The group stage of Group B has come to an end, with EDG leading the pack with a perfect record of 6-0.
However, there is not much time for them to celebrate, because the even more nerve-wracking part, the draw for the top eight, will be held live on the main stage in half an hour.
Half an hour later.
In the studio hall of the sports center, the lights changed from the exciting red and blue collision to dark gold.
In the center of the stage, four transparent glass jars were lined up, containing the signed balls of the first and second seeds of the four groups respectively.
At this moment, the drawing ceremony has officially begun.
Su Mo and his group were also very nervous in the lounge.
Of course, they are not afraid of encountering any powerful opponents, but they are afraid of encountering their own LPL team, which is the only RNG to advance.
After all, it is not easy for everyone to come to the World Championship. It would not be good to send them back to the top eight.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the draw ceremony for the knockout stage of the 2021 League of Legends Global Finals!" The host Sjokz wore a dark dress and said in a solemn voice, "In order to ensure the fairness of the draw, we have specially invited a special guest today to help us complete this sacred work."
The lights on the side of the stage lit up, and a familiar figure walked up to the stage with a smile.
"Let us welcome Jankos, the jungler from G2 Esports!"
Although G2 unfortunately missed the World Championship this year, the popularity of "King of All Lives" Jankos has not diminished.
He was wearing a handsome suit, but the smile on his face still had a somewhat iconic sense of joy.
"Hey, everyone, I'm here again." Jankos took the microphone and joked to himself, "Although I can't sit here as a player, it feels good to be able to decide your fate."
He also made a little joke, but every one of the teams that advanced to the top eight could laugh.
· In EDG's lounge, everyone was sitting in front of the big screen, especially Jiejie, who was sitting upright at the moment, with his hands crossed and clasped unconsciously.
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous." Meiko said, but her eyes were fixed on the screen, "As long as you don't get into a civil war, you can hit anyone." The second place in Group C and D. It is best to draw C9 or MAD, that is the most ideal draw. "
Su Mo was still sitting on the outermost e-sports chair, even holding a can of ice coke in his hand, and gently opened the pull tab, and the "hiss" sound was particularly clear in the quiet training room.
"Brother Mo Zi, you really don't panic at all." Scout looked back at him and said with a wry smile.
「慌什么，反正都要打。」苏墨仰头喝了一口，「而且，我觉得Jankos的手气，一向都很好，应该会给我们抽个外卡的。」
屏幕里，Jankos已经将手伸进了装有一号种子签球的玻璃缸。
"First, we will draw out the defenders in the four half zones."
The first ball is taken out and the note is unfolded - GEN.G.
The next one is DK.
The third one——T1.
The last one is naturally-EDG.
The four No. 1 seeds were placed in four half-districts.
EDG was placed in the fourth pool in the bottom half.
"Next, is the most critical opponent's draw." Sjokz's voice rose a few points, "Their fate will be decided at this moment."
Jankos once again reached into another glass jar and stirred it vigorously a few times.
The first No. 2 seed was drawn - C9.
According to the group avoidance principle, C9 could not go to Group A (the group DK was in), and was eventually assigned to the half zone where GEN.G was.
The second ball——MAD.
MAD was assigned to the half zone where DK was located.
At this time, there are only two second seeds left: RNG from LPL, and HLE from LCK.
The remaining No. 1 seeds are T1 and EDG.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
In the EDG training room, Jiejie clasped his hands and prayed: "Don't be RNG, never be RNG..."
If it were HLE, they would have a relatively easy fight.
But if it is RNG, it will be the civil war that LPL least wants to see.
On the screen, Jankos took out the third ball.
He seemed to feel the heaviness and opened it a little slower.
The paper unfolded, and the black and gold team logo came into view.
——HLE.
"HLE!" Miller slapped his forehead at the commentary desk, "Then they will automatically enter the half area where T1 is located! Then the last remaining group of duels have been determined!"
Jiejie closed his eyes in pain, leaned back, and collapsed on the chair: "Afraid Come on, come on."
On the screen, Jankos opened the last ball that must be RNG, with an awkward but polite smile on his face, as if to say: "There is nothing I can do."
