show?!
Guan Zeyuan took a deep breath: "But thinking about it carefully, Vayne deals true percentage-based damage to Urgot and Nightmare in the late game, making tanks as fragile as paper. Furthermore, Vayne's Q skill, Roll to Invisibility, can allow her to avoid many crucial abilities if played correctly. This game, Xiao Yan is dancing on a knife's edge!"
The lineups for both sides have been finalized.
SKT (Blue Side): Top lane Camille (TheShy), Jungle Lee Sin (Peanut), Mid lane Ryze (Faker), Bot lane Vayne (Xiao Yan), Support Alistar (Wolf).
WB (Red Side): Top lane Urgot (Bin), Jungle Nightmare (SofM), Mid lane Lissandra (AngeI), Bot lane Kai'Sa (Light), Support Leona (Crisp).
"The lineups for both sides are even more extreme than in the last game!" Miller analyzed. "WB has put almost all their skills into initiating team fights. As soon as Nightmare turns off the lights, Leona follows up with her ultimate, and Lissandra enters the fray. A single combo must kill someone, otherwise they won't have a second chance. SKT's lineup is more balanced: Camille is invincible in a split push, Ryze is a late-game nuke, Vayne deals true damage, and Alistar protects the backline. If the game drags on to 30 minutes, WB will automatically explode."
"But WB's early game aggression was even stronger than in the last game," Guan Zeyuan frowned. "That wave when Nightmare Demon reached level six, SKT..."
Whether they can withstand the pressure is the most crucial turning point in this game.
"The match has begun! Let's move on to the second round of today's competition!" Wawa's voice resounded throughout the arena.
Amidst deafening cheers from both sides' fans, ten heroes descended upon Summoner's Rift.
Unlike the previous game, SKT showed a completely different attitude from the very beginning in this game.
"SKT's five-man team is invading WB's lower jungle!" Miller noticed the movement on the minimap. "WoIf's Alistar is leading the charge; SKT is going to give WB a taste of their own medicine!"
Crisp's Leona was setting up vision in the river when she suddenly saw Alistar charge out of the bushes. She used her W skill, Savage Charge, to slam Alistar against the wall!
"Q skill [Ground Smash]! Leona is knocked up!"
Xiao Yan's Vayne followed closely, using a basic attack followed by her Q skill [Evasion Strike], the silver crossbow bolt piercing Leona's armor. Faker's Ryze added a W [Rune Ban], instantly reducing Leona's health to almost zero!
Crisp reacted extremely quickly, using Flash to escape back to the tower the moment the control was removed, but his health had already been reduced to less than 200 points.
"SKT really showed their strength in that level 1 team fight!" Guan Zeyuan exclaimed. "Leona was forced to recall to base for supplies, and WB's bot lane started the game without a health potion and lost river vision! This start was very uncomfortable for WB's bot lane!"
This first-level intrusion was precisely the deployment made by Xiao Yan in the loading screen.
"WB's lineup is not strong in level 1 team fights; they lack reliable crowd control."
Furthermore, Crisp will definitely go to the river to establish defensive vision, because SofM's Nightmare is very vulnerable to ganks during the early game. We'll camp here and wait for him.
Xiao Yan accurately predicted Crisp's eye-planting route.
But this is just the beginning.