Chapter 408: Lose First, Then Win Three in a Row?
Li Jingsi: "Why?"
Chen Mo explained, "Professional teams nowadays generally still emphasize team fights. The fact that SOT even used Amumu to protect Karthus shows this. To put it bluntly, SOT is still sticking to the old ways, but NRG is already trying out new strategies."
"Gragas is a champion very suited for invading the jungle. NRG's Xiao Hei did play him quite well, but their mistake was not fully committing to this approach. They picked a safe, conventional Anivia for mid lane."
"In this match, Kassadin and Orianna, the two best champions for snowballing with the jungler, were both banned. However, NRG could still have chosen Annie, Katarina, or even Vladimir. I can only say that they lost this match because they were a bit too conservative."
"I think in the next game, NRG will recognize this mistake, and they'll definitely bring out more strategies."
Although he was at the venue, Chen Mo was still using his phone to follow the live broadcasts of the finals on various streaming platforms.
What moved Chen Mo a bit was that after NRG lost the first game, the barrage was basically free of "GG" or mindless insults; it was all "NRG, keep it up!" scrolling by.
Seeing so many messages of encouragement, one could feel the genuine support the domestic audience had for this team.
In the second match, the two sides swapped red and blue sides. However, in terms of champion selection, both sides still targeted the mid-jungle duo. SOT, on the blue side, even banned Gragas, who had performed exceptionally well in the previous game.
Amidst a chorus of "Ban Karthus," NRG ignored it and left Karthus open.
But this time, SOT didn't pick him. Instead, they locked in Jax for the top lane.
NRG responded by picking Shen and Karthus, then filled out the jungle and support roles with Dr. Mundo and Sona, forming a seemingly flawless, perfect composition.
Clearly, their playstyles had swapped. SOT wanted to try gaining a lane advantage and play a more modern split-push strategy, while NRG immediately saw through their intentions and picked Shen to counter it.
Due to the compositions, neither side found good opportunities in the early game and could only farm safely. Although NRG was at a disadvantage in all three lanes initially, they stabilized well.
It wasn't until around the 18-minute mark that fights broke out simultaneously in both the top and bottom lanes!
After Silver's Karthus used his ultimate to help the bottom lane secure a kill on the enemy support Zyra, he rushed to the top lane to intercept SOT's top-jungle-mid trio, who were trying to dive and kill Shen.
With Shen's ultimate, Karthus's combat power was explosive. Combined with the ulting Dr. Mundo constantly sticking to enemies, they successfully pulled off a 0-for-3 trade, instantly turning the tide of the game!
Although SOT tried to use split-pushing to create pressure, Jax couldn't do much against a well-farmed Shen. Ultimately, relying on their superior team-fighting strength, NRG successfully evened the score!
Silver's Karthus also played an extremely crucial role. He and Black's Dr. Mundo had a combined kill participation rate of 83%, truly demonstrating how the mid-jungle duo could control the entire game.
In the third match, NRG returned to the blue side.
This time, SOT didn't dare leave Karthus open. After the first two games, everyone could see that both teams' mid-laners were highly proficient with Karthus; whoever got him could dominate the match.
But with only three ban slots, banning Karthus meant they had to leave Orianna open. NRG didn't hesitate for a second and instantly locked her in.
This time, SOT still opted for a more team-fight-oriented composition, while NRG picked an extremely aggressive top-jungle-mid combo of Orianna, Lee Sin, and Jax. Their intention was clearly to crush SOT during the laning phase itself.
SOT seemed to want to farm and wait for team fights, but NRG gave them no chance. In the early game, Lee Sin, together with Jax and Orianna, aggressively invaded the jungle, chasing SOT's jungler Skarner all over the place. In the subsequent small skirmishes, Jax's Leap + Stun combined with Orianna's ultimate dealt massive damage to SOT's relatively fragile composition.
Against these three, SOT's champions felt like paper. The snowball started rolling in the mid-game, and NRG won this match without any suspense.
After securing the match point, the World Championship trophy was just one step away!
Throughout these three games, the two casters had been shouting until their voices were hoarse, but they were also incredibly excited. Witnessing a domestic team win the championship at such a moment was a great honor for both the audience and the casters!
...
The fourth game began. For SOT, they were on the brink of elimination, and the expressions on everyone's faces were extremely grim.
They entered the Ban/Pick phase again.
After the previous games, everyone had realized the importance of the Ban/Pick phase. In this most crucial fourth game, it all came down to how both sides would choose their compositions!
There were now too many problematic champions for both sides to handle; three ban slots were simply not enough. Especially for SOT, they had to make tough choices.
In the end, SOT chose not to ban Orianna, nor did they pick her first. Instead, they selected a composition that could be considered a risky, off-meta pick: Jayce, Nocturne, Lux, Ezreal, and Lulu.
Seeing this composition, most of the audience and the two casters were a bit stunned, as this lineup had never appeared on the stage of the World Finals before.
But Chen Mo clearly understood SOT's intention: the poke composition.
This playstyle had been all the rage in his previous life but had never been used by any team in this parallel world. The so-called "poke" involves using long-range skills to chip away at the enemy's health, establishing a huge health advantage before a team fight even starts, thereby securing map objectives and snowballing the game.
Clearly, in this do-or-die match, SOT had to pull out their trump card strategy. If this composition could develop, it would undoubtedly cause NRG immense trouble.
It was unknown whether NRG had seen through their opponent's intentions. The composition they chose this time was largely similar to the previous game, still centered around Orianna. However, with Jax banned for the top lane, they opted for Shen, who could provide easier support.
Amidst the frenzied cheers of the audience, this crucial battle began!
Not only did SOT's five members pick a very off-meta composition, but they also aggressively chose to invade for a level-one team fight. After Jayce used his Acceleration Gate to give everyone a speed boost, they cautiously took a roundabout path into the jungle, looking to set up an ambush.
With SOT's composition, Lux, Lulu, and Nocturne all had crowd control abilities, while Jayce and Ezreal could follow up with damage. If NRG's jungler wandered into the jungle, he would very likely be killed on the spot by the five-man team.
However, NRG had already placed a defensive ward in their own red buff jungle area, clearly revealing the movements of all five SOT members.
SOT's five members were lying in ambush in the brush between the red buff and mid lane. Meanwhile, NRG was also standing in the fog of war under their own mid-lane outer turret. The two sides were practically within spitting distance, but SOT had no idea where NRG was.
"NRG's ward is absolutely crucial! They haven't left yet; they're waiting! They're waiting for SOT's members to recall, then they'll pick off the stragglers!"
"Will it succeed? SOT didn't catch anyone, and some of them are already recalling! NRG is moving in to surround them! Can they catch someone isolated?"
The two casters were also getting excited. Level-one team fights were rare in the entire World Finals, but a level-one fight where one side completely saw through the other's intentions and had a numbers advantage was unprecedented!
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