In the center of the brightly lit arena, everyone in EDG slowly took off their sound-isolating headphones, sweat and excitement intertwined on their young faces.
They walked to the other side of the stage, and the figures of the DWG members looked a little dim in the shadow of loss.
The first is Nuguri, the top laner. He was like a puppet that had lost its soul. His face was expressionless, his eyes were empty, and every muscle in his body was stiff. He mechanically stretched out his hand and shook hands with Su Mo, who was walking at the front.
Following this is jungle jungler Canyon.
Su Mo smiled and stretched out his hand, Canyon also stretched out his hand, and their palms briefly touched.
Su Mo could clearly feel the unwillingness and weak trembling coming from his hands. Canyon's still immature face was filled with dissatisfaction and stubbornness that refused to admit defeat. His lips were pursed tightly, as if he was silently declaring the next challenge.
Then there is mid laner Aker. The talented mid laner's face was filled with regret that couldn't be erased at this moment. He shook his head slightly subconsciously, and his brows were full of regret for some key operations and decisions in the game just now.
Su Mo stepped forward and stretched out his hand.
Aker returned his grip hard, and the moment their eyes met, he took a deep breath and said in clear Korean: "It was a good fight, but next time we meet, I will win it back."
His voice was not loud, but it was loud.
Su Mo nodded appreciatively, with a sincere smile on his lips: "To be honest, I'm looking forward to it."
Aker's eyes suddenly became sharp and firm: "I will definitely do it."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to your performance." Su Mo lightly patted Aker's shoulder, as if to encourage and respond to the challenge.
This scene was keenly captured by the on-site director. The close-up shot was projected on the giant LED screen in the center of the venue, and every detail was clearly visible.
In the commentary box, Rita's voice sounded at the right time, with a bit of emotion: "Brother Mo Zi seems to be motivating Aker! I think Aker is a very respectable opponent. There is no doubt about his strength, and he is still so young and has a promising future."
Under the lights of the scene, many spectators spontaneously shouted: "DWG! DWG! DWG!" The uniform shouts echoed in the venue, full of encouragement and respect for this young team.
However, this well-intentioned encouragement seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back for Aker, who was already trying to remain calm. His nose felt sore, and his strong optimism instantly collapsed, and he lowered his head in shame. Su Mo could feel that an emotion called "let down" was wrapping him up. Yes, as long as they win this game, LCK can win the cup, but they have dimmed the eyes of countless expectations.
Su Mo continued forward and shook hands with the DWG duo. ADC player Nuclear looked calm and could not see too many disturbances, while support BeryL looked like he was wandering away from the world, his eyes were wandering, as if his soul had already flown out of the game, and he was only thinking about the words "It's finally over."
After shaking hands with everyone in DWG one by one, Su Mo led his EDG teammates back to the center of the stage, facing the roaring audience, and bowed deeply.
With the lights focused on, the members of IG, FPX, and TOP also walked onto the stage from the player tunnel, with the LPL flag flying behind them, sharing this glory that belongs to the entire competition region.
King Ning came over and slapped Su Mo on the shoulder: "Okay, EDG! If you are really there, I thought you were going to lose your chain in the end!"
The factory director rolled his eyes when he heard this, and said angrily: "You guys, can't you expect us to do better? Do you think we will lose? You really have no vision!"
Doinb was like a child, jumping up and down beside him, raising his hands in the air and cheering: "Win! We won! We are the champions! LPL 1! "
King Ning held his shoulders, which were shaking with excitement, and said with a bad smile: "Hey, Jin Gugu, didn't you FPX lose in the top eight? Are you so happy to win?"
Doinb No Willing to show weakness, he asked back: "Then your IG didn't win in the end? Each other!"
Other members of the IG held their foreheads helplessly, sighing in their hearts. They had nothing to do, but they were brought in by a guy like King Ning who spoke openly.
In the crowd, Jackeylove squeezed over and looked at Su Mo with bright eyes: "Well done, EDG! There is indeed something."
Su Mo smiled back: "You're welcome. Wait until we return to the LPL Summer Split. , we are tit-for-tat opponents, are you IG ready?"