The final matchup is revealed: EDG vs RNG.
"Alas..." the factory director let out a long sigh, "The last thing we wanted to see happened. The first battle in the quarterfinals was a civil war in our LPL."
Abu's expression was not very good, but he quickly adjusted: "Okay! The results have come out, and there is no point in saying anything. In the civil war, we have to go all out. At least... our LPL has sent out a semi-final team, right?"
Su Mo looked at the RNG team logo on the screen, shook the Coke can in his hand, and sighed slightly.
It seems that there is no chance of LPL winning the championship and runner-up this year.
After the draw, it was a long and boring offseason.
The weather in Reykjavik is getting colder and colder, with fine snowflakes often falling outside the window.
In order to prepare for this cruel civil war, all EDG members are constantly training and are not slacking off.
Except for Su Mo...
Of course, EDG is currently not conducting training matches with other LPL teams to avoid leaking tactics.
Abramovich contacted the LEC and LCS teams to ensure high-intensity training every day even if there is a time difference.
While training, Abramovich will also lead everyone to analyze RNG, a familiar old opponent.
Time passes slowly like this.
Until the day before the game, Su Mo and his team went to a restaurant for dinner and happened to meet everyone from RNG.
Because it is a buffet, it is inevitable that everyone will bump into each other.
This is the dining place arranged by Riot Games for all top eight teams.
At this moment, the members of EDG and RNG met unexpectedly, each occupying a corner of the restaurant, and they were clearly different from each other.
There is no smell of gunpowder in the air, but there is a hint of embarrassment.
Everyone is immersed in the food on the plate. The sound of the collision of tableware is particularly clear at this moment, and the occasional eye contact will quickly change, as if each other is a familiar stranger.
Just at this moment, there was a sound of footsteps, and RNG's top laner Xiaohu walked to EDG's table with some hesitation, holding a dinner plate.
Behind him were jungler Wei and auxiliary Ming.
"Brother Mozi, do you mind if we sit here?" Xiaohu scratched his head.
"Sit down, Brother Hu, this is not my house, you can sit wherever you like." Su Mo raised his head and pointed to the empty seat next to him.
Several people from RNG pulled up their chairs and sat down. The members of the two teams finally broke the silence and started chatting.
"That guy Jankos's hands are too dark!" Ming was the first to speak. He sighed, with helplessness on his face, "The top eight drew lots and forced us to have a civil war in the LPL. I almost cursed in the audience."
"Who said that? No!" Jiejie immediately found resonance and put down his knife and fork, "I thought at that time, as long as it's not you, I can slap anyone! It turned out to be good, so I was afraid. After the fight tomorrow, our two teams will definitely have to pack up and go home. It's too uncomfortable."
There were sighs at the dining table.
These words express what everyone feels.
They fought their way out of the LPL with the dream of winning glory for the region, but they never expected that the first and most difficult hurdle on their way to the championship would be to eliminate their brothers with their own hands.
We were joking internally that this year it would be up to you, EDG. If you make it all the way to the finals and win the championship, it would be considered a huge success for the LPL. But now it seems... it’s difficult.”
This statement sounds like a sign of weakness, but it’s more of a helplessness.
With Su Mo here, the dominance displayed by the EDG team is most profoundly experienced by other teams in the LPL.
Xiaohu's words are the most direct recognition of EDG and Su Mo's personal strength.
After hearing this, Wei and Xiao Ming's eyes dimmed a bit.
They are eager to win, but facing this insurmountable mountain in front of them, one can imagine the pressure in their hearts.
"Brother Tiger, don't say that." Meiko, as the captain, took the lead in comforting, "The game hasn't even started yet, and anything can happen in BO5. No one dares to underestimate your strength. Tomorrow, we will go all out. This is the greatest respect for each other."
"That's right!" Jiejie also said, "Don't pour ecstasy soup on us! We won't be merciful when we play tomorrow! But after the fight, no matter who loses or wins, I'll treat you to a midnight snack!"
These words made everyone in RNG smile. Ming punched Jiejie: "I've been waiting for your words!"