Jackeylove exaggeratedly waved his hands: "Oh, I just won the intercontinental competition, so don't mention this sad and troublesome thing."
Meiko also came over and greeted Jackeylove with a smile: "Wen Bo'er, back to LPL, let's continue to fight with real swords and guns in the bottom lane. To be honest, it's quite interesting to play against you."
Su Mo suddenly interjected from the side and blinked narrowly: "Hey, Tianye, why do you feel that you are very interested in him? Do you two have any ulterior motives?"
Meiko's cheeks were slightly red and she waved her hands quickly: "Insidious story? I, I don't know what you are talking about! Stop talking nonsense!"
At this time, the host came to the stage with a microphone, and his passionate voice passed through The sound spread throughout the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, after five thrilling contests, I now announce that the LPL division defeated the LCK division with a score of three to two and successfully defended the championship of this Asian competition!"
With thunderous applause, representatives of the four LPL teams were invited to the center of the stage, crowded together side by side, and under the golden rain and gorgeous lights, jointly raised the championship trophy that symbolized glory.
The award ceremony came to an end with great joy, and everyone was ready to return to the lounge. As soon as I reached the entrance to the backstage passage, I bumped into players from the four LCK teams who were preparing to leave.
In the crowd, Su Mo saw the familiar figure at a glance—Faker. The two people's eyes met in the air. Faker nodded slightly, walked over on his own initiative, and extended his hand: "Congratulations, the final victory was taken away by you LPL." His tone was calm, with a trace of imperceptible fatigue.
Su Mo shook hands with him and responded humbly: "It's just good luck, I almost lost."
A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of Faker's lips: "Is it really just a 'near miss'?"
Before he finished speaking, a slightly thin figure quickly walked through the crowd and walked quickly to Su Mo and Faker.
"Senior Faker, are you familiar with player Mo?"
Su Mo turned his head and saw Aker. At this moment, Aker swept away the frustration and guilt when shaking hands after the game, his eyes lit up again, and his face gained a bit of youthful cheerfulness and vitality, as if the lost look just now was just a flash in the pan. After all, he is still young and one defeat will not easily defeat him.
"Um..." Faced with Aker's sudden question, Faker seemed a little hesitant. It's hard to say that they are very familiar with each other. It's just that they have played and met many times in the international arena in recent years, and they have some superficial communication with each other.
Before Faker could organize his words, Aker turned to Su Mo and asked with bright eyes: "Player Mo, can you give me your contact information? I want to ask you for more advice."
Su Mo readily took out his mobile phone: "Of course, no problem."
The two quickly exchanged contact information with each other, and Aker showed a satisfied smile on his face.
Su Mo inadvertently felt that there seemed to be a figure silently watching from the corner of his eye. He subconsciously turned around and looked - it was Chovy!
Chovy was standing not far away, looking at this side with complicated eyes, but never moved. When Su Mo glanced over, Chovy immediately looked away, pretending to look at the ceiling elsewhere, looking a little reserved. Su Mo knew clearly that Chovy's personality seemed to be more introverted than Aker, and the latter was obviously more open-minded.
The LPL teammates were still waiting in front. Su Mo greeted Faker and Aker: "If there is nothing else, I will leave with the team first."
After saying that, he turned around and followed his teammates towards the lounge.
However, when he walked past Chovy, he was keenly aware of Chovy's lips moving slightly, and his eyes were full of hesitation, as if he wanted to say something, but was embarrassed to say it.
Su Mo kept moving forward. Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps behind him. Chovy caught up with him and said in a stiff tone: "Give me a contact information."
Su Mo stopped and the other LPL players also turned around curiously.
Chovy's tone was stiff and a bit abrupt. When people who didn't know it first heard it, they thought it was some gangster on campus extorting protection money. They were stunned, with a trace of undetectable nervousness. However, judging from his slightly red ears and somewhat evasive eyes, it was obvious that he was just shy and not good at expressing himself.
Su Mo smiled, took out his cell phone again, and exchanged contact information with Chovy. "Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll leave first."
Su Mo turned around and continued to move forward. As soon as he took a step, Chovy's slightly stiff but relieved voice came from behind him: "Thank you." This kid looks tall and powerful, but his personality is unexpectedly introverted and innocent.
Meiko came close to Su Mo and teased with a wink: "Brother Mozi, what's going on? This night, we gained two more talented LCK mid laner fans?"
Su Mo laughed and said: "No, no, it's just a normal exchange between players."
Meiko continued to joke: "That's not necessarily the case. After all, he is a double champion who has won the world championship twice in a row. His personal strength is extremely strong. This treatment is almost as good as that of Faker back then. Who doesn't want to exchange and learn from your experience?" "How about it?"
Prince Ning jumped out to respond, rubbing his belly and shouting exaggeratedly: "Okay! Okay! I'm starving to death! It's been five fierce battles, and it's been almost five hours since the game started. "I'm already cooing!"
Baolan on the side couldn't help complaining: "Of the past five hours, you have been watching the game in the audience for at least four hours, and you are not allowed to go up and play. How hungry can you be?"
King Ning immediately retorted unconvinced: "Hey, watching the game is also a kind of mental exertion, do you understand? You think everyone is the same as you. After watching it, it's as if you haven't watched it. We top players all need to learn tactics and ideas from it!"
A moment later, everyone from LPL came to the restaurant of the hotel.
There were too many people to sit in a large box, so they had to be divided into several tables. As soon as Su Mo sat down, there was an explosion around him. The players were pushing and shoving, all wanting to sit next to the Dinghaishenzhen of LPL. Su Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only let them fight for it.
While the dishes were not yet served, the photo session was naturally indispensable. Everyone took out their mobile phones and consciously lined up around Su Mo. Flash lights flashed one after another, and the scene was comparable to a small fan meeting.
Speaking of which, in the past two years or so, the LCK division has really suffered in the international arena, and SI has not been able to win a key championship. But other teams in the LPL, under the strong rule of Su Mo and EDG, are actually having a "miserable" life. Not to mention international competitions, even the league championship trophy is out of reach. So now, this intercontinental championship that was finally snatched back from the LCK has great commemorative value and symbolic significance for the entire LPL.
The next day, the four LPL teams boarded the plane back to China with the glory of the championship. After a short break, the battle for the LPL Summer Split will continue to burn.
Time flies, and the regular season of the summer season quickly comes to an end. Due to some lineup rotation and tactical adjustments during the regular season, EDG finally entered the playoffs ranked fifth in the standings. This means that they need to play one more BO5 starting from the first round of the playoffs.
At the LPL match scene, in the EDG exclusive lounge, the atmosphere was slightly solemn as the battle was about to begin.
Coach Abramovich crossed his arms and looked at the players, with a hint of "hating that iron cannot be made into steel" in his tone: "You guys, if you work harder in the regular season, we will be able to play one less BO5 and start directly from the second round. Now, we have to start from the beginning, and we can't relax in every game."
Su Mo leaned on the sofa, with a relaxed smile on his face, and said to liven up the atmosphere: "It's okay, Bu Shen, just think of it as giving this kid Jiejie more experience in the competition. Isn't our opponent in the first round today Snake? Oh no, it's renamed LNG now. Just right, but Let Jiejie seek revenge for the "one-shot revenge" of the past, right, Jiejie? "
Jiejie really suffered a lot when faced with the unpredictable and deep-set jungle style, and he was often fooled to the point of being confused.
Su Mo was keenly aware that Jiejie's eyes suddenly sharpened when he mentioned this ID. His normally green face was filled with concentration and fighting spirit. He clenched his fists and said solemnly: "I will take this BO5 with my own hands!"
"Okay! This is the momentum!" Su Mo praised with a thumbs up, his eyes full of encouragement.
After a moment, following the prompts from the on-site director, the game was about to begin. Coach Abramovich led the starting five toward the game room.
The director stayed in the lounge, looked at Su Mo, who was also absent, and raised his eyebrows: "Why, you kid don't want to wait until the fifth life-and-death game again, and then go up to turn the tide and stage a savior drama. Just pretend to be cool, right?"