Everyone's eyes finally fell on Su Mo.
Su Mo put down the tableware in his hand, looked at the faces in front of him who were both opponents and friends, and said:
"The runner-up is not our goal, and it is not your goal. To this day, no one in the LPL will be satisfied with just a runner-up. That's how the lottery is, there will always be someone who leaves early. But no matter who wins tomorrow, the winning team will continue to move forward with the share of the other team."
He paused, Picking up the juice cup in front of him, "So, don't think so much. Tomorrow, let's treat it as our LPL division, presenting the most exciting final preview to the world's audience in advance. Everyone on the field will rely on their abilities and leave no regrets. How about it?"
He also raised his cup and touched it to Su Mo.
"Okay! No regrets!"
Bang!
The crisp sound of clinking glasses sounded in the restaurant, and also sounded the final drum of war on the eve of the LPL civil war.
In the second half of the meal, the atmosphere became relaxed.
We even chatted about anecdotes about Iceland, complaining about the "immortal" teammates they met in the European server rankings, as if they had forgotten the cruel duel that was coming tomorrow.
Everyone also knows how to behave appropriately and does not talk about team competition and tactics.
After the meal, the two teams separated at the entrance of the restaurant.
"Come on tomorrow." Xiaohu extended his fist towards Su Mo.
"Well, the same goes for you." Su Mo touched him lightly.
After dinner, the members of EDG and RNG each returned to their training rooms and devoted themselves to the final preparations.
However, what they don’t know is that while they are enjoying this moment of tranquility, the outside online world has already caused huge waves due to the upcoming LPL civil war.
The title of the pinned post in the Hupu e-sports area is already in full swing at this time.
Su Mo is looking at this post on his mobile phone at the moment -
"[S11 Top Eight Preview] Brothers are fighting against each other, this battle is silent, the glory of LPL will be carried forward by the winner"
The comment area below has already built thousands of floors:
"Damn Janko is so evil!"
"I'm crying. The palms and backs of my hands are full of flesh. It's uncomfortable for anyone to be eliminated. RNG is my youth, EDG is my belief, why are you doing this to me?"
"Stop arguing, Brother Mo will get the championship back."
Judging from the status of the group stage, EDG has a huge advantage..."
"It's just a discussion, I haven't seen anyone who can beat Brother Mozi..."
"Don't be a bitch upstairs! Everything is possible in BO5! I believe in the resilience of RNG! Kill Gala!"
Su Mo smiled, then opened the Tieba and looked at it again.
Well, Anti-Stress Bar continues their usual style:
«Is there a possibility that whoever wins tomorrow will be the S11 champion? 》
"It's classic to open the champagne in advance, right? But there is one thing to say, the gold content of tomorrow's BO5 may be higher than that of the subsequent finals."
"Then what's there to say? Just say that EDG is the champion again this year."
"Give RNG an idea, let's go straight to it tomorrow. Pick up the five of them and go on the road, play mahjong with Brother Mo Zi, hold him back, and the others will have a chance. "
"It's funny, five of you are going to go on the road? Are you sure you're not going to give Brother Mo Zi a five-kill as a meeting gift?"
"..."
After reading the comments, Su Mo sighed again.
Hmm, I sigh for RNG.
…
The next day, the decisive battle came as scheduled.
Outside the stadium in Reykjavik, the cold wind was mixed with snowflakes, but it could not cool down the heat inside the stadium at all.
When the EDG players arrived by bus, they found that hundreds of LPL fans from afar had gathered at the entrance of the venue.
Some fans were wearing EDG's black and gold team uniforms, but they were waving RNG support flags in their hands.
Some fans are wearing RNG team uniforms, but have EDG team logo stickers on their faces...
The most eye-catching one is a tall boy, holding a huge handwritten light sign in his hand, half of it is the EDG team logo, half of it is the RNG team logo, with eye-catching red letters in the middle saying - "LPL, come on!"
At this moment, the glory of the division transcends the ownership of the club.
This heavy expectation was conveyed to the hearts of every team member through the silent light sign. s
Su Mo and his party also greeted the audience enthusiastically. (End of chapter)