Su Mo laughed when he heard this and spread his hands: "Mingkai, do you underestimate your teammates who get along day and night? Or do you think too highly of LNG? For this game, do you think it needs to be played until the fifth game?"
The fact was just as Su Mo expected. In the first game, EDG played quite smoothly. Although Su Mo did not play in person, after entering the playoffs, he and the coaching staff carefully prepared a lot of routines and tactics for every potential opponent in the playoffs. These reserves can be said to be more than enough to deal with LNG.
After easily winning the first game, the EDG players returned to the lounge, their faces filled with confidence and high morale.
However, LNG is no ordinary player. In the second game, they showed amazing resilience, especially the top laner Sheng Qiang Ge. His Qinggang Shadow was like a god coming down from heaven in the team battle. With several waves of key precise cuts and extreme operations, he led the team back to a victory, changing the big score to a one-to-one tie. The atmosphere in the stadium instantly became tense.
By the third game, EDG clearly learned their lesson and no longer gave Sangun any chance to carry the game. From the beginning of the BP stage, strict targeting was carried out, and several successful ganks were carried out around the top lane during the game. Even though the holy gun brother had three heads and six arms, he was unable to save the day. EDG won the third game steadily.
In the fourth game, EDG, which held the match point, was unstoppable. It established an advantage from the laning stage, and through continuous resource plunder and successful team battles, the snowball snowballed bigger and bigger, and finally the game ended without any danger.
Three to one! EDG successfully advanced to the second round of the playoffs!
Their next opponent is the BLG team, which is known for its teamwork and operational capabilities. Although BLG does not have the kind of star-studded superstar players in the team, the players in each position have good strength, and the team has a strong integrity, which is a tough nut to crack.
Su Mo and Abramovich joined forces again, carefully studied the BLG game videos and formulated detailed targeted tactics. In this round, Su Mo still chose to trust his teammates and sit on the bench to watch the game.
Although there were twists and turns during the game, EDG relied on their superior personal ability and Su Mo's exquisite tactics to finally defeat BLG with a score of three to one and successfully advance to the third round, which is the semi-finals!
· EDG’s opponent in the semi-finals is a new and powerful team that has suddenly emerged this season - TOP!
In the parking lot outside the LPL competition venue, a luxury bus with the EDG team logo slowly drove in, slowed down, stopped steadily, and opened the door with a "chi" sound.
"Okay, boys, bring your equipment and get ready to get off the car." Coach Abu stood up first and greeted.
·EDG Everyone got out of the car one after another and breathed in the slightly hot air outside the venue.
The team members gathered next to the car and were preparing to line up to enter the competition venue. At this moment, Su Mo's ears moved and he heard the roar of another engine coming from far away. He subconsciously looked back and saw another bus coming this way.
It was a bus that also had the team’s logo printed on it. In the orange-red main color, a team logo that looked like a future warrior helmet was particularly eye-catching—that was the logo of the TOP team.
"Yo, what a coincidence." When the factory director saw this, he also stopped and looked at the opponent's vehicle with interest, as if he wanted to meet his old rival before the game and exchange "pre-game trash talk."
Soon, TOP's team bus stopped not far in front of everyone in EDG, the door opened, and TOP's team members filed out. Walking at the front is a young player with a slightly thin body and calm temperament. He lowers his head slightly and has a focused expression. He is the core mid laner of TOP - Knight, known as "Left Hand".
"The left hand is here!" Meiko lightly touched Scout next to her with her elbow and asked in a low voice: "How are you, little boy, do you feel any pressure?"
Scout glanced at Knight and replied calmly: "It's okay...but why do you all call him "Left Hand"? "
Meiko shrugged and shook his head: "I don't know, I saw them shouting like this on live broadcasts and forums. I guess...maybe it's because he is left-handed and uses a mouse?"
After everyone in TOP got out of the car, they naturally noticed the EDG group not far away. The coaches on both sides, Abramovich and TOP's White Crescent, approached each other with a smile, shook hands politely, and exchanged a few words of greeting.
While the coach was talking, the players on both sides naturally got closer.
PHONE TOP The starting players all look very young and full of energy. After all, they are new forces who have just come up from the secondary league through all the difficulties.
"Brother Mozi!" A clear voice sounded. Su Mo looked around and saw a boy wearing black-rimmed glasses, but not elegant at all, but looking at him with a sense of straightforwardness. It was TOP's starting top order - 369.
"Oh, it's 369. I heard that you performed very well in the recent summer split and played very well." Su Mo greeted him with a smile.
"Hehe, I feel so-so...it's okay." 369 scratched his head and smiled honestly, with a bit of shyness on his face, but he couldn't hide the complacency and pride in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
Su Mo's eyes passed over 369 and fell on Knight beside him. Knight remained silent, his eyes lowered, and he didn't know what he was thinking. His whole person exuded a calmness, or introversion, that was not consistent with his age. Su Mo suddenly remembered that the character of this "left-hander" was somewhat similar to the LCK mid laner Chovy he met in the intercontinental competition. They were both the quiet and introverted type.
After a brief pre-match encounter, the two teams parted ways under the guidance of the staff and went to their exclusive lounges for final preparations.
After entering the EDG lounge, Su Mo threw his backpack on the sofa and found a comfortable corner to sit down. He took out his mobile phone and habitually refreshed the e-sports information to see what the latest rhythms were, or the battle conditions in other competition areas.
Looking at the result, he was slightly surprised to find that the LCK summer playoffs had already reached the finals!
And this time the finals were played against both sides, it was T1 vs. GRF!
Su Mo was watching intently when the factory director's voice suddenly came from behind him, with a hint of curiosity: "Huh? T1? How do I remember that they played very badly in the regular season this season, and they still made it to the finals?"
Su Mo didn't need to look back to know that it was the old boy, the factory director, who had come over to peek at the screen of his mobile phone again. He responded without looking back: "You can never underestimate the T1 team based on its performance in the regular season. When you think that it is not good enough and is about to stretch its hips, he can often give you a big 'surprise' in the playoffs and even create miracles."
Hearing this, the factory director curled his lips, with disapproval written all over his face: "Really or falsely" ? Is it because you were shadowed by them back then, so you took them too seriously? Su Mo turned his head and looked at him funny: "I'm afraid of them? Mingkai, you really dare to say this. In the past, when it came to playing SKT, everyone was trembling. Who is the shadow? I won't criticize him by name."
The two were bickering when Coach Abu clapped his hands and interrupted their chat: "Okay, okay, it's almost time. The starting team is ready to go on the field."
Su Mo waved to his teammates who were about to take the field and made a cheering gesture. Potential: "Brothers, come on! I'll give you crazy calls below!"
This time, the starting lineup EDG sent out to face TOP is still: top laner Ray, jungler Jiejie, mid laner Scout, ADC Iboy, and assistant Meiko.
Su Mo and the factory director stayed in the lounge, watching the battle on the big screen.
The players from both sides appeared on stage amidst exciting music and cheers from the audience. After debugging the equipment, they quickly entered the BP stage.
Since Su Mo is not playing, EDG's midfielder linkage and bottom lane combination will undoubtedly become the focus of TOP, and they will need to bear more ban position pressure and tactical restrictions. Fortunately, after a long period of running-in and growth, EDG's current lineup, the personal abilities and team chemistry of the players have been raised to a new level, and they can handle this with ease.
BP is over, the lineups of both sides are determined, and the game officially enters the loading screen.
The game begins, the laning period. Su Mo and the factory director mainly focused on the two key single lanes of the top lane and the middle lane.
On the top lane, TOP 369 chose Renekton, the Desert Butcher, who has a very strong early matchup, while Ray got the Darkin Sword Demon Aatrox, who has good recovery and late growth. In the picture, 369's Crocodile played extremely aggressively. With its heroic characteristics and fierce operation, it only took three levels to seize a wave of opportunities. A set of fierce "Red Fury W-Q-A-E" combos lowered the bloodline of Ray's Sword Demon, forcing the latter to retreat and temporarily gave up a few last-ditch attacks. However, 369's own state also consumed a lot. He calmly controlled the line of troops, slowly pushed it under the EDG tower, and then chose to return to the city to replenish state and equipment.
The director touched his chin and commented: "I feel that this 369 does have something. It plays very proactively, dares to fight and fight hard, and the basic operations and laning details are handled without any major problems."
Su Mo nodded slightly and agreed: "Well, the basic skills are quite solid, and the laning style is fierce enough. But..." He paused, a sharp look flashed in his eyes, "There is still room for improvement in the delicacy of his operations, especially in micro-management and response in some extreme situations. There seems to be a little shackles of talent. The upper limit may not be too high. "
The director glanced at him in disbelief: "You can see this? Can you diagnose talent through the screen? Impossible, you are bragging again."
Su Mo smiled noncommittally: "It's up to you to believe it or not."
The camera switches to the center. TOP's "left hand" Knight uses the trickster LeBlanc to face Zoe, one of Scout's signature heroes. The battle between the two top mid laners had sparks flying from the beginning. Both sides were going back and forth, consuming and testing each other, each trying to catch the other's mistakes and score a single kill, but both sides were very cautious and their defense was impeccable. After several waves of confrontation, it was basically a 50-50 situation, with no one taking much advantage and could only temporarily enter a stage of peaceful development.
· The director continued to comment: "The speed of improvement of this left hand is indeed quite obvious. It has only been a while now, and he has become more and more calm and calm against Scout, and there are not many disadvantages."
· Su Mo responded: "Yes, this is a good thing. Only if we in LPL can continue to emerge such talented young people can we maintain long-term competitiveness and have successors."
Hearing this, the factory director was suddenly stunned and looked at Su Mo with a strange expression: "Is there a successor? What do you mean by that? Don't scare me, you are not...thinking about retirement again, are you?"
Su Mo was amused by him and waved his hand: " What are you thinking about? At least I have to wait until I win three consecutive championships in S and establish a real dynasty. "You are thinking too far." The laning period quickly ended with mutual testing and small friction between the two sides, and the game gradually entered the mid-term team-building stage. TOP and EDG launched several fierce team battles around neutral resources such as Rift Pioneer and Xiaolong. There were wins and losses for each other, and the economy was basically the same. There was never a big gap.
Just when the situation was in a stalemate and both sides were playing extremely cautiously, the top bottom lane ADC player LokeN, commanding the well-developed bounty hunter Miss Fortune, stood up in a crucial Dragon Soul team battle. He relied on his exquisite movement to avoid EDG's key control skills. Then, under the cover of his teammates, he activated the ultimate move "Barrage Time" at an extreme position, dealing devastating AOE damage and instantly melting EDG's front-row heroes. TOP seized the opportunity and swarmed in, successfully won this key team battle, and took advantage of the situation to win the Baron.
With the strong advancement of Baron Buff, TOP played steadily and did not give EDG too many chances to make a comeback. They gradually eroded EDG's defense towers and high ground, and finally took away the game in one wave and won the first victory.
In the lounge, the scene of the TOP base crystal exploding on the big screen has not faded away. The director has jumped up from his seat, his eyes widened, and he can hardly believe his judgment:
"No! How could this guy LokeN steal the chicken? In my pre-match analysis, I thought he was just an A who followed the team. DC! "
Su Mo, however, looked calm, tapping his fingertips on the table rhythmically, and analyzed: "It is precisely because everyone thinks that he is a 'bastard' and will not pay too much attention to him, so he can inadvertently find an opportunity to complete a fatal blow. The truth is, sometimes it is as simple as taking him by surprise and attacking him unprepared."
The director slapped his thigh in annoyance, his tone full of unwillingness: "This is such an embarrassing loss! Didn't anyone pay attention to this ADC during the entire team battle? Let him output so comfortably!"
Soon, EDG's losing starting five returned to the lounge with dejected expressions.
The air seemed to have solidified, and the faces of the team members were full of annoyance and unwillingness, with their heads lowered and silent.
The defeat just now was like a huge stone weighing on their hearts